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Isaiah 18-27
New International Version
Isaiah 18-27
New International Version
A Prophecy Against Cush
18 Woe(A) to the land of whirring wings[a]
along the rivers of Cush,[b](B)
2 which sends envoys(C) by sea
in papyrus(D) boats over the water.
Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,(E)
to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive(F) nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers.(G)
3 All you people of the world,(H)
you who live on the earth,
when a banner(I) is raised on the mountains,
you will see it,
and when a trumpet(J) sounds,
you will hear it.
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“I will remain quiet(K) and will look on from my dwelling place,(L)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,(M)
like a cloud of dew(N) in the heat of harvest.”
5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off(O) the shoots with pruning knives,
and cut down and take away the spreading branches.(P)
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey(Q)
and to the wild animals;(R)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
the wild animals all winter.
7 At that time gifts(S) will be brought to the Lord Almighty
from a people tall and smooth-skinned,(T)
from a people feared(U) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers(V)—
the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.(W)
A Prophecy Against Egypt
19 A prophecy(X) against Egypt:(Y)
See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud(Z)
and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt(AA) with fear.
2 “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
brother will fight against brother,(AB)
neighbor against neighbor,
city against city,
kingdom against kingdom.(AC)
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,(AD)
and I will bring their plans(AE) to nothing;(AF)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
the mediums and the spiritists.(AG)
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king(AH) will rule over them,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
5 The waters of the river will dry up,(AI)
and the riverbed will be parched and dry.(AJ)
6 The canals will stink;(AK)
the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.(AL)
The reeds(AM) and rushes will wither,(AN)
7 also the plants(AO) along the Nile,
at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field(AP) along the Nile
will become parched, will blow away and be no more.(AQ)
8 The fishermen(AR) will groan and lament,
all who cast hooks(AS) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
will pine away.
9 Those who work with combed flax(AT) will despair,
the weavers of fine linen(AU) will lose hope.
10 The workers in cloth will be dejected,
and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.
11 The officials of Zoan(AV) are nothing but fools;
the wise counselors(AW) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.(AX)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one of the wise men,(AY)
a disciple of the ancient kings”?
12 Where are your wise men(AZ) now?
Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
has planned(BA) against Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan(BB) have become fools,
the leaders of Memphis(BC) are deceived;
the cornerstones(BD) of her peoples
have led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has poured into them
a spirit of dizziness;(BE)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
as a drunkard staggers(BF) around in his vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do—
head or tail, palm branch or reed.(BG)
16 In that day(BH) the Egyptians will become weaklings.(BI) They will shudder with fear(BJ) at the uplifted hand(BK) that the Lord Almighty raises against them. 17 And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified,(BL) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning(BM) against them.
18 In that day(BN) five cities(BO) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance(BP) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.[c](BQ)
19 In that day(BR) there will be an altar(BS) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,(BT) and a monument(BU) to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness(BV) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior(BW) and defender, and he will rescue(BX) them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge(BY) the Lord. They will worship(BZ) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.(CA) 22 The Lord will strike(CB) Egypt with a plague;(CC) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn(CD) to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal(CE) them.
23 In that day(CF) there will be a highway(CG) from Egypt to Assyria.(CH) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship(CI) together. 24 In that day(CJ) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,(CK) a blessing[d](CL) on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless(CM) them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people,(CN) Assyria my handiwork,(CO) and Israel my inheritance.(CP)”
A Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush
20 In the year that the supreme commander,(CQ) sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod(CR) and attacked and captured it— 2 at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz.(CS) He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth(CT) from your body and the sandals(CU) from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped(CV) and barefoot.(CW)
3 Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant(CX) Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years,(CY) as a sign(CZ) and portent(DA) against Egypt(DB) and Cush,[e](DC) 4 so the king(DD) of Assyria will lead away stripped(DE) and barefoot the Egyptian captives(DF) and Cushite(DG) exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared(DH)—to Egypt’s shame.(DI) 5 Those who trusted(DJ) in Cush(DK) and boasted in Egypt(DL) will be dismayed and put to shame.(DM) 6 In that day(DN) the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened(DO) to those we relied on,(DP) those we fled to for help(DQ) and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?(DR)’”
A Prophecy Against Babylon
21 A prophecy(DS) against the Desert(DT) by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds(DU) sweeping through the southland,(DV)
an invader comes from the desert,
from a land of terror.
