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War against Jerusalem

Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of [a]Aram (Syria) and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it. When the house of David (Judah) was told, “Aram is allied with Ephraim (Israel),” the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz [king of Judah], you and your son [b]Shear-jashub, at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the highway to the [c]Fuller’s Field; and say to him, ‘Take care and be calm, do not fear and be weak-hearted because of these two stumps of smoldering logs, on account of the fierce anger of [King] Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah (Pekah, usurper of the throne of Israel). Because Aram, along with Ephraim (Israel) and the son of Remaliah, have planned evil against you (Judah), saying, “Let us go up against Judah and terrorize it; and let us breach its wall and tear it apart [each of us taking a portion] and set up the son of Tabeel over it as its [puppet] king,” for this is what the Lord God says, “It shall not stand nor shall it happen. For the head (capital) of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is [King] Rezin (now within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces and will no longer be a people). And the head (capital) of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son [King Pekah]. If you will not [d]believe [and trust in God and His message], be assured that you will not be established.”’”

The Child Immanuel

10 Then the Lord spoke again to [King] Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God [one that will convince you that God has spoken and will keep His word]; make your request as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “[e]I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too small a thing for you to try the patience of men, but will you try the patience of my God as well? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Listen carefully, the [f]virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call his name Immanuel (God with us).(A) 15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 16 For before the child will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land (Canaan) whose two kings you dread will be deserted [both Ephraim and Aram].(B)

Trials to Come for Judah

17 The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim (the ten northern tribes) separated from Judah—[He will call for] the king of Assyria.”

18 In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the [g]mouth of the rivers and canals of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 These [armies, like flies and bees] will all come and settle on the steep and rugged ravines and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thorn bushes and in all the watering places.

20 In that day [when foreign armies swarm the land] the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from the regions beyond the Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), [that razor will shave] the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard [leaving Judah stripped, shamed and scorned].(C)

21 Now in that day [because of the poverty caused by the invaders] a man will keep alive only a young milk cow and two sheep; 22 and because of the abundance of milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left in the land will eat [only] curds and [wild] honey.

23 And it will come to pass in that day, in every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be briars and thorns. 24 People will come there [to hunt] with arrows and with bows because all the land will be briars and thorns. 25 As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the pick and the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place where oxen are pastured and where sheep tread.

Damascus and Samaria Fall

Then the Lord said to me, “Take for yourself a large tablet [for public display] and write on it in ordinary characters: Belonging to [h]Maher-shalal-hash-baz. And I will get faithful witnesses to attest [to this prophecy] for me, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.” So I approached [my wife] the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz [to remind the people of the prophecy]; for before the boy knows how to say, ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus (Aram’s capital) and the spoil of Samaria (Israel’s capital) [i]will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”

Again the Lord spoke to me, saying,


“Because these people (Judah) have refused the gently flowing waters of [j]Shiloah
And rejoice in Rezin [the king of Aram] and Remaliah’s son [Pekah the king of Israel],

Now therefore, listen carefully, the Lord is about to bring on them the waters of the [Euphrates] River, strong and abundant—
The king of Assyria and all his glory;
And it will rise over all its channels and canals and go far beyond its banks.(D)

“Then it will [k]sweep on into Judah; it will overflow and pass through [the hills],
Reaching even to the neck [of which Jerusalem is the head],
And its outstretched wings (the armies of Assyria) will fill the width of Your land, O Immanuel.(E)

A Believing Remnant


“Be broken [in pieces], O peoples, and be shattered!
Listen, all you [our enemies from the] far countries.
Prepare yourselves [for war], and be shattered;
Prepare yourselves [for war], and be shattered.
10 
“Take counsel together [against Judah], but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, but it will not stand,
For God is with us (Immanuel).”

11 For in this way the Lord spoke to me with His strong hand [upon me] and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people [behaving as they do], saying,

12 
“You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’
In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,
And you are not to fear what they fear nor be in dread of it.
13 
“It is the Lord of hosts whom you are to regard as holy and awesome.
He shall be your [source of] fear,
He shall be your [source of] dread [not man].
14 
“Then He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred, indestructible shelter for those who fear and trust Him];
But to both the houses of Israel [both the northern and southern kingdoms—Israel and Judah, He will be] a stone on which to stumble and a rock on which to trip,
A trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.(F)
15 
“Many [among them] will stumble over them;
Then they will fall and be broken,
They will even be snared and trapped.”

