Font Size
Isaiah 30-35
New Living Translation
Isaiah 30-35
New Living Translation
Judah’s Worthless Treaty with Egypt
30 “What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,”
says the Lord.
“You make plans that are contrary to mine.
You make alliances not directed by my Spirit,
thus piling up your sins.
2 For without consulting me,
you have gone down to Egypt for help.
You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection.
You have tried to hide in his shade.
3 But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated,
and by depending on him, you will be disgraced.
4 For though his power extends to Zoan
and his officials have arrived in Hanes,
5 all who trust in him will be ashamed.
He will not help you.
Instead, he will disgrace you.”
6 This message came to me concerning the animals in the Negev:
The caravan moves slowly
across the terrible desert to Egypt—
donkeys weighed down with riches
and camels loaded with treasure—
all to pay for Egypt’s protection.
They travel through the wilderness,
a place of lionesses and lions,
a place where vipers and poisonous snakes live.
All this, and Egypt will give you nothing in return.
7 Egypt’s promises are worthless!
Therefore, I call her Rahab—
the Harmless Dragon.[a]
A Warning for Rebellious Judah
8 Now go and write down these words.
Write them in a book.
They will stand until the end of time
as a witness
9 that these people are stubborn rebels
who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions.
10 They tell the seers,
“Stop seeing visions!”
They tell the prophets,
“Don’t tell us what is right.
Tell us nice things.
Tell us lies.
11 Forget all this gloom.
Get off your narrow path.
Stop telling us about your
‘Holy One of Israel.’”
12 This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel:
“Because you despise what I tell you
and trust instead in oppression and lies,
13 calamity will come upon you suddenly—
like a bulging wall that bursts and falls.
In an instant it will collapse
and come crashing down.
14 You will be smashed like a piece of pottery—
shattered so completely that
there won’t be a piece big enough
to carry coals from a fireplace
or a little water from the well.”
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Only in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
16 You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!
17 One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.”
Blessings for the Lord’s People
18 So the Lord must wait for you to come to him
so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.
19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem,
you will weep no more.
He will be gracious if you ask for help.
He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.
20 Though the Lord gave you adversity for food
and suffering for drink,
he will still be with you to teach you.
You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
21 Your own ears will hear him.
Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,”
whether to the right or to the left.
22 Then you will destroy all your silver idols
and your precious gold images.
You will throw them out like filthy rags,
saying to them, “Good riddance!”
23 Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock. 24 The oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat good grain, its chaff blown away by the wind. 25 In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered and the towers fall, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill. 26 The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds he gave them.
27 Look! The Lord is coming from far away,
burning with anger,
surrounded by thick, rising smoke.
His lips are filled with fury;
his words consume like fire.
28 His hot breath pours out like a flood
up to the neck of his enemies.
He will sift out the proud nations for destruction.
He will bridle them and lead them away to ruin.
29 But the people of God will sing a song of joy,
like the songs at the holy festivals.
You will be filled with joy,
as when a flutist leads a group of pilgrims
to Jerusalem, the mountain of the Lord—
to the Rock of Israel.
30 And the Lord will make his majestic voice heard.
He will display the strength of his mighty arm.
It will descend with devouring flames,
with cloudbursts, thunderstorms, and huge hailstones.
31 At the Lord’s command, the Assyrians will be shattered.
He will strike them down with his royal scepter.
32 And as the Lord strikes them with his rod of punishment,[b]
his people will celebrate with tambourines and harps.
Lifting his mighty arm, he will fight the Assyrians.
33 Topheth—the place of burning—
has long been ready for the Assyrian king;
the pyre is piled high with wood.
The breath of the Lord, like fire from a volcano,
will set it ablaze.
The Futility of Relying on Egypt
31 What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help,
trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers
and depending on the strength of human armies
instead of looking to the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.
2 In his wisdom, the Lord will send great disaster;
he will not change his mind.
He will rise against the wicked
and against their helpers.
3 For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God!
Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits!
When the Lord raises his fist against them,
those who help will stumble,
and those being helped will fall.
They will all fall down and die together.
4 But this is what the Lord has told me:
“When a strong young lion
stands growling over a sheep it has killed,
it is not frightened by the shouts and noise
of a whole crowd of shepherds.
In the same way, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will come down and fight on Mount Zion.
5 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will hover over Jerusalem
and protect it like a bird protecting its nest.
He will defend and save the city;
he will pass over it and rescue it.”
6 Though you are such wicked rebels, my people, come and return to the Lord. 7 I know the glorious day will come when each of you will throw away the gold idols and silver images your sinful hands have made.
