God’s Disappointing Vineyard

Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved (A)regarding His vineyard:

My Well-beloved has a vineyard
[a]On a very fruitful hill.
He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also [b]made a winepress in it;
(B)So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.

“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
(C)Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in (D)it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
(E)I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
I will lay it (F)waste;
It shall not be pruned or [c]dug,
But there shall come up briers and (G)thorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold, [d]a cry for help.

Impending Judgment on Excesses

Woe to those who [e]join (H)house to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
(I)In my hearing the Lord of hosts said,
“Truly, many houses shall be desolate,
Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one (J)bath,[f]
And a homer of seed shall yield one [g]ephah.”

11 (K)Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
That they may [h]follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!
12 (L)The harp and the strings,
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;
But (M)they do not regard the work of the Lord,
Nor consider the operation of His hands.

13 (N)Therefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no (O)knowledge;
Their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.
15 People shall be brought down,
(P)Each man shall be humbled,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.
16 But the Lord of hosts shall be (Q)exalted in judgment,
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.
17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture,
And in the waste places of (R)the [i]fat ones strangers shall eat.

18 Woe to those who [j]draw iniquity with cords of [k]vanity,
And sin as if with a cart rope;
19 (S)That say, “Let Him make speed and hasten His work,
That we may see it;
And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come,
That we may know it.

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe to those who are (T)wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who (U)justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!

24 Therefore, (V)as the [l]fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So (W)their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 (X)Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people;
He has stretched out His hand against them
And stricken them,
And (Y)the hills trembled.
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.

(Z)For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.

26 (AA)He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,
And will (AB)whistle to them from (AC)the end of the earth;
Surely (AD)they shall come with speed, swiftly.
27 No one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep;
Nor (AE)will the belt on their loins be loosed,
Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;
28 (AF)Whose arrows are sharp,
And all their bows bent;
Their horses’ hooves will [m]seem like flint,
And their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roaring will be like a lion,
They will roar like young lions;
Yes, they will roar
And lay hold of the prey;
They will carry it away safely,
And no one will deliver.
30 In that day they will roar against them
Like the roaring of the sea.
And if one (AG)looks to the land,
Behold, darkness and [n]sorrow;
And the light is darkened by the clouds.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 5:1 Lit. In a horn, the son of fatness
  2. Isaiah 5:2 Lit. hewed out
  3. Isaiah 5:6 hoed
  4. Isaiah 5:7 wailing
  5. Isaiah 5:8 Accumulate houses
  6. Isaiah 5:10 1 bath=1⁄10 homer
  7. Isaiah 5:10 1 ephah=1⁄10 homer
  8. Isaiah 5:11 pursue
  9. Isaiah 5:17 Lit. fatlings, rich ones
  10. Isaiah 5:18 drag
  11. Isaiah 5:18 emptiness or falsehood
  12. Isaiah 5:24 Lit. tongue of fire
  13. Isaiah 5:28 Lit. be regarded as
  14. Isaiah 5:30 distress

The Vineyard of the Lord Destroyed

Let me sing for my beloved
    my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had (A)a vineyard
    on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
    and planted it with (B)choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
    and hewed out a wine vat in it;
and (C)he looked for it to yield grapes,
    but it yielded wild grapes.

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem
    and men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
(D)What more was there to do for my vineyard,
    that I have not done in it?
(E)When I looked for it to yield grapes,
    why did it yield wild grapes?

And now I will tell you
    what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove (F)its hedge,
    and it shall be devoured;[a]
(G)I will break down its wall,
    and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste;
    it shall not be pruned or hoed,
    and (H)briers and thorns shall grow up;
(I)I will also command the clouds
    that they rain no rain upon it.

