Bible in 90 Days
Rebellion of God’s People
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning (A)Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the [a]reigns of (B)Uzziah, (C)Jotham, (D)Ahaz and (E)Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 (F)Listen, O heavens, and hear, O (G)earth;
For the Lord speaks,
“(H)Sons I have reared and brought up,
But they have (I)revolted against Me.
3 “An ox knows its owner,
And a donkey its master’s manger,
But Israel (J)does not know,
My people (K)do not understand.”
4 Alas, sinful nation,
People weighed down with iniquity,
[b](L)Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who (M)act corruptly!
They have (N)abandoned the Lord,
They have (O)despised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away [c]from Him.
5 Where will you be stricken again,
As you (P)continue in your rebellion?
The whole head is (Q)sick
And the whole heart is faint.
6 (R)From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is (S)nothing sound in it,
Only bruises, welts and raw wounds,
(T)Not pressed out or bandaged,
Nor softened with oil.
7 Your (U)land is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire,
Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence;
It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,
Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
9 (V)Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left us a few (W)survivors,
We would be like (X)Sodom,
We would be like Gomorrah.
God Has Had Enough
10 Hear (Y)the word of the Lord,
You rulers of (Z)Sodom;
Give ear to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah.
11 “(AA)What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I [d]have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
12 “When you come (AB)to appear before Me,
Who requires [e]of you this trampling of My courts?
13 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
(AC)Incense is an abomination to Me.
(AD)New moon and sabbath, the (AE)calling of assemblies—
I cannot (AF)endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
14 “I hate your new moon festivals and your (AG)appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am (AH)weary of bearing them.
15 “So when you (AI)spread out your hands in prayer,
(AJ)I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you (AK)multiply prayers,
I will not listen.
(AL)Your hands are [f]covered with blood.
16 “(AM)Wash yourselves, (AN)make yourselves clean;
(AO)Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
(AP)Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
(AQ)Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
[g](AR)Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.
“Let Us Reason”
18 “Come now, and (AS)let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“(AT)Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
19 “(AU)If you consent and obey,
You will (AV)eat the best of the land;
20 “But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be (AW)devoured by the sword.”
Truly, (AX)the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Zion Corrupted, to Be Redeemed
21 How the faithful city has become a (AY)harlot,
She who was full of justice!
Righteousness once lodged in her,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
Your drink diluted with water.
23 Your (AZ)rulers are rebels
And companions of thieves;
Everyone (BA)loves a bribe
And chases after rewards.
They (BB)do not [h]defend the [i]orphan,
Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord [j]God of hosts,
The (BC)Mighty One of Israel, declares,
“Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries
And (BD)avenge Myself on My foes.
25 “I will also turn My hand against you,
And will (BE)smelt away your dross as with lye
And will remove all your alloy.
26 “Then I will restore your (BF)judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning;
After that you will be called the (BG)city of righteousness,
A faithful city.”
27 Zion will be (BH)redeemed with justice
And her [k]repentant ones with righteousness.
28 But [l]transgressors and sinners will be (BI)crushed together,
And those who forsake the Lord will come to an end.
29 Surely [m]you will be ashamed of the [n](BJ)oaks which you have desired,
And you will be embarrassed at the (BK)gardens which you have chosen.
30 For you will be like an [o]oak whose (BL)leaf fades away
Or as a garden that has no water.
31 The strong man will become tinder,
His work also a spark.
Thus they shall both (BM)burn together
And there will be (BN)none to quench them.
God’s Universal Reign
2 The word which (BO)Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Now it will come about that
(BP)In the last days
The (BQ)mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established [p]as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And (BR)all the nations will stream to it.
3 And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us [q]concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the [r]law will go forth (BS)from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And He will judge between the nations,
And will [s]render decisions for many peoples;
And (BT)they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
(BU)Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.
5 Come, (BV)house of Jacob, and let us walk in the (BW)light of the Lord.
6 For You have (BX)abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with influences from the east,
And they are soothsayers (BY)like the Philistines,
And they (BZ)strike bargains with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land has also been filled with silver and gold
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land has also been filled with (CA)horses
And there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land has also been (CB)filled with idols;
They worship the (CC)work of their hands,
That which their fingers have made.
