Isaiah 9-10
Authorized (King James) Version
9 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob,
and it hath lighted upon Israel.
9 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;
2 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!
3 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?
4 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.
5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger,
and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
6 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.
7 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.
8 For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?
9 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 standardbearer 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.
Isaiah 9-10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Righteous Reign of the Coming King
9 [a]But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.(A)
2 [b]The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.(B)
3 You have multiplied exultation;[c]
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.(C)
4 For the yoke of their burden
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.(D)
5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.(E)
6 For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders,
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.(F)
7 Great will be his authority,[d]
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.(G)
Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression
8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
and it fell on Israel,
9 and all the people knew it—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
but in pride and arrogance of heart they said:(H)
10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place.”
11 So the Lord raised adversaries[e] against them
and stirred up their enemies,(I)
12 the Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west,
and they devoured Israel with open mouth.
For all this his anger has not turned away;
his hand is stretched out still.(J)
13 The people did not turn to him who struck them
or seek the Lord of hosts.(K)
14 So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail,
palm branch and reed in one day—(L)
15 elders and dignitaries are the head,
and prophets who teach lies are the tail,(M)
16 for those who led this people led them astray,
and those who were led by them were left in confusion.(N)
17 That is why the Lord did not have pity on[f] their young people
or compassion on their orphans and widows,
for everyone was godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth spoke folly.
For all this his anger has not turned away;
his hand is stretched out still.(O)
18 For wickedness burned like a fire,
consuming briers and thorns;
it kindled the thickets of the forest,
and they swirled upward in a column of smoke.(P)
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
the land was burned,
and the people became like fuel for the fire;
no one spared another.(Q)
20 They gorged on the right but still were hungry,
and they devoured on the left but were not satisfied;
they devoured the flesh of their own kindred;[g](R)
21 Manasseh devoured Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
and together they were against Judah.
For all this his anger has not turned away;
his hand is stretched out still.(S)
10 Woe to those who make iniquitous decrees,
who write oppressive statutes,(T)
2 to turn aside the needy from justice
and to rob the poor of my people of their right,
to make widows their spoil
and to plunder orphans!(U)
3 What will you do on the day of punishment,
in the calamity that will come from far away?
To whom will you flee for help,
and where will you leave your wealth,(V)
4 so as not to crouch among the prisoners
or fall among the slain?
For all this his anger has not turned away;
his hand is stretched out still.(W)
Arrogant Assyria Also Judged
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger—
the club in their hands is my fury!(X)
6 Against a godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.(Y)
7 But this is not what he intends,
nor does he have this in mind,
but it is in his heart to destroy
and to cut off nations not a few.(Z)
8 For he says:
“Are not my commanders all kings?(AA)
9 Is not Calno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?(AB)
10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols
whose images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,(AC)
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols
what I have done to Samaria and her images?”
12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he[h] will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride.(AD) 13 For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I have removed the boundaries of peoples
and have plundered their treasures;
like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.(AE)
14 My hand has found, like a nest,
the wealth of the peoples,
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
so I have gathered all the earth,
and there was none that moved a wing
or opened its mouth or chirped.”(AF)
15 Shall the ax vaunt itself over the one who wields it
or the saw magnify itself against the one who handles it?
As if a rod should raise the one who lifts it up,
or as if a staff should lift the one who is not wood!(AG)
16 Therefore the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts,
will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors,
and under his glory a burning will be kindled
like the burning of fire.(AH)
17 The light of Israel will become a fire
and his Holy One a flame,
and it will burn and devour
his thorns and briers in one day.(AI)
18 The glory of his forest and his fruitful land
the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
and it will be as when an invalid wastes away.(AJ)
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
that a child can write them down.(AK)
The Repentant Remnant of Israel
20 On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer lean on the one who struck them but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.(AL) 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.(AM) 22 For though your people, O Israel, were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, an overwhelming verdict.(AN) 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in all the earth.[i](AO)
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they beat you with a rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. 25 For in a very little while my indignation will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.”(AP) 26 The Lord of hosts will wield a whip against them, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb; his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt.(AQ) 27 On that day his burden will be removed from your shoulder, and his yoke will be destroyed from your neck.
He has gone up from Samaria;[j](AR)
28 he has come to Aiath;
he has passed through Migron;
at Michmash he stores his baggage;(AS)
29 they have crossed over the pass;
at Geba they lodge for the night;
Ramah trembles;
Gibeah of Saul has fled.(AT)
30 Cry aloud, O daughter Gallim!
Listen, O Laishah!