(J)For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
    is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah
    are his pleasant planting;
and he looked for justice,
    but behold, bloodshed;[b]
for righteousness,
    but behold, an outcry![c]

Woe to the Wicked

Woe to those who (K)join house to house,
    who add field to field,
until there is no more room,
    and you are made to dwell alone
    in the midst of the land.
The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing:
(L)“Surely many houses shall be desolate,
    large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.
10 (M)For ten acres[d] of vineyard shall yield but one bath,
    and a (N)homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.”[e]

11 Woe to those who (O)rise early in the morning,
    that they may run after strong drink,
who tarry late into the evening
    as wine inflames them!
12 (P)They have lyre and harp,
    tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts,
(Q)but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord,
    or see the work of his hands.

13 Therefore my people go into exile
    (R)for lack of knowledge;[f]
their (S)honored men go hungry,[g]
    and their multitude is parched with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has (T)enlarged its appetite
    and opened (U)its mouth beyond measure,
and the nobility of Jerusalem[h] and her multitude will go down,
    her revelers and he who (V)exults in her.
15 (W)Man is humbled, and each one is brought low,
    and the eyes of the haughty[i] are brought low.
16 (X)But the Lord of hosts is exalted[j] in justice,
    and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.
17 Then shall the lambs graze (Y)as in their pasture,
    and (Z)nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich.

18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with (AA)cords of falsehood,
    who draw sin as with cart ropes,
19 who say: (AB)“Let him be quick,
    let him speed his work
    that we may see it;
let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near,
    and let it come, that we may know it!”
20 Woe to (AC)those who call evil good
    and good evil,
(AD)who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are (AE)wise in their own eyes,
    and shrewd in their own sight!
22 Woe to those who are (AF)heroes at drinking wine,
    and valiant men in mixing strong drink,
23 who (AG)acquit the guilty for a bribe,
    and deprive the innocent of his right!

24 Therefore, (AH)as the tongue of fire devours the stubble,
    and as dry grass sinks down in the flame,
so (AI)their root will be (AJ)as rottenness,
    and their blossom go up like dust;
for they have (AK)rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
    and have (AL)despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore (AM)the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
    and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them,
    and (AN)the mountains quaked;
and their corpses were (AO)as refuse
    in the midst of the streets.
(AP)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.

26 He will (AQ)raise a signal for nations far away,
    and (AR)whistle for them (AS)from the ends of the earth;
and behold, quickly, speedily they come!
27 (AT)None is weary, none stumbles,
    none slumbers or sleeps,
not a waistband is loose,
    not a sandal strap broken;
28 (AU)their arrows are sharp,
    all their bows bent,
their horses' hoofs seem like flint,
    and their wheels (AV)like the whirlwind.
29 Their roaring is like a lion,
    like young lions they roar;
they growl and (AW)seize their prey;
    they carry it off, and none can rescue.
30 They will growl over it on that day,
    like the growling of the sea.
And if one looks to the land,
    behold, (AX)darkness and distress;
and the light is darkened by its clouds.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 5:5 Or grazed over; compare Exodus 22:5
  2. Isaiah 5:7 The Hebrew words for justice and bloodshed sound alike
  3. Isaiah 5:7 The Hebrew words for righteous and outcry sound alike
  4. Isaiah 5:10 Hebrew ten yoke, the area ten yoke of oxen can plow in a day
  5. Isaiah 5:10 A bath was about 6 gallons or 22 liters; a homer was about 6 bushels or 220 liters; an ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
  6. Isaiah 5:13 Or without their knowledge
  7. Isaiah 5:13 Or die of hunger
  8. Isaiah 5:14 Hebrew her nobility
  9. Isaiah 5:15 Hebrew high
  10. Isaiah 5:16 Hebrew high

Isaiah Called to Be a Prophet(A)

In the year that (B)King Uzziah died, I (C)saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, (D)with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said:

(E)“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
(F)The whole earth is full of His glory!”

And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

So I said:

“Woe is me, for I am [a]undone!
Because I am a man of (G)unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from (H)the altar. And he (I)touched my mouth with it, and said:

“Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin [b]purged.”