9 So (CD)the common man has been humbled
And the man of importance has been abased,
But (CE)do not forgive them.
10 (CF)Enter the rock and hide in the dust
(CG)From the terror of the Lord and from the splendor of His majesty.
11 The [t](CH)proud look of man will be abased
And the (CI)loftiness of man will be humbled,
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
A Day of Reckoning Coming
12 For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning
Against (CJ)everyone who is proud and lofty
And against everyone who is lifted up,
That he may be abased.
13 And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up,
Against all the (CK)oaks of Bashan,
14 Against all the (CL)lofty mountains,
Against all the hills that are lifted up,
15 Against every (CM)high tower,
Against every fortified wall,
16 Against all the (CN)ships of Tarshish
And against all the beautiful craft.
17 The pride of man will be humbled
And the loftiness of men will be abased;
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
18 But the (CO)idols will completely vanish.
19 Men will (CP)go into caves of the rocks
And into holes of the [u]ground
Before the terror of the Lord
And the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises (CQ)to make the earth tremble.
20 In that day men will (CR)cast away to the moles and the (CS)bats
Their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
Which they made for themselves to worship,
21 In order to (CT)go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs
Before the terror of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to make the earth tremble.
22 [v](CU)Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils;
For [w](CV)why should he be esteemed?
God Will Remove the Leaders
3 For behold, the Lord [x]God of hosts (CW)is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah
Both [y]supply and support, the whole [z]supply of bread
And the whole [aa]supply of water;
2 (CX)The mighty man and the warrior,
The judge and the prophet,
The diviner and the elder,
3 The captain of fifty and the honorable man,
The counselor and the expert artisan,
And the skillful enchanter.
4 And I will make mere (CY)lads their princes,
And [ab]capricious children will rule over them,
5 And the people will be (CZ)oppressed,
Each one by another, and each one by his (DA)neighbor;
The youth will storm against the elder
And the inferior against the honorable.
6 When a man (DB)lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying,
“You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler,
And these ruins will be under your [ac]charge,”
7 He will [ad]protest on that day, saying,
“I will not be your [ae](DC)healer,
For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;
You should not appoint me ruler of the people.”
8 For (DD)Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,
Because their [af](DE)speech and their actions are against the Lord,
To (DF)rebel against [ag]His glorious presence.
9 [ah]The expression of their faces bears witness against them,
And they display their sin like (DG)Sodom;
They do not even conceal it.
Woe to [ai]them!
For they have (DH)brought evil on themselves.
10 Say to the (DI)righteous that it will go well with them,
For they will eat the fruit of their actions.
11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him,
For [aj](DJ)what he deserves will be done to him.
12 O My people! Their oppressors [ak]are (DK)children,
And women rule over them.
O My people! (DL)Those who guide you lead you astray
And confuse the direction of your paths.
God Will Judge
13 (DM)The Lord arises to contend,
And stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord (DN)enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people,
“It is you who have (DO)devoured the vineyard;
The (DP)plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 “What do you mean by (DQ)crushing My people
And grinding the face of the poor?”
Declares the Lord [al]God of hosts.
Judah’s Women Denounced
16 Moreover, the Lord said, “Because the (DR)daughters of Zion are proud
And walk with [am]heads held high and seductive eyes,
And go along with mincing steps
And tinkle the bangles on their feet,
17 Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs,
And the Lord will make their foreheads bare.”
18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, (DS)crescent ornaments, 19 dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 20 (DT)headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, 21 [an]finger rings, (DU)nose rings, 22 festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 23 hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans and veils.
24 Now it will come about that instead of [ao]sweet (DV)perfume there will be putrefaction;
Instead of a belt, a rope;
Instead of (DW)well-set hair, a (DX)plucked-out scalp;
Instead of fine clothes, a (DY)donning of sackcloth;
And branding instead of beauty.
25 Your men will (DZ)fall by the sword
And your [ap]mighty ones in battle.
26 And her [aq](EA)gates will lament and mourn,
And deserted she will (EB)sit on the ground.
A Remnant Prepared
4 For seven women will take hold of (EC)one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; (ED)take away our reproach!”