2 A dire(DW) vision has been shown to me:
The traitor betrays,(DX) the looter takes loot.
Elam,(DY) attack! Media,(DZ) lay siege!
I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
3 At this my body is racked with pain,(EA)
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;(EB)
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered(EC) by what I see.
4 My heart(ED) falters,
fear makes me tremble;(EE)
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror(EF) to me.
5 They set the tables,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink!(EG)
Get up, you officers,
oil the shields!(EH)
6 This is what the Lord says to me:
“Go, post a lookout(EI)
and have him report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots(EJ)
with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
or riders on camels,(EK)
let him be alert,
fully alert.”
8 And the lookout[f](EL) shouted,
“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.
9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot(EM)
with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
‘Babylon(EN) has fallen,(EO) has fallen!
All the images of its gods(EP)
lie shattered(EQ) on the ground!’”
10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,(ER)
I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
from the God of Israel.
A Prophecy Against Edom
11 A prophecy against Dumah[g]:(ES)
Someone calls to me from Seir,(ET)
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
and come back yet again.”
A Prophecy Against Arabia
13 A prophecy(EU) against Arabia:(EV)
You caravans of Dedanites,(EW)
who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14 bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,(EX)
bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee(EY) from the sword,(EZ)
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
and from the heat of battle.
16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract(FA) would count it, all the splendor(FB) of Kedar(FC) will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.(FD)” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.(FE)
A Prophecy About Jerusalem
22 A prophecy(FF) against the Valley(FG) of Vision:(FH)
What troubles you now,
that you have all gone up on the roofs,(FI)
2 you town so full of commotion,
you city of tumult(FJ) and revelry?(FK)
Your slain(FL) were not killed by the sword,(FM)
nor did they die in battle.
3 All your leaders have fled(FN) together;
they have been captured(FO) without using the bow.
All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,
having fled while the enemy was still far away.
4 Therefore I said, “Turn away from me;
let me weep(FP) bitterly.
Do not try to console me
over the destruction of my people.”(FQ)
5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day(FR)
of tumult and trampling(FS) and terror(FT)
in the Valley of Vision,(FU)
a day of battering down walls(FV)
and of crying out to the mountains.
6 Elam(FW) takes up the quiver,(FX)
with her charioteers and horses;
Kir(FY) uncovers the shield.
7 Your choicest valleys(FZ) are full of chariots,
and horsemen are posted at the city gates.(GA)
8 The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
and you looked in that day(GB)
to the weapons(GC) in the Palace of the Forest.(GD)
9 You saw that the walls of the City of David
were broken through(GE) in many places;
you stored up water
in the Lower Pool.(GF)
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
and tore down houses(GG) to strengthen the wall.(GH)
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls(GI)
for the water of the Old Pool,(GJ)
but you did not look to the One who made it,
or have regard(GK) for the One who planned(GL) it long ago.
12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
called you on that day(GM)
to weep(GN) and to wail,
to tear out your hair(GO) and put on sackcloth.(GP)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,(GQ)
slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
eating of meat and drinking of wine!(GR)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
“for tomorrow we die!”(GS)
14 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing:(GT) “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned(GU) for,” says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
15 This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:
“Go, say to this steward,
to Shebna(GV) the palace(GW) administrator:(GX)
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
to cut out a grave(GY) for yourself(GZ) here,
hewing your grave on the height
and chiseling your resting place in the rock?
17 “Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you
and hurl(HA) you away, you mighty man.
18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball
and throw(HB) you into a large country.
There you will die
and there the chariots(HC) you were so proud of
will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
19 I will depose you from your office,
and you will be ousted(HD) from your position.(HE)
20 “In that day(HF) I will summon my servant,(HG) Eliakim(HH) son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash(HI) around him and hand your authority(HJ) over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder(HK) the key(HL) to the house of David;(HM) what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.(HN) 23 I will drive him like a peg(HO) into a firm place;(HP) he will become a seat[h] of honor(HQ) for the house of his father. 24 All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.
25 “In that day,(HR)” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg(HS) driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken.(HT)
A Prophecy Against Tyre
23 A prophecy against Tyre:(HU)
Wail,(HV) you ships(HW) of Tarshish!(HX)
For Tyre is destroyed(HY)
and left without house or harbor.
From the land of Cyprus
word has come to them.
