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Isaiah 8:11-15:9
Good News Translation
Isaiah 8:11-15:9
Good News Translation
The Lord Warns the Prophet
11 With his great power the Lord warned me not to follow the road which the people were following. He said, 12 (A)“Do not join in the schemes of the people and do not be afraid of the things that they fear. 13 Remember that I, the Lord Almighty, am holy; I am the one you must fear. 14 (B)Because of my awesome holiness I am like a stone that people stumble over; I am like a trap that will catch the people of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel and the people of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble; they will fall and be crushed. They will be caught in a trap.”
Warning against Consulting the Dead
16 You, my disciples, are to guard and preserve the messages that God has given me. 17 (C)The Lord has hidden himself from his people, but I trust him and place my hope in him.
18 (D)Here I am with the children the Lord has given me. The Lord Almighty, whose throne is on Mount Zion, has sent us as living messages to the people of Israel.
19 But people will tell you to ask for messages from fortunetellers and mediums, who chirp and mutter. They will say, “After all, people should ask for messages from the spirits and consult the dead on behalf of the living.”
20 You are to answer them, “Listen to what the Lord is teaching you! Don't listen to mediums—what they tell you cannot keep trouble away.”[a]
A Time of Trouble
21 The people will wander through the land, discouraged and hungry. In their hunger and their anger they will curse their king and their God. They may look up to the sky 22 or stare at the ground, but they will see nothing but trouble and darkness, terrifying darkness into which they are being driven.
9 (E)There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble.
The Future King
The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region, from the Mediterranean eastward to the land on the other side of the Jordan, and even to Galilee itself, where the foreigners live.
2 (F)The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
They lived in a land of shadows,
but now light is shining on them.
3 You have given them great joy,[b] Lord;
you have made them happy.
They rejoice in what you have done,
as people rejoice when they harvest grain
or when they divide captured wealth.
4 For you have broken the yoke that burdened them
and the rod that beat their shoulders.
You have defeated the nation
that oppressed and exploited your people,
just as you defeated the army of Midian long ago.
5 The boots of the invading army
and all their bloodstained clothing
will be destroyed by fire.
6 A child is born to us!
A son is given to us!
And he will be our ruler.
He will be called, “Wonderful[c] Counselor,”
“Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,”
“Prince of Peace.”
7 (G)His royal power will continue to grow;
his kingdom will always be at peace.
He will rule as King David's successor,
basing his power on right and justice,
from now until the end of time.
The Lord Almighty is determined to do all this.
The Lord Will Punish Israel
8 The Lord has pronounced judgment on the kingdom of Israel, on the descendants of Jacob. 9 All the people of Israel, everyone who lives in the city of Samaria, will know that he has done this. Now they are proud and arrogant. They say, 10 “The brick buildings have fallen down, but we will replace them with stone buildings. The beams of sycamore wood have been cut down, but we will replace them with the finest cedar.”
11 The Lord has stirred up their enemies[d] to attack them. 12 Syria on the east and Philistia on the west have opened their mouths to devour Israel. Yet even so the Lord's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.
13 The people of Israel have not repented; even though the Lord Almighty has punished them, they have not returned to him. 14 In a single day the Lord will punish Israel's leaders and its people; he will cut them off, head and tail. 15 The old and honorable men are the head—and the tail is the prophets whose teachings are lies! 16 Those who lead these people have misled them and totally confused them. 17 And so the Lord will not let any of the young men escape, and he will not show pity on any of the widows and orphans, because all the people are godless and wicked and everything they say is evil. Yet even so the Lord's anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.
18 The wickedness of the people burns like a fire that destroys thorn bushes and thistles. It burns like a forest fire that sends up columns of smoke. 19 Because the Lord Almighty is angry, his punishment burns like a fire throughout the land and destroys the people, and it is each of us for ourselves. 20 Everywhere in the country people snatch and eat any bit of food they can find, but their hunger is never satisfied. They even eat their own children! 21 The people of Manasseh and the people of Ephraim attack each other, and together they attack Judah. Yet even so the Lord's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.
10 You are doomed! You make unjust laws that oppress my people. 2 That is how you keep the poor from having their rights and from getting justice. That is how you take the property that belongs to widows and orphans. 3 What will you do when God punishes you? What will you do when he brings disaster on you from a distant country? Where will you run to find help? Where will you hide your wealth? 4 You will be killed in battle or dragged off as prisoners. Yet even so the Lord's anger will not be ended; his hand will still be stretched out to punish.
