Isaiah 21-33

New International Version

Like whirlwinds^(C) sweeping through the southland,^(D)
    an invader comes from the desert,
    from a land of terror.

² A dire^(E) vision has been shown to me:
    The traitor betrays,^(F) the looter takes loot.
Elam,^(G) attack! Media,^(H) lay siege!
    I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

³ At this my body is racked with pain,^(I)
    pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;^(J)
I am staggered by what I hear,
    I am bewildered^(K) by what I see.
⁴ My heart^(L) falters,
    fear makes me tremble;^(M)
the twilight I longed for
    has become a horror^(N) to me.

⁵ They set the tables,
    they spread the rugs,
    they eat, they drink!^(O)
Get up, you officers,
    oil the shields!^(P)

“Go, post a lookout^(Q)
    and have him report what he sees.
⁷ When he sees chariots^(R)
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,^(S)
let him be alert,
    fully alert.”

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
    every night I stay at my post.
⁹ Look, here comes a man in a chariot^(U)
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon^(V) has fallen,^(W) has fallen!
All the images of its gods^(X)
    lie shattered^(Y) on the ground!’”

¹⁰ My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,^(Z)
    I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
    from the God of Israel.

Someone calls to me from Seir,^(AB)
    “Watchman, what is left of the night?
    Watchman, what is left of the night?”
¹² The watchman replies,
    “Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
    and come back yet again.”

You caravans of Dedanites,^(AE)
    who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
¹⁴     bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,^(AF)
    bring food for the fugitives.
¹⁵ They flee^(AG) from the sword,^(AH)
    from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
    and from the heat of battle.

What troubles you now,
    that you have all gone up on the roofs,^(AQ)
2 you town so full of commotion,
    you city of tumult^(AR) and revelry?^(AS)
Your slain^(AT) were not killed by the sword,^(AU)
    nor did they die in battle.
³ All your leaders have fled^(AV) together;
    they have been captured^(AW) without using the bow.
All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,
    having fled while the enemy was still far away.
⁴ Therefore I said, “Turn away from me;
    let me weep^(AX) bitterly.
Do not try to console me
    over the destruction of my people.”^(AY)

⁵ The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day^(AZ)
    of tumult and trampling^(BA) and terror^(BB)
    in the Valley of Vision,^(BC)
a day of battering down walls^(BD)
    and of crying out to the mountains.
⁶ Elam^(BE) takes up the quiver,^(BF)
    with her charioteers and horses;
    Kir^(BG) uncovers the shield.
⁷ Your choicest valleys^(BH) are full of chariots,
    and horsemen are posted at the city gates.^(BI)

⁸ The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
    and you looked in that day^(BJ)
    to the weapons^(BK) in the Palace of the Forest.^(BL)
9 You saw that the walls of the City of David
    were broken through^(BM) in many places;
you stored up water
    in the Lower Pool.^(BN)
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
    and tore down houses^(BO) to strengthen the wall.^(BP)
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls^(BQ)
    for the water of the Old Pool,^(BR)
but you did not look to the One who made it,
    or have regard^(BS) for the One who planned^(BT) it long ago.

¹² The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day^(BU)
to weep^(BV) and to wail,
    to tear out your hair^(BW) and put on sackcloth.^(BX)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,^(BY)
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!^(BZ)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”^(CA)

“Go, say to this steward,
    to Shebna^(CD) the palace^(CE) administrator:^(CF)
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
    to cut out a grave^(CG) for yourself^(CH) here,
hewing your grave on the height
    and chiseling your resting place in the rock?

¹⁷ “Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you
    and hurl^(CI) you away, you mighty man.
¹⁸ He will roll you up tightly like a ball
    and throw^(CJ) you into a large country.
There you will die
    and there the chariots^(CK) you were so proud of
    will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
¹⁹ I will depose you from your office,
    and you will be ousted^(CL) from your position.^(CM)

Wail,^(DD) you ships^(DE) of Tarshish!^(DF)
    For Tyre is destroyed^(DG)
    and left without house or harbor.
From the land of Cyprus
    word has come to them.