2 Be silent,(HZ) you people of the island
and you merchants(IA) of Sidon,(IB)
whom the seafarers have enriched.
3 On the great waters
came the grain of the Shihor;(IC)
the harvest of the Nile[i](ID) was the revenue of Tyre,(IE)
and she became the marketplace of the nations.
4 Be ashamed, Sidon,(IF) and you fortress of the sea,
for the sea has spoken:
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth;(IG)
I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”
5 When word comes to Egypt,
they will be in anguish(IH) at the report from Tyre.(II)
6 Cross over to Tarshish;(IJ)
wail, you people of the island.
7 Is this your city of revelry,(IK)
the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
to settle in far-off lands?
8 Who planned this against Tyre,
the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants(IL) are princes,
whose traders(IM) are renowned in the earth?
9 The Lord Almighty planned(IN) it,
to bring down(IO) her pride in all her splendor
and to humble(IP) all who are renowned(IQ) on the earth.
10 Till[j] your land as they do along the Nile,
Daughter Tarshish,
for you no longer have a harbor.
11 The Lord has stretched out his hand(IR) over the sea
and made its kingdoms tremble.(IS)
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
that her fortresses be destroyed.(IT)
12 He said, “No more of your reveling,(IU)
Virgin Daughter(IV) Sidon, now crushed!
“Up, cross over to Cyprus;(IW)
even there you will find no rest.”
13 Look at the land of the Babylonians,[k](IX)
this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians(IY) have made it
a place for desert creatures;(IZ)
they raised up their siege towers,(JA)
they stripped its fortresses bare
and turned it into a ruin.(JB)
15 At that time Tyre(JF) will be forgotten for seventy years,(JG) the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:
16 “Take up a harp, walk through the city,
you forgotten prostitute;(JH)
play the harp well, sing many a song,
so that you will be remembered.”
17 At the end of seventy years,(JI) the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution(JJ) and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.(JK) 18 Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord;(JL) they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord,(JM) for abundant food and fine clothes.(JN)
The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth
24 See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth(JO)
and devastate(JP) it;
he will ruin its face
and scatter(JQ) its inhabitants—
2 it will be the same
for priest as for people,(JR)
for the master as for his servant,
for the mistress as for her servant,
for seller as for buyer,(JS)
for borrower as for lender,
for debtor as for creditor.(JT)
3 The earth will be completely laid waste(JU)
and totally plundered.(JV)
The Lord has spoken(JW) this word.
4 The earth dries up(JX) and withers,(JY)
the world languishes and withers,
the heavens(JZ) languish with the earth.(KA)
5 The earth is defiled(KB) by its people;
they have disobeyed(KC) the laws,
violated the statutes
and broken the everlasting covenant.(KD)
6 Therefore a curse(KE) consumes the earth;
its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,(KF)
and very few are left.
7 The new wine dries up(KG) and the vine withers;(KH)
all the merrymakers groan.(KI)
8 The joyful timbrels(KJ) are stilled,
the noise(KK) of the revelers(KL) has stopped,
the joyful harp(KM) is silent.(KN)
9 No longer do they drink wine(KO) with a song;
the beer is bitter(KP) to its drinkers.
10 The ruined city(KQ) lies desolate;(KR)
the entrance to every house is barred.
11 In the streets they cry out(KS) for wine;(KT)
all joy turns to gloom,(KU)
all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
12 The city is left in ruins,(KV)
its gate(KW) is battered to pieces.
13 So will it be on the earth
and among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,(KX)
or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.(KY)
14 They raise their voices, they shout for joy;(KZ)
from the west(LA) they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.
15 Therefore in the east(LB) give glory(LC) to the Lord;
exalt(LD) the name(LE) of the Lord, the God of Israel,
in the islands(LF) of the sea.
16 From the ends of the earth(LG) we hear singing:(LH)
“Glory(LI) to the Righteous One.”(LJ)
But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!(LK)
Woe(LL) to me!
The treacherous(LM) betray!
With treachery the treacherous betray!(LN)”
17 Terror(LO) and pit and snare(LP) await you,
people of the earth.(LQ)
18 Whoever flees(LR) at the sound of terror
will fall into a pit;(LS)
whoever climbs out of the pit
will be caught in a snare.(LT)
The floodgates of the heavens(LU) are opened,
the foundations of the earth shake.(LV)
19 The earth is broken up,(LW)
the earth is split asunder,(LX)
the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth reels like a drunkard,(LY)
it sways like a hut(LZ) in the wind;
so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion(MA)
that it falls(MB)—never to rise again.(MC)
21 In that day(MD) the Lord will punish(ME)
the powers(MF) in the heavens above
and the kings(MG) on the earth below.