2 In that day the (EE)Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the (EF)fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the (EG)survivors of Israel. 3 It will come about that he who is (EH)left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called (EI)holy—everyone who is (EJ)recorded for life in Jerusalem. 4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the (EK)daughters of Zion and [ar]purged the (EL)bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the (EM)spirit of judgment and the (EN)spirit of burning, 5 then the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies (EO)a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the (EP)glory will be a canopy. 6 There will be a (EQ)shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and [as]protection from the storm and the rain.
Parable of the Vineyard
5 Let me sing now for my well-beloved
A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard.
My well-beloved had a (ER)vineyard on [at]a fertile hill.
2 He dug it all around, removed its stones,
And planted it with [au]the (ES)choicest vine.
And He built a tower in the middle of it
And also hewed out a [av]wine vat in it;
Then He (ET)expected it to produce good grapes,
But it produced only [aw]worthless ones.
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
(EU)Judge between Me and My vineyard.
4 “(EV)What more was there to do for My vineyard [ax]that I have not done in it?
Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce [ay]worthless ones?
5 “So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:
I will (EW)remove its hedge and it will be consumed;
I will (EX)break down its wall and it will become (EY)trampled ground.
6 “I will (EZ)lay it waste;
It will not be pruned or hoed,
But briars and thorns will come up.
I will also charge the clouds to (FA)rain no rain on it.”
7 For the (FB)vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel
And the men of Judah His delightful plant.
Thus He looked for justice, but behold, (FC)bloodshed;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.
Woes for the Wicked
8 Woe to those who (FD)add house to house and join field to field,
Until there is no more room,
So that you have to live alone in the midst of the land!
9 In my ears the Lord of hosts has sworn, “Surely, (FE)many houses shall become (FF)desolate,
Even great and fine ones, without occupants.
10 “For (FG)ten acres of vineyard will yield only one [az]bath of wine,
And a (FH)homer of seed will yield but an [ba]ephah of grain.”
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue (FI)strong drink,
Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them!
12 Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and (FJ)harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine;
But they (FK)do not pay attention to the deeds of the Lord,
Nor do they consider the work of His hands.
13 Therefore My people go into exile for their (FL)lack of knowledge;
And [bb]their (FM)honorable men are famished,
And their multitude is parched with thirst.
14 Therefore (FN)Sheol has enlarged its [bc]throat and opened its mouth without measure;
And [bd]Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it.
15 So the common man will be humbled and the man of importance abased,
(FO)The eyes of the proud also will be abased.
16 But the (FP)Lord of hosts will be (FQ)exalted in judgment,
And the holy God will show Himself (FR)holy in righteousness.
17 (FS)Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture,
And strangers will eat in the waste places of the [be]wealthy.
18 Woe to those who drag (FT)iniquity with the cords of [bf]falsehood,
And sin as if with cart ropes;
19 (FU)Who say, “Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it;
And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near
And come to pass, that we may know it!”
20 Woe to those who (FV)call evil good, and good evil;
Who [bg](FW)substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who [bh]substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are (FX)wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight!
22 (FY)Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine
And valiant men in mixing strong drink,
23 (FZ)Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And (GA)take away the [bi]rights of the ones who are in the right!
24 Therefore, (GB)as a tongue of fire consumes stubble
And dry grass collapses into the flame,
So their (GC)root will become (GD)like rot and their blossom [bj]blow away as dust;
For they have (GE)rejected the law of the Lord of hosts
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 On this account the (GF)anger of the Lord has burned against His people,
And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down.
And the (GG)mountains quaked, and their (GH)corpses [bk]lay like refuse in the middle of the streets.
(GI)For all this His anger [bl]is not spent,
But His (GJ)hand is still stretched out.
26 He will also lift up a (GK)standard to the [bm]distant nation,
And will (GL)whistle for it (GM)from the ends of the earth;
And behold, it will (GN)come with speed swiftly.
27 (GO)No one in it is weary or stumbles,
None slumbers or sleeps;
Nor is the (GP)belt at its waist undone,
Nor its sandal strap broken.
28 [bn](GQ)Its arrows are sharp and all its bows are bent;
The hoofs of its horses [bo]seem like flint and its chariot (GR)wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Its (GS)roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions;
It growls as it (GT)seizes the prey
And carries it off with (GU)no one to deliver it.
