Woes and Judgments

Woe(A) to you who add house to house
    and join field to field(B)
till no space is left
    and you live alone in the land.

The Lord Almighty(C) has declared in my hearing:(D)

“Surely the great houses will become desolate,(E)
    the fine mansions left without occupants.
10 A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath[a] of wine;
    a homer[b] of seed will yield only an ephah[c] of grain.”(F)

11 Woe(G) to those who rise early in the morning
    to run after their drinks,
who stay up late at night
    till they are inflamed with wine.(H)
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
    pipes(I) and timbrels(J) and wine,
but they have no regard(K) for the deeds of the Lord,
    no respect for the work of his hands.(L)
13 Therefore my people will go into exile(M)
    for lack of understanding;(N)
those of high rank(O) will die of hunger
    and the common people will be parched with thirst.(P)
14 Therefore Death(Q) expands its jaws,
    opening wide its mouth;(R)
into it will descend their nobles and masses
    with all their brawlers and revelers.(S)
15 So people will be brought low(T)
    and everyone humbled,(U)
    the eyes of the arrogant(V) humbled.
16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted(W) by his justice,(X)
    and the holy God will be proved holy(Y) by his righteous acts.
17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;(Z)
    lambs will feed[d] among the ruins of the rich.

18 Woe(AA) to those who draw sin along with cords(AB) of deceit,
    and wickedness(AC) as with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
    let him hasten(AD) his work
    so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One(AE) of Israel—
    let it approach, let it come into view,
    so we may know it.”(AF)

20 Woe(AG) to those who call evil good(AH)
    and good evil,(AI)
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,(AJ)
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.(AK)

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes(AL)
    and clever in their own sight.

22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine(AM)
    and champions at mixing drinks,(AN)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,(AO)
    but deny justice(AP) to the innocent.(AQ)
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire(AR) lick up straw(AS)
    and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay(AT)
    and their flowers blow away like dust;(AU)
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
    and spurned the word(AV) of the Holy One(AW) of Israel.
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger(AX) burns against his people;
    his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,(AY)
    and the dead bodies(AZ) are like refuse(BA) in the streets.(BB)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,(BC)
    his hand is still upraised.(BD)

26 He lifts up a banner(BE) for the distant nations,
    he whistles(BF) for those at the ends of the earth.(BG)
Here they come,
    swiftly and speedily!
27 Not one of them grows tired(BH) or stumbles,
    not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt(BI) is loosened at the waist,(BJ)
    not a sandal strap is broken.(BK)
28 Their arrows are sharp,(BL)
    all their bows(BM) are strung;
their horses’ hooves(BN) seem like flint,
    their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.(BO)
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,(BP)
    they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize(BQ) their prey
    and carry it off with no one to rescue.(BR)
30 In that day(BS) they will roar over it
    like the roaring of the sea.(BT)
And if one looks at the land,
    there is only darkness(BU) and distress;(BV)
    even the sun will be darkened(BW) by clouds.

Isaiah’s Commission

In the year that King Uzziah(BX) died,(BY) I saw the Lord,(BZ) high and exalted,(CA) seated on a throne;(CB) and the train of his robe(CC) filled the temple. Above him were seraphim,(CD) each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet,(CE) and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy(CF), holy is the Lord Almighty;(CG)
    the whole earth(CH) is full of his glory.”(CI)

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.(CJ)

“Woe(CK) to me!” I cried. “I am ruined!(CL) For I am a man of unclean lips,(CM) and I live among a people of unclean lips,(CN) and my eyes have seen(CO) the King,(CP) the Lord Almighty.”(CQ)

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal(CR) in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips;(CS) your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.(CT)

Then I heard the voice(CU) of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?(CV) And who will go for us?(CW)

And I said, “Here am I.(CX) Send me!”

He said, “Go(CY) and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’(CZ)
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;(DA)
    make their ears dull
    and close their eyes.[e](DB)
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,(DC)
    understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”(DD)

11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”(DE)

And he answered:

“Until the cities lie ruined(DF)
    and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted(DG)
    and the fields ruined and ravaged,(DH)
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away(DI)
    and the land is utterly forsaken.(DJ)
13 And though a tenth remains(DK) in the land,
    it will again be laid waste.(DL)
But as the terebinth and oak
    leave stumps(DM) when they are cut down,
    so the holy(DN) seed will be the stump in the land.”(DO)

The Sign of Immanuel

When Ahaz(DP) son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin(DQ) of Aram(DR) and Pekah(DS) son of Remaliah(DT) king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.