22 They will be herded together
like prisoners(MH) bound in a dungeon;(MI)
they will be shut up in prison
and be punished[l] after many days.(MJ)
23 The moon will be dismayed,
the sun(MK) ashamed;
for the Lord Almighty will reign(ML)
on Mount Zion(MM) and in Jerusalem,
and before its elders—with great glory.(MN)
Praise to the Lord
25 Lord, you are my God;(MO)
I will exalt you and praise your name,(MP)
for in perfect faithfulness(MQ)
you have done wonderful things,(MR)
things planned(MS) long ago.
2 You have made the city a heap of rubble,(MT)
the fortified(MU) town a ruin,(MV)
the foreigners’ stronghold(MW) a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.(MX)
3 Therefore strong peoples will honor you;(MY)
cities of ruthless(MZ) nations will revere you.
4 You have been a refuge(NA) for the poor,(NB)
a refuge for the needy(NC) in their distress,
a shelter from the storm(ND)
and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless(NE)
is like a storm driving against a wall
5 and like the heat of the desert.
You silence(NF) the uproar of foreigners;(NG)
as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless(NH) is stilled.
6 On this mountain(NI) the Lord Almighty will prepare
a feast(NJ) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.(NK)
7 On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud(NL) that enfolds all peoples,(NM)
the sheet that covers all nations;
8 he will swallow up death(NN) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears(NO)
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace(NP)
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.(NQ)
9 In that day(NR) they will say,
“Surely this is our God;(NS)
we trusted(NT) in him, and he saved(NU) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice(NV) and be glad in his salvation.”(NW)
10 The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;(NX)
but Moab(NY) will be trampled in their land
as straw is trampled down in the manure.
11 They will stretch out their hands in it,
as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down(NZ) their pride(OA)
despite the cleverness[m] of their hands.
12 He will bring down your high fortified walls(OB)
and lay them low;(OC)
he will bring them down to the ground,
to the very dust.
A Song of Praise
26 In that day(OD) this song will be sung(OE) in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;(OF)
God makes salvation
its walls(OG) and ramparts.(OH)
2 Open the gates(OI)
that the righteous(OJ) nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.
3 You will keep in perfect peace(OK)
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust(OL) in you.
4 Trust(OM) in the Lord forever,(ON)
for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock(OO) eternal.
5 He humbles those who dwell on high,
he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground(OP)
and casts it down to the dust.(OQ)
6 Feet trample(OR) it down—
the feet of the oppressed,(OS)
the footsteps of the poor.(OT)
7 The path of the righteous is level;(OU)
you, the Upright One,(OV) make the way of the righteous smooth.(OW)
8 Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,[n](OX)
we wait(OY) for you;
your name(OZ) and renown
are the desire of our hearts.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;(PA)
in the morning my spirit longs(PB) for you.
When your judgments(PC) come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.(PD)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,(PE)
they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil(PF)
and do not regard(PG) the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted high,(PH)
but they do not see(PI) it.
Let them see your zeal(PJ) for your people and be put to shame;(PK)
let the fire(PL) reserved for your enemies consume them.
12 Lord, you establish peace(PM) for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done(PN) for us.
13 Lord our God, other lords(PO) besides you have ruled over us,
but your name(PP) alone do we honor.(PQ)
14 They are now dead,(PR) they live no more;
their spirits(PS) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;(PT)
you wiped out all memory of them.(PU)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
you have enlarged the nation.(PV)
You have gained glory for yourself;
you have extended all the borders(PW) of the land.
16 Lord, they came to you in their distress;(PX)
when you disciplined(PY) them,
they could barely whisper(PZ) a prayer.[o]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth(QA)
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(QB) to wind.
We have not brought salvation(QC) to the earth,
and the people of the world have not come to life.(QD)
19 But your dead(QE) will live, Lord;
their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust(QF)
wake up and shout for joy—
your dew(QG) is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead.(QH)
20 Go, my people, enter your rooms
and shut the doors(QI) behind you;
hide(QJ) yourselves for a little while
until his wrath(QK) has passed by.(QL)
21 See, the Lord is coming(QM) out of his dwelling(QN)
to punish(QO) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood(QP) shed on it;
the earth will conceal its slain no longer.