² Be silent,^(DH) you people of the island
    and you merchants^(DI) of Sidon,^(DJ)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
³ On the great waters
    came the grain of the Shihor;^(DK)
the harvest of the Nile^[d](DL) was the revenue of Tyre,^(DM)
    and she became the marketplace of the nations.

⁴ Be ashamed, Sidon,^(DN) and you fortress of the sea,
    for the sea has spoken:
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth;^(DO)
    I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”
⁵ When word comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish^(DP) at the report from Tyre.^(DQ)

⁶ Cross over to Tarshish;^(DR)
    wail, you people of the island.
⁷ Is this your city of revelry,^(DS)
    the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
    to settle in far-off lands?
⁸ Who planned this against Tyre,
    the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants^(DT) are princes,
    whose traders^(DU) are renowned in the earth?
⁹ The Lord Almighty planned^(DV) it,
    to bring down^(DW) her pride in all her splendor
    and to humble^(DX) all who are renowned^(DY) on the earth.

¹⁰ Till^[e] your land as they do along the Nile,
    Daughter Tarshish,
    for you no longer have a harbor.
¹¹ The Lord has stretched out his hand^(DZ) over the sea
    and made its kingdoms tremble.^(EA)
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
    that her fortresses be destroyed.^(EB)
12 He said, “No more of your reveling,^(EC)
    Virgin Daughter^(ED) Sidon, now crushed!

“Up, cross over to Cyprus;^(EE)
    even there you will find no rest.”
¹³ Look at the land of the Babylonians,^[f](EF)
    this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians^(EG) have made it
    a place for desert creatures;^(EH)
they raised up their siege towers,^(EI)
    they stripped its fortresses bare
    and turned it into a ruin.^(EJ)

¹⁴ Wail, you ships^(EK) of Tarshish;^(EL)
    your fortress is destroyed!^(EM)

¹⁶ “Take up a harp, walk through the city,
    you forgotten prostitute;^(EP)
play the harp well, sing many a song,
    so that you will be remembered.”

⁴ The earth dries up^(FF) and withers,^(FG)
    the world languishes and withers,
    the heavens^(FH) languish with the earth.^(FI)
5 The earth is defiled^(FJ) by its people;
    they have disobeyed^(FK) the laws,
violated the statutes
    and broken the everlasting covenant.^(FL)
6 Therefore a curse^(FM) consumes the earth;
    its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,^(FN)
    and very few are left.
⁷ The new wine dries up^(FO) and the vine withers;^(FP)
    all the merrymakers groan.^(FQ)
8 The joyful timbrels^(FR) are stilled,
    the noise^(FS) of the revelers^(FT) has stopped,
    the joyful harp^(FU) is silent.^(FV)
9 No longer do they drink wine^(FW) with a song;
    the beer is bitter^(FX) to its drinkers.
¹⁰ The ruined city^(FY) lies desolate;^(FZ)
    the entrance to every house is barred.
¹¹ In the streets they cry out^(GA) for wine;^(GB)
    all joy turns to gloom,^(GC)
    all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
¹² The city is left in ruins,^(GD)
    its gate^(GE) is battered to pieces.
¹³ So will it be on the earth
    and among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,^(GF)
    or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.^(GG)

¹⁴ They raise their voices, they shout for joy;^(GH)
    from the west^(GI) they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.
¹⁵ Therefore in the east^(GJ) give glory^(GK) to the Lord;
    exalt^(GL) the name^(GM) of the Lord, the God of Israel,
    in the islands^(GN) of the sea.
¹⁶ From the ends of the earth^(GO) we hear singing:^(GP)
    “Glory^(GQ) to the Righteous One.”^(GR)

But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!^(GS)
    Woe^(GT) to me!
The treacherous^(GU) betray!
    With treachery the treacherous betray!^(GV)”
¹⁷ Terror^(GW) and pit and snare^(GX) await you,
    people of the earth.^(GY)
18 Whoever flees^(GZ) at the sound of terror
    will fall into a pit;^(HA)
whoever climbs out of the pit
    will be caught in a snare.^(HB)