30 And it will (GV)growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea.
If one (GW)looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress;
Even the light is darkened by its clouds.
Isaiah’s Vision
6 In the year of (GX)King Uzziah’s death (GY)I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, (GZ)each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said,
4 And the [bq]foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the [br](HC)temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said,
“(HD)Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of (HE)unclean lips,
And I live among a (HF)people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the (HG)King, the Lord of hosts.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the (HH)altar with tongs. 7 He (HI)touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and (HJ)your iniquity is taken away and your sin is [bs]forgiven.”
Isaiah’s Commission
8 Then I heard the (HK)voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then (HL)I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 9 He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on (HM)listening, but do not perceive;
Keep on looking, but do not understand.’
10 “(HN)Render the hearts of this people [bt](HO)insensitive,
Their ears [bu]dull,
And their eyes [bv]dim,
(HP)Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “Lord, (HQ)how long?” And He answered,
“Until (HR)cities are devastated and without inhabitant,
Houses are without people
And the land is utterly desolate,
12 “The Lord has (HS)removed men far away,
And the [bw](HT)forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 “Yet there will be a tenth portion in it,
And it will again be subject to burning,
Like a terebinth or an (HU)oak
Whose stump remains when it is felled.
The (HV)holy seed is its stump.”
War against Jerusalem
7 Now it came about in the days of (HW)Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that (HX)Rezin the king of Aram and (HY)Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but (HZ)could not [bx]conquer it. 2 When it was reported to the (IA)house of David, saying, “The Arameans [by](IB)have camped in (IC)Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake [bz]with the wind.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son [ca]Shear-jashub, at the end of the (ID)conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the [cb]fuller’s field, 4 and say to him, ‘Take care and be (IE)calm, have no (IF)fear and (IG)do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering (IH)firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the (II)son of Remaliah. 5 Because (IJ)Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and [cc]terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in [cd]its walls and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 thus says the Lord [ce]God: “(IK)It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. 8 For the head of Aram is (IL)Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another 65 years Ephraim will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people), 9 and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. (IM)If you will not believe, you surely shall not [cf]last.”’”
The Child Immanuel
10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a (IN)sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [cg]make it deep as Sheol or high as [ch]heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” 13 Then he said, “Listen now, O (IO)house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will (IP)try the patience of (IQ)my God as well? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, (IR)a [ci]virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name [cj](IS)Immanuel. 15 He will eat (IT)curds and honey [ck]at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 16 (IU)For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, (IV)the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.
Trials to Come for Judah
17 The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that (IW)Ephraim separated from Judah, the (IX)king of Assyria.”
18 In that day the Lord will (IY)whistle for the fly that is in the [cl](IZ)remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 They will all come and settle on the steep [cm]ravines, on the (JA)ledges of the cliffs, (JB)on all the thorn bushes and on all the [cn]watering places.
20 In that day the Lord will (JC)shave with a (JD)razor, (JE)hired from regions beyond (JF)the [co]Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.
21 Now in that day a man may keep alive a (JG)heifer and a pair of sheep; 22 and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat (JH)curds and honey.
23 And it will come about in that day, (JI)that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become (JJ)briars and thorns. 24 People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns. 25 As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for [cp](JK)pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.
Damascus and Samaria Fall
8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take for yourself a large tablet and (JL)write on it [cq]in ordinary letters: [cr](JM)Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey. 2 And [cs]I will take to Myself faithful witnesses for testimony, (JN)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.” 3 So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him [ct](JO)Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4 for (JP)before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of (JQ)Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
5 Again the Lord spoke to me further, saying,
6 “Inasmuch as these people have (JR)rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
And rejoice in (JS)Rezin and the son of Remaliah;
7 “Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to bring on them the (JT)strong and abundant waters of the [cu](JU)Euphrates,
Even the (JV)king of Assyria and all his glory;
And it will (JW)rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks.
8 “Then (JX)it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through,
It will (JY)reach even to the neck;
And the spread of its wings will [cv]fill the breadth of [cw]your land, O (JZ)Immanuel.
A Believing Remnant
9 “(KA)Be broken, O peoples, and be [cx](KB)shattered;
And give ear, all remote places of the earth.