16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law and the teaching among my (Isaiah’s) disciples. 17 And I will wait for the Lord who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; and I will look eagerly for Him. 18 Listen carefully, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are [l]for signs and wonders [that will occur] in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

19 When the people [instead of trusting God] say to you, “Consult the mediums [who try to talk to the dead] and the soothsayers who chirp and whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 [Direct those people] to the law and to the testimony! If their teachings are not in accord with this word, it is because they have no dawn. 21 They [who consult mediums and soothsayers] will pass through the land deeply distressed and hungry, and when they are hungry, they will become enraged and will curse their king and their God as they look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, they will see only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness and overwhelming night.

Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish [for with judgment comes the promise of salvation]. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make them honored [by the presence of the Messiah], by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.


The people who walk in [spiritual] darkness
[m]Will see a great Light;
Those who live in the dark land,
The Light will shine on them.(G)

You [O God] will increase the nation,
You will multiply their joy;
They will rejoice before You
Like the joy and jubilation of the harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil [of victory].

For You will break the yoke of Israel’s burden and the staff (goad) on their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor, as at the [n]battle of Midian.(H)

For every boot of the marching warrior in the battle tumult,
And [every soldier’s] garment rolled in blood, will be used for burning, fuel for the fire.

For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given;
And the government shall be upon His shoulder,
And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.(I)

There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace,
[He shall rule] on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From that time forward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.(J)

God’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance


The Lord sends a word (message) against Jacob,
And it falls on Israel [the ten northern tribes, the kingdom of Ephraim].

And all the people know it,
That is, [o]Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria [its capital],
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 
“The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild [all the better] with ashlar (hewed stones);
The sycamores have been cut down,
But we will replace them with [expensive] cedars.”
11 
Therefore the Lord raises against Ephraim adversaries from Rezin [king of Aram]
And spurs their enemies on,
12 
The Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west;
And they devour Israel with gaping jaws.
In spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn away
But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].

13 
Yet the people do not turn back [in repentance] to Him who struck them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts [as their most essential need].
14 
Therefore the Lord cuts off head and tail [the highest and the lowest] from Israel,
Both [the high] palm branch and [the low] bulrush in one day.
15 
The elderly and honorable man, he is the head;
And the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 
For those who lead this people are causing them to go astray;
And those who are led [astray] by them are swallowed up.
17 
Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men,
Nor does He have compassion on their fatherless or their widows;
For every one of them is godless and an evildoer,
And every mouth is speaking foolishness.
In spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn away
But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].

18 
For wickedness burns like a fire;
It consumes briars and thorns,
It even sets the forest thickets ablaze;
And it swirls upward in a column of smoke.
19 
By the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land is burned up,
And the people are like fuel for the fire;
No man spares his brother.
20 
They slice off [in discord] what is on the right hand but are still hungry,
And they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied;
Each eats the flesh of his own arm.
21 
[The tribe of] Manasseh devours [the tribe of his brother] Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
And together they are against Judah (the southern kingdom, the house of David).
In spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn away
But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].

Assyria Is God’s Instrument

10 Woe (judgment is coming) to those [judges] who issue evil statutes,
And to those [magistrates] who constantly record unjust and oppressive decisions,

So as to deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor of My people of rightful claims,
So that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the fatherless.

Now what will you do in the day of [God’s] punishment,
And in the storm of devastation which will come from far away?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your wealth [for safekeeping]?

Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives
Or fall [dead] among the slain [on the battlefield].
In spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn away,
But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].


Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger [against Israel],
The staff in whose hand is My indignation and fury [against Israel’s disobedience]!

I send Assyria against a godless nation
And commission it against the people of My wrath
To take the spoil and to seize the plunder,
And to trample them down like mud in the streets.

Yet it is not Assyria’s intention [to do My will],
Nor does it plan so in its heart,
But instead it is its purpose to destroy
And to cut off many nations.

For Assyria says, “Are not my princes all kings?

“Is not Calno [conquered] like Carchemish [on the Euphrates]?
Is not Hamath [subdued] like Arpad [her neighbor]?
Is not Samaria [in Israel] like Damascus [in Aram]?
10 
“As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images were greater and more feared than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 
Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?” [declares Assyria].

