A Song of Praise
1In that daya this song will be sungb in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;c
God makes salvation
that the righteousg nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.
3You will keep in perfect peaceh
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trusti in you.
for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rockl eternal.
5He humbles those who dwell on high,
he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the groundm
and casts it down to the dust.n
the feet of the oppressed,p
the footsteps of the poor.q
7The path of the righteous is level;r
you, the Upright One,s make the way of the righteous smooth.t
8Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,1,u
we waitv for you;
your namew and renown
are the desire of our hearts.
9My soul yearns for you in the night;x
in the morning my spirit longsy for you.
When your judgmentsz come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.a
10But when grace is shown to the wicked,b
they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evilc
and do not regardd the majesty of the LORD.
11LORD, your hand is lifted high,e
but they do not seef it.
Let them see your zealg for your people and be put to shame;h
let the firei reserved for your enemies consume them.
12LORD, you establish peacej for us;
all that we have accomplished you have donek for us.
13LORD our God, other lordsl besides you have ruled over us,
but your namem alone do we honor.n
14They are now dead,o they live no more;
their spiritsp do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;q
you wiped out all memory of them.r
15You have enlarged the nation, LORD;
you have enlarged the nation.s
You have gained glory for yourself;
you have extended all the borderst of the land.
16LORD, they came to you in their distress;u
when you disciplinedv them,
they could barely whisperw a prayer.2
17As a pregnant woman about to give birthx
writhes and cries out in her pain,
so were we in your presence, LORD.
18We were with child, we writhed in labor,
but we gave birthy to wind.
We have not brought salvationz to the earth,
and the people of the world have not come to life.a
19But your deadb will live, LORD;
their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dustc
wake up and shout for joy—
your dewd is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead.e
20Go, my people, enter your rooms
and shut the doorsf behind you;
hideg yourselves for a little while
until his wrathh has passed by.i
21See, the LORD is comingj out of his dwellingk
to punishl the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the bloodm shed on it;
the earth will conceal its slain no longer.
Deliverance of Israel
the LORD will punish with his swordb—
his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathanc the gliding serpent,d
Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monstere of the sea.
“Singg about a fruitful vineyard:h
3I, the LORD, watch over it;
I wateri it continually.
I guardj it day and night
so that no one may harmk it.
4I 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.l
5Or else let them come to me for refuge;m
let them make peacen with me,
yes, let them make peace with me.”
6In days to come Jacob will take root,o
Israel will bud and blossomp
and fill all the world with fruit.q
7Has the LORD struck her
as he struckr down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
as those were killed who killed her?
8By warfare1 and exiles you contend with her—
with his fierce blast he drives her out,
as on a day the east windt blows.
9By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atonedu for,
and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:v
When he makes all the altar stonesw
to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles2,x or incense altarsy
will be left standing.
10The fortified city stands desolate,z
an abandoned settlement, forsakena like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,b
there they lie down;c
they strip its branches bare.
11When its twigs are dry, they are broken offd
and women come and make firese with them.
For this is a people without understanding;f
so their Maker has no compassion on them,
12In that day the LORD will threshi from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt,j and you, Israel, will be gatheredk up one by one. 13And in that dayl a great trumpetm will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiledn in Egypto will come and worshipp the LORD on the holy mountainq in Jerusalem.
Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah
1Woea to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’sb drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valleyc—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!d
2See, the Lord has one who is powerfule and strong.
Like a hailstormf and a destructive wind,g
like a driving rain and a floodingh downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’si drunkards,
will be trampledj underfoot.
4That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,k
will be like figsl ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5In that daym the LORD Almighty
a beautiful wreath
for the remnantp of his people.
6He will be a spirit of justiceq
to the one who sits in judgment,r
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battles at the gate.
7And these also staggert from wineu
and reelv from beer:
Priestsw and prophetsx stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,y
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8All the tables are covered with vomitz
and there is not a spot without filth.
9“Who is it he is trying to teach?a
To whom is he explaining his message?b
To children weanedc from their milk,d
to those just taken from the breast?
10For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that1;
a little here, a little there.e”
11Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tonguesf
God will speak to this people,g
12to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;h
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13So 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 therei—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injuredj and snared and captured.k
14Therefore hear the word of the LORD,l you scoffersm
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,n
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,o
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a liep our refuge
16So this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,r a tested stone,s
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;t
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.u
17I will make justicev the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;w
hailx will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflowy your hiding place.
18Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.z
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,a
you will be beaten downb by it.
19As often as it comes it will carry you away;c
morning after morning,d by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.e
20The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.f
21The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,g
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeonh—
to do his work,i his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreedk against the whole land.l
pay attention and hear what I say.
24When a farmer plows for planting,n does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?o
Does he not plant wheat in its place,3
and speltq in its field?
26His God instructs him
and teachesr him the right way.
27Caraway is not thresheds with a sledge,t
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,u
and cumin with a stick.
28Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cartv may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29All this also comes from the LORD Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,w
whose wisdom is magnificent.x
Woe to David’s City
the cityc where David settled!
Add year to year
and let your cycle of festivalsd go on.
2Yet I will besiege Ariel;e
she will mourn and lament,f
she will be to me like an altar hearth.1,g
3I will encamp against you on all sides;
I will encircleh you with towers
and set up my siege worksi against you.
4Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumblej out of the dust.k
Your voice will come ghostlikel from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper.m
5But your many enemies will become like fine dust,n
the ruthlesso hordes like blown chaff.p
Suddenly,q in an instant,
with thunders and earthquaket and great noise,
with windstorm and tempestu and flames of a devouring fire.v
7Then the hordes of all the nationsw that fight against Ariel,x
that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream,y
with a vision in the night—
8as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
but awakensz hungry still;
as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
but awakens faint and thirsty still.a
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.b
blind yourselves and be sightless;d
be drunk,e but not from wine,f
stagger,g but not from beer.
10The LORD has brought over you a deep sleep:h
He has sealed your eyesi (the prophets);j
he has covered your heads (the seers).k
11For you this whole visionl is nothing but words sealedm in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”
13The Lord says:
“These peoplen come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,o
but their hearts are far from me.p
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.2,q
14Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;r
the wisdom of the wises will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.t”
15Woe to those who go to great depths
to hideu their plans from the LORD,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us?v Who will know?”w
16You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!x
Shall what is formed say to the one who formedy it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,z
“You know nothing”?a
17In a very short time,b will not Lebanonc be turned into a fertile fieldd
and the fertile field seem like a forest?e
18In that dayf the deafg will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darknessh
the eyes of the blind will see.i
19Once more the humblej will rejoice in the LORD;
the needyk will rejoice in the Holy Onel of Israel.
the mockerso will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evilp will be cut down—
21those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in courtq
22Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemedt Abraham,u says to the descendants of Jacob:
“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;v
no longer will their faces grow pale.w
23When they see among them their children,x
the work of my hands,y
they will keep my name holy;z
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy Onea of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24Those who are waywardb in spirit will gain understanding;c
those who complain will accept instruction.”d
Woe to the Obstinate Nation
1“Woea to the obstinate children,”b
declares the LORD,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance,c but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
without consultinge me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,f
to Egypt’s shade for refuge.g
3But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
Egypt’s shadeh will bring you disgrace.i
4Though they have officials in Zoanj
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5everyone will be put to shame
because of a peoplek uselessl to them,
who bring neither helpm nor advantage,
but only shame and disgrace.n”
6A prophecyo concerning the animals of the Negev:p
Through a land of hardship and distress,q
of lionsr and lionesses,
of adders and darting snakes,s
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’t backs,
their treasuresu on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
7to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.v
Therefore I call her
Rahabw the Do-Nothing.
8Go now, write it on a tabletx for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,y
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.z Photo
9For these are rebelliousa people, deceitfulb children,
children unwilling to listen to the LORD’s instruction.c
“See no more visionse!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,f
prophesy illusions.g
get off this path,
and stop confrontingi us
with the Holy Onej of Israel!”
12Therefore this is what the Holy Onek of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message,l
relied on oppressionm
and depended on deceit,
13this sin will become for you
like a high wall,n cracked and bulging,
that collapseso suddenly,p in an instant.
14It will break in pieces like pottery,q
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.”
15This is what the Sovereignr LORD, the Holy Ones of Israel, says:
“In repentance and restt is your salvation,
in quietness and trustu is your strength,
but you would have none of it.v
16You said, ‘No, we will fleew on horses.’x
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of fivey
you will all fleez away,
till you are lefta
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a bannerb on a hill.”