Gird yourselves, yet be [cy]shattered;
Gird yourselves, yet be [cz]shattered.
10 “(KC)Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted;
State a [da]proposal, but (KD)it will not stand,
For [db](KE)God is with us.”
11 For thus the Lord spoke to me [dc]with (KF)mighty power and instructed me (KG)not to walk in the way of this people, saying,
12 “You are not to say, ‘It is a (KH)conspiracy!’
In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,
And (KI)you are not to fear [dd]what they fear or be in dread of it.
13 “It is the (KJ)Lord of hosts (KK)whom you should regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear,
And He shall be your dread.
14 “Then He shall become a (KL)sanctuary;
But to both the houses of Israel, a (KM)stone to strike and a rock to stumble over,
And a snare and a (KN)trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 “Many (KO)will stumble over them,
Then they will fall and be broken;
They will even be snared and caught.”
16 (KP)Bind up the testimony, (KQ)seal the [de]law among (KR)my disciples. 17 And I will (KS)wait for the Lord (KT)who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. 18 (KU)Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for (KV)signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who (KW)dwells on Mount Zion.
19 When they say to you, “(KX)Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people (KY)consult their God? Should they (KZ)consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the [df](LA)law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because (LB)they have no dawn. 21 They will pass through [dg]the land (LC)hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse [dh]their king and their God as they face upward. 22 Then they will (LD)look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be (LE)driven away into darkness.
Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace
9 [di]But there will be no more (LF)gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He (LG)treated the (LH)land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the [dj]Gentiles.
2 [dk](LI)The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
3 (LJ)You shall multiply the nation,
You (LK)shall [dl]increase [dm]their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness [dn]of harvest,
As [do](LL)men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For (LM)You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their (LN)oppressor, as [dp]at the battle of (LO)Midian.
5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a (LP)child will be born to us, a (LQ)son will be given to us;
And the (LR)government will [dq]rest (LS)on His shoulders;
And His name will be called (LT)Wonderful Counselor, (LU)Mighty God,
Eternal (LV)Father, Prince of (LW)Peace.
7 There will be (LX)no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the (LY)throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with (LZ)justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
(MA)The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
God’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance
8 The Lord sends a [dr]message against Jacob,
And it falls on Israel.
9 And all the people know it,
That is, (MB)Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
Asserting in pride and in (MC)arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will (MD)rebuild with smooth stones;
The sycamores have been cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord raises against them adversaries from (ME)Rezin
And spurs their enemies on,
12 The Arameans on the east and the (MF)Philistines on the west;
And they (MG)devour Israel with [ds]gaping jaws.
(MH)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
13 Yet the people (MI)do not turn back to Him who struck them,
Nor do they (MJ)seek the Lord of hosts.
14 So the Lord cuts off (MK)head and tail from Israel,
Both palm branch and bulrush (ML)in a single day.
15 The head is (MM)the elder and honorable man,
And the prophet who teaches (MN)falsehood is the tail.
16 (MO)For those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are [dt]brought to confusion.
17 Therefore the Lord does (MP)not take pleasure in their young men,
(MQ)Nor does He have pity on their [du]orphans or their widows;
For every one of them is (MR)godless and an (MS)evildoer,
And every (MT)mouth is speaking foolishness.
(MU)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
18 (MV)For wickedness burns like a fire;
It consumes briars and thorns;
It even sets the thickets of the forest aflame
And they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the (MW)fury of the Lord of hosts the (MX)land is burned up,
And the (MY)people are like fuel for the fire;
No (MZ)man spares his brother.
20 [dv]They slice off what is on the right hand but still are (NA)hungry,
And [dw]they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied;
Each of them eats the (NB)flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
(NC)And together they are against Judah.
(ND)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
Assyria Is God’s Instrument
10 Woe to those who (NE)enact evil statutes
And to those who constantly record [dx]unjust decisions,
2 So as (NF)to [dy]deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor of My people of their rights,
So (NG)that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the [dz]orphans.
3 Now (NH)what will you do in the (NI)day of punishment,
And in the devastation which will come (NJ)from afar?
(NK)To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your [ea]wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch [eb]among the (NL)captives
Or fall [ec]among the (NM)slain.