12 So when the Lord has completed all His work [of judgment] on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit [the thoughts, the declarations, and the actions] of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the haughtiness of his pride.” 13 For the Assyrian king has said,

“I have done this by the power of my [own] hand and by my wisdom,
For I have understanding and skill.
I have removed the boundaries of the peoples
And have plundered their treasures;
Like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.
14 
“My hand has found the wealth of the people like a nest,
And as one gathers eggs that are abandoned, so I have gathered all the earth;
And there was not one that flapped its wing, or that opened its beak and chirped.”

15 
Is the axe able to lift itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw able to magnify itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like a club moving those who lift it,
Or like a staff raising him who is not [made of] wood [like itself]!
16 
Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, will send a wasting disease among the stout warriors of Assyria;
And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 
And the Light of Israel will become a fire and His Holy One a flame,
And it will [p]burn and devour Assyria’s thorns and briars in a single day.(K)
18 
The Lord will consume the glory of Assyria’s forest and of its fruitful garden, both soul and body,
And it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 
And the remaining trees of Assyria’s forest will be so few in number
That a child could write them down.

A Remnant Will Return

20 Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

21 
A [q]remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
22 
For though your people, O Israel, may be as the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
The destruction is determined [it is decided and destined for completion], overflowing with justice (righteous punishment).(L)

23 For the Lord, the God of hosts, will execute a complete destruction, one that is decreed, in the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore, the Lord God of hosts says this, “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian who strikes you with a rod and lifts up his staff against you, as [the king of] Egypt did.(M) 25 For yet a very little while and My indignation [against you] will be fulfilled and My anger will be directed toward the destruction of the Assyrian.” 26 The Lord of hosts will brandish a whip against them like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be over the [Red] Sea and He will lift it up the way He did in [the flight from] Egypt.(N) 27 So it will be in that day, that the burden of the Assyrian will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because of the fat.(O)

28 
The Assyrian has come against Aiath [in Judah],
He has passed through Migron [with his army];
At Michmash he stored his equipment.
29 
They have gone through the pass, saying,
“Geba will be our lodging place for the night.”
Ramah trembles, and Gibeah [the city] of Saul has fled.
30 
Cry aloud with your voice [in consternation], O Daughter of Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah! Answer her, Anathoth!
31 
Madmenah has fled;
The inhabitants of Gebim have fled [with their belongings] to safety.
32 
Yet today the Assyrian will halt at Nob [the city of priests];
He shakes his fist at the mountain of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 
Listen carefully, the Lord, the God of hosts, will lop off the [beautiful] boughs with terrifying force;
The tall in stature will be cut down
And the lofty will be abased and humiliated.
34 
He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And Lebanon (the Assyrian) will fall by the Mighty One.(P)

Righteous Reign of the Branch

11 Then a Shoot (the Messiah) will spring from the stock of Jesse [David’s father],
And a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.(Q)

And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him—
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and strength,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the [reverential and obedient] fear of the Lord

And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make decisions by what His ears hear;

But with righteousness and justice He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the downtrodden of the earth;
And He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.

And righteousness will be the belt around His loins,
And faithfulness the belt around His waist.


And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion and the fatted steer together;
And a little child will lead them.

And the cow and the bear will graze [together],
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

And the nursing child will [safely] play over the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den [and not be hurt].

They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.

10 
Then in that day
The nations will make supplications to the Root of Jesse
Who will stand as a signal for the peoples;
And His resting place will be glorious.(R)