Answer her, O Anathoth!(AU)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.(AV)
32 This very day he will halt at Nob;
he will shake his fist
at the mount of daughter Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.(AW)
33 Look, the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts,
will lop the boughs with terrifying power;
the tallest trees will be cut down,
and the lofty will be brought low.(AX)
34 He will hack down the thickets of the forest with an ax,
and Lebanon with its majestic trees[k] will fall.
Footnotes
- 9.1 8.23 in Heb
- 9.2 9.1 in Heb
- 9.3 Cn: Heb multiplied the nation not
- 9.7 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 9.11 Cn: Heb the adversaries of Rezin
- 9.17 Q ms: MT rejoice over
- 9.20 Or arm
- 10.12 Gk: Heb I
- 10.23 Or land
- 10.27 Cn: Heb and his yoke from your neck, and a yoke will be destroyed because of fatness
- 10.34 Cn Compare Gk Vg: Heb with a majestic one
Isaiah 9-10
English Standard Version
For to Us a Child Is Born
9 [a] But there will be no (A)gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he (B)brought into contempt the land of (C)Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he (D)has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.[b]
2 [c] (E)The people (F)who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of (G)deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
3 (H)You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with (I)joy at the harvest,
as they (J)are glad (K)when they divide the spoil.
4 (L)For the yoke of his burden,
(M)and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as (N)on the day of Midian.
5 (O)For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 (P)For to us a child is born,
to us (Q)a son is given;
(R)and the government shall be (S)upon[d] his shoulder,
and his name shall be called[e]
Wonderful (T)Counselor, (U)Mighty God,
(V)Everlasting (W)Father, Prince of (X)Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
(Y)there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
(Z)with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
(AA)The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression
8 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
and it will fall on Israel;
9 and all the people will know,
(AB)Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place.”
11 But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
and stirs up his enemies.
12 (AC)The Syrians on the east and (AD)the Philistines on the west
devour Israel with open mouth.
(AE)For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
13 The people (AF)did not turn to him who struck them,
nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.
14 So the Lord cut off from Israel (AG)head and tail,
palm branch and reed in one day—
15 (AH)the elder and honored man is the head,
and (AI)the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
17 Therefore the Lord does not (AJ)rejoice over their young men,
and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone is (AK)godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks (AL)folly.[f]
(AM)For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns like (AN)a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns;
it kindles the thickets of the forest,
and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
the land is scorched,
and (AO)the people are like fuel for the fire;
(AP)no one spares another.
20 (AQ)They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry,
and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;
(AR)each devours the flesh of his own arm,
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh;
together they are (AS)against Judah.
(AT)For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
10 Woe to those who (AU)decree iniquitous decrees,
and the writers who (AV)keep writing oppression,
2 to turn aside the needy from justice
and (AW)to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
3 What will you do on (AX)the day of punishment,
in the ruin that will come (AY)from afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
and where will you leave your wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
or fall among the slain.
(AZ)For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
Judgment on Arrogant Assyria
5 Woe to Assyria, (BA)the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
6 Against a (BB)godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take (BC)spoil and seize plunder,
and to (BD)tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 But he (BE)does not so intend,
and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
and to cut off nations not a few;
8 for he says:
(BF)“Are not my commanders all kings?
9 (BG)Is not (BH)Calno like (BI)Carchemish?
Is not (BJ)Hamath like (BK)Arpad?
(BL)Is not (BM)Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to (BN)the kingdoms of the idols,
whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and (BO)her idols
(BP)as I have done to Samaria and her images?”
12 (BQ)When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, (BR)he[g] will punish the speech[h] of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. 13 (BS)For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
and plunder their treasures;
like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
14 My hand has found like a nest
the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
or opened the mouth or chirped.”
15 Shall (BT)the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts
will send wasting sickness among his (BU)stout warriors,
and under his glory (BV)a burning will be kindled,
like the burning of fire.
17 (BW)The light of Israel will become a fire,
and (BX)his Holy One a flame,
and (BY)it will burn and devour
his thorns and briers (BZ)in one day.
18 The glory of (CA)his forest and of his (CB)fruitful land
the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
that a child can write them down.