18Yet the LORD longsc to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.d
For the LORD is a God of justice.e
Blessed are all who wait for him!f
19People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.g How gracious he will be when you cry for help!h As soon as he hears, he will answeri you. 20Although the Lord gives you the breadj of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachersk will be hiddenl no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voicem behind you, saying, “This is the way;n walk in it.” 22Then you will desecrate your idolso overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold;p you will throw them away like a menstrualq cloth and say to them, “Away with you!r”
23He will also send you rains for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be richt and plentiful.u In that dayv your cattle will graze in broad meadows.w 24The oxenx and donkeys that work the soil will eat foddery and mash, spread out with forkz and shovel. 25In the day of great slaughter,a when the towersb fall, streams of water will flowc on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26The moon will shine like the sun,d and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and healse the wounds he inflicted.
27See, the Namef of the LORD comes from afar,
with burning angerg and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,h
and his tongue is a consuming fire.i
28His breathj is like a rushing torrent,k
rising up to the neck.l
He shakes the nations in the sievem of destruction;
he places in the jaws of the peoples
a bitn that leads them astray.
29And you will sing
as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;o
your hearts will rejoicep
as when people playing pipesq go up
to the mountainr of the LORD,
to the Rocks of Israel.
30The LORD will cause people to hear his majestic voicet
and will make them see his armu coming down
with raging angerv and consuming fire,w
with cloudburst, thunderstormx and hail.y
31The voice of the LORD will shatter Assyria;z
with his rod he will strikea them down.
32Every stroke the LORD lays on them
with his punishing clubb
will be to the music of timbrelsc and harps,
as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.d
33Tophethe 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 breathf of the LORD,
like a stream of burning sulfur,g
sets it ablaze.h
Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt
1Woea to those who go down to Egyptb for help,
who rely on horses,c
who trust in the multitude of their chariotsd
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy Onee of Israel,
or seek help from the LORD.f
2Yet he too is wiseg and can bring disaster;h
he does not take back his words.i
He will rise up against that wicked nation,j
against those who help evildoers.
3But the Egyptiansk are mere mortals and not God;l
their horsesm are flesh and not spirit.
When the LORD stretches out his hand,n
those who help will stumble,
those who are helpedo will fall;
all will perish together.p
4This is what the LORD says to me:
“As a lionq growls,
a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherdsr
is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
or disturbed by their clamors—
so the LORD Almighty will come downt
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
5Like birds hoveringu overhead,
the LORD Almighty will shieldv Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliverw it,
he will ‘pass over’x it and will rescue it.”
6Return,y you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revoltedz against. 7For in that daya every one of you will reject the idols of silver and goldb your sinful hands have made.c
8“Assyriad will fall by no human sword;
a sword, not of mortals, will devoure them.
They will flee before the sword
and their young men will be put to forced labor.f
9Their strongholdg will fall because of terror;
at the sight of the battle standardh their commanders will panic,i”
declares the LORD,
whose firej is in Zion,
whose furnacek is in Jerusalem.
The Kingdom of Righteousness
1See, a kinga will reign in righteousness
and rulers will rule with justice.b
2Each one will be like a shelterc from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,d
like streams of watere in the desertf
and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
3Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,g
and the earsh of those who hear will listen.
4The fearful heart will know and understand,i
and the stammering tonguej will be fluent and clear.
5No longer will the foolk be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
their hearts are bent on evil:m
They practice ungodlinessn
and spread erroro concerning the LORD;
the hungry they leave emptyp
and from the thirsty they withhold water.
7Scoundrels use wicked methods,q
they make up evil schemesr
to destroy the poor with lies,
even when the plea of the needys is just.t
8But the noble make noble plans,
The Women of Jerusalem
9You womenw who are so complacent,
rise up and listenx to me;
you daughters who feel secure,y
hear what I have to say!
you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,a
and the harvest of fruit will not come.