The Restored Remnant

11 
Then it will happen on that day that the Lord
Will again acquire with His hand a second time
The remnant of His people, who will remain,
From Assyria, from [Lower] Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush (Ethiopia), from Elam [in Persia], from Shinar [Babylonia], from Hamath [in Aram],
And from the coastlands bordering the [Mediterranean] Sea.(S)
12 
And He will lift up a signal for the nations
And assemble the [r]outcasts of Israel,
And will gather the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.
13 
Then the jealousy of [s]Ephraim will depart,
And those who harass [t]Judah will be cut off;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
And Judah will not harass Ephraim.
14 
Ephraim and Judah will [unite and] swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines toward the west;
Together they will plunder the sons (Arabs) of the east.
They will possess Edom and Moab,
And the sons of Ammon will be subject to them.
15 
And the Lord will utterly destroy
The tongue of the [u]Sea of Egypt;
And with His scorching wind
He will wave His hand over the River;
He will strike and divide it into seven channels
And make [it possible for] people [to] walk over in sandals.
16 
And there will be a highway from Assyria
For the remnant of His people who will be left,
Just as there was for Israel
In the day when they came up out of the land of Egypt.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 7:1 The people of the kingdom of Aram were descended from Aram, the youngest son of Shem, the son of Noah (Gen 10:22, 23). The territory of the Arameans also included the areas later identified as Syria and Mesopotamia.
  2. Isaiah 7:3 A prophetic name meaning a remnant shall return.
  3. Isaiah 7:3 A field where freshly washed clothes were spread out to bleach and dry in the sun.
  4. Isaiah 7:9 The same Hebrew word is used both for believe and be established.
  5. Isaiah 7:12 This was a misplaced sense of faithfulness on Ahaz’s part. It is wise not to ask God for a sign, unless He offers one as He did to Ahaz.
  6. Isaiah 7:14 This prophecy of the virgin is declared in Matt 1:22, 23 to be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. There has been a great deal of discussion over the Hebrew word found here for virgin (almah) and the word that Matthew uses (parthenos). The latter refers unambiguously to a virgin, while the former (almah) has been said to refer to a young woman, in contrast to the Hebrew word bethulah, which is the equivalent of the Gr parthenos. It has also been noted that the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT, has parthenos here for almah, and that Matt 1:23 is taken from the Septuagint. Some have wondered why the Septuagint translators used the more specific word parthenos. It is fair to say that this question is the result of oversimplifying the vocabulary and misinterpreting the distinctions. The Hebrew words almah and bethulah can actually refer to the same kind of woman; almah is a youthful woman of marriageable age, one who has not yet had her first child, while bethulah is one who has not been touched in an intimate way. Furthermore, in the present context it would be unthinkable to infer that the woman might have had sexual relations outside of marriage. So the well-known translation of “young woman” for almah, while technically not incorrect, can be viewed as too ambiguous for the Hebrew word and the context. Parthenos was an appropriate choice in the Greek. Another word, kore (for “girl”) could have been used, but it has a wider range of meaning than the Heb almah (Mark uses a related word, korasion, to translate Jesus’ Aramaic word talitha). It should also be acknowledged from a theological perspective that when Matthew cites the verse with parthenos, he thereby authenticates it as inspired.
  7. Isaiah 7:18 Lit end.
  8. Isaiah 8:1 I.e. swift is the plunder, speedy is the prey.
  9. Isaiah 8:4 Samaria was overthrown by Assyria in 722 b.c., ten years after the downfall of Damascus, fulfilling this prophecy.
  10. Isaiah 8:6 The perennial spring outside Jerusalem that flowed to the Pool of Siloam, Jerusalem’s water supply. The spring was a symbol of God’s protection and sustaining power.
  11. Isaiah 8:8 This prophecy was literally fulfilled, and although Aram and Israel were conquered and led into captivity, the kingdom of Judah was spared and continued for over 130 years.
  12. Isaiah 8:18 Isaiah’s own name means “Salvation of the Lord.” His two children’s names were “signs” as well, the one (see note v 1) pointing to the coming military crisis and the other (see note 7:3) to the future restoration.
  13. Isaiah 9:2 Or have seen, Hebrew perfect tense. The perfect tense is used frequently in this passage and should probably be interpreted as the prophetic future, that is, the use of the perfect (past) tense to describe a future event as a certainty.
  14. Isaiah 9:4 A reference to Gideon’s great victory over the Midianites (Judg 7:22-25).
  15. Isaiah 9:9 The names “Israel” and “Ephraim” are used interchangeably to refer to the ten tribes of the northern kingdom.
  16. Isaiah 10:17 During a single night this prophecy was fulfilled (2 Kin 19:35).
  17. Isaiah 10:21 See note 7:3.
  18. Isaiah 11:12 Lit scattered.
  19. Isaiah 11:13 A reference to the ten northern tribes. Israel split into two kingdoms after Rehoboam the son of Solomon became king. Jeroboam ruled from the city of Shechem in the north, and Rehoboam ruled from the city of Jerusalem in the south (1 Kin 12:1-20).
  20. Isaiah 11:13 A reference to the two southern tribes.
  21. Isaiah 11:15 The western fork of the Red Sea.

The Sign of Immanuel

When Ahaz(A) son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin(B) of Aram(C) and Pekah(D) son of Remaliah(E) king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.