Deliverance of Israel
27 In that day,(QQ)
the Lord will punish with his sword(QR)—
his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan(QS) the gliding serpent,(QT)
Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster(QU) of the sea.
2 In that day(QV)—
“Sing(QW) about a fruitful vineyard:(QX)
3 I, the Lord, watch over it;
I water(QY) it continually.
I guard(QZ) it day and night
so that no one may harm(RA) 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.(RB)
5 Or else let them come to me for refuge;(RC)
let them make peace(RD) with me,
yes, let them make peace with me.”
6 In days to come Jacob will take root,(RE)
Israel will bud and blossom(RF)
and fill all the world with fruit.(RG)
7 Has the Lord struck her
as he struck(RH) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
as those were killed who killed her?
8 By warfare[p] and exile(RI) you contend with her—
with his fierce blast he drives her out,
as on a day the east wind(RJ) blows.
9 By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned(RK) for,
and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:(RL)
When he makes all the altar stones(RM)
to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles[q](RN) or incense altars(RO)
will be left standing.
10 The fortified city stands desolate,(RP)
an abandoned settlement, forsaken(RQ) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,(RR)
there they lie down;(RS)
they strip its branches bare.
11 When its twigs are dry, they are broken off(RT)
and women come and make fires(RU) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;(RV)
so their Maker has no compassion on them,
and their Creator(RW) shows them no favor.(RX)
12 In that day the Lord will thresh(RY) from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt,(RZ) and you, Israel, will be gathered(SA) up one by one. 13 And in that day(SB) a great trumpet(SC) will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled(SD) in Egypt(SE) will come and worship(SF) the Lord on the holy mountain(SG) in Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 18:1 Or of locusts
- Isaiah 18:1 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 19:18 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text City of Destruction
- Isaiah 19:24 Or Assyria, whose names will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or Assyria, who will be seen by others as blessed
- Isaiah 20:3 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verse 5
- Isaiah 21:8 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text A lion
- Isaiah 21:11 Dumah, a wordplay on Edom, means silence or stillness.
- Isaiah 22:23 Or throne
- Isaiah 23:3 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls Sidon, / who cross over the sea; / your envoys 3 are on the great waters. / The grain of the Shihor, / the harvest of the Nile,
- Isaiah 23:10 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text Go through
- Isaiah 23:13 Or Chaldeans
- Isaiah 24:22 Or released
- Isaiah 25:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- 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 18-27
King James Version
Isaiah 18-27
King James Version
18 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!
3 All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.
4 For so the Lord said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.
5 For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.
6 They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.
7 In that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion.
19 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
4 And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts.
5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
6 And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
7 The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.
8 The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.
9 Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.
10 And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
11 Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
12 Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.
13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
14 The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.
15 Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.
16 In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he shaketh over it.
17 And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he hath determined against it.
18 In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.
19 In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord.
20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.
21 And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it.
22 And the Lord shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the Lord, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.
23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.
24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:
25 Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.
20 In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;
2 At the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
3 And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
5 And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
6 And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape?
21 The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
2 A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.
4 My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.
5 Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.
6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:
8 And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:
9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.
11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.
13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.
15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:
17 And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.
22 The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.
4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
5 For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.
6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
7 And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
8 And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.
9 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
10 And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.
11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
12 And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.
14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord God of hosts.
15 Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,
16 What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?
17 Behold, the Lord will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.
18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.
19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:
21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.
22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house.
24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.
25 In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it.
23 The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.
2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.
3 And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.
4 Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.
5 As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.
6 Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.
7 Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.
8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?
9 The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.
10 Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.
11 He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the Lord hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.
12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.
13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.
14 Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.
15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.
18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.
24 Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.
8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.
10 The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.
11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.
13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.
14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea.
15 Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.
16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
25 O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
2 For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
5 Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.
6 And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.
9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
10 For in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.
11 And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.
12 And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
26 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4 Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:
5 For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
6 The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
7 The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
10 Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
12 Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
13 O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
15 Thou hast increased the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.
16 Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O Lord.
18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
27 In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.
2 In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine.
3 I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.
4 Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.
5 Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.
6 He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
7 Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him?
8 In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.
9 By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.
10 Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.
11 When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.
12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
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