The Remnant of Israel Will Return
20 (CC)In that day (CD)the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more (CE)lean on him who struck them, but (CF)will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, (CG)to the mighty God. 22 (CH)For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, (CI)only a remnant of them will return. (CJ)Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, (CK)who dwell in Zion, (CL)be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as (CM)the Egyptians did. 25 For (CN)in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 26 And (CO)the Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck (CP)Midian (CQ)at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it (CR)as he did in Egypt. 27 And in that day (CS)his burden will depart from your shoulder, and (CT)his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”[i]
28 He has come to Aiath;
he has passed through (CU)Migron;
at Michmash he stores (CV)his baggage;
29 they have crossed over (CW)the pass;
at (CX)Geba they lodge for the night;
(CY)Ramah trembles;
(CZ)Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud, O daughter of (DA)Gallim!
Give attention, O Laishah!
O poor (DB)Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32 This very day he will halt at (DC)Nob;
he will shake his fist
at the mount of (DD)the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord God of hosts
(DE)will lop (DF)the boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down (DG)the thickets of the forest with an axe,
and (DH)Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Hebrew
- Isaiah 9:1 Or of the Gentiles
- Isaiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Hebrew
- Isaiah 9:6 Or is upon
- Isaiah 9:6 Or is called
- Isaiah 9:17 Or speaks disgraceful things
- Isaiah 10:12 Hebrew I
- Isaiah 10:12 Hebrew fruit
- Isaiah 10:27 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Isaiah 9-10
New American Standard Bible
Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace
9 [a]But there will be no more (A)gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He (B)treated the (C)land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the [b]Gentiles.
2 [c](D)The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
3 (E)You will multiply the nation,
You (F)will [d]increase [e]their joy;
They will rejoice in Your presence
As with the joy [f]of harvest,
As people (G)rejoice when they divide the spoils.
4 For (H)You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their (I)oppressor, as [g]at the battle of (J)Midian.
5 For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a (K)Child will be born to us, a (L)Son will be given to us;
And the (M)government will [h]rest (N)on His shoulders;
And His name will be called (O)Wonderful Counselor, (P)Mighty God,
Eternal (Q)Father, Prince of (R)Peace.
7 There will be (S)no end to the increase of His government or of peace
On the (T)throne of David and over [i]his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with (U)justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
(V)The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.
God’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance
8 The Lord sends a [j]message against Jacob,
And it falls on Israel.
9 And all the people know it,
That is, (W)Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
Asserting in pride and in (X)arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will (Y)rebuild with smooth stones;
The sycamores have been cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord raises superior adversaries against them from (Z)Rezin
And provokes their enemies,
12 The Arameans from the east and the (AA)Philistines from the west;
And they (AB)devour Israel with [k]gaping jaws.
(AC)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away,
And His hand is still stretched out.
13 Yet the people (AD)do not turn back to Him who struck them,
Nor do they (AE)seek the Lord of armies.
14 So the Lord cuts off (AF)head and tail from Israel,
Both palm branch and bulrush (AG)in a single day.
15 The head is (AH)the elder and esteemed man,
And the prophet who teaches (AI)falsehood is the tail.
16 (AJ)For those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are [l]confused.
17 Therefore the Lord does (AK)not rejoice over their young men,
(AL)Nor does He have compassion on their [m]orphans or their widows;
For every one of them is (AM)godless and an (AN)evildoer,
And every (AO)mouth is speaking foolishness.
(AP)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away,
And His hand is still stretched out.
18 (AQ)For wickedness burns like a fire;
It consumes briars and thorns;
It also sets the thickets of the forest aflame
And they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the (AR)wrath of the Lord of armies the (AS)land is burned,
And the (AT)people are like fuel for the fire;
No (AU)one spares his brother.
20 [n]They devour what is on the right hand but are still (AV)hungry,
And [o]they eat what is on the left hand, but they are not satisfied;
Each of them eats the (AW)flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
(AX)And together they are against Judah.
(AY)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
Assyria Is God’s Instrument
10 Woe to those who (AZ)enact unjust statutes
And to those who constantly record [p]harmful decisions,
2 So as (BA)to [q]deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor among My people of their rights,
So (BB)that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the [r]orphans.
3 Now (BC)what will you do in the (BD)day of punishment,
And in the devastation which will come (BE)from afar?
(BF)To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch [s]among the (BG)captives
Or fall [t]among those (BH)killed.
(BI)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
5 Woe to (BJ)Assyria, the (BK)rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is (BL)My indignation,
6 I send it against a (BM)godless nation
And commission it against the (BN)people of My fury
To capture spoils and (BO)to seize plunder,
And to [u]trample them down like (BP)mud in the streets.
7 Yet it (BQ)does not so intend,
Nor does [v]it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is [w]its purpose to destroy
And to eliminate [x]many nations.