Now the house of David(F) was told, “Aram has allied itself with[a] Ephraim(G)”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken,(H) 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,[b](I) to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.(J) Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm(K) and don’t be afraid.(L) Do not lose heart(M) because of these two smoldering stubs(N) of firewood—because of the fierce anger(O) of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.(P) Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s(Q) son have plotted(R) 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:(S)

“‘It will not take place,
    it will not happen,(T)
for the head of Aram is Damascus,(U)
    and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.(V)
Within sixty-five years
    Ephraim will be too shattered(W) to be a people.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,(X)
    and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand(Y) firm in your faith,(Z)
    you will not stand at all.’”(AA)

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

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

13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David!(AE) Is it not enough(AF) to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience(AG) of my God(AH) also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[c] a sign:(AI) The virgin[d](AJ) will conceive and give birth to a son,(AK) and[e] will call him Immanuel.[f](AL) 15 He will be eating curds(AM) and honey(AN) when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows(AO) enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,(AP) the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.(AQ) 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(AR) from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.(AS)

Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

18 In that day(AT) the Lord will whistle(AU) for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.(AV) 19 They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices(AW) in the rocks, on all the thornbushes(AX) and at all the water holes. 20 In that day(AY) the Lord will use(AZ) a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River(BA)—the king of Assyria(BB)—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard(BC) also.(BD) 21 In that day,(BE) a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats.(BF) 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(BG) and honey.(BH) 23 In that day,(BI) in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,[g](BJ) there will be only briers and thorns.(BK) 24 Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers(BL) and thorns. 25 As for all the hills(BM) once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns;(BN) they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run.(BO)

Isaiah and His Children as Signs

The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll(BP) and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”[h](BQ) So I called in Uriah(BR) the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses(BS) for me. Then I made love to the prophetess,(BT) and she conceived and gave birth to a son.(BU) And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.(BV) For before the boy knows(BW) how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus(BX) and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.(BY)

The Lord spoke to me again:

“Because this people has rejected(BZ)
    the gently flowing waters of Shiloah(CA)
and rejoices over Rezin
    and the son of Remaliah,(CB)
therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
    the mighty floodwaters(CC) of the Euphrates—
    the king of Assyria(CD) with all his pomp.(CE)
It will overflow all its channels,
    run over all its banks(CF)
and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,(CG)
    passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings(CH) will cover the breadth of your land,
    Immanuel[i]!”(CI)

Raise the war cry,[j](CJ) you nations, and be shattered!(CK)
    Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare(CL) for battle, and be shattered!
    Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;(CM)
    propose your plan, but it will not stand,(CN)
    for God is with us.[k](CO)

11 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me,(CP) warning me not to follow(CQ) the way of this people:

12 “Do not call conspiracy(CR)
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,(CS)
    and do not dread it.(CT)
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,(CU)
    he is the one you are to fear,(CV)
    he is the one you are to dread.(CW)
14 He will be a holy place;(CX)
    for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone(CY) that causes people to stumble(CZ)
    and a rock that makes them fall.(DA)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
    a trap and a snare.(DB)
15 Many of them will stumble;(DC)
    they will fall and be broken,
    they will be snared and captured.”

16 Bind up this testimony of warning(DD)
    and seal(DE) up God’s instruction among my disciples.
17 I will wait(DF) for the Lord,
    who is hiding(DG) his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.(DH)

18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me.(DI) We are signs(DJ) and symbols(DK) in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.(DL)

The Darkness Turns to Light

19 When someone tells you to consult(DM) mediums and spiritists,(DN) who whisper and mutter,(DO) should not a people inquire(DP) of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction(DQ) and the testimony of warning.(DR) If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light(DS) of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry,(DT) they will roam through the land;(DU) when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse(DV) their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom,(DW) and they will be thrust into utter darkness.(DX)

[l]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom(DY) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,(DZ) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

The people walking in darkness(EA)
    have seen a great light;(EB)
on those living in the land of deep darkness(EC)
    a light has dawned.(ED)
You have enlarged the nation(EE)
    and increased their joy;(EF)
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.(EG)
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,(EH)
    you have shattered(EI)
the yoke(EJ) that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,(EK)
    the rod of their oppressor.(EL)
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,(EM)
    will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,(EN)
    to us a son is given,(EO)
    and the government(EP) will be on his shoulders.(EQ)
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor,(ER) Mighty God,(ES)
    Everlasting(ET) Father,(EU) Prince of Peace.(EV)
Of the greatness of his government(EW) and peace(EX)
    there will be no end.(EY)
He will reign(EZ) on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice(FA) and righteousness(FB)
    from that time on and forever.(FC)
The zeal(FD) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

The Lord has sent a message(FE) against Jacob;
    it will fall on Israel.
All the people will know it—
    Ephraim(FF) and the inhabitants of Samaria(FG)
who say with pride
    and arrogance(FH) of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
    but we will rebuild with dressed stone;(FI)
the fig(FJ) trees have been felled,
    but we will replace them with cedars.(FK)
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s(FL) foes against them
    and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans(FM) from the east and Philistines(FN) from the west
    have devoured(FO) Israel with open mouth.