The Emperor of Assyria as the Instrument of God
5 (H)The Lord said, “Assyria! I use Assyria like a club to punish those with whom I am angry. 6 I sent Assyria to attack a godless nation, people who have made me angry. I sent them to loot and steal and trample the people like dirt in the streets.”
7 But the Assyrian emperor has his own violent plans in mind. He is determined to destroy many nations. 8 He boasts, “Every one of my commanders is a king! 9 I conquered the cities of Calno and Carchemish, the cities of Hamath and Arpad. I conquered Samaria and Damascus. 10 I reached out to punish those kingdoms that worship idols, idols more numerous than those of Jerusalem and Samaria. 11 I have destroyed Samaria and all its idols, and I will do the same to Jerusalem and the images that are worshiped there.”
12 But the Lord says, “When I finish what I am doing on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will punish the emperor of Assyria for all his boasting and all his pride.”
13 The emperor of Assyria boasts, “I have done it all myself. I am strong and wise and clever. I wiped out the boundaries between nations and took the supplies they had stored. Like a bull I have trampled the people who live there. 14 The nations of the world were like a bird's nest, and I gathered their wealth as easily as gathering eggs. Not a wing fluttered to scare me off; no beak opened to scream at me!”
15 But the Lord says, “Can an ax claim to be greater than the one who uses it? Is a saw more important than the one who saws with it? A club doesn't lift up a person; a person lifts up a club.”
16 The Lord Almighty is going to send disease to punish those who are now well-fed. In their bodies there will be a fire that burns and burns. 17 God, the light of Israel, will become a fire. Israel's holy God will become a flame, which in a single day will burn up everything, even the thorns and thistles. 18 The rich forests and farmlands will be totally destroyed, in the same way that a fatal sickness destroys someone. 19 There will be so few trees left that even a child will be able to count them.
A Few Will Come Back
20 A time is coming when the people of Israel who have survived will not rely any more on the nation that almost destroyed them. They will truly put their trust in the Lord, Israel's holy God. 21 A few of the people of Israel will come back to their mighty God. 22 (I)Even though now there are as many people of Israel as there are grains of sand by the sea, only a few will come back. Destruction is in store for the people, and it is fully deserved. 23 Yes, throughout the whole country the Sovereign Lord Almighty will bring destruction, as he said he would.
The Lord Will Punish Assyria
24 The Sovereign Lord Almighty says to his people who live in Zion, “Do not be afraid of the Assyrians, even though they oppress you as the Egyptians used to do. 25 In only a little while I will finish punishing you, and then I will destroy them. 26 I, the Lord Almighty, will beat them with my whip as I did the people of Midian at Oreb Rock. I will punish Assyria as I punished Egypt. 27 When that time comes, I will free you from the power of Assyria, and their yoke will no longer be a burden on your shoulders.”[e]
The Invader Attacks
28 The enemy army has captured the city of Ai![f] They have passed through Migron! They left their supplies at Michmash! 29 They have crossed the pass and are spending the night at Geba! The people in the town of Ramah are terrified, and the people in King Saul's hometown of Gibeah have run away. 30 Shout, people of Gallim! Listen, people of Laishah! Answer, people of Anathoth! 31 The people of Madmenah and Gebim are running for their lives. 32 Today the enemy are in the town of Nob, and there they are shaking their fists at Mount Zion, at the city of Jerusalem.
33 The Lord Almighty will bring them crashing down like branches cut off a tree. The proudest and highest of them will be cut down and humiliated. 34 The Lord will cut them down as trees in the heart of the forest are cut down with an ax, as even the finest trees of Lebanon fall!
The Peaceful Kingdom
11 (J)The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David's descendants.
2 The spirit of the Lord will give him wisdom
and the knowledge and skill to rule his people.
He will know the Lord's will and honor him,
3 and find pleasure in obeying him.
He will not judge by appearance or hearsay;
4 (K)he will judge the poor fairly
and defend the rights of the helpless.
At his command the people will be punished,
and evil persons will die.
5 (L)He will rule his people with justice and integrity.
6 (M)Wolves and sheep will live together in peace,
and leopards will lie down with young goats.
Calves and lion cubs will feed[g] together,
and little children will take care of them.
7 Cows and bears will eat together,
and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace.
Lions will eat straw as cattle do.
8 Even a baby will not be harmed
if it plays near a poisonous snake.
9 (N)On Zion, God's sacred hill,
there will be nothing harmful or evil.
The land will be as full of knowledge of the Lord
as the seas are full of water.