11Tremble,b you complacent women;
shudder, you daughters who feel secure!c
Strip off your fine clothesd
and wrap yourselves in rags.e
12Beat your breastsf for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vinesg
13and for the land of my people,
a land overgrown with thorns and briersh—
yes, mourni for all houses of merriment
and for this city of revelry.j
14The fortressk will be abandoned,
the noisy city deserted;l
citadel and watchtowerm will become a wasteland forever,
the delight of donkeys,n a pasture for flocks,o
15till the Spiritp is poured on us from on high,
and the desert becomes a fertile field,q
and the fertile field seems like a forest.r
16The LORD’s justices will dwell in the desert,t
his righteousnessu live in the fertile field.
17The fruit of that righteousnessv will be peace;w
its effect will be quietness and confidencex forever.
18My people will live in peacefuly dwelling places,
in secure homes,z
in undisturbed places of rest.a
19Though hailb flattens the forestc
and the city is leveledd completely,
20how blessed you will be,
sowinge your seed by every stream,f
and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.g
Distress and Help
you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
you will be destroyed;b
when you stop betraying,
you will be betrayed.c
we long for you.
Be our strengthe every morning,
our salvationf in time of distress.g
3At the uproar of your army,h the peoples flee;i
when you rise up,j the nations scatter.
4Your plunder,k O nations, is harvestedl as by young locusts;m
like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.
5The LORD is exalted,n for he dwells on high;o
he will fill Zion with his justicep and righteousness.q
6He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvationr and wisdom and knowledge;
the fears of the LORD is the key to this treasure.1,t
7Look, their brave menu cry aloud in the streets;
the envoysv of peace weep bitterly.
8The highways are deserted,
no travelersw are on the roads.x
The treaty is broken,y
its witnesses2 are despised,
no one is respected.
9The land dries upz and wastes away,
Lebanona is ashamed and withers;b
Sharonc is like the Arabah,
and Bashand and Carmele drop their leaves.
10“Now will I arise,f” says the LORD.
“Now will I be exalted;g
now will I be lifted up.
you give birthi to straw;
your breath is a firej that consumes you.
12The peoples will be burned to ashes;k
like cut thornbushesl they will be set ablaze.m”
13You who are far away,n hearo what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14The sinnersp in Zion are terrified;
tremblingq grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?r
Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
and speak what is right,t
who reject gain from extortionu
and keep their hands from accepting bribes,v
who stop their ears against plots of murder
and shut their eyesw against contemplating evil—
16they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,x
whose refugey will be the mountain fortress.z
Their bread will be supplied,
and water will not faila them.
17Your eyes will see the kingb in his beautyc
and view a land that stretches afar.d
18In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:e
“Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
Where is the officer in charge of the towers?f”
19You will see those arrogant peopleg no more,
people whose speech is obscure,
whose language is strange and incomprehensible.h
20Look on Zion,i the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode,j a tentk that will not be moved;l
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
21There the LORD will be our Mightym One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.n
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty shipo will sail them.
the LORD is our lawgiver,q
the LORD is our king;r
it is he who will saves us.
23Your rigging hangs loose:
The mast is not held secure,
the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
and even the lamet will carry off plunder.u
24No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;v
and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.w
Judgment Against the Nations
1Come near, you nations, and listen;a
pay attention, you peoples!b
Let the earthc hear, and all that is in it,
the world, and all that comes out of it!d
2The LORD is angry with all nations;
his wrathe is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy1,f them,
he will give them over to slaughter.g
3Their slainh will be thrown out,
their dead bodiesi will stink;j
the mountains will be soaked with their blood.k
4All the stars in the sky will be dissolvedl
and the heavens rolled upm like a scroll;
all the starry host will falln
like witheredo leaves from the vine,
like shriveled figs from the fig tree.
5My swordp has drunk its fill in the heavens;
see, it descends in judgment on Edom,q
the people I have totally destroyed.r
6The swords 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 sacrificet in Bozrahu
and a great slaughterv in the land of Edom.
7And the wild oxenw will fall with them,
the bull calves and the great bulls.x
Their land will be drenched with blood,y
and the dust will be soaked with fat.
8For the LORD has a dayz of vengeance,a
a year of retribution,b to uphold Zion’s cause.
9Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
her dust into burning sulfur;c
her land will become blazing pitch!
10It will not be quenchedd night or day;
its smoke will rise forever.e
From generation to generationf it will lie desolate;g
no one will ever pass through it again.