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

13 But the people have not returned(FR) to him who struck(FS) them,
    nor have they sought(FT) the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
    both palm branch and reed(FU) in a single day;(FV)
15 the elders(FW) and dignitaries(FX) are the head,
    the prophets(FY) who teach lies(FZ) are the tail.
16 Those who guide(GA) this people mislead them,
    and those who are guided are led astray.(GB)
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,(GC)
    nor will he pity(GD) the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly(GE) and wicked,(GF)
    every mouth speaks folly.(GG)

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

18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;(GI)
    it consumes briers and thorns,(GJ)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,(GK)
    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath(GL) of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched(GM)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;(GN)
    they will not spare one another.(GO)
20 On the right they will devour,
    but still be hungry;(GP)
on the left they will eat,(GQ)
    but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring[m]:
21     Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;(GR)
    together they will turn against Judah.(GS)

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

10 Woe(GU) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,(GV)
to deprive(GW) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,(GX)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.(GY)
What will you do on the day of reckoning,(GZ)
    when disaster(HA) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?(HB)
    Where will you leave your riches?
Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives(HC)
    or fall among the slain.(HD)

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

God’s Judgment on Assyria

“Woe(HF) to the Assyrian,(HG) the rod(HH) of my anger,
    in whose hand is the club(HI) of my wrath!(HJ)
I send him against a godless(HK) nation,
    I dispatch(HL) him against a people who anger me,(HM)
to seize loot and snatch plunder,(HN)
    and to trample(HO) them down like mud in the streets.
But this is not what he intends,(HP)
    this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
    to put an end to many nations.
‘Are not my commanders(HQ) all kings?’ he says.
    ‘Has not Kalno(HR) fared like Carchemish?(HS)
Is not Hamath(HT) like Arpad,(HU)
    and Samaria(HV) like Damascus?(HW)
10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,(HX)
    kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
11 shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
    as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?(HY)’”

12 When the Lord has finished all his work(HZ) against Mount Zion(IA) and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria(IB) for the willful pride(IC) of his heart and the haughty look(ID) in his eyes. 13 For he says:

“‘By the strength of my hand(IE) I have done this,(IF)
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;(IG)
    like a mighty one I subdued[n] their kings.(IH)
14 As one reaches into a nest,(II)
    so my hand reached for the wealth(IJ) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;(IK)
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.(IL)’”

15 Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
    or the saw boast against the one who uses it?(IM)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
    or a club(IN) brandish the one who is not wood!
16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will send a wasting disease(IO) upon his sturdy warriors;(IP)
under his pomp(IQ) a fire(IR) will be kindled
    like a blazing flame.
17 The Light of Israel will become a fire,(IS)
    their Holy One(IT) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
    his thorns(IU) and his briers.(IV)
18 The splendor of his forests(IW) and fertile fields
    it will completely destroy,(IX)
    as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the remaining trees of his forests(IY) will be so few(IZ)
    that a child could write them down.

The Remnant of Israel

20 In that day(JA) the remnant of Israel,
    the survivors(JB) of Jacob,
will no longer rely(JC) on him
    who struck them down(JD)
but will truly rely(JE) on the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel.(JF)
21 A remnant(JG) will return,[o](JH) a remnant of Jacob
    will return to the Mighty God.(JI)
22 Though your people be like the sand(JJ) by the sea, Israel,
    only a remnant will return.(JK)
Destruction has been decreed,(JL)
    overwhelming and righteous.
23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
    the destruction decreed(JM) upon the whole land.(JN)

24 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“My people who live in Zion,(JO)
    do not be afraid(JP) of the Assyrians,
who beat(JQ) you with a rod(JR)
    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
25 Very soon(JS) my anger against you will end
    and my wrath(JT) will be directed to their destruction.(JU)