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for (J)Us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

And He said, “Go, and (K)tell this people:

‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

10 “Make (L)the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
(M)Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.”

11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”

And He answered:

(N)“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant,
The houses are without a man,
The land is utterly desolate,
12 (O)The Lord has removed men far away,
And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 But yet a tenth will be in it,
And will return and be for consuming,
As a terebinth tree or as an oak,
Whose stump remains when it is cut down.
So (P)the holy seed shall be its stump.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 6:5 destroyed, cut off
  2. Isaiah 6:7 atoned for

Isaiah's Vision of the Lord

In the year that (A)King Uzziah died I (B)saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train[a] of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had (C)six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

(D)“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
(E)the whole earth is full of his glory!”[b]

And (F)the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and (G)the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! (H)For I am lost; (I)for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the (J)King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he (K)touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah's Commission from the Lord

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for (L)us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

(M)“‘Keep on hearing,[c] but do not understand;
keep on seeing,[d] but do not perceive.’
10 (N)Make the heart of this people (O)dull,[e]
    and their ears heavy,
    and blind their eyes;
(P)lest they see with their eyes,
    and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
    and turn and be healed.”
11 Then I said, (Q)“How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until (R)cities lie waste
    without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
    and the land is a desolate waste,
12 and the Lord removes people far away,
    and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 (S)And though a tenth remain in it,
    it will be burned[f] again,
like a terebinth or an oak,
    whose stump (T)remains
    when it is felled.”
(U)The holy seed[g] is its stump.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 6:1 Or hem
  2. Isaiah 6:3 Or may his glory fill the whole earth
  3. Isaiah 6:9 Or Hear indeed
  4. Isaiah 6:9 Or see indeed
  5. Isaiah 6:10 Hebrew fat
  6. Isaiah 6:13 Or purged
  7. Isaiah 6:13 Or offspring

Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz(A)

Now it came to pass in the days of (B)Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against (C)it, but could not [a]prevail against it. And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are [b]deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and [c]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, and say to him: [d]‘Take heed, and [e]be (D)quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and [f]trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— thus says the Lord God:

(E)“It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.
(F)For the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be [g]broken,
So that it will not be a people.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son.
(G)If you will not believe,
Surely you shall not be established.” ’ ”

The Immanuel Prophecy

10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 (H)“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [h]ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”

12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”

13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: (I)Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear (J)a Son, and shall call His name (K)Immanuel.[i] 15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 (L)For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by (M)both her kings. 17 (N)The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that (O)Ephraim departed from Judah.”

18 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord (P)will whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in (Q)the clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.

20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a (R)hired (S)razor,
With those from beyond [j]the River, with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.

21 It shall be in that day
That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give,
That he will eat curds;
For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.

23 It shall happen in that day,
That wherever there could be a thousand vines
Worth a thousand shekels of silver,
(T)It will be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and bows men will come there,
Because all the land will become briers and thorns.

25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe,
You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns;
But it will become a range for oxen
And a place for sheep to roam.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 7:1 conquer it
  2. Isaiah 7:2 Lit. settled upon
  3. Isaiah 7:3 Lit. A Remnant Shall Return
  4. Isaiah 7:4 Be careful
  5. Isaiah 7:4 be calm
  6. Isaiah 7:6 cause a sickening dread
  7. Isaiah 7:8 Lit. shattered
  8. Isaiah 7:11 Lit. make the request deep or make it high above
  9. Isaiah 7:14 Lit. God-With-Us
  10. Isaiah 7:20 The Euphrates

Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz

In the days of (A)Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, (B)Rezin the king of Syria and (C)Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. When the house of David was told, (D)“Syria is in league with[a] (E)Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz[b] and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and (F)Shear-jashub[c] your son, at the end of (G)the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field. And say to him, (H)‘Be careful, (I)be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two (J)smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and (K)the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, with Ephraim and (L)the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it[d] for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” thus says the Lord God:

(M)“‘It shall not stand,
    and it shall not come to pass.
For the head of Syria is (N)Damascus,
    and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
And within sixty-five years
    Ephraim will be shattered from being a people.
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
    and the head of Samaria is (O)the son of Remaliah.
(P)If you[e] are not firm in faith,
    you will not be firm at all.’”