The Exiled People Will Return
10 (O)A day is coming when the new king from the royal line of David will be a symbol to the nations. They will gather in his royal city and give him honor. 11 When that day comes, the Lord will once again use his power and bring back home those of his people who are left in Assyria and Egypt, in the lands of Pathros, Ethiopia,[h] Elam, Babylonia, and Hamath, and in the coastlands and on the islands of the sea. 12 The Lord will raise a signal flag to show the nations that he is gathering together again the scattered people of Israel and Judah and bringing them back from the four corners of the earth. 13 The kingdom of Israel will not be jealous of Judah any more, and Judah will not be the enemy of Israel. 14 Together they will attack the Philistines on the west and plunder the people who live to the east. They will conquer the people of Edom and Moab, and the people of Ammon will obey them. 15 (P)The Lord will dry up the Gulf of Suez, and he will bring a hot wind to dry up the Euphrates, leaving only seven tiny streams, so that anyone can walk across. 16 There will be a highway out of Assyria for those of his people Israel who have survived there, just as there was for their ancestors when they left Egypt.
Hymn of Thanksgiving
12 A day is coming when people will sing,
“I praise you, Lord! You were angry with me,
but now you comfort me and are angry no longer.
2 (Q)God is my savior;
I will trust him and not be afraid.
The Lord gives me power and strength;
he is my savior.
3 As fresh water brings joy to the thirsty,
so God's people rejoice when he saves them.”
4 A day is coming when people will sing,
“Give thanks to the Lord! Call for him to help you!
Tell all the nations what he has done!
Tell them how great he is!
5 Sing to the Lord because of the great things he has done.
Let the whole world hear the news.
6 Let everyone who lives in Zion shout and sing!
Israel's holy God is great,
and he lives among his people.”
God Will Punish Babylon
13 (R)This is a message about Babylon, which Isaiah son of Amoz received from God.
2 On the top of a barren hill raise the battle flag! Shout to the soldiers and raise your arm as the signal for them to attack the gates of the proud city. 3 The Lord has called out his proud and confident soldiers to fight a holy war and punish those he is angry with.
4 Listen to the noise on the mountains—the sound of a great crowd of people, the sound of nations and kingdoms gathering. The Lord of Armies is preparing his troops for battle. 5 They are coming from far-off countries at the ends of the earth. In his anger the Lord is coming to devastate the whole country.
6 (S)Howl in pain! The day of the Lord is near, the day when the Almighty brings destruction. 7 Everyone's hands will hang limp, and everyone's courage will fail. 8 They will all be terrified and overcome with pain, like the pain of a woman in labor. They will look at each other in fear, and their faces will burn with shame. 9 The day of the Lord is coming—that cruel day of his fierce anger and fury. The earth will be made a wilderness, and every sinner will be destroyed. 10 (T)Every star and every constellation will stop shining, the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will give no light.
11 The Lord says, “I will bring disaster on the earth and punish all wicked people for their sins. I will humble everyone who is proud and punish everyone who is arrogant and cruel. 12 Those who survive will be scarcer than gold. 13 I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place on that day when I, the Lord Almighty, show my anger.
14 “The foreigners living in Babylon will run away to their homelands, scattering like deer escaping from hunters, like sheep without a shepherd. 15 Anyone who is caught will be stabbed to death. 16 While they look on helplessly, their babies will be battered to death, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be raped.”
17 The Lord says, “I am stirring up the Medes[i] to attack Babylon. They care nothing for silver and are not tempted by gold. 18 With their bows and arrows they will kill the young men. They will show no mercy to babies and take no pity on children. 19 (U)Babylonia is the most beautiful kingdom of all; it is the pride of its people. But I, the Lord, will overthrow Babylon as I did Sodom and Gomorrah! 20 No one will ever live there again. No wandering Arab will ever pitch a tent there, and no shepherd will ever pasture a flock there. 21 (V)It will be a place where desert animals live and where owls build their nests. Ostriches will live there, and wild goats will prance through the ruins. 22 The towers and palaces will echo with the cries of hyenas and jackals. Babylon's time has come! Her days are almost over.”
The Return from Exile
14 The Lord will once again be merciful to his people Israel and choose them as his own. He will let them live in their own land again, and foreigners will come and live there with them. 2 Many nations will help the people of Israel return to the land which the Lord gave them, and there the nations will serve Israel as slaves. Those who once captured Israel will now be captured by Israel, and the people of Israel will rule over those who once oppressed them.