8 For it says, “Are not my officers [y]all kings?
9 Is not (BR)Calno like (BS)Carchemish,
Or (BT)Hamath like Arpad,
Or (BU)Samaria like (BV)Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to the (BW)kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 Shall I not do the same to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and (BX)her idols?”
12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His (BY)work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will [z]punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and (BZ)the arrogant pride of his eyes.” 13 For (CA)he has said,
“By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,
Because I have understanding;
And I (CB)removed the boundaries of the peoples
And plundered their treasures,
And like a powerful man I brought down [aa]their inhabitants,
14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a (CC)nest,
And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth;
And there was not one that flapped its wing, opened its beak, or chirped.”
15 Is the (CD)axe to (CE)boast itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like (CF)a [ab]club wielding those who lift it,
Or like (CG)a rod lifting the one who is not wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, the [ac]God of armies, will send a (CH)wasting disease among his (CI)stout warriors;
And under his (CJ)glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 And the (CK)Light of Israel will become a fire and [ad]Israel’s (CL)Holy One a flame,
And it will (CM)burn and devour [ae]his thorns and his briars in a single day.
18 And He will (CN)destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body,
And it will be as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the (CO)rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number
That a child could write them down.
A Remnant Will Return
20 Now on that day the (CP)remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob (CQ)who have escaped, will no longer rely on the one who struck them, but will truly (CR)rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
21 A (CS)remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the (CT)mighty God.
22 For (CU)though your people, Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A (CV)destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
23 For a complete destruction, one that is determined, (CW)the Lord [af]God of armies will execute in the midst of the whole land.
24 Therefore this is what the Lord [ag]God of armies says: “My people, you who dwell in (CX)Zion, (CY)do not fear the Assyrian [ah]who (CZ)strikes you with the rod, and lifts up his staff against you the way Egypt did. 25 For in a very (DA)little while (DB)My indignation against you will be ended and My anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 26 The Lord of armies will (DC)wield a whip against him like the defeat of (DD)Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His (DE)staff will be over the sea, and He will lift it up (DF)the way He did in Egypt. 27 So it will be on that day, that [ai]his (DG)burden will be removed from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because (DH)of fatness.
28 He has come against Aiath,
He has passed through (DI)Migron;
At (DJ)Michmash he deposited his (DK)baggage.
29 They have gone through (DL)the pass, saying,
“(DM)Geba will be our encampment for the night.”
(DN)Ramah is terrified, and (DO)Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of (DP)Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah and [aj]wretched (DQ)Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled.
The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.
32 Yet today he will halt at (DR)Nob;
He (DS)shakes his fist at the mountain of the [ak](DT)daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, the [al]God of armies, will lop off the branches with terrifying power;
Those also who are (DU)tall in stature will be cut down,
And those who are lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And (DV)Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
- Isaiah 9:1 Or nations
- Isaiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
- Isaiah 9:3 Another reading is not increase
- Isaiah 9:3 Lit the
- Isaiah 9:3 Lit in
- Isaiah 9:4 Lit in the day of Midian
- Isaiah 9:6 Lit be
- Isaiah 9:7 I.e., David’s
- Isaiah 9:8 Lit word
- Isaiah 9:12 Lit the whole mouth
- Isaiah 9:16 Or swallowed up
- Isaiah 9:17 Or fatherless
- Isaiah 9:20 Lit And he slices
- Isaiah 9:20 Lit he eats
- Isaiah 10:1 Lit harm
- Isaiah 10:2 Lit turn the needy aside from
- Isaiah 10:2 Or fatherless
- Isaiah 10:4 Lit under
- Isaiah 10:4 Lit under
- Isaiah 10:6 Lit make them a trampled place
- Isaiah 10:7 Lit its heart so plan
- Isaiah 10:7 Lit in its heart
- Isaiah 10:7 Lit not a few
- Isaiah 10:8 Lit altogether
- Isaiah 10:12 Lit visit
- Isaiah 10:13 Or those who sit on thrones
- Isaiah 10:15 Lit staff
- Isaiah 10:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 10:17 Lit his
- Isaiah 10:17 I.e., the Assyrian king’s forces
- Isaiah 10:23 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 10:24 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 10:24 Lit he
- Isaiah 10:27 I.e., the Assyrian
- Isaiah 10:30 An ancient version reads Answer her, O Anathoth
- Isaiah 10:32 Another reading is house of
- Isaiah 10:33 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