The Sign of Immanuel

10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask (Q)a sign of the Lord your[f] God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he[g] said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you (R)weary my God also? 14 Therefore the (S)Lord himself will give you a sign. (T)Behold, the (U)virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name (V)Immanuel.[h] 15 He shall eat (W)curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 (X)For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be (Y)deserted. 17 (Z)The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that (AA)Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”

18 In that day the Lord will (AB)whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and (AC)in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.[i]

20 In that day (AD)the Lord will (AE)shave with a razor that is (AF)hired beyond (AG)the River[j]—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.

21 (AH)In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat (AI)curds and honey.

23 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels[k] of silver, will become (AJ)briers and thorns. 24 (AK)With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 (AL)And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear (AM)of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 7:2 Hebrew Syria has rested upon
  2. Isaiah 7:2 Hebrew his heart
  3. Isaiah 7:3 Shear-jashub means A remnant shall return
  4. Isaiah 7:6 Hebrew let us split it open
  5. Isaiah 7:9 The Hebrew for you is plural in verses 9, 13, 14
  6. Isaiah 7:11 The Hebrew for you and your is singular in verses 11, 16, 17
  7. Isaiah 7:13 That is, Isaiah
  8. Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel means God is with us
  9. Isaiah 7:19 Or watering holes, or brambles
  10. Isaiah 7:20 That is, the Euphrates
  11. Isaiah 7:23 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams

Assyria Will Invade the Land

Moreover the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll, and (A)write on it with a man’s pen concerning [a]Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, (B)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”

Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; (C)for before the child [b]shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ (D)the riches of Damascus and the [c]spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”

The Lord also spoke to me again, saying:

“Inasmuch as these people refused
The waters of (E)Shiloah that flow softly,
And rejoice (F)in Rezin and in Remaliah’s son;
Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them
The waters of [d]the River, strong and mighty—
The king of Assyria and all his glory;
He will [e]go up over all his channels
And go over all his banks.
He will pass through Judah,
He will overflow and pass over,
(G)He will reach up to the neck;
And the stretching out of his wings
Will [f]fill the breadth of Your land, O (H)Immanuel.[g]

“Be(I) shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces!
Give ear, all you from far countries.
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces;
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.
10 (J)Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, (K)but it will not stand,
(L)For [h]God is with us.”

Fear God, Heed His Word

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

12 “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their [j]threats, nor be [k]troubled.
13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.
14 (M)He will be as a [l]sanctuary,
But (N)a stone of stumbling and a rock of [m]offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall (O)stumble;
They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and [n]taken.”

16 Bind up the testimony,
Seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait on the Lord,
Who (P)hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I (Q)will hope in Him.
18 (R)Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me!
We (S)are for signs and wonders in Israel
From the Lord of hosts,
Who dwells in Mount Zion.

19 And when they say to you, (T)“Seek those who are mediums and wizards, (U)who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they (V)seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 (W)To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because (X)there[o] is no light in them.

21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and (Y)curse [p]their king and their God, and look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 8:1 Lit. Speed the Spoil, Hasten the Booty
  2. Isaiah 8:4 knows how
  3. Isaiah 8:4 plunder
  4. Isaiah 8:7 The Euphrates
  5. Isaiah 8:7 Overflow
  6. Isaiah 8:8 Lit. be the fullness of
  7. Isaiah 8:8 Lit. God-With-Us
  8. Isaiah 8:10 Heb. Immanuel
  9. Isaiah 8:11 Mighty power
  10. Isaiah 8:12 Lit. fear or terror
  11. Isaiah 8:12 Lit. in dread
  12. Isaiah 8:14 holy abode
  13. Isaiah 8:14 stumbling over
  14. Isaiah 8:15 captured
  15. Isaiah 8:20 Or they have no dawn
  16. Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king and by their God

The Coming Assyrian Invasion

Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet (A)and write on it in common characters,[a] ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’[b] And (B)I will get reliable witnesses, (C)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.”