The floodgates of the heavens^(HC) are opened,
    the foundations of the earth shake.^(HD)
19 The earth is broken up,^(HE)
    the earth is split asunder,^(HF)
    the earth is violently shaken.
²⁰ The earth reels like a drunkard,^(HG)
    it sways like a hut^(HH) in the wind;
so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion^(HI)
    that it falls^(HJ)—never to rise again.^(HK)

²¹ In that day^(HL) the Lord will punish^(HM)
    the powers^(HN) in the heavens above
    and the kings^(HO) on the earth below.
²² They will be herded together
    like prisoners^(HP) bound in a dungeon;^(HQ)
they will be shut up in prison
    and be punished^[g] after many days.^(HR)
23 The moon will be dismayed,
    the sun^(HS) ashamed;
for the Lord Almighty will reign^(HT)
    on Mount Zion^(HU) and in Jerusalem,
    and before its elders—with great glory.^(HV)

⁶ On this mountain^(IQ) the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast^(IR) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.^(IS)
7 On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud^(IT) that enfolds all peoples,^(IU)
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸     he will swallow up death^(IV) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears^(IW)
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace^(IX)
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.^(IY)

“Surely this is our God;^(JA)
    we trusted^(JB) in him, and he saved^(JC) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice^(JD) and be glad in his salvation.”^(JE)

¹⁰ The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;^(JF)
    but Moab^(JG) will be trampled in their land
    as straw is trampled down in the manure.
¹¹ They will stretch out their hands in it,
    as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down^(JH) their pride^(JI)
    despite the cleverness^[h] of their hands.
¹² He will bring down your high fortified walls^(JJ)
    and lay them low;^(JK)
he will bring them down to the ground,
    to the very dust.

We have a strong city;^(JN)
    God makes salvation
    its walls^(JO) and ramparts.^(JP)
2 Open the gates^(JQ)
    that the righteous^(JR) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
³ You will keep in perfect peace^(JS)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust^(JT) in you.
⁴ Trust^(JU) in the Lord forever,^(JV)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock^(JW) eternal.
⁵ He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground^(JX)
    and casts it down to the dust.^(JY)
6 Feet trample^(JZ) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,^(KA)
    the footsteps of the poor.^(KB)

⁷ The path of the righteous is level;^(KC)
    you, the Upright One,^(KD) make the way of the righteous smooth.^(KE)
8 Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,^[i](KF)
    we wait^(KG) for you;
your name^(KH) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
⁹ My soul yearns for you in the night;^(KI)
    in the morning my spirit longs^(KJ) for you.
When your judgments^(KK) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.^(KL)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,^(KM)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil^(KN)
    and do not regard^(KO) the majesty of the Lord.
¹¹ Lord, your hand is lifted high,^(KP)
    but they do not see^(KQ) it.
Let them see your zeal^(KR) for your people and be put to shame;^(KS)
    let the fire^(KT) reserved for your enemies consume them.

¹² Lord, you establish peace^(KU) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done^(KV) for us.
¹³ Lord our God, other lords^(KW) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name^(KX) alone do we honor.^(KY)
14 They are now dead,^(KZ) they live no more;
    their spirits^(LA) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;^(LB)
    you wiped out all memory of them.^(LC)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.^(LD)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders^(LE) of the land.

¹⁶ Lord, they came to you in their distress;^(LF)
    when you disciplined^(LG) them,
    they could barely whisper^(LH) a prayer.^[j]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth^(LI)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
¹⁸ We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth^(LJ) to wind.
We have not brought salvation^(LK) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.^(LL)

¹⁹ But your dead^(LM) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust^(LN)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew^(LO) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.^(LP)

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors^(LQ) behind you;
hide^(LR) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath^(LS) has passed by.^(LT)
21 See, the Lord is coming^(LU) out of his dwelling^(LV)
    to punish^(LW) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood^(LX) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

the Lord will punish with his sword^(LZ)—
    his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan^(MA) the gliding serpent,^(MB)
    Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster^(MC) of the sea.