8 “The Assyrians will be destroyed,
but not by the swords of men.
The sword of God will strike them,
and they will panic and flee.
The strong young Assyrians
will be taken away as captives.
9 Even the strongest will quake with terror,
and princes will flee when they see your battle flags,”
says the Lord, whose fire burns in Zion,
whose flame blazes from Jerusalem.
Israel’s Ultimate Deliverance
32 Look, a righteous king is coming!
And honest princes will rule under him.
2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a parched land.
3 Then everyone who has eyes will be able to see the truth,
and everyone who has ears will be able to hear it.
4 Even the hotheads will be full of sense and understanding.
Those who stammer will speak out plainly.
5 In that day ungodly fools will not be heroes.
Scoundrels will not be respected.
6 For fools speak foolishness
and make evil plans.
They practice ungodliness
and spread false teachings about the Lord.
They deprive the hungry of food
and give no water to the thirsty.
7 The smooth tricks of scoundrels are evil.
They plot crooked schemes.
They lie to convict the poor,
even when the cause of the poor is just.
8 But generous people plan to do what is generous,
and they stand firm in their generosity.
9 Listen, you women who lie around in ease.
Listen to me, you who are so smug.
10 In a short time—just a little more than a year—
you careless ones will suddenly begin to care.
For your fruit crops will fail,
and the harvest will never take place.
11 Tremble, you women of ease;
throw off your complacency.
Strip off your pretty clothes,
and put on burlap to show your grief.
12 Beat your breasts in sorrow for your bountiful farms
and your fruitful grapevines.
13 For your land will be overgrown with thorns and briers.
Your joyful homes and happy towns will be gone.
14 The palace and the city will be deserted,
and busy towns will be empty.
Wild donkeys will frolic and flocks will graze
in the empty forts[c] and watchtowers
15 until at last the Spirit is poured out
on us from heaven.
Then the wilderness will become a fertile field,
and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.
16 Justice will rule in the wilderness
and righteousness in the fertile field.
17 And this righteousness will bring peace.
Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.
18 My people will live in safety, quietly at home.
They will be at rest.
19 Even if the forest should be destroyed
and the city torn down,
20 the Lord will greatly bless his people.
Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up.
Their cattle and donkeys will graze freely.
A Message about Assyria
33 What sorrow awaits you Assyrians, who have destroyed others[d]
but have never been destroyed yourselves.
You betray others,
but you have never been betrayed.
When you are done destroying,
you will be destroyed.
When you are done betraying,
you will be betrayed.
2 But Lord, be merciful to us,
for we have waited for you.
Be our strong arm each day
and our salvation in times of trouble.
3 The enemy runs at the sound of your voice.
When you stand up, the nations flee!
4 Just as caterpillars and locusts strip the fields and vines,
so the fallen army of Assyria will be stripped!
5 Though the Lord is very great and lives in heaven,
he will make Jerusalem[e] his home of justice and righteousness.
6 In that day he will be your sure foundation,
providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.
7 But now your brave warriors weep in public.
Your ambassadors of peace cry in bitter disappointment.
8 Your roads are deserted;
no one travels them anymore.
The Assyrians have broken their peace treaty
and care nothing for the promises they made before witnesses.[f]
They have no respect for anyone.
9 The land of Israel wilts in mourning.
Lebanon withers with shame.
The plain of Sharon is now a wilderness.
Bashan and Carmel have been plundered.
10 But the Lord says: “Now I will stand up.
Now I will show my power and might.
11 You Assyrians produce nothing but dry grass and stubble.
Your own breath will turn to fire and consume you.
12 Your people will be burned up completely,
like thornbushes cut down and tossed in a fire.
13 Listen to what I have done, you nations far away!
And you that are near, acknowledge my might!”
14 The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear.
Terror seizes the godless.
“Who can live with this devouring fire?” they cry.
“Who can survive this all-consuming fire?”
15 Those who are honest and fair,
who refuse to profit by fraud,
who stay far away from bribes,
who refuse to listen to those who plot murder,
who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong—
16 these are the ones who will dwell on high.
The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress.
Food will be supplied to them,
and they will have water in abundance.
17 Your eyes will see the king in all his splendor,
and you will see a land that stretches into the distance.
18 You will think back to this time of terror, asking,
“Where are the Assyrian officers
who counted our towers?
Where are the bookkeepers
who recorded the plunder taken from our fallen city?”
19 You will no longer see these fierce, violent people
with their strange, unknown language.