The King of Babylon in the World of the Dead
3 The Lord will give the people of Israel relief from their pain and suffering and from the hard work they were forced to do. 4 When he does this, they are to mock the king of Babylon and say:
“The cruel king has fallen! He will never oppress anyone again! 5 The Lord has ended the power of the evil rulers 6 who angrily oppressed the peoples and never stopped persecuting the nations they had conquered. 7 Now at last the whole world enjoys rest and peace, and everyone sings for joy. 8 The cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon rejoice over the fallen king, because there is no one to cut them down, now that he is gone!
9 “The world of the dead is getting ready to welcome the king of Babylon. The ghosts of those who were powerful on earth are stirring about. The ghosts of kings are rising from their thrones. 10 They all call out to him, ‘Now you are as weak as we are! You are one of us! 11 You used to be honored with the music of harps, but now here you are in the world of the dead. You lie on a bed of maggots and are covered with a blanket of worms.’”
12 (W)King of Babylon, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown to the ground. 13 (X)You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. 14 You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty. 15 But instead, you have been brought down to the deepest part of the world of the dead.
16 The dead will stare and gape at you. They will ask, “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble? 17 Is this the man who destroyed cities and turned the world into a desert? Is this the man who never freed his prisoners or let them go home?”
18 All the kings of the earth lie in their magnificent tombs, 19 but you have no tomb, and your corpse is thrown out to rot. It is covered by the bodies of soldiers killed in battle, thrown with them into a rocky pit, and trampled down. 20 Because you ruined your country and killed your own people, you will not be buried like other kings. None of your evil family will survive. 21 Let the slaughter begin! The sons of this king will die because of their ancestors' sins. None of them will ever rule the earth or cover it with cities.
God Will Destroy Babylon
22 The Lord Almighty says, “I will attack Babylon and bring it to ruin. I will leave nothing—no children, no survivors at all. I, the Lord, have spoken. 23 I will turn Babylon into a marsh, and owls will live there. I will sweep Babylon with a broom that will sweep everything away. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken.”
God Will Destroy the Assyrians
24 (Y)The Lord Almighty has sworn an oath: “What I have planned will happen. What I have determined to do will be done. 25 I will destroy the Assyrians in my land of Israel and trample them on my mountains. I will free my people from the Assyrian yoke and from the burdens they have had to bear. 26 This is my plan for the world, and my arm is stretched out to punish the nations.” 27 The Lord Almighty is determined to do this; he has stretched out his arm to punish, and no one can stop him.
God Will Destroy the Philistines
28 (Z)This is a message that was proclaimed in the year that King Ahaz died.
29 (AA)People of Philistia, the rod that beat you is broken, but you have no reason to be glad. When one snake dies, a worse one comes in its place. A snake's egg hatches a flying dragon. 30 The Lord will be a shepherd to the poor of his people and will let them live in safety. But he will send a terrible famine on you Philistines, and it will not leave any of you alive.
31 Howl and cry for help, all you Philistine cities! Be terrified, all of you! A cloud of dust is coming from the north—it is an army with no cowards in its ranks.
32 How shall we answer the messengers that come to us from Philistia? We will tell them that the Lord has established Zion and that his suffering people will find safety there.
God Will Destroy Moab
15 (AB)This is a message about Moab.
The cities of Ar and Kir are destroyed in a single night, and silence covers the land of Moab. 2 The people of Dibon[j] climb the hill to weep at the shrine. The people of Moab wail in grief over the cities of Nebo and Medeba; they have shaved their heads and their beards in grief. 3 The people in the streets are dressed in sackcloth; in the city squares and on the rooftops people mourn and cry. 4 The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, and their cry can be heard as far away as Jahaz. Even the soldiers tremble; their courage is gone. 5 My heart cries out for Moab! The people have fled to the town of Zoar, and to Eglath Shelishiyah. Some climb the road to Luhith, weeping as they go; some escape to Horonaim, grieving loudly. 6 Nimrim Brook is dry, the grass beside it has withered, and nothing green is left. 7 The people go across the Valley of Willows, trying to escape with all their possessions. 8 Everywhere at Moab's borders the sound of crying is heard. It is heard at the towns of Eglaim and Beerelim. 9 At the town of Dibon the river is red with blood, and God has something even worse in store for the people there. Yes, there will be a bloody slaughter of everyone left in Moab.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:20 Verse 20 in Hebrew is unclear.
- Isaiah 9:3 Probable text You have given them great joy; Hebrew You have increased the nation.
- Isaiah 9:6 Wonderful; or Wise.
- Isaiah 9:11 Probable text their enemies; Hebrew the enemies of Rezin.