And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, (D)“Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz; (E)for before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the (F)wealth of (G)Damascus and the spoil of (H)Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”

The Lord spoke to me again: “Because this people has refused the waters of (I)Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over (J)Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them (K)the waters of (L)the River,[c] mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it (M)will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, (N)reaching even to the neck, and its (O)outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, (P)O Immanuel.”

Be broken,[d] you peoples, and (Q)be shattered;[e]
    give ear, all you far countries;
strap on your armor and be shattered;
    strap on your armor and be shattered.
10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
    speak a word, (R)but it will not stand,
    for God (S)is with us.[f]

Fear God, Wait for the Lord

11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and (T)warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call (U)conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and (V)do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, (W)him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a (X)sanctuary and (Y)a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many (Z)shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

16 Bind up (AA)the testimony; (AB)seal the teaching[g] among my disciples. 17 I will (AC)wait for the Lord, who is (AD)hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18 (AE)Behold, I and (AF)the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the (AG)mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of (AH)the dead on behalf of the living? 20 (AI)To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no (AJ)dawn. 21 They will pass through the land,[h] greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against[i] their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. 22 (AK)And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into (AL)thick darkness.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 8:1 Hebrew with a man's stylus
  2. Isaiah 8:1 Maher-shalal-hash-baz means The spoil speeds, the prey hastens
  3. Isaiah 8:7 That is, the Euphrates
  4. Isaiah 8:9 Or Be evil
  5. Isaiah 8:9 Or dismayed
  6. Isaiah 8:10 The Hebrew for God is with us is Immanuel
  7. Isaiah 8:16 Or law; also verse 20
  8. Isaiah 8:21 Hebrew it
  9. Isaiah 8:21 Or speak contemptuously by

Announcement of the Messiah’s Reign(A)

A Psalm of David.

110 The (B)Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your (C)footstool.”
The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength (D)out of Zion.
(E)Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

(F)Your people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power;
(G)In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
You have the dew of Your youth.
The Lord has sworn
And (H)will not relent,
“You are a (I)priest forever
According to the order of (J)Melchizedek.”

The Lord is (K)at Your right hand;
He shall [a]execute kings (L)in the day of His wrath.
He shall judge among the nations,
He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
(M)He shall [b]execute the heads of many countries.
He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;
(N)Therefore He shall lift up the head.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 110:5 Lit. break kings in pieces
  2. Psalm 110:6 Lit. break in pieces

Sit at My Right Hand

A Psalm of David.

110 (A)The Lord says to my Lord:
    (B)“Sit at my right hand,
(C)until I make your enemies your (D)footstool.”

The Lord sends forth (E)from Zion
    (F)your mighty scepter.
    (G)Rule in the midst of your enemies!
(H)Your people will (I)offer themselves freely
    on the day of your (J)power,[a]
    in (K)holy garments;[b]
from the womb of the morning,
    the dew of your youth will be yours.[c]
(L)The Lord has (M)sworn
    and will (N)not change his mind,
(O)“You are (P)a priest (Q)forever
    after the order of (R)Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at your (S)right hand;
    he will (T)shatter kings on (U)the day of his wrath.
He will (V)execute judgment among the nations,
    (W)filling them with corpses;
he will (X)shatter chiefs[d]
    over the wide earth.
He will (Y)drink from the brook by the way;
    therefore he will lift up his head.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces
  2. Psalm 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains
  3. Psalm 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  4. Psalm 110:6 Or the head