20 Instead, you will see Zion as a place of holy festivals.
You will see Jerusalem, a city quiet and secure.
It will be like a tent whose ropes are taut
and whose stakes are firmly fixed.
21 The Lord will be our Mighty One.
He will be like a wide river of protection
that no enemy can cross,
that no enemy ship can sail upon.
22 For the Lord is our judge,
our lawgiver, and our king.
He will care for us and save us.
23 The enemies’ sails hang loose
on broken masts with useless tackle.
Their treasure will be divided by the people of God.
Even the lame will take their share!
24 The people of Israel will no longer say,
“We are sick and helpless,”
for the Lord will forgive their sins.
A Message for the Nations
34 Come here and listen, O nations of the earth.
Let the world and everything in it hear my words.
2 For the Lord is enraged against the nations.
His fury is against all their armies.
He will completely destroy[g] them,
dooming them to slaughter.
3 Their dead will be left unburied,
and the stench of rotting bodies will fill the land.
The mountains will flow with their blood.
4 The heavens above will melt away
and disappear like a rolled-up scroll.
The stars will fall from the sky
like withered leaves from a grapevine,
or shriveled figs from a fig tree.
5 And when my sword has finished its work in the heavens,
it will fall upon Edom,
the nation I have marked for destruction.
6 The sword of the Lord is drenched with blood
and covered with fat—
with the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of rams prepared for sacrifice.
Yes, the Lord will offer a sacrifice in the city of Bozrah.
He will make a mighty slaughter in Edom.
7 Even men as strong as wild oxen will die—
the young men alongside the veterans.
The land will be soaked with blood
and the soil enriched with fat.
8 For it is the day of the Lord’s revenge,
the year when Edom will be paid back for all it did to Israel.[h]
9 The streams of Edom will be filled with burning pitch,
and the ground will be covered with fire.
10 This judgment on Edom will never end;
the smoke of its burning will rise forever.
The land will lie deserted from generation to generation.
No one will live there anymore.
11 It will be haunted by the desert owl and the screech owl,
the great owl and the raven.[i]
For God will measure that land carefully;
he will measure it for chaos and destruction.
12 It will be called the Land of Nothing,
and all its nobles will soon be gone.[j]
13 Thorns will overrun its palaces;
nettles and thistles will grow in its forts.
The ruins will become a haunt for jackals
and a home for owls.
14 Desert animals will mingle there with hyenas,
their howls filling the night.
Wild goats will bleat at one another among the ruins,
and night creatures[k] will come there to rest.
15 There the owl will make her nest and lay her eggs.
She will hatch her young and cover them with her wings.
And the buzzards will come,
each one with its mate.
16 Search the book of the Lord,
and see what he will do.
Not one of these birds and animals will be missing,
and none will lack a mate,
for the Lord has promised this.
His Spirit will make it all come true.
17 He has surveyed and divided the land
and deeded it over to those creatures.
They will possess it forever,
from generation to generation.
Hope for Restoration
35 Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days.
The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.
2 Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers
and singing and joy!
The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon,
as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon.
There the Lord will display his glory,
the splendor of our God.
3 With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands,
and encourage those who have weak knees.
4 Say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
He is coming to save you.”
5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
and unplug the ears of the deaf.
6 The lame will leap like a deer,
and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
and streams will water the wasteland.
7 The parched ground will become a pool,
and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
where desert jackals once lived.
8 And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
fools will never walk there.
9 Lions will not lurk along its course,
nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
Only the redeemed will walk on it.
10 Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
They will enter Jerusalem[l] singing,
crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
and they will be filled with joy and gladness.
Footnotes
- 30:7 Hebrew Rahab who sits still. Rahab is the name of a mythical sea monster that represents chaos in ancient literature. The name is used here as a poetic name for Egypt.
- 30:32 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac version; Masoretic Text reads with the founded rod.
- 32:14 Hebrew the Ophel.
- 33:1 Hebrew What sorrow awaits you, O destroyer. The Hebrew text does not specifically name Assyria as the object of the prophecy in this chapter.
- 33:5 Hebrew Zion; also in 33:14.
- 33:8 As in Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text reads care nothing for the cities.
- 34:2 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; similarly in 34:5.
- 34:8 Hebrew to Zion.
- 34:11 The identification of some of these birds is uncertain.
- 34:12 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 34:14 Hebrew Lilith, possibly a reference to a mythical demon of the night.
- 35:10 Hebrew Zion.