- Isaiah 10:27 Hebrew has three additional words, the meaning of which is unclear.
- Isaiah 10:28 Ai: This and the other places mentioned in verses 28-32 were located near Jerusalem, along the way by which an invader would come to attack from the north.
- Isaiah 11:6 Some ancient translations will feed; Hebrew and well-fed cattle.
- Isaiah 11:11 Hebrew Cush: Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).
- Isaiah 13:17 People of a nation northeast of Babylonia, which became part of the Persian Empire.
- Isaiah 15:2 Probable text people of Dibon; Hebrew people and Dibon.
Isaiah 8:11-15:9
New International Version
Isaiah 8:11-15:9
New International Version
11 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me,(A) warning me not to follow(B) the way of this people:
12 “Do not call conspiracy(C)
everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,(D)
and do not dread it.(E)
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,(F)
he is the one you are to fear,(G)
he is the one you are to dread.(H)
14 He will be a holy place;(I)
for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone(J) that causes people to stumble(K)
and a rock that makes them fall.(L)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.(M)
15 Many of them will stumble;(N)
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured.”
16 Bind up this testimony of warning(O)
and seal(P) up God’s instruction among my disciples.
17 I will wait(Q) for the Lord,
who is hiding(R) his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.(S)
18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me.(T) We are signs(U) and symbols(V) in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.(W)
The Darkness Turns to Light
19 When someone tells you to consult(X) mediums and spiritists,(Y) who whisper and mutter,(Z) should not a people inquire(AA) of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction(AB) and the testimony of warning.(AC) If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light(AD) of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry,(AE) they will roam through the land;(AF) when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse(AG) their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom,(AH) and they will be thrust into utter darkness.(AI)
9 [a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom(AJ) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,(AK) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2 The people walking in darkness(AL)
have seen a great light;(AM)
on those living in the land of deep darkness(AN)
a light has dawned.(AO)
3 You have enlarged the nation(AP)
and increased their joy;(AQ)
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.(AR)
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,(AS)
you have shattered(AT)
the yoke(AU) that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,(AV)
the rod of their oppressor.(AW)
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,(AX)
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,(AY)
to us a son is given,(AZ)
and the government(BA) will be on his shoulders.(BB)
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,(BC) Mighty God,(BD)
Everlasting(BE) Father,(BF) Prince of Peace.(BG)
7 Of the greatness of his government(BH) and peace(BI)
there will be no end.(BJ)
He will reign(BK) on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice(BL) and righteousness(BM)
from that time on and forever.(BN)
The zeal(BO) of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
The Lord’s Anger Against Israel
8 The Lord has sent a message(BP) against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
9 All the people will know it—
Ephraim(BQ) and the inhabitants of Samaria(BR)—
who say with pride
and arrogance(BS) of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;(BT)
the fig(BU) trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.(BV)”
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s(BW) foes against them
and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans(BX) from the east and Philistines(BY) from the west
have devoured(BZ) Israel with open mouth.
13 But the people have not returned(CC) to him who struck(CD) them,
nor have they sought(CE) the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed(CF) in a single day;(CG)
15 the elders(CH) and dignitaries(CI) are the head,
the prophets(CJ) who teach lies(CK) are the tail.
16 Those who guide(CL) this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.(CM)
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,(CN)
nor will he pity(CO) the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly(CP) and wicked,(CQ)
every mouth speaks folly.(CR)
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.(CS)
18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;(CT)
it consumes briers and thorns,(CU)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,(CV)
so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath(CW) of the Lord Almighty
the land will be scorched(CX)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;(CY)
they will not spare one another.(CZ)
20 On the right they will devour,
but still be hungry;(DA)
on the left they will eat,(DB)
but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring[b]:
21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;(DC)
together they will turn against Judah.(DD)
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.(DE)
10 Woe(DF) to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,(DG)
2 to deprive(DH) the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,(DI)
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless.(DJ)
3 What will you do on the day of reckoning,(DK)
when disaster(DL) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?(DM)
Where will you leave your riches?
4 Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives(DN)
or fall among the slain.(DO)
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,(DP)
his hand is still upraised.
God’s Judgment on Assyria
5 “Woe(DQ) to the Assyrian,(DR) the rod(DS) of my anger,
in whose hand is the club(DT) of my wrath!(DU)
6 I send him against a godless(DV) nation,
I dispatch(DW) him against a people who anger me,(DX)
to seize loot and snatch plunder,(DY)
and to trample(DZ) them down like mud in the streets.
