Isaiah 34:5-17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
5 When my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens,
upon Edom it will fall,
upon the people I have doomed to judgment.(A)
6 The Lord has a sword; it is sated with blood;
it is gorged with fat,
with the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,
a great slaughter in the land of Edom.(B)
7 Wild oxen shall fall with them
and young steers with the mighty bulls.
Their land shall be soaked with blood,
and their soil made rich with fat.(C)
8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance,
a year of vindication for Zion’s cause.[a](D)
9 And the streams of Edom[b] shall be turned into pitch
and her soil into sulfur;
her land shall become burning pitch.(E)
10 Night and day it shall not be quenched;
its smoke shall go up forever.
From generation to generation it shall lie waste;
no one shall pass through it forever and ever.(F)
11 But the desert owl[c] and the screech owl[d] shall possess it;
the great owl and the raven shall live in it.
He shall stretch the line of confusion
and the plummet of chaos over it.(G)
12 They shall call its nobles No Kingdom There,
and all its princes shall be nothing.
13 Thorns shall grow over its strongholds,
nettles and thistles in its fortresses.
It shall be the haunt of jackals,
an abode for ostriches.(H)
14 Wildcats shall meet with hyenas;
goat-demons shall call to each other;
there also Lilith shall repose
and find a place to rest.(I)
15 There shall the owl nest
and lay and hatch and brood in its shadow;
there also the buzzards shall gather,
each one with its mate.(J)
16 Seek and read from the book of the Lord:
Not one of these shall be missing;
none shall be without its mate.
For his mouth, it has commanded,
and his spirit, it has gathered them.(K)
17 He has cast the lot for them;
his hand has portioned it out to them with the line.
[[They shall possess it;
from generation to generation they shall live in it.(L)
Isaiah 34:5-17
International Standard Version
5 For my sword will be seen[a] in the heavens.
Look! It descends in judgment on Edom,
on the people I have doomed to destruction.
6 The Lord has a sword bathed in blood;
it’s covered[b] with fat,
with the blood of lambs and goats,
and with fat from the kidneys of rams.”
Judgment on Bozrah and Edom
“For the Lord holds a sacrifice in Bozrah,
and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
7 Wild oxen will fall together with them—
young steers and mighty bulls.
Their land will be drenched[c] with blood,
and their soil will be swollen with fat.
8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance,
a year of recompense for Zion’s cause.
9 Edom’s[d] streams will be turned into burning sulfur,
and its dust into sulfur;
its land will become pitch.
10 It will burn night and day,
and will never be extinguished.
Its smoke will rise from generation to generation,
and it will lie desolate forever and ever.
And no one will pass through it.[e]
11 “But hawks and hedgehogs will possess it;
owls and ravens will nest in it.
God[f] will stretch out over it a measuring line, and chaos,[g]
and plumb lines of emptiness, and its nobles.[h]
12 They will name it “No Kingdom There,”
and all its princes will come to nothing.
13 Thorns will grow over its palaces,
nettles and brambles its fortresses.
It will become a haunt for jackals,
a home for ostriches.
14 And desert creatures will meet with hyenas,
and goat-demons will call out to each other.
There also Liliths[i] will settle,
and find for themselves[j] a resting place.
15 Owls[k] will nest there, lay eggs,
hatch them, and care for their young
under the shadow of their wings;[l]
yes[m] indeed, vultures will gather there,
each one with its mate.”
The Certainty of God’s Deliverance
16 “Study and read from the book of the Lord:
And not one[n] will be missing,
each will not long for its mate.[o]
For it is the mouth of the Lord that has issued the order,
and it is his Spirit that has gathered them.
17 It is he who has allotted their portions,[p]
and his hand has divided it for them with a measuring line forever.[q]
They will possess it forever;[r]
from generation to generation they will live in it.”[s]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 34:5 So 1QIsaa; MT reads has drunk its fill; cf. LXX
- Isaiah 34:6 Or satiated
- Isaiah 34:7 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads drench
- Isaiah 34:9 Lit. Its
- Isaiah 34:10 So 1QIsaa; MT reads blazing pitch. 10 Night and day it will not be extinguished. Its smoke will go up forever; from generation to generation it will lie desolate. No one will ever pass through it again. LXX lacks the last line
- Isaiah 34:11 Lit. He
- Isaiah 34:11 So 1QIsaa; MT reads a measuring line of chaos
- Isaiah 34:11 So 1QIsaa; MT reads And plumb lines of emptiness are 12 its nobles; LXX reads and satyrs will live in it. 12 Its nobles
- Isaiah 34:14 I.e. desert demons of the night
- Isaiah 34:14 So 1QIsaa; MT reads The Lilith will settle, and find for itself
- Isaiah 34:15 Or tree-snakes; LXX reads Hedgehogs
- Isaiah 34:15 Lit. in her shadow
- Isaiah 34:15 So 1QIsaa; MT lacks yes
- Isaiah 34:16 So 1QIsaa; MT reads Not one of them
- Isaiah 34:16 So MT; 1QIsaa reads each its mate
- Isaiah 34:17 Lit. has cast the lot for them
- Isaiah 34:17 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks forever
- Isaiah 34:17 So MT; 1QIsaa lacks Forever
- Isaiah 34:17 So MT; 1QIsaa corrector reads will they possess … live in it.
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