13 Yet the people (A)do not turn back to Him who struck them,
Nor do they (B)seek the Lord of armies.
14 So the Lord cuts off (C)head and tail from Israel,
Both palm branch and bulrush (D)in a single day.
15 The head is (E)the elder and esteemed man,
And the prophet who teaches (F)falsehood is the tail.
16 (G)For those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are [a]confused.
17 Therefore the Lord does (H)not rejoice over their young men,
(I)Nor does He have compassion on their [b]orphans or their widows;
For every one of them is (J)godless and an (K)evildoer,
And every (L)mouth is speaking foolishness.
(M)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away,
And His hand is still stretched out.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 9:16 Or swallowed up
  2. Isaiah 9:17 Or fatherless

13 And the people did not turn to the one who struck it,[a]
    and they did not seek Yahweh of hosts.
14 So Yahweh cut off head and tail from Israel,
    palm branch and reed in one day.
15 Elders[b] and the respectable[c] are the head,
    and prophets[d] who teach lies[e] are the tail.
16 And the leaders of this people were misleading them,
    and those who were led were confused.
17 Therefore the Lord did not rejoice over its young men,
    and he did not have compassion on its orphans and widows,
for everyone was godless and an evildoer,
    and every mouth was speaking folly.
In all of this his anger did not turn away,
    and still his hand is stretched out.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 9:13 That is, the people
  2. Isaiah 9:15 Hebrew “Elder”
  3. Isaiah 9:15 Literally “one lifted up of face”
  4. Isaiah 9:15 Hebrew “prophet”
  5. Isaiah 9:15 Hebrew “lie”