7 But this is not what he intends,(EA)
this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
to put an end to many nations.
8 ‘Are not my commanders(EB) all kings?’ he says.
9 ‘Has not Kalno(EC) fared like Carchemish?(ED)
Is not Hamath(EE) like Arpad,(EF)
and Samaria(EG) like Damascus?(EH)
10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,(EI)
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?(EJ)’”
12 When the Lord has finished all his work(EK) against Mount Zion(EL) and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria(EM) for the willful pride(EN) of his heart and the haughty look(EO) in his eyes. 13 For he says:
“‘By the strength of my hand(EP) I have done this,(EQ)
and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
I plundered their treasures;(ER)
like a mighty one I subdued[c] their kings.(ES)
14 As one reaches into a nest,(ET)
so my hand reached for the wealth(EU) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
so I gathered all the countries;(EV)
not one flapped a wing,
or opened its mouth to chirp.(EW)’”
15 Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
or the saw boast against the one who uses it?(EX)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
or a club(EY) brandish the one who is not wood!
16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will send a wasting disease(EZ) upon his sturdy warriors;(FA)
under his pomp(FB) a fire(FC) will be kindled
like a blazing flame.
17 The Light of Israel will become a fire,(FD)
their Holy One(FE) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
his thorns(FF) and his briers.(FG)
18 The splendor of his forests(FH) and fertile fields
it will completely destroy,(FI)
as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the remaining trees of his forests(FJ) will be so few(FK)
that a child could write them down.
The Remnant of Israel
20 In that day(FL) the remnant of Israel,
the survivors(FM) of Jacob,
will no longer rely(FN) on him
who struck them down(FO)
but will truly rely(FP) on the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.(FQ)
21 A remnant(FR) will return,[d](FS) a remnant of Jacob
will return to the Mighty God.(FT)
22 Though your people be like the sand(FU) by the sea, Israel,
only a remnant will return.(FV)
Destruction has been decreed,(FW)
overwhelming and righteous.
23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
the destruction decreed(FX) upon the whole land.(FY)
24 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:
“My people who live in Zion,(FZ)
do not be afraid(GA) of the Assyrians,
who beat(GB) you with a rod(GC)
and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
25 Very soon(GD) my anger against you will end
and my wrath(GE) will be directed to their destruction.(GF)”
26 The Lord Almighty will lash(GG) them with a whip,
as when he struck down Midian(GH) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff(GI) over the waters,(GJ)
as he did in Egypt.
27 In that day(GK) their burden(GL) will be lifted from your shoulders,
their yoke(GM) from your neck;(GN)
the yoke(GO) will be broken
because you have grown so fat.[e]
28 They enter Aiath;
they pass through Migron;(GP)
they store supplies(GQ) at Mikmash.(GR)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
“We will camp overnight at Geba.(GS)”
Ramah(GT) trembles;
Gibeah(GU) of Saul flees.(GV)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!(GW)
Listen, Laishah!
Poor Anathoth!(GX)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the people of Gebim take cover.
32 This day they will halt at Nob;(GY)
they will shake their fist(GZ)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,(HA)
at the hill of Jerusalem.
33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will lop off(HB) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,(HC)
the tall(HD) ones will be brought low.(HE)
34 He will cut down(HF) the forest thickets with an ax;
Lebanon(HG) will fall before the Mighty One.(HH)
The Branch From Jesse
11 A shoot(HI) will come up from the stump(HJ) of Jesse;(HK)
from his roots a Branch(HL) will bear fruit.(HM)
2 The Spirit(HN) of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom(HO) and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,(HP)
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear(HQ) of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,(HR)
or decide by what he hears with his ears;(HS)
4 but with righteousness(HT) he will judge the needy,(HU)
with justice(HV) he will give decisions for the poor(HW) of the earth.