Now the house of David(DU) was told, “Aram has allied itself with[f] Ephraim(DV)”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken,(DW) as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub,[g](DX) to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.(DY) Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm(DZ) and don’t be afraid.(EA) Do not lose heart(EB) because of these two smoldering stubs(EC) of firewood—because of the fierce anger(ED) of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.(EE) Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s(EF) son have plotted(EG) your ruin, saying, “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:(EH)

“‘It will not take place,
    it will not happen,(EI)
for the head of Aram is Damascus,(EJ)
    and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.(EK)
Within sixty-five years
    Ephraim will be too shattered(EL) to be a people.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,(EM)
    and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand(EN) firm in your faith,(EO)
    you will not stand at all.’”(EP)

10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign,(EQ) whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.(ER)

12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.(ES)

13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David!(ET) Is it not enough(EU) to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience(EV) of my God(EW) also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[h] a sign:(EX) The virgin[i](EY) will conceive and give birth to a son,(EZ) and[j] will call him Immanuel.[k](FA) 15 He will be eating curds(FB) and honey(FC) when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows(FD) enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,(FE) the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.(FF) 17 The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away(FG) from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.(FH)

Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

18 In that day(FI) the Lord will whistle(FJ) for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.(FK) 19 They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices(FL) in the rocks, on all the thornbushes(FM) and at all the water holes. 20 In that day(FN) the Lord will use(FO) a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River(FP)—the king of Assyria(FQ)—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard(FR) also.(FS) 21 In that day,(FT) a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats.(FU) 22 And because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds(FV) and honey.(FW) 23 In that day,(FX) in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,[l](FY) there will be only briers and thorns.(FZ) 24 Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers(GA) and thorns. 25 As for all the hills(GB) once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns;(GC) they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run.(GD)

Isaiah and His Children as Signs

The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll(GE) and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”[m](GF) So I called in Uriah(GG) the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses(GH) for me. Then I made love to the prophetess,(GI) and she conceived and gave birth to a son.(GJ) And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.(GK) For before the boy knows(GL) how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus(GM) and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.(GN)

The Lord spoke to me again:

“Because this people has rejected(GO)
    the gently flowing waters of Shiloah(GP)
and rejoices over Rezin
    and the son of Remaliah,(GQ)
therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
    the mighty floodwaters(GR) of the Euphrates—
    the king of Assyria(GS) with all his pomp.(GT)
It will overflow all its channels,
    run over all its banks(GU)
and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,(GV)
    passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings(GW) will cover the breadth of your land,
    Immanuel[n]!”(GX)

Raise the war cry,[o](GY) you nations, and be shattered!(GZ)
    Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare(HA) for battle, and be shattered!
    Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;(HB)
    propose your plan, but it will not stand,(HC)
    for God is with us.[p](HD)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 5:10 That is, about 6 gallons or about 22 liters
  2. Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 360 pounds or about 160 kilograms
  3. Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  4. Isaiah 5:17 Septuagint; Hebrew / strangers will eat
  5. Isaiah 6:10 Hebrew; Septuagint ‘You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; / you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / 10 This people’s heart has become calloused; / they hardly hear with their ears, / and they have closed their eyes
  6. Isaiah 7:2 Or has set up camp in
  7. Isaiah 7:3 Shear-Jashub means a remnant will return.
  8. Isaiah 7:14 The Hebrew is plural.
  9. Isaiah 7:14 Or young woman
  10. Isaiah 7:14 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls son, and he or son, and they
  11. Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel means God with us.
  12. Isaiah 7:23 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms
  13. Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.
  14. Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.
  15. Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst
  16. Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew Immanuel

Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant.

10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.

13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

16 But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.

17 Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.

18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

25 Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

12 And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

13 But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.

Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;

And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,

Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:

Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.

For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.

And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.

10 Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,

11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.

13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

17 The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.

20 In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep;

22 And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.

23 And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.

24 With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns.

25 And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.

Moreover the Lord said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.

And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.

For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

The Lord spake also unto me again, saying,

Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;

Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:

And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.

10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.

Impending Judgment on Excesses

Woe to those who [a]join (A)house to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
(B)In my hearing the Lord of hosts said,
“Truly, many houses shall be desolate,
Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one (C)bath,[b]
And a homer of seed shall yield one [c]ephah.”

11 (D)Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
That they may [d]follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!
12 (E)The harp and the strings,
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;
But (F)they do not regard the work of the Lord,
Nor consider the operation of His hands.

13 (G)Therefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no (H)knowledge;
Their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.
15 People shall be brought down,
(I)Each man shall be humbled,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.
16 But the Lord of hosts shall be (J)exalted in judgment,
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.
17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture,
And in the waste places of (K)the [e]fat ones strangers shall eat.

18 Woe to those who [f]draw iniquity with cords of [g]vanity,
And sin as if with a cart rope;
19 (L)That say, “Let Him make speed and hasten His work,
That we may see it;
And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come,
That we may know it.