(NN)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
5 Woe to (NO)Assyria, the (NP)rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is (NQ)My indignation,
6 I send it against a (NR)godless nation
And commission it against the (NS)people of My fury
To capture booty and (NT)to seize plunder,
And to [ed]trample them down like (NU)mud in the streets.
7 Yet it (NV)does not so intend,
Nor does [ee]it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is [ef]its purpose to destroy
And to cut off [eg]many nations.
8 For it says, “Are not my princes [eh]all kings?
9 “Is not (NW)Calno like (NX)Carchemish,
Or (NY)Hamath like Arpad,
Or (NZ)Samaria like (OA)Damascus?
10 “As my hand has reached to the (OB)kingdoms of the idols,
Whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 Shall I not [ei]do to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and (OC)her idols?”
12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His (OD)work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will [ej]punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and (OE)the pomp of [ek]his haughtiness.” 13 For (OF)he has said,
“By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,
For I have understanding;
And I (OG)removed the boundaries of the peoples
And plundered their treasures,
And like a mighty man I brought down [el]their inhabitants,
14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a (OH)nest,
And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth;
And there was not one that flapped its wing or opened its beak or chirped.”
15 Is the (OI)axe to (OJ)boast itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like (OK)a [em]club wielding those who lift it,
Or like (OL)a rod lifting him who is not wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, the [en]God of hosts, will send a (OM)wasting disease among his (ON)stout warriors;
And under his (OO)glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 And the (OP)light of Israel will become a fire and his (OQ)Holy One a flame,
And it will (OR)burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.
18 And He will (OS)destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body,
And it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 And the (OT)rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number
That a child could write them down.
A Remnant Will Return
20 Now in that day the (OU)remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob (OV)who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly (OW)rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
21 A (OX)remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the (OY)mighty God.
22 For (OZ)though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A (PA)destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
23 For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, (PB)the Lord [eo]God of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord [ep]God of hosts, “O My people who dwell in (PC)Zion, (PD)do not fear the Assyrian [eq]who (PE)strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. 25 For in a very (PF)little while (PG)My indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction.” 26 The Lord of hosts will (PH)arouse a scourge against him like the slaughter of (PI)Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His (PJ)staff will be over the sea and He will lift it up (PK)the way He did in Egypt. 27 So it will be in that day, that [er]his (PL)burden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because (PM)of fatness.
28 He has come against Aiath,
He has passed through (PN)Migron;
At (PO)Michmash he deposited his (PP)baggage.
29 They have gone through (PQ)the pass, saying,
“(PR)Geba will be our lodging place.”
(PS)Ramah is terrified, and (PT)Gibeah of Saul has fled away.
30 Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of (PU)Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah and [es]wretched (PV)Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled.
The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.
32 Yet today he will halt at (PW)Nob;
He (PX)shakes his fist at the mountain of the [et](PY)daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, the [eu]God of hosts, will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash;
Those also who are (PZ)tall in stature will be cut down
And those who are lofty will be abased.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And (QA)Lebanon will fall [ev]by the Mighty One.
Righteous Reign of the Branch
11 Then a (QB)shoot will spring from the (QC)stem of Jesse,
And a (QD)branch from (QE)his roots will bear fruit.
2 The (QF)Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of (QG)wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and (QH)strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes (QI)see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
4 But with (QJ)righteousness He will judge the (QK)poor,
And decide with fairness for the (QL)afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the (QM)rod of His mouth,
And with the (QN)breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
5 Also (QO)righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And (QP)faithfulness the belt about His waist.
6 And the (QQ)wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion [ew]and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
7 Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the (QR)lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
9 They will (QS)not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the (QT)earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.
10 Then in that day
The (QU)nations will resort to the (QV)root of Jesse,
Who will stand as a [ex](QW)signal for the peoples;
And His (QX)resting place will be [ey]glorious.
The Restored Remnant
11 Then it will happen on that day that the Lord
Will again recover the second time with His hand
The (QY)remnant of His people, who will remain,
From (QZ)Assyria, (RA)Egypt, Pathros, Cush, (RB)Elam, Shinar, Hamath,
And from the [ez](RC)islands of the sea.
12 And He will lift up a (RD)standard for the nations
And (RE)assemble the banished ones of Israel,
And will gather the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.