He will strike(HX) the earth with the rod of his mouth;(HY)
with the breath(HZ) of his lips he will slay the wicked.(IA)
5 Righteousness will be his belt(IB)
and faithfulness(IC) the sash around his waist.(ID)
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,(IE)
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[f] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.(IF)
8 The infant(IG) will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s(IH) nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy(II)
on all my holy mountain,(IJ)
for the earth(IK) will be filled with the knowledge(IL) of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day(IM) the Root of Jesse(IN) will stand as a banner(IO) for the peoples; the nations(IP) will rally to him,(IQ) and his resting place(IR) will be glorious.(IS) 11 In that day(IT) the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant(IU) of his people from Assyria,(IV) from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt,(IW) from Cush,[g](IX) from Elam,(IY) from Babylonia,[h] from Hamath(IZ) and from the islands(JA) of the Mediterranean.(JB)
12 He will raise a banner(JC) for the nations
and gather(JD) the exiles of Israel;(JE)
he will assemble the scattered people(JF) of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.(JG)
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
and Judah’s enemies[i] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.(JH)
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia(JI) to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.(JJ)
They will subdue Edom(JK) and Moab,(JL)
and the Ammonites(JM) will be subject to them.(JN)
15 The Lord will dry up(JO)
the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind(JP) he will sweep his hand(JQ)
over the Euphrates River.(JR)
He will break it up into seven streams
so that anyone can cross over in sandals.(JS)
16 There will be a highway(JT) for the remnant(JU) of his people
that is left from Assyria,(JV)
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.(JW)
Songs of Praise
12 In that day(JX) you will say:
“I will praise(JY) you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away(JZ)
and you have comforted(KA) me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;(KB)
I will trust(KC) and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself,(KD) is my strength(KE) and my defense[j];
he has become my salvation.(KF)”
3 With joy you will draw water(KG)
from the wells(KH) of salvation.
4 In that day(KI) you will say:
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;(KJ)
make known among the nations(KK) what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.(KL)
5 Sing(KM) to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;(KN)
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy,(KO) people of Zion,
for great(KP) is the Holy One of Israel(KQ) among you.(KR)”
A Prophecy Against Babylon
13 A prophecy(KS) against Babylon(KT) that Isaiah son of Amoz(KU) saw:(KV)
2 Raise a banner(KW) on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates(KX) of the nobles.
3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
I have summoned my warriors(KY) to carry out my wrath(KZ)—
those who rejoice(LA) in my triumph.
4 Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!(LB)
Listen, an uproar(LC) among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty(LD) is mustering(LE)
an army for war.
5 They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens(LF)—
the Lord and the weapons(LG) of his wrath(LH)—
to destroy(LI) the whole country.
6 Wail,(LJ) for the day(LK) of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction(LL) from the Almighty.[k](LM)
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,(LN)
every heart will melt with fear.(LO)
8 Terror(LP) will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip(LQ) them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor.(LR)
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.(LS)
9 See, the day(LT) of the Lord is coming
—a cruel(LU) day, with wrath(LV) and fierce anger(LW)—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.(LX)
The rising sun(LY) will be darkened(LZ)
and the moon will not give its light.(MA)
11 I will punish(MB) the world for its evil,
the wicked(MC) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty(MD)
and will humble(ME) the pride of the ruthless.(MF)
12 I will make people(MG) scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.(MH)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;(MI)
and the earth will shake(MJ) from its place
at the wrath(MK) of the Lord Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger.(ML)
14 Like a hunted(MM) gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,(MN)
they will all return to their own people,
they will flee(MO) to their native land.(MP)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
all who are caught will fall(MQ) by the sword.(MR)
16 Their infants(MS) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted and their wives violated.(MT)
17 See, I will stir up(MU) against them the Medes,(MV)
who do not care for silver
and have no delight in gold.(MW)
18 Their bows(MX) will strike down the young men;(MY)
they will have no mercy(MZ) on infants,
nor will they look with compassion on children.(NA)
19 Babylon,(NB) the jewel of kingdoms,(NC)
the pride and glory(ND) of the Babylonians,[l]
will be overthrown(NE) by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.(NF)
20 She will never be inhabited(NG)
or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads(NH) will pitch their tents,
there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
21 But desert creatures(NI) will lie there,
jackals(NJ) will fill her houses;
there the owls(NK) will dwell,
and there the wild goats(NL) will leap about.
22 Hyenas(NM) will inhabit her strongholds,(NN)
jackals(NO) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,(NP)
and her days will not be prolonged.(NQ)
14 The Lord will have compassion(NR) on Jacob;
once again he will choose(NS) Israel
and will settle them in their own land.(NT)
Foreigners(NU) will join them
and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
2 Nations will take them
and bring(NV) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations(NW)
and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives(NX) of their captors
and rule over their oppressors.(NY)
3 On the day the Lord gives you relief(NZ) from your suffering and turmoil(OA) and from the harsh labor forced on you,(OB) 4 you will take up this taunt(OC) against the king of Babylon:(OD)
How the oppressor(OE) has come to an end!
How his fury[m] has ended!
