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Isaiah 34:5-17
New International Version
Isaiah 34:5-17
New International Version
5 My sword(A) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
see, it descends in judgment on Edom,(B)
the people I have totally destroyed.(C)
6 The sword(D) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice(E) in Bozrah(F)
and a great slaughter(G) in the land of Edom.
7 And the wild oxen(H) will fall with them,
the bull calves and the great bulls.(I)
Their land will be drenched with blood,(J)
and the dust will be soaked with fat.
8 For the Lord has a day(K) of vengeance,(L)
a year of retribution,(M) to uphold Zion’s cause.
9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
her dust into burning sulfur;(N)
her land will become blazing pitch!
10 It will not be quenched(O) night or day;
its smoke will rise forever.(P)
From generation to generation(Q) it will lie desolate;(R)
no one will ever pass through it again.
11 The desert owl[a](S) and screech owl[b] will possess it;
the great owl[c] and the raven(T) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom(U)
the measuring line of chaos(V)
and the plumb line(W) of desolation.
12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
all her princes(X) will vanish(Y) away.
13 Thorns(Z) will overrun her citadels,
nettles and brambles her strongholds.(AA)
She will become a haunt for jackals,(AB)
a home for owls.(AC)
14 Desert creatures(AD) will meet with hyenas,(AE)
and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures(AF) will also lie down
and find for themselves places of rest.
15 The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
she will hatch them, and care for her young
under the shadow of her wings;(AG)
there also the falcons(AH) will gather,
each with its mate.
16 Look in the scroll(AI) of the Lord and read:
None of these will be missing,(AJ)
not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth(AK) that has given the order,(AL)
and his Spirit will gather them together.
17 He allots their portions;(AM)
his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
and dwell there from generation to generation.(AN)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
Isaiah 34:5-17
International Standard Version
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.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
International Standard Version (ISV) 
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