26 The Lord Almighty will lash(JV) them with a whip,
    as when he struck down Midian(JW) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff(JX) over the waters,(JY)
    as he did in Egypt.
27 In that day(JZ) their burden(KA) will be lifted from your shoulders,
    their yoke(KB) from your neck;(KC)
the yoke(KD) will be broken
    because you have grown so fat.[p]

28 They enter Aiath;
    they pass through Migron;(KE)
    they store supplies(KF) at Mikmash.(KG)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
    “We will camp overnight at Geba.(KH)
Ramah(KI) trembles;
    Gibeah(KJ) of Saul flees.(KK)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!(KL)
    Listen, Laishah!
    Poor Anathoth!(KM)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
    the people of Gebim take cover.
32 This day they will halt at Nob;(KN)
    they will shake their fist(KO)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,(KP)
    at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will lop off(KQ) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,(KR)
    the tall(KS) ones will be brought low.(KT)
34 He will cut down(KU) the forest thickets with an ax;
    Lebanon(KV) will fall before the Mighty One.(KW)

The Branch From Jesse

11 A shoot(KX) will come up from the stump(KY) of Jesse;(KZ)
    from his roots a Branch(LA) will bear fruit.(LB)
The Spirit(LC) of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom(LD) and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,(LE)
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord
and he will delight in the fear(LF) of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,(LG)
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;(LH)
but with righteousness(LI) he will judge the needy,(LJ)
    with justice(LK) he will give decisions for the poor(LL) of the earth.
He will strike(LM) the earth with the rod of his mouth;(LN)
    with the breath(LO) of his lips he will slay the wicked.(LP)
Righteousness will be his belt(LQ)
    and faithfulness(LR) the sash around his waist.(LS)

The wolf will live with the lamb,(LT)
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[q] together;
    and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.(LU)
The infant(LV) will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s(LW) nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy(LX)
    on all my holy mountain,(LY)
for the earth(LZ) will be filled with the knowledge(MA) of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

10 In that day(MB) the Root of Jesse(MC) will stand as a banner(MD) for the peoples; the nations(ME) will rally to him,(MF) and his resting place(MG) will be glorious.(MH) 11 In that day(MI) the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant(MJ) of his people from Assyria,(MK) from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt,(ML) from Cush,[r](MM) from Elam,(MN) from Babylonia,[s] from Hamath(MO) and from the islands(MP) of the Mediterranean.(MQ)

12 He will raise a banner(MR) for the nations
    and gather(MS) the exiles of Israel;(MT)
he will assemble the scattered people(MU) of Judah
    from the four quarters of the earth.(MV)
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
    and Judah’s enemies[t] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
    nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.(MW)
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia(MX) to the west;
    together they will plunder the people to the east.(MY)
They will subdue Edom(MZ) and Moab,(NA)
    and the Ammonites(NB) will be subject to them.(NC)
15 The Lord will dry up(ND)
    the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind(NE) he will sweep his hand(NF)
    over the Euphrates River.(NG)
He will break it up into seven streams
    so that anyone can cross over in sandals.(NH)
16 There will be a highway(NI) for the remnant(NJ) of his people
    that is left from Assyria,(NK)
as there was for Israel
    when they came up from Egypt.(NL)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 7:2 Or has set up camp in
  2. Isaiah 7:3 Shear-Jashub means a remnant will return.
  3. Isaiah 7:14 The Hebrew is plural.
  4. Isaiah 7:14 Or young woman
  5. Isaiah 7:14 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls son, and he or son, and they
  6. Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel means God with us.
  7. Isaiah 7:23 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms
  8. Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.
  9. Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.
  10. Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst
  11. Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew Immanuel
  12. Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.
  13. Isaiah 9:20 Or arm
  14. Isaiah 10:13 Or treasures; / I subdued the mighty,
  15. Isaiah 10:21 Hebrew shear-jashub (see 7:3 and note); also in verse 22
  16. Isaiah 10:27 Hebrew; Septuagint broken / from your shoulders
  17. Isaiah 11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint lion will feed
  18. Isaiah 11:11 That is, the upper Nile region
  19. Isaiah 11:11 Hebrew Shinar
  20. Isaiah 11:13 Or hostility

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.

11 For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

17 And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,

10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

11 Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;

12 The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

13 For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.

14 Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

15 The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

18 For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

20 And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:

21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

10 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?

Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?

10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

13 For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:

14 And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.

16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

18 And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.

19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

23 For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.

25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.

26 And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.

27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:

29 They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.

30 Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.

31 Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.

32 As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

11 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

15 And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.

16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.