5 The Lord has broken the rod(OF) of the wicked,(OG)
the scepter(OH) of the rulers,
6 which in anger struck down peoples(OI)
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued(OJ) nations
with relentless aggression.(OK)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;(OL)
they break into singing.(OM)
8 Even the junipers(ON) and the cedars of Lebanon
gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
no one comes to cut us down.”(OO)
9 The realm of the dead(OP) below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed(OQ) to greet you—
all those who were leaders(OR) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.(OS)
10 They will all respond,
they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.”(OT)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,(OU)
along with the noise of your harps;(OV)
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms(OW) cover you.(OX)
12 How you have fallen(OY) from heaven,
morning star,(OZ) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!(PA)
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend(PB) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne(PC)
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,(PD)
on the utmost heights(PE) of Mount Zaphon.[n]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;(PF)
I will make myself like the Most High.”(PG)
15 But you are brought down(PH) to the realm of the dead,(PI)
to the depths(PJ) of the pit.(PK)
16 Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:(PL)
“Is this the man who shook(PM) the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,(PN)
who overthrew(PO) its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”(PP)
18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.(PQ)
19 But you are cast out(PR) of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,(PS)
with those pierced by the sword,(PT)
those who descend to the stones of the pit.(PU)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20 you will not join them in burial,(PV)
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
Let the offspring(PW) of the wicked(PX)
never be mentioned(PY) again.
21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children(PZ)
for the sins of their ancestors;(QA)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
and cover the earth with their cities.
22 “I will rise up(QB) against them,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name(QC) and survivors,
her offspring and descendants,(QD)”
declares the Lord.
23 “I will turn her into a place for owls(QE)
and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,(QF)”
declares the Lord Almighty.(QG)
24 The Lord Almighty has sworn,(QH)
“Surely, as I have planned,(QI) so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will happen.(QJ)
25 I will crush the Assyrian(QK) in my land;
on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke(QL) will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders.(QM)”
26 This is the plan(QN) determined for the whole world;
this is the hand(QO) stretched out over all nations.
27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed,(QP) and who can thwart him?
His hand(QQ) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?(QR)
A Prophecy Against the Philistines
28 This prophecy(QS) came in the year(QT) King Ahaz(QU) died:
29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,(QV)
that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,(QW)
its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.(QX)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
and the needy(QY) will lie down in safety.(QZ)
But your root I will destroy by famine;(RA)
it will slay(RB) your survivors.(RC)
31 Wail,(RD) you gate!(RE) Howl, you city!
Melt away, all you Philistines!(RF)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,(RG)
and there is not a straggler in its ranks.(RH)
32 What answer shall be given
to the envoys(RI) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,(RJ)
and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.(RK)”
A Prophecy Against Moab(RL)
15 A prophecy(RM) against Moab:(RN)
Ar(RO) in Moab is ruined,(RP)
destroyed in a night!
Kir(RQ) in Moab is ruined,
destroyed in a night!
2 Dibon(RR) goes up to its temple,
to its high places(RS) to weep;
Moab wails(RT) over Nebo(RU) and Medeba.
Every head is shaved(RV)
and every beard cut off.(RW)
3 In the streets they wear sackcloth;(RX)
on the roofs(RY) and in the public squares(RZ)
they all wail,(SA)
prostrate with weeping.(SB)
4 Heshbon(SC) and Elealeh(SD) cry out,
their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.(SE)
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
and their hearts are faint.
5 My heart cries out(SF) over Moab;(SG)
her fugitives(SH) flee as far as Zoar,(SI)
as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the hill to Luhith,
weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim(SJ)
they lament their destruction.(SK)
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up(SL)
and the grass is withered;(SM)
the vegetation is gone(SN)
and nothing green is left.(SO)
7 So the wealth they have acquired(SP) and stored up
they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.
8 Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;
their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
their lamentation as far as Beer(SQ) Elim.
9 The waters of Dimon[o] are full of blood,
but I will bring still more upon Dimon[p]—
a lion(SR) upon the fugitives of Moab(SS)
and upon those who remain in the land.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.
- Isaiah 9:20 Or arm
- Isaiah 10:13 Or treasures; / I subdued the mighty,
- Isaiah 10:21 Hebrew shear-jashub (see 7:3 and note); also in verse 22
- Isaiah 10:27 Hebrew; Septuagint broken / from your shoulders
- Isaiah 11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint lion will feed
- Isaiah 11:11 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 11:11 Hebrew Shinar
- Isaiah 11:13 Or hostility
- Isaiah 12:2 Or song
- Isaiah 13:6 Hebrew Shaddai
- Isaiah 13:19 Or Chaldeans
- Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
- Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.
- Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.