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Isaiah 26:7-28:13
New International Version - UK
Isaiah 26:7-28:13
New International Version - UK
7 The path of the righteous is level;
you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.
8 Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,[a]
we wait for you;
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,
they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
and do not regard the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted high,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.
12 Lord, you establish peace for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done for us.
13 Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us,
but your name alone do we honour.
14 They are now dead, they live no more;
their spirits do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;
you wiped out all memory of them.
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
you have enlarged the nation.
You have gained glory for yourself;
you have extended all the borders of the land.
16 Lord, they came to you in their distress;
when you disciplined them,
they could barely whisper a prayer.[b]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pain,
so were we in your presence, Lord.
18 We were with child, we writhed in labour,
but we gave birth to wind.
We have not brought salvation to the earth,
and the people of the world have not come to life.
19 But your dead will live, Lord;
their bodies will rise –
let those who dwell in the dust
wake up and shout for joy –
your dew is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead.
20 Go, my people, enter your rooms
and shut the doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until his wrath has passed by.
21 See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling
to punish the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood shed on it;
the earth will conceal its slain no longer.
Deliverance of Israel
27 In that day,
the Lord will punish with his sword –
his fierce, great and powerful sword –
Leviathan the gliding serpent,
Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster of the sea.
2 In that day –
‘Sing about a fruitful vineyard:
3 I, the Lord, watch over it;
I water it continually.
I guard it day and night
so that no one may harm it.
4 I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
I would march against them in battle;
I would set them all on fire.
5 Or else let them come to me for refuge;
let them make peace with me,
yes, let them make peace with me.’
6 In days to come Jacob will take root,
Israel will bud and blossom
and fill all the world with fruit.
7 Has the Lord struck her
as he struck down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
as those were killed who killed her?
8 By warfare[c] and exile you contend with her –
with his fierce blast he drives her out,
as on a day the east wind blows.
9 By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for,
and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:
when he makes all the altar stones
to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles[d] or incense altars
will be left standing.
10 The fortified city stands desolate,
an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,
there they lie down;
they strip its branches bare.
11 When its twigs are dry, they are broken off
and women come and make fires with them.
For this is a people without understanding;
so their Maker has no compassion on them,
and their Creator shows them no favour.
12 In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one. 13 And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Woe to the leaders of Ephraim and Judah
28 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley –
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong.
Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind,
like a driving rain and a flooding downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
will be trampled underfoot.
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,
will be like figs ripe before harvest –
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5 In that day the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice
to the one who sits in judgment,
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 And these also stagger from wine
and reel from beer:
priests and prophets stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.
9 ‘Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;[e]
a little here, a little there.’
11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
12 to whom he said,
‘This is the resting-place, let the weary rest’;
and, ‘This is the place of repose’–
but they would not listen.
13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there –
so that as they go they will fall backwards;
they will be injured and snared and captured.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
- Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Isaiah 27:8 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Isaiah 27:9 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
- Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13
Isaiah 26:7-28:13
New International Version
Isaiah 26:7-28:13
New International Version
7 The path of the righteous is level;(A)
you, the Upright One,(B) make the way of the righteous smooth.(C)
8 Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,[a](D)
we wait(E) for you;
your name(F) and renown
are the desire of our hearts.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;(G)
in the morning my spirit longs(H) for you.
When your judgments(I) come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.(J)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,(K)
they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil(L)
and do not regard(M) the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted high,(N)
but they do not see(O) it.
Let them see your zeal(P) for your people and be put to shame;(Q)
let the fire(R) reserved for your enemies consume them.
12 Lord, you establish peace(S) for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done(T) for us.
13 Lord our God, other lords(U) besides you have ruled over us,
but your name(V) alone do we honor.(W)
14 They are now dead,(X) they live no more;
their spirits(Y) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;(Z)
you wiped out all memory of them.(AA)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
you have enlarged the nation.(AB)
You have gained glory for yourself;
you have extended all the borders(AC) of the land.
16 Lord, they came to you in their distress;(AD)
when you disciplined(AE) them,
they could barely whisper(AF) a prayer.[b]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth(AG)
writhes and cries out in her pain,
so were we in your presence, Lord.
18 We were with child, we writhed in labor,
but we gave birth(AH) to wind.
We have not brought salvation(AI) to the earth,
and the people of the world have not come to life.(AJ)
19 But your dead(AK) will live, Lord;
their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust(AL)
wake up and shout for joy—
your dew(AM) is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead.(AN)
20 Go, my people, enter your rooms
and shut the doors(AO) behind you;
hide(AP) yourselves for a little while
until his wrath(AQ) has passed by.(AR)
21 See, the Lord is coming(AS) out of his dwelling(AT)
to punish(AU) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood(AV) shed on it;
the earth will conceal its slain no longer.
Deliverance of Israel
27 In that day,(AW)
the Lord will punish with his sword(AX)—
his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan(AY) the gliding serpent,(AZ)
Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster(BA) of the sea.
2 In that day(BB)—
“Sing(BC) about a fruitful vineyard:(BD)
3 I, the Lord, watch over it;
I water(BE) it continually.
I guard(BF) it day and night
so that no one may harm(BG) it.
4 I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
I would march against them in battle;
I would set them all on fire.(BH)
5 Or else let them come to me for refuge;(BI)
let them make peace(BJ) with me,
yes, let them make peace with me.”
6 In days to come Jacob will take root,(BK)
Israel will bud and blossom(BL)
and fill all the world with fruit.(BM)
7 Has the Lord struck her
as he struck(BN) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
as those were killed who killed her?
8 By warfare[c] and exile(BO) you contend with her—
with his fierce blast he drives her out,
as on a day the east wind(BP) blows.
9 By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned(BQ) for,
and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:(BR)
When he makes all the altar stones(BS)
to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles[d](BT) or incense altars(BU)
will be left standing.
10 The fortified city stands desolate,(BV)
an abandoned settlement, forsaken(BW) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,(BX)
there they lie down;(BY)
they strip its branches bare.
11 When its twigs are dry, they are broken off(BZ)
and women come and make fires(CA) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;(CB)
so their Maker has no compassion on them,
and their Creator(CC) shows them no favor.(CD)
12 In that day the Lord will thresh(CE) from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt,(CF) and you, Israel, will be gathered(CG) up one by one. 13 And in that day(CH) a great trumpet(CI) will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled(CJ) in Egypt(CK) will come and worship(CL) the Lord on the holy mountain(CM) in Jerusalem.
Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah
28 Woe(CN) to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(CO) drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley(CP)—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!(CQ)
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful(CR) and strong.
Like a hailstorm(CS) and a destructive wind,(CT)
like a driving rain and a flooding(CU) downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(CV) drunkards,
will be trampled(CW) underfoot.
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,(CX)
will be like figs(CY) ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5 In that day(CZ) the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious(DA) crown,(DB)
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant(DC) of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice(DD)
to the one who sits in judgment,(DE)
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle(DF) at the gate.
7 And these also stagger(DG) from wine(DH)
and reel(DI) from beer:
Priests(DJ) and prophets(DK) stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,(DL)
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit(DM)
and there is not a spot without filth.
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?(DN)
To whom is he explaining his message?(DO)
To children weaned(DP) from their milk,(DQ)
to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that[e];
a little here, a little there.(DR)”
11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues(DS)
God will speak to this people,(DT)
12 to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;(DU)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there(DV)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured(DW) and snared and captured.(DX)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
- Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Isaiah 27:8 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Isaiah 27:9 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
- Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13
New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.