11The desert owl2,h and screech owl3 will possess it;
the great owl4 and the raveni will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edomj
the measuring line of chaosk
and the plumb linel of desolation.
12Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
all her princesm will vanishn away.
13Thornso will overrun her citadels,
nettles and brambles her strongholds.p
She will become a haunt for jackals,q
a home for owls.r
14Desert creaturess will meet with hyenas,t
and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creaturesu will also lie down
and find for themselves places of rest.
15The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
she will hatch them, and care for her young
under the shadow of her wings;v
there also the falconsw will gather,
each with its mate.
Joy of the Redeemed
1The deserta and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.b
Like the crocus,c 2it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.d
The glory of Lebanone will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmelf and Sharon;g
they will see the gloryh of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.i
3Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the kneesj that give way;
4sayk to those with fearful hearts,l
“Be strong, do not fear;m
your God will come,n
he will come with vengeance;o
with divine retribution
he will come to savep you.”
5Then will the eyes of the blind be openedq
and the ears of the deafr unstopped.
6Then will the lames leap like a deer,t
and the mute tongueu shout for joy.v
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streamsw in the desert.
7The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty groundx bubbling springs.y
In the haunts where jackalsz once lay,
grass and reedsa and papyrus will grow.
8And a highwayb will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;c
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The uncleand will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
nor any ravenous beast;f
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemedg will walk there,
10and those the LORD has rescuedh will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;i
everlasting joyj will crown their heads.
Gladnessk and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.l
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
36:1-22pp — 2Ki 18:13,17-37; 2Ch 32:9-19
1In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’sa reign, Sennacheribb king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.c 2Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachishd to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,e 3Eliakimf son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,g Shebnah the secretary,i and Joahj son of Asaph the recorderk went out to him. Photo
4The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:
“ ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 5You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebell against me? 6Look, I know you are dependingm on Egypt,n that splintered reedo of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 7But if you say to me, “We are dependingp on the LORD our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed,q saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?r
8“ ‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horsess—if you can put riders on them! 9How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egyptt for chariotsu and horsemen1?v 10Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the LORD? The LORD himself toldw me to march against this country and destroy it.’ ”
11Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joahx said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,y since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
12But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?z”
13Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew,a “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!b 14This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceivec you. He cannot deliver you! 15Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliverd us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’e
16“Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig treef and drink water from your own cistern,g 17until I come and take you to a land like your ownh—a land of grain and new wine,i a land of bread and vineyards.
18“Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?j Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?k Have they rescued Samarial from my hand? 20Who of all the godsm of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”n
21But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”o
22Then Eliakimp son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorderq went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,r and told him what the field commander had said.
Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold
37:1-13pp — 2Ki 19:1-13
1When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothesa and put on sackclothb and went into the templec of the LORD. 2He sent Eliakimd the palace administrator, Shebnae the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.f 3They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distressg and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birthh and there is no strength to deliver them. 4It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridiculei the living God,j and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard.k Therefore prayl for the remnantm that still survives.”
5When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, 6Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraidn of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemedo me. 7Listen! When he hears a certain report,p I will make him wantq to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut downr with the sword.’ ”
8When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,s he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.t
9Now Sennacheribu received a reportv that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,1,w was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10“Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceivex you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’y 11Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?z 12Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessorsa deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran,b Rezeph and the people of Edenc who were in Tel Assar? 13Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad?d Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim,e Hena and Ivvah?”f
Hezekiah’s Prayer
37:14-20pp — 2Ki 19:14-19
14Hezekiah received the letterg from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the templeh of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. 15And Hezekiah prayedi to the LORD: 16“LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, enthronedj between the cherubim,k you alone are Godl over all the kingdomsm of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.n 17Give ear, LORD, and hear;o open your eyes, LORD, and see;p listen to all the words Sennacheribq has sent to ridiculer the living God.s
18“It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands.t 19They have thrown their gods into the fireu and destroyed them,v for they were not godsw but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.x 20Now, LORD our God, delivery us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earthz may know that you, LORD, are the only God.2,a”
Sennacherib’s Fall
37:21-38pp — 2Ki 19:20-37; 2Ch 32:20-21
21Then Isaiah son of Amozb sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22this is the word the LORD has spoken against him:
despises and mocks you.