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe to those who are (M)wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who (N)justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!

24 Therefore, (O)as the [h]fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So (P)their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 (Q)Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people;
He has stretched out His hand against them
And stricken them,
And (R)the hills trembled.
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.

(S)For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

26 (T)He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,
And will (U)whistle to them from (V)the end of the earth;
Surely (W)they shall come with speed, swiftly.
27 No one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep;
Nor (X)will the belt on their loins be loosed,
Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;
28 (Y)Whose arrows are sharp,
And all their bows bent;
Their horses’ hooves will [i]seem like flint,
And their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roaring will be like a lion,
They will roar like young lions;
Yes, they will roar
And lay hold of the prey;
They will carry it away safely,
And no one will deliver.
30 In that day they will roar against them
Like the roaring of the sea.
And if one (Z)looks to the land,
Behold, darkness and [j]sorrow;
And the light is darkened by the clouds.

Isaiah Called to Be a Prophet(AA)

In the year that (AB)King Uzziah died, I (AC)saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, (AD)with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said:

(AE)“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
(AF)The whole earth is full of His glory!”

And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

So I said:

“Woe is me, for I am [k]undone!
Because I am a man of (AG)unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from (AH)the altar. And he (AI)touched my mouth with it, and said:

“Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin [l]purged.”

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for (AJ)Us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

And He said, “Go, and (AK)tell this people:

‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

10 “Make (AL)the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
(AM)Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.”

11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”

And He answered:

(AN)“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant,
The houses are without a man,
The land is utterly desolate,
12 (AO)The Lord has removed men far away,
And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 But yet a tenth will be in it,
And will return and be for consuming,
As a terebinth tree or as an oak,
Whose stump remains when it is cut down.
So (AP)the holy seed shall be its stump.”

Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz(AQ)

Now it came to pass in the days of (AR)Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against (AS)it, but could not [m]prevail against it. And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are [n]deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and [o]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, and say to him: [p]‘Take heed, and [q]be (AT)quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and [r]trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— thus says the Lord God:

(AU)“It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.
(AV)For the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be [s]broken,
So that it will not be a people.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son.
(AW)If you will not believe,
Surely you shall not be established.” ’ ”

The Immanuel Prophecy

10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 (AX)“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [t]ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”

12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”

13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: (AY)Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear (AZ)a Son, and shall call His name (BA)Immanuel.[u] 15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 (BB)For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by (BC)both her kings. 17 (BD)The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that (BE)Ephraim departed from Judah.”

18 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord (BF)will whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in (BG)the clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.

20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a (BH)hired (BI)razor,
With those from beyond [v]the River, with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.

21 It shall be in that day
That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give,
That he will eat curds;
For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.

23 It shall happen in that day,
That wherever there could be a thousand vines
Worth a thousand shekels of silver,
(BJ)It will be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and bows men will come there,
Because all the land will become briers and thorns.

25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe,
You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns;
But it will become a range for oxen
And a place for sheep to roam.

Assyria Will Invade the Land

Moreover the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll, and (BK)write on it with a man’s pen concerning [w]Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, (BL)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”

Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; (BM)for before the child [x]shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ (BN)the riches of Damascus and the [y]spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”

The Lord also spoke to me again, saying:

“Inasmuch as these people refused
The waters of (BO)Shiloah that flow softly,
And rejoice (BP)in Rezin and in Remaliah’s son;
Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them
The waters of [z]the River, strong and mighty—
The king of Assyria and all his glory;
He will [aa]go up over all his channels
And go over all his banks.
He will pass through Judah,
He will overflow and pass over,
(BQ)He will reach up to the neck;
And the stretching out of his wings
Will [ab]fill the breadth of Your land, O (BR)Immanuel.[ac]

“Be(BS) shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces!
Give ear, all you from far countries.
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces;
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.
10 (BT)Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, (BU)but it will not stand,
(BV)For [ad]God is with us.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 5:8 Accumulate houses
  2. Isaiah 5:10 1 bath=1⁄10 homer
  3. Isaiah 5:10 1 ephah=1⁄10 homer
  4. Isaiah 5:11 pursue
  5. Isaiah 5:17 Lit. fatlings, rich ones
  6. Isaiah 5:18 drag
  7. Isaiah 5:18 emptiness or falsehood
  8. Isaiah 5:24 Lit. tongue of fire
  9. Isaiah 5:28 Lit. be regarded as
  10. Isaiah 5:30 distress
  11. Isaiah 6:5 destroyed, cut off
  12. Isaiah 6:7 atoned for
  13. Isaiah 7:1 conquer it
  14. Isaiah 7:2 Lit. settled upon
  15. Isaiah 7:3 Lit. A Remnant Shall Return
  16. Isaiah 7:4 Be careful
  17. Isaiah 7:4 be calm
  18. Isaiah 7:6 cause a sickening dread
  19. Isaiah 7:8 Lit. shattered
  20. Isaiah 7:11 Lit. make the request deep or make it high above
  21. Isaiah 7:14 Lit. God-With-Us
  22. Isaiah 7:20 The Euphrates
  23. Isaiah 8:1 Lit. Speed the Spoil, Hasten the Booty
  24. Isaiah 8:4 knows how
  25. Isaiah 8:4 plunder
  26. Isaiah 8:7 The Euphrates
  27. Isaiah 8:7 Overflow
  28. Isaiah 8:8 Lit. be the fullness of
  29. Isaiah 8:8 Lit. God-With-Us
  30. Isaiah 8:10 Heb. Immanuel