13 Then the (RF)jealousy of Ephraim will depart,
And those who harass Judah will be cut off;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
And Judah will not harass Ephraim.
14 They will (RG)swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the (RH)west;
Together they will (RI)plunder the sons of the east;
[fa]They will possess (RJ)Edom and (RK)Moab,
And the sons of Ammon will be [fb]subject to them.
15 And the Lord will [fc](RL)utterly destroy
The tongue of the [fd]Sea of Egypt;
And He will (RM)wave His hand over the [fe](RN)River
With His scorching wind;
And He will strike it into seven streams
And make men walk over [ff]dry-shod.
16 And there will be a (RO)highway from Assyria
For the (RP)remnant of His people who will be left,
Just as there was for Israel
In (RQ)the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.
Thanksgiving Expressed
12 Then you will say on that day,
“(RR)I will give thanks to You, O Lord;
For (RS)although You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away,
And You comfort me.
2 “Behold, (RT)God is my salvation,
I will (RU)trust and not be afraid;
For (RV)the Lord God is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.”
3 Therefore you will joyously (RW)draw water
From the (RX)springs of salvation.
4 And in that day you will (RY)say,
“(RZ)Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name.
(SA)Make known His deeds among the peoples;
[fg]Make them remember that His name is exalted.”
5 (SB)Praise the Lord in song, for He has done [fh]excellent things;
Let this be known throughout the earth.
6 (SC)Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
For (SD)great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Prophecies about Babylon
13 The [fi](SE)oracle concerning (SF)Babylon which (SG)Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2 (SH)Lift up a standard on the [fj](SI)bare hill,
Raise your voice to them,
(SJ)Wave the hand that they may (SK)enter the doors of the nobles.
3 I have commanded My consecrated ones,
I have even called My (SL)mighty warriors,
My proudly exulting ones,
To execute My anger.
4 A (SM)sound of tumult on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of the uproar of kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.
5 They are coming from a far country,
From the [fk](SN)farthest horizons,
The Lord and His instruments of (SO)indignation,
To (SP)destroy the whole land.
Judgment on the Day of the Lord
6 Wail, for the (SQ)day of the Lord is near!
It will come as (SR)destruction from [fl]the Almighty.
7 Therefore (SS)all hands will fall limp,
And every man’s (ST)heart will melt.
8 They will be (SU)terrified,
Pains and anguish will take hold of them;
They will (SV)writhe like a woman in labor,
They will look at one another in astonishment,
Their faces aflame.
9 Behold, (SW)the day of the Lord is coming,
Cruel, with fury and burning anger,
To make the land a desolation;
And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
10 For the (SX)stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not flash forth their light;
The (SY)sun will be dark when it rises
And the moon will not shed its light.
11 Thus I will (SZ)punish the world for its evil
And the (TA)wicked for their iniquity;
I will also put an end to the (TB)arrogance of the proud
And abase the (TC)haughtiness of the [fm](TD)ruthless.
12 I will make mortal man [fn](TE)scarcer than pure gold
And mankind than the (TF)gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the (TG)heavens tremble,
And (TH)the earth will be shaken from its place
At the fury of the Lord of hosts
In (TI)the day of His burning anger.
14 And it will be that like a hunted gazelle,
Or like (TJ)sheep with none to gather them,
They will each turn to his own people,
And each one flee to his own land.
15 Anyone who is found will be (TK)thrust through,
And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their (TL)little ones also will be dashed to pieces
Before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives ravished.
Babylon Will Fall to the Medes
17 Behold, I am going to (TM)stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not value silver or (TN)take pleasure in gold.
18 And their bows will [fo]mow down the (TO)young men,
They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb,
Nor will their (TP)eye pity [fp]children.
19 And (TQ)Babylon, the (TR)beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God (TS)overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will (TT)never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;
Nor will the (TU)Arab pitch his tent there,
Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
21 But (TV)desert creatures will lie down there,
And their houses will be full of [fq]owls;
Ostriches also will live there, and [fr]shaggy goats will frolic there.
22 [fs]Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers
And jackals in their luxurious (TW)palaces.
Her fateful time also [ft]will soon come
And her days will not be prolonged.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.