Isaiah 30-35
New International Version
Isaiah 30-35
New International Version
Woe to the Obstinate Nation
30 “Woe(A) to the obstinate children,”(B)
declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance,(C) but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
2 who go down to Egypt(D)
without consulting(E) me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,(F)
to Egypt’s shade for refuge.(G)
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
Egypt’s shade(H) will bring you disgrace.(I)
4 Though they have officials in Zoan(J)
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5 everyone will be put to shame
because of a people(K) useless(L) to them,
who bring neither help(M) nor advantage,
but only shame and disgrace.(N)”
6 A prophecy(O) concerning the animals of the Negev:(P)
Through a land of hardship and distress,(Q)
of lions(R) and lionesses,
of adders and darting snakes,(S)
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’(T) backs,
their treasures(U) on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
7 to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.(V)
Therefore I call her
Rahab(W) the Do-Nothing.
8 Go now, write it on a tablet(X) for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,(Y)
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.(Z)
9 For these are rebellious(AA) people, deceitful(AB) children,
children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.(AC)
10 They say to the seers,(AD)
“See no more visions(AE)!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,(AF)
prophesy illusions.(AG)
11 Leave this way,(AH)
get off this path,
and stop confronting(AI) us
with the Holy One(AJ) of Israel!”
12 Therefore this is what the Holy One(AK) of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message,(AL)
relied on oppression(AM)
and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall,(AN) cracked and bulging,
that collapses(AO) suddenly,(AP) in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery,(AQ)
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern.”
15 This is what the Sovereign(AR) Lord, the Holy One(AS) of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest(AT) is your salvation,
in quietness and trust(AU) is your strength,
but you would have none of it.(AV)
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee(AW) on horses.’(AX)
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five(AY)
you will all flee(AZ) away,
till you are left(BA)
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner(BB) on a hill.”
18 Yet the Lord longs(BC) to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.(BD)
For the Lord is a God of justice.(BE)
Blessed are all who wait for him!(BF)
19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.(BG) How gracious he will be when you cry for help!(BH) As soon as he hears, he will answer(BI) you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread(BJ) of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers(BK) will be hidden(BL) no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice(BM) behind you, saying, “This is the way;(BN) walk in it.” 22 Then you will desecrate your idols(BO) overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold;(BP) you will throw them away like a menstrual(BQ) cloth and say to them, “Away with you!(BR)”
23 He will also send you rain(BS) for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich(BT) and plentiful.(BU) In that day(BV) your cattle will graze in broad meadows.(BW) 24 The oxen(BX) and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder(BY) and mash, spread out with fork(BZ) and shovel. 25 In the day of great slaughter,(CA) when the towers(CB) fall, streams of water will flow(CC) on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun,(CD) and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals(CE) the wounds he inflicted.
27 See, the Name(CF) of the Lord comes from afar,
with burning anger(CG) and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,(CH)
and his tongue is a consuming fire.(CI)
28 His breath(CJ) is like a rushing torrent,(CK)
rising up to the neck.(CL)
He shakes the nations in the sieve(CM) of destruction;
he places in the jaws of the peoples
a bit(CN) that leads them astray.
29 And you will sing
as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;(CO)
your hearts will rejoice(CP)
as when people playing pipes(CQ) go up
to the mountain(CR) of the Lord,
to the Rock(CS) of Israel.
30 The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice(CT)
and will make them see his arm(CU) coming down
with raging anger(CV) and consuming fire,(CW)
with cloudburst, thunderstorm(CX) and hail.(CY)
31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;(CZ)
with his rod he will strike(DA) them down.
32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them
with his punishing club(DB)
will be to the music of timbrels(DC) and harps,
as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.(DD)
33 Topheth(DE) has long been prepared;
it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath(DF) of the Lord,
like a stream of burning sulfur,(DG)
sets it ablaze.(DH)
Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt
31 Woe(DI) to those who go down to Egypt(DJ) for help,
who rely on horses,(DK)
who trust in the multitude of their chariots(DL)
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One(DM) of Israel,
or seek help from the Lord.(DN)
2 Yet he too is wise(DO) and can bring disaster;(DP)
he does not take back his words.(DQ)
He will rise up against that wicked nation,(DR)
against those who help evildoers.
3 But the Egyptians(DS) are mere mortals and not God;(DT)
their horses(DU) are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,(DV)
those who help will stumble,
those who are helped(DW) will fall;
all will perish together.(DX)
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“As a lion(DY) growls,
a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds(DZ)
is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
or disturbed by their clamor(EA)—
so the Lord Almighty will come down(EB)
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
5 Like birds hovering(EC) overhead,
the Lord Almighty will shield(ED) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver(EE) it,
he will ‘pass over’(EF) it and will rescue it.”