“Sing^(ME) about a fruitful vineyard:^(MF)
3     I, the Lord, watch over it;
    I water^(MG) it continually.
I guard^(MH) it day and night
    so that no one may harm^(MI) it.
⁴     I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
    I would march against them in battle;
    I would set them all on fire.^(MJ)
5 Or else let them come to me for refuge;^(MK)
    let them make peace^(ML) with me,
    yes, let them make peace with me.”

⁶ In days to come Jacob will take root,^(MM)
    Israel will bud and blossom^(MN)
    and fill all the world with fruit.^(MO)

⁷ Has the Lord struck her
    as he struck^(MP) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
    as those were killed who killed her?
⁸ By warfare^[k] and exile^(MQ) you contend with her—
    with his fierce blast he drives her out,
    as on a day the east wind^(MR) blows.
⁹ By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned^(MS) for,
    and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:^(MT)
When he makes all the altar stones^(MU)
    to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles^[l](MV) or incense altars^(MW)
    will be left standing.
¹⁰ The fortified city stands desolate,^(MX)
    an abandoned settlement, forsaken^(MY) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,^(MZ)
    there they lie down;^(NA)
    they strip its branches bare.
¹¹ When its twigs are dry, they are broken off^(NB)
    and women come and make fires^(NC) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;^(ND)
    so their Maker has no compassion on them,
    and their Creator^(NE) shows them no favor.^(NF)

⁵ In that day^(OB) the Lord Almighty
    will be a glorious^(OC) crown,^(OD)
a beautiful wreath
    for the remnant^(OE) of his people.
⁶ He will be a spirit of justice^(OF)
    to the one who sits in judgment,^(OG)
a source of strength
    to those who turn back the battle^(OH) at the gate.

⁷ And these also stagger^(OI) from wine^(OJ)
    and reel^(OK) from beer:
Priests^(OL) and prophets^(OM) stagger from beer
    and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
    they stagger when seeing visions,^(ON)
    they stumble when rendering decisions.
⁸ All the tables are covered with vomit^(OO)
    and there is not a spot without filth.

⁹ “Who is it he is trying to teach?^(OP)
    To whom is he explaining his message?^(OQ)
To children weaned^(OR) from their milk,^(OS)
    to those just taken from the breast?
¹⁰ For it is:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that^[m];
    a little here, a little there.^(OT)”

¹¹ Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues^(OU)
    God will speak to this people,^(OV)
12 to whom he said,
    “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;^(OW)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
    but they would not listen.
¹³ So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that;
    a little here, a little there^(OX)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
    they will be injured^(OY) and snared and captured.^(OZ)

¹⁴ Therefore hear the word of the Lord,^(PA) you scoffers^(PB)
    who rule this people in Jerusalem.
¹⁵ You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,^(PC)
    with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(PD)
    it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie^(PE) our refuge
    and falsehood^[n] our hiding place.^(PF)”

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,^(PG) a tested stone,^(PH)
    a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;^(PI)
the one who relies on it
    will never be stricken with panic.^(PJ)
17 I will make justice^(PK) the measuring line
    and righteousness the plumb line;^(PL)
hail^(PM) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
    and water will overflow^(PN) your hiding place.
¹⁸ Your covenant with death will be annulled;
    your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.^(PO)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(PP)
    you will be beaten down^(PQ) by it.
¹⁹ As often as it comes it will carry you away;^(PR)
    morning after morning,^(PS) by day and by night,
    it will sweep through.”

The understanding of this message
    will bring sheer terror.^(PT)
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
    the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.^(PU)
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,^(PV)
    he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon^(PW)—
to do his work,^(PX) his strange work,
    and perform his task, his alien task.
²² Now stop your mocking,^(PY)
    or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
    of the destruction decreed^(PZ) against the whole land.^(QA)

²³ Listen^(QB) and hear my voice;
    pay attention and hear what I say.
²⁴ When a farmer plows for planting,^(QC) does he plow continually?
    Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
²⁵ When he has leveled the surface,
    does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?^(QD)
Does he not plant wheat in its place,^[o]
    barley^(QE) in its plot,^[p]
    and spelt^(QF) in its field?
²⁶ His God instructs him
    and teaches^(QG) him the right way.

