Isaiah 5:20-30
New American Standard Bible
20 Woe to those who (A)call evil good, and good evil;
Who [a](B)substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who [b]substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are (C)wise in their own eyes
And [c]clever in their own sight!
22 (D)Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine,
And valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink,
23 (E)Who declare the wicked innocent for a bribe,
And (F)take away the [d]rights of the ones who are in the right!
24 Therefore, (G)as a tongue of fire consumes stubble,
And dry grass collapses in the flame,
So their (H)root will become (I)like rot, and their blossom [e]blow away like dust;
For they have (J)rejected the Law of the Lord of armies,
And discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 For this reason the (K)anger of the Lord has burned against His people,
And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them.
And the (L)mountains quaked, and their (M)corpses [f]lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.
(N)Despite all this, His anger [g]is not spent,
But His (O)hand is still stretched out.
26 He will also lift up a (P)flag to the distant [h]nation,
And (Q)whistle for it (R)from the ends of the earth;
And behold, it will (S)come with speed swiftly.
27 (T)No one in it is tired or stumbles,
No one slumbers or sleeps;
Nor is the (U)undergarment at his waist loosened,
Nor his sandal strap broken.
28 [i](V)Its arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent;
The hoofs of its horses [j]seem like flint, and its chariot (W)wheels like a storm wind.
29 Its (X)roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions;
It growls as it (Y)seizes the prey
And carries it off with (Z)no one to save it.
30 And it will (AA)roar against it on that day like the roaring of the sea.
If one (AB)looks across to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress;
Even the light is darkened by its clouds.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 5:20 Lit set
- Isaiah 5:20 Lit set
- Isaiah 5:21 Lit discerning
- Isaiah 5:23 Lit justice
- Isaiah 5:24 Lit ascend
- Isaiah 5:25 Lit were
- Isaiah 5:25 Lit has not turned away
- Isaiah 5:26 Lit nations; prob. Assyria
- Isaiah 5:28 Lit Which, its arrows
- Isaiah 5:28 Lit are regarded as
Isaiah 5:20-30
Amplified Bible
20
Woe (judgment is coming) to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21
Woe (judgment is coming) to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever and shrewd in their own sight!
22
Woe (judgment is coming) to those who are heroes at drinking wine
And men of strength in mixing intoxicating drinks,
23
Who justify the wicked and acquit the guilty for a bribe,
And take away the rights of those who are in the right!
24
Therefore, as the tongue of fire consumes the stubble [from straw]
And the dry grass collapses into the flame,
So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away like fine dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts
And despised and discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25
Therefore the anger of the Lord has burned against His people,
And He has stretched out His hand against them and has struck them down.
And the mountains trembled, and their dead bodies lay like rubbish in the middle of the streets.
In spite of all this God’s anger is not turned away,
But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].
26
He will lift up a flag to [call] the distant nations [to bring His judgment on Judah],
And will whistle for them from the ends of the earth;
And indeed, they will come with great speed swiftly.
27
No one among them is weary or stumbles,
No one slumbers or sleeps;
Nor is the belt at their waist undone [as if unprepared for action],
Nor is the strap of their sandal broken.
28
Their arrows are sharp and all their bows are strung and bent;
Their horses’ hoofs seem like flint and their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.
29
Their roaring is like a lioness, they roar like young lions;
They growl and seize their prey
And carry it off and there is no one to save it.
30
And in that day they will roar against them (Judah) like the roaring of the sea.
And if one looks to the land, in fact, there is darkness and distress;
Even the light will be darkened by its clouds.
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