Daughter Jerusalem
tosses her heade as you flee.
23Who is it you have ridiculed and blasphemed?f
Against whom have you raised your voiceg
and lifted your eyes in pride?h
Against the Holy Onei of Israel!
24By your messengers
you have ridiculed the Lord.
And you have said,
‘With my many chariotsj
I have ascended the heights of the mountains,
the utmost heightsk of Lebanon.l
I have cut down its tallest cedars,
the choicest of its junipers.m
I have reached its remotest heights,
the finest of its forests.
25I have dug wells in foreign lands3
and drunk the water there.
With the soles of my feet
I have dried upn all the streams of Egypt.o’
26“Have you not heard?
Long ago I ordainedp it.
In days of old I plannedq it;
now I have brought it to pass,
that you have turned fortified cities
into piles of stone.r
27Their people, drained of power,
are dismayed and put to shame.
They are like plants in the field,
like tender green shoots,
like grasss sprouting on the roof,t
scorched4 before it grows up.
28“But I know where you are
and when you come and gou
and how you ragev against me.
29Because you rage against me
and because your insolencew has reached my ears,
I will put my hookx in your nosey
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will make you return
by the way you came.z
30“This will be the signa for you, Hezekiah:
“This yearb you will eat what grows by itself,
and the second year what springs from that.
But in the third yearc sow and reap,
plant vineyardsd and eat their fruit.e
31Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah
will take rootf below and bear fruitg above.
32For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,h
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.i
The zealj of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
33“Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria:
“He will not enter this cityk
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege rampl against it.
34By the way that he came he will return;m
he will not enter this city,”
declares the LORD.
36Then the angelq of the LORD went out and put to deathr a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrians camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 37So Sennacheribt king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Ninevehu and stayed there.
38One day, while he was worshiping in the templev of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat.w And Esarhaddonx his son succeeded him as king.y
Hezekiah’s Illness
38:1-8pp — 2Ki 20:1-11; 2Ch 32:24-26
1In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoza went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order,b because you are going to die; you will not recover.”c
2Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3“Remember, LORD, how I have walkedd before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotione and have done what is good in your eyes.f” And Hezekiah weptg bitterly.
4Then the wordh of the LORD came to Isaiah: 5“Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David,i says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;j I will add fifteen yearsk to your life. 6And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defendl this city.
7“ ‘This is the LORD’s signm to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: 8I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’ ” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.n
9A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10I said, “In the prime of my lifeo
must I go through the gates of deathp
and be robbed of the rest of my years?q”
11I said, “I will not again see the LORD himselfr
in the land of the living;s
no longer will I look on my fellow man,
or be with those who now dwell in this world.
12Like a shepherd’s tentt my house
has been pulled downu and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolledv up my life,
and he has cut me off from the loom;w
day and nightx you made an end of me.
13I waited patientlyy till dawn,
but like a lion he brokez all my bones;a
day and nightb you made an end of me.
14I cried like a swift or thrush,
I moaned like a mourning dove.c
My eyes grew weakd as I looked to the heavens.
I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”e
He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.g
I will walk humblyh all my years
because of this anguish of my soul.i
16Lord, by such things people live;
and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
and let me live.j
17Surely it was for my benefitk
that I suffered such anguish.l
In your love you kept me
from the pitm of destruction;
you have put all my sinsn
behind your back.o
18For the gravep cannot praise you,
death cannot sing your praise;q
those who go down to the pitr
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19The living, the living—they praises you,
as I am doing today;
parents tell their childrent
about your faithfulness.
20The LORD will save me,
and we will singu with stringed instrumentsv
all the days of our livesw
in the templex of the LORD.
21Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
22Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the signy that I will go up to the temple of the LORD?”
Envoys From Babylon
39:1-8pp — 2Ki 20:12-19
1At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylona sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. 2Hezekiah received the envoysb gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold,c the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures.d There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
3Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”
“From a distant land,e” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.”
4The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”
“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”
5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the wordf of the LORD Almighty: 6The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.g Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 7And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.h”
8“The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,i” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.j”
Comfort for God’s People
says your God.
2Speak tenderlyb to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard servicec has been completed,d
that her sin has been paid for,e
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
doublef for all her sins.