6 Return,(EG) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted(EH) against. 7 For in that day(EI) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold(EJ) your sinful hands have made.(EK)
8 “Assyria(EL) will fall by no human sword;
a sword, not of mortals, will devour(EM) them.
They will flee before the sword
and their young men will be put to forced labor.(EN)
9 Their stronghold(EO) will fall because of terror;
at the sight of the battle standard(EP) their commanders will panic,(EQ)”
declares the Lord,
whose fire(ER) is in Zion,
whose furnace(ES) is in Jerusalem.
The Kingdom of Righteousness
32 See, a king(ET) will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.(EU)
2 Each one will be like a shelter(EV) from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,(EW)
like streams of water(EX) in the desert(EY)
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,(EZ)
and the ears(FA) of those who hear will listen.
4 The fearful heart will know and understand,(FB)
and the stammering tongue(FC) will be fluent and clear.
5 No longer will the fool(FD) be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
6 For fools speak folly,(FE)
their hearts are bent on evil:(FF)
They practice ungodliness(FG)
and spread error(FH) concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty(FI)
and from the thirsty they withhold water.
7 Scoundrels use wicked methods,(FJ)
they make up evil schemes(FK)
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needy(FL) is just.(FM)
8 But the noble make noble plans,
and by noble deeds(FN) they stand.(FO)
The Women of Jerusalem
9 You women(FP) who are so complacent,
rise up and listen(FQ) to me;
you daughters who feel secure,(FR)
hear what I have to say!
10 In little more than a year(FS)
you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,(FT)
and the harvest of fruit will not come.
11 Tremble,(FU) you complacent women;
shudder, you daughters who feel secure!(FV)
Strip off your fine clothes(FW)
and wrap yourselves in rags.(FX)
12 Beat your breasts(FY) for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vines(FZ)
13 and for the land of my people,
a land overgrown with thorns and briers(GA)—
yes, mourn(GB) for all houses of merriment
and for this city of revelry.(GC)
14 The fortress(GD) will be abandoned,
the noisy city deserted;(GE)
citadel and watchtower(GF) will become a wasteland forever,
the delight of donkeys,(GG) a pasture for flocks,(GH)
15 till the Spirit(GI) is poured on us from on high,
and the desert becomes a fertile field,(GJ)
and the fertile field seems like a forest.(GK)
16 The Lord’s justice(GL) will dwell in the desert,(GM)
his righteousness(GN) live in the fertile field.
17 The fruit of that righteousness(GO) will be peace;(GP)
its effect will be quietness and confidence(GQ) forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful(GR) dwelling places,
in secure homes,(GS)
in undisturbed places of rest.(GT)
19 Though hail(GU) flattens the forest(GV)
and the city is leveled(GW) completely,
20 how blessed you will be,
sowing(GX) your seed by every stream,(GY)
and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.(GZ)
Distress and Help
33 Woe(HA) to you, destroyer,
you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
you will be destroyed;(HB)
when you stop betraying,
you will be betrayed.(HC)
2 Lord, be gracious(HD) to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength(HE) every morning,
our salvation(HF) in time of distress.(HG)
3 At the uproar of your army,(HH) the peoples flee;(HI)
when you rise up,(HJ) the nations scatter.
4 Your plunder,(HK) O nations, is harvested(HL) as by young locusts;(HM)
like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.
5 The Lord is exalted,(HN) for he dwells on high;(HO)
he will fill Zion with his justice(HP) and righteousness.(HQ)
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation(HR) and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear(HS) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[a](HT)
7 Look, their brave men(HU) cry aloud in the streets;
the envoys(HV) of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are deserted,
no travelers(HW) are on the roads.(HX)
The treaty is broken,(HY)
its witnesses[b] are despised,
no one is respected.
9 The land dries up(HZ) and wastes away,
Lebanon(IA) is ashamed and withers;(IB)
Sharon(IC) is like the Arabah,
and Bashan(ID) and Carmel(IE) drop their leaves.
10 “Now will I arise,(IF)” says the Lord.
“Now will I be exalted;(IG)
now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive(IH) chaff,
you give birth(II) to straw;
your breath is a fire(IJ) that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;(IK)
like cut thornbushes(IL) they will be set ablaze.(IM)”
13 You who are far away,(IN) hear(IO) what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners(IP) in Zion are terrified;
trembling(IQ) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?(IR)
Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously(IS)
and speak what is right,(IT)
who reject gain from extortion(IU)
and keep their hands from accepting bribes,(IV)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
and shut their eyes(IW) against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,(IX)
whose refuge(IY) will be the mountain fortress.(IZ)
Their bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail(JA) them.