²⁷ Caraway is not threshed^(QH) with a sledge,^(QI)
    nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,^(QJ)
    and cumin with a stick.
²⁸ Grain must be ground to make bread;
    so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart^(QK) may be rolled over it,
    but one does not use horses to grind grain.
²⁹ All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
    whose plan is wonderful,^(QL)
    whose wisdom is magnificent.^(QM)

⁵ But your many enemies will become like fine dust,^(RA)
    the ruthless^(RB) hordes like blown chaff.^(RC)
Suddenly,^(RD) in an instant,
⁶     the Lord Almighty will come^(RE)
with thunder^(RF) and earthquake^(RG) and great noise,
    with windstorm and tempest^(RH) and flames of a devouring fire.^(RI)
7 Then the hordes of all the nations^(RJ) that fight against Ariel,^(RK)
    that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream,^(RL)
    with a vision in the night—
⁸ as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
    but awakens^(RM) hungry still;
as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
    but awakens faint and thirsty still.^(RN)
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
    that fight against Mount Zion.^(RO)

⁹ Be stunned and amazed,^(RP)
    blind yourselves and be sightless;^(RQ)
be drunk,^(RR) but not from wine,^(RS)
    stagger,^(RT) but not from beer.
¹⁰ The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:^(RU)
    He has sealed your eyes^(RV) (the prophets);^(RW)
    he has covered your heads (the seers).^(RX)

“These people^(SA) come near to me with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,^(SB)
    but their hearts are far from me.^(SC)
Their worship of me
    is based on merely human rules they have been taught.^[r](SD)
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
    with wonder upon wonder;^(SE)
the wisdom of the wise^(SF) will perish,
    the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.^(SG)”
¹⁵ Woe to those who go to great depths
    to hide^(SH) their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
    “Who sees us?^(SI) Who will know?”^(SJ)
16 You turn things upside down,
    as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!^(SK)
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed^(SL) it,
    “You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,^(SM)
    “You know nothing”?^(SN)

¹⁷ In a very short time,^(SO) will not Lebanon^(SP) be turned into a fertile field^(SQ)
    and the fertile field seem like a forest?^(SR)
18 In that day^(SS) the deaf^(ST) will hear the words of the scroll,
    and out of gloom and darkness^(SU)
    the eyes of the blind will see.^(SV)
19 Once more the humble^(SW) will rejoice in the Lord;
    the needy^(SX) will rejoice in the Holy One^(SY) of Israel.
²⁰ The ruthless^(SZ) will vanish,^(TA)
    the mockers^(TB) will disappear,
    and all who have an eye for evil^(TC) will be cut down—
²¹ those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
    who ensnare the defender in court^(TD)
    and with false testimony^(TE) deprive the innocent of justice.^(TF)

“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;^(TI)
    no longer will their faces grow pale.^(TJ)
23 When they see among them their children,^(TK)
    the work of my hands,^(TL)
they will keep my name holy;^(TM)
    they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One^(TN) of Jacob,
    and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
²⁴ Those who are wayward^(TO) in spirit will gain understanding;^(TP)
    those who complain will accept instruction.”^(TQ)

Through a land of hardship and distress,^(UH)
    of lions^(UI) and lionesses,
    of adders and darting snakes,^(UJ)
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’^(UK) backs,
    their treasures^(UL) on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
⁷     to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.^(UM)
Therefore I call her
    Rahab^(UN) the Do-Nothing.

⁸ Go now, write it on a tablet^(UO) for them,
    inscribe it on a scroll,^(UP)
that for the days to come
    it may be an everlasting witness.^(UQ)
9 For these are rebellious^(UR) people, deceitful^(US) children,
    children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.^(UT)
10 They say to the seers,^(UU)
    “See no more visions^(UV)!”
and to the prophets,
    “Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,^(UW)
    prophesy illusions.^(UX)
11 Leave this way,^(UY)
    get off this path,
and stop confronting^(UZ) us
    with the Holy One^(VA) of Israel!”

“Because you have rejected this message,^(VC)
    relied on oppression^(VD)
    and depended on deceit,
¹³ this sin will become for you
    like a high wall,^(VE) cracked and bulging,
    that collapses^(VF) suddenly,^(VG) in an instant.
¹⁴ It will break in pieces like pottery,^(VH)
    shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
    for taking coals from a hearth
    or scooping water out of a cistern.”

