Isaiah 16
English Standard Version
16 (A)Send the lamb to the ruler of the land,
from (B)Sela, by way of the desert,
to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
2 Like fleeing birds,
like a scattered nest,
so are the daughters of Moab
at (C)the fords of the Arnon.
3 “Give counsel;
grant justice;
(D)make your shade like night
at the height of noon;
shelter the outcasts;
do not reveal the fugitive;
4 let (E)the outcasts of Moab
sojourn among you;
be a shelter to them[a]
from the destroyer.
When the oppressor is no more,
and destruction has ceased,
and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,
5 (F)then a throne will be established in steadfast love,
and on it will sit in faithfulness
in the tent of David
one who judges and seeks justice
and is swift to do righteousness.”
6 (G)We have heard of the pride of Moab—
how proud he is!—
(H)of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence;
in his idle boasting he is not right.
7 Therefore let Moab wail for Moab,
(I)let everyone wail.
Mourn, utterly stricken,
for the (J)raisin cakes of (K)Kir-hareseth.
8 For the fields of Heshbon languish,
and (L)the vine of Sibmah;
the lords of the nations
have struck down its branches,
which reached to Jazer
and strayed to the desert;
its shoots spread abroad
and passed over the sea.
9 Therefore (M)I weep with (N)the weeping of Jazer
for the vine of Sibmah;
I drench you with my tears,
O Heshbon and Elealeh;
for over (O)your summer fruit and your harvest
the shout has ceased.
10 (P)And joy and gladness are taken away from (Q)the fruitful field,
and in the vineyards no (R)songs are sung,
no cheers are raised;
no (S)treader treads out wine (T)in the presses;
I have put an end to the shouting.
11 Therefore (U)my inner parts moan like a lyre for Moab,
and my inmost self for Kir-hareseth.
12 And when Moab presents himself, when (V)he wearies himself on (W)the high place, when he comes to his sanctuary to pray, he will not prevail.
13 This is the word that the Lord spoke concerning Moab (X)in the past. 14 But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “In three years, (Y)like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be (Z)very few and feeble.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Isaiah 16:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text let my outcasts sojourn among you; as for Moab, be a shelter to them
Isaiah 16
International Standard Version
Moab’s Destruction
16 “Send a lamb to the ruler of the land,
from Selah,[a] by way of the desert,
to the mountain of the Daughter of Zion.[b]
2 Like fluttering birds,
like an abandoned nest,
so are the daughters of Moab
at the fords of the Arnon River.[c]
3 “Give us advice;
reach a decision!
Cast your shadow as if night had come
at high noon.
Shelter the fugitives,
And don’t betray a single refugee.
4 Let the fugitives[d] from Moab
settle among you;
be a shelter to them
from the destroyer.
When the oppressor comes to an end,
and destruction has[e] ceased,
and the marauder[f] has[g] vanished from the land,
5 then a throne will be established in gracious love,
and there will sit in faithfulness—
in the Tent of David—
one who judges, seeks justice,
and is swift to do what is right.”
6 “We’ve heard about Moab’s pride—
so very proud he became!—[h]
his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence;
therefore he is alone.[i]
7 Therefore, let Moab not[j] wail,
let everyone wail for Moab.
Lament and grieve deeply
for the ruined remains[k] of Kir-hareseth.
8 For the fields of Heshbon wither,
as well as the vines of Sibmah.[l]
The rulers of the nations
have struck down its choicest vines,
which once reached Jazer
and pushed to the desert.
Its shoots spread out
and passed over the sea.”
Isaiah Weeps for Moab
9 “Therefore I weep with the tears of Jazer
for the vines of Sibmah.
I drench you with my tears,
O Heshbon and Elealeh—
for the shouts of joy over your summer fruit
and your grain harvest have ended.
10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards,
in the vineyards people will sing no songs,[m]
and[n] no cheers are raised.
No vintner[o] treads out wine in the presses,
because I’ve put an end to the shouting.
11 Therefore my insides[p] moan like a lyre for Moab,
and my innermost being[q] for Kir-hareseth.
12 When Moab appears,
when he arrives[r] upon the high place
and comes to his sanctuary to pray,
he will not prevail.”
13 This was the message that the Lord spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the Lord has spoken again: “Within three years, like the years of a contract worker,[s] Moab’s glory will be brought into contempt, in spite of all its great multitude, and its survivors will be very few and[t] of no importance.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Isaiah 16:1 So 1QIsaa; MT reads Sela; LXX reads not the rock
- Isaiah 16:1 I.e. Mt. Zion
- Isaiah 16:2 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks River
- Isaiah 16:4 So 1QIsaa; MT reads my fugitives
- Isaiah 16:4 So 1QIsaa; MT reads have
- Isaiah 16:4 Lit. the one who tramples underfoot
- Isaiah 16:4 So 1QIsaa; MT reads have
- Isaiah 16:6 So 1QIsaa MTmss; cf. Jer 48:29; MT reads how very proud he was
- Isaiah 16:6 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read but his boasts mean nothing
- Isaiah 16:7 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks not
- Isaiah 16:7 Or for the raisin cakes
- Isaiah 16:8 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX include the rest of v. 8: The rulers … vine of Sibmah in v. 9
- Isaiah 16:10 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads no songs are sung
- Isaiah 16:10 So 1QIsaa MTmss; the Heb. lacks and
- Isaiah 16:10 Lit. treader
- Isaiah 16:11 Or heart; lit. bowels
- Isaiah 16:11 Or my very soul
- Isaiah 16:12 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read tires himself
- Isaiah 16:14 I.e. as if carefully counted pursuant to an employment contract; cf. Isa 21:16
- Isaiah 16:14 So 1QIsaa LXX; the Heb. lacks and
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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