17 Your eyes will see the king(JB) in his beauty(JC)
and view a land that stretches afar.(JD)
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:(JE)
“Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
Where is the officer in charge of the towers?(JF)”
19 You will see those arrogant people(JG) no more,
people whose speech is obscure,
whose language is strange and incomprehensible.(JH)
20 Look on Zion,(JI) the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode,(JJ) a tent(JK) that will not be moved;(JL)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty(JM) One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.(JN)
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship(JO) will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,(JP)
the Lord is our lawgiver,(JQ)
the Lord is our king;(JR)
it is he who will save(JS) us.
23 Your rigging hangs loose:
The mast is not held secure,
the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
and even the lame(JT) will carry off plunder.(JU)
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;(JV)
and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.(JW)
Judgment Against the Nations
34 Come near, you nations, and listen;(JX)
pay attention, you peoples!(JY)
Let the earth(JZ) hear, and all that is in it,
the world, and all that comes out of it!(KA)
2 The Lord is angry with all nations;
his wrath(KB) is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy[c](KC) them,
he will give them over to slaughter.(KD)
3 Their slain(KE) will be thrown out,
their dead bodies(KF) will stink;(KG)
the mountains will be soaked with their blood.(KH)
4 All the stars in the sky will be dissolved(KI)
and the heavens rolled up(KJ) like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall(KK)
like withered(KL) leaves from the vine,
like shriveled figs from the fig tree.
5 My sword(KM) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
see, it descends in judgment on Edom,(KN)
the people I have totally destroyed.(KO)
6 The sword(KP) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice(KQ) in Bozrah(KR)
and a great slaughter(KS) in the land of Edom.
7 And the wild oxen(KT) will fall with them,
the bull calves and the great bulls.(KU)
Their land will be drenched with blood,(KV)
and the dust will be soaked with fat.
8 For the Lord has a day(KW) of vengeance,(KX)
a year of retribution,(KY) to uphold Zion’s cause.
9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
her dust into burning sulfur;(KZ)
her land will become blazing pitch!
10 It will not be quenched(LA) night or day;
its smoke will rise forever.(LB)
From generation to generation(LC) it will lie desolate;(LD)
no one will ever pass through it again.
11 The desert owl[d](LE) and screech owl[e] will possess it;
the great owl[f] and the raven(LF) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom(LG)
the measuring line of chaos(LH)
and the plumb line(LI) of desolation.
12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
all her princes(LJ) will vanish(LK) away.
13 Thorns(LL) will overrun her citadels,
nettles and brambles her strongholds.(LM)
She will become a haunt for jackals,(LN)
a home for owls.(LO)
14 Desert creatures(LP) will meet with hyenas,(LQ)
and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures(LR) will also lie down
and find for themselves places of rest.
15 The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
she will hatch them, and care for her young
under the shadow of her wings;(LS)
there also the falcons(LT) will gather,
each with its mate.
16 Look in the scroll(LU) of the Lord and read:
None of these will be missing,(LV)
not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth(LW) that has given the order,(LX)
and his Spirit will gather them together.
17 He allots their portions;(LY)
his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
and dwell there from generation to generation.(LZ)
Joy of the Redeemed
35 The desert(MA) and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.(MB)
Like the crocus,(MC) 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.(MD)
The glory of Lebanon(ME) will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel(MF) and Sharon;(MG)
they will see the glory(MH) of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.(MI)
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees(MJ) that give way;
4 say(MK) to those with fearful hearts,(ML)
“Be strong, do not fear;(MM)
your God will come,(MN)
he will come with vengeance;(MO)
with divine retribution
he will come to save(MP) you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened(MQ)
and the ears of the deaf(MR) unstopped.
6 Then will the lame(MS) leap like a deer,(MT)
and the mute tongue(MU) shout for joy.(MV)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams(MW) in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground(MX) bubbling springs.(MY)
In the haunts where jackals(MZ) once lay,
grass and reeds(NA) and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway(NB) will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;(NC)
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean(ND) will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion(NE) will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;(NF)
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed(NG) will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescued(NH) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(NI)
everlasting joy(NJ) will crown their heads.
Gladness(NK) and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(NL)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
- Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities
- Isaiah 34:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 5.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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.