This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion(A) growls,
    a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds(B)
    is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
    or disturbed by their clamor(C)
so the Lord Almighty will come down(D)
    to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
Like birds hovering(E) overhead,
    the Lord Almighty will shield(F) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver(G) it,
    he will ‘pass over’(H) it and will rescue it.”

Return,(I) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted(J) against. For in that day(K) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold(L) your sinful hands have made.(M)

“Assyria(N) will fall by no human sword;
    a sword, not of mortals, will devour(O) them.
They will flee before the sword
    and their young men will be put to forced labor.(P)
Their stronghold(Q) will fall because of terror;
    at the sight of the battle standard(R) their commanders will panic,(S)
declares the Lord,
    whose fire(T) is in Zion,
    whose furnace(U) is in Jerusalem.

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For thus the Lord said to me,
(A)“As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey,
    and when a band of shepherds is called out against him
he is not terrified by their shouting
    or daunted at their noise,
(B)so the Lord of hosts will come down
    to fight[a] on Mount Zion and on its hill.
(C)Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts
    will protect Jerusalem;
he will protect and deliver it;
    he will spare and rescue it.”

(D)Turn to him from whom people[b] have (E)deeply revolted, O children of Israel. For in that day (F)everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you.

(G)“And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man;
    and a sword, not of man, shall devour him;
and he shall flee from the sword,
    and his young men shall be (H)put to forced labor.
(I)His rock shall pass away in terror,
    and his officers desert the standard in panic,”
declares the Lord, whose (J)fire is in Zion,
    and whose (K)furnace is in Jerusalem.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 31:4 The Hebrew words for hosts and to fight sound alike
  2. Isaiah 31:6 Hebrew they

For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.

Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.

For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.

Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.

And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.

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