“In repentance and rest^(VK) is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust^(VL) is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.^(VM)
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee^(VN) on horses.’^(VO)
    Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
    Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
¹⁷ A thousand will flee
    at the threat of one;
at the threat of five^(VP)
    you will all flee^(VQ) away,
till you are left^(VR)
    like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
    like a banner^(VS) on a hill.”

¹⁸ Yet the Lord longs^(VT) to be gracious to you;
    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.^(VU)
For the Lord is a God of justice.^(VV)
    Blessed are all who wait for him!^(VW)

²⁷ See, the Name^(WW) of the Lord comes from afar,
    with burning anger^(WX) and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,^(WY)
    and his tongue is a consuming fire.^(WZ)
28 His breath^(XA) is like a rushing torrent,^(XB)
    rising up to the neck.^(XC)
He shakes the nations in the sieve^(XD) of destruction;
    he places in the jaws of the peoples
    a bit^(XE) that leads them astray.
²⁹ And you will sing
    as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;^(XF)
your hearts will rejoice^(XG)
    as when people playing pipes^(XH) go up
to the mountain^(XI) of the Lord,
    to the Rock^(XJ) of Israel.
³⁰ The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice^(XK)
    and will make them see his arm^(XL) coming down
with raging anger^(XM) and consuming fire,^(XN)
    with cloudburst, thunderstorm^(XO) and hail.^(XP)
31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;^(XQ)
    with his rod he will strike^(XR) them down.
³² Every stroke the Lord lays on them
    with his punishing club^(XS)
will be to the music of timbrels^(XT) and harps,
    as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.^(XU)
33 Topheth^(XV) has long been prepared;
    it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
    with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath^(XW) of the Lord,
    like a stream of burning sulfur,^(XX)
    sets it ablaze.^(XY)

“As a lion^(YP) growls,
    a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds^(YQ)
    is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
    or disturbed by their clamor^(YR)—
so the Lord Almighty will come down^(YS)
    to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
⁵ Like birds hovering^(YT) overhead,
    the Lord Almighty will shield^(YU) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver^(YV) it,
    he will ‘pass over’^(YW) it and will rescue it.”

⁸ “Assyria^(ZC) will fall by no human sword;
    a sword, not of mortals, will devour^(ZD) them.
They will flee before the sword
    and their young men will be put to forced labor.^(ZE)
9 Their stronghold^(ZF) will fall because of terror;
    at the sight of the battle standard^(ZG) their commanders will panic,^(ZH)”
declares the Lord,
    whose fire^(ZI) is in Zion,
    whose furnace^(ZJ) is in Jerusalem.

³ Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,^(ZQ)
    and the ears^(ZR) of those who hear will listen.
⁴ The fearful heart will know and understand,^(ZS)
    and the stammering tongue^(ZT) will be fluent and clear.
⁵ No longer will the fool^(ZU) be called noble
    nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
⁶ For fools speak folly,^(ZV)
    their hearts are bent on evil:^(ZW)
They practice ungodliness^(ZX)
    and spread error^(ZY) concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty^(ZZ)
    and from the thirsty they withhold water.
⁷ Scoundrels use wicked methods,^(AAA)
    they make up evil schemes^(AAB)
to destroy the poor with lies,
    even when the plea of the needy^(AAC) is just.^(AAD)
8 But the noble make noble plans,
    and by noble deeds^(AAE) they stand.^(AAF)

² Lord, be gracious^(ABU) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength^(ABV) every morning,
    our salvation^(ABW) in time of distress.^(ABX)
3 At the uproar of your army,^(ABY) the peoples flee;^(ABZ)
    when you rise up,^(ACA) the nations scatter.
⁴ Your plunder,^(ACB) O nations, is harvested^(ACC) as by young locusts;^(ACD)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

⁵ The Lord is exalted,^(ACE) for he dwells on high;^(ACF)
    he will fill Zion with his justice^(ACG) and righteousness.^(ACH)
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation^(ACI) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear^(ACJ) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.^[s](ACK)