Paul’s Joy Over the Church’s Repentance

Make room for us in your hearts.(A) We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts(B) that we would live or die with you. I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you.(C) I am greatly encouraged;(D) in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.(E)

For when we came into Macedonia,(F) we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn(G)—conflicts on the outside, fears within.(H) But God, who comforts the downcast,(I) comforted us by the coming of Titus,(J) and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter,(K) I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation(L) and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,(M) what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you,(N) it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong(O) nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus(P) was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 I had boasted to him about you,(Q) and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus(R) has proved to be true as well. 15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient,(S) receiving him with fear and trembling.(T) 16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.(U)

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Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.

Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.

For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

12 Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.

13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

14 For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.

15 And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

16 I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.

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The Corinthians’ Repentance

Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, (A)we have cheated no one. I do not say this to condemn; for (B)I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. (C)Great is my boldness of speech toward you, (D)great is my boasting on your behalf. (E)I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.

For indeed, (F)when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but (G)we were troubled on every side. (H)Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless (I)God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by (J)the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the [a]consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.

For even if I made you (K)sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; (L)though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For (M)godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; (N)but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what (O)clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be (P)clear in this matter. 12 Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, (Q)but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.

The Joy of Titus

13 Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit (R)has been refreshed by you all. 14 For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true. 15 And his affections are greater for you as he remembers (S)the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. 16 Therefore I rejoice that (T)I have confidence in you in everything.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 7:7 comfort

23 Then Israel entered Egypt;(A)
    Jacob resided(B) as a foreigner in the land of Ham.(C)
24 The Lord made his people very fruitful;
    he made them too numerous(D) for their foes,
25 whose hearts he turned(E) to hate his people,
    to conspire(F) against his servants.
26 He sent Moses(G) his servant,
    and Aaron,(H) whom he had chosen.(I)
27 They performed(J) his signs(K) among them,
    his wonders(L) in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness(M) and made the land dark—
    for had they not rebelled against(N) his words?
29 He turned their waters into blood,(O)
    causing their fish to die.(P)
30 Their land teemed with frogs,(Q)
    which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.
31 He spoke,(R) and there came swarms of flies,(S)
    and gnats(T) throughout their country.
32 He turned their rain into hail,(U)
    with lightning throughout their land;
33 he struck down their vines(V) and fig trees(W)
    and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke,(X) and the locusts came,(Y)
    grasshoppers(Z) without number;(AA)
35 they ate up every green thing in their land,
    ate up the produce of their soil.
36 Then he struck down all the firstborn(AB) in their land,
    the firstfruits of all their manhood.

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23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

24 And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.

25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.

26 He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.

27 They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.

28 He sent darkness, and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word.

29 He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.

30 Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.

31 He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.

32 He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.

33 He smote their vines also and their fig trees; and brake the trees of their coasts.

34 He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,

35 And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.

36 He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength.

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23 (A)Israel also came into Egypt,
And Jacob dwelt (B)in the land of Ham.
24 (C)He increased His people greatly,
And made them stronger than their enemies.
25 (D)He turned their heart to hate His people,
To deal craftily with His servants.

26 (E)He sent Moses His servant,
And Aaron whom He had chosen.
27 They (F)performed His signs among them,
And wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made it dark;
And they did not rebel against His word.
29 (G)He turned their waters into blood,
And killed their fish.
30 (H)Their land abounded with frogs,
Even in the chambers of their kings.
31 (I)He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
And lice in all their territory.
32 (J)He gave them hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.
33 (K)He struck their vines also, and their fig trees,
And splintered the trees of their territory.
34 (L)He spoke, and locusts came,
Young locusts without number,
35 And ate up all the vegetation in their land,
And devoured the fruit of their ground.
36 (M)He also [a]destroyed all the firstborn in their land,
(N)The first of all their strength.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 105:36 Lit. struck down