3A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
make straighth in the desert
4Every valley shall be raised up,j
every mountain and hillk made low;
the rough ground shall become level,l
the rugged places a plain.
5And the glorym of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.n
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”o
6A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,p
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7The grass withersq and the flowers fall,
because the breathr of the LORD blowss on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8The grass withers and the flowerst fall,
but the wordu of our God enduresv forever.w”
9You who bring good newsx to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,3,y
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”z
10See, the Sovereign LORD comesa with power,b
and he rulesc with a mighty arm.d
See, his rewarde is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11He tends his flock like a shepherd:f
He gathers the lambs in his armsg
and carries them close to his heart;h
he gently leadsi those that have young.j
12Who has measured the watersk in the hollow of his hand,l
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?m
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?n
13Who can fathom the Spirit4,o of the LORD,
or instruct the LORD as his counselor?p
14Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,q
or showed him the path of understanding?r
15Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;s
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.t
16Lebanonu is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animalsv enough for burnt offerings.
17Before him all the nationsw are as nothing;x
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.y
18With whom, then, will you compare God?z
To what imagea will you liken him?
19As for an idol,b a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmithc overlays it with goldd
and fashions silver chains for it.
20A person too poor to present such an offering
selects woode that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idolf that will not topple.g
21Do you not know?
Have you not heard?h
Has it not been toldi you from the beginning?j
Have you not understoodk since the earth was founded?l
22He sits enthronedm above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.n
He stretches out the heavenso like a canopy,p
and spreads them out like a tentq to live in.r
23He brings princess to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.t
24No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take rootu in the ground,
than he blowsv on them and they wither,w
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.x
25“To whom will you compare me?y
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.z
26Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:a
Who createdb all these?
He who brings out the starry hostc one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,d
not one of them is missing.e
27Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?f
28Do you not know?
Have you not heard?g
The LORD is the everlastingh God,
the Creatori of the ends of the earth.j
He will not grow tired or weary,k
and his understanding no one can fathom.l
29He gives strengthm to the wearyn
and increases the power of the weak.
30Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young meno stumble and fall;p
31but those who hopeq in the LORD
will renew their strength.r
They will soar on wings like eagles;s
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.t
The Helper of Israel
1“Be silenta before me, you islands!b
Let the nations renew their strength!c
Let them come forwardd and speak;
let us meet togethere at the place of judgment.
2“Who has stirredf up one from the east,g
calling him in righteousnessh to his service1?i
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dustj with his sword,
to windblown chaffk with his bow.l Photo
3He pursues them and moves on unscathed,m
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4Who has done this and carried it through,
callingn forth the generations from the beginning?o
I, the LORD—with the first of them
5The islandsr have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earths tremble.
They approach and come forward;
6they help each other
and say to their companions, “Be strong!t”
7The metalworkeru encourages the goldsmith,v
and the one who smooths with the hammer
spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.w
8“But you, Israel, my servant,x
Jacob, whom I have chosen,y
you descendants of Abrahamz my friend,a
9I took you from the ends of the earth,b
from its farthest corners I calledc you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;d
I have chosene you and have not rejected you.
10So do not fear,f for I am with you;g
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthenh you and helpi you;
I will uphold youj with my righteous right hand.k
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;m
those who opposen you
will be as nothing and perish.o
12Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.p
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothingq at all.
13For I am the LORD your God
who takes hold of your right handr
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will helps you.
14Do not be afraid,t you wormu Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will helpv you,” declares the LORD,
your Redeemer,w the Holy Onex of Israel.
15“See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,y
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountainsz and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.a
16You will winnowb them, the wind will pick them up,
and a galec will blow them away.d
But you will rejoicee in the LORD
and gloryf in the Holy Oneg of Israel.
17“The poor and needy search for water,h
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.i
But I the LORD will answerj them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsakek them.
18I will make rivers flowl on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desertm into pools of water,n
and the parched ground into springs.o
the cedar and the acacia,q the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipersr in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypresss together,t
20so that people may see and know,u
may consider and understand,v
that the handw of the LORD has done this,
that the Holy Onex of Israel has createdy it.
21“Present your case,z” says the LORD.
“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.a
22“Tell us, you idols,
what is going to happen.b
Tell us what the former thingsc were,
so that we may consider them
and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,d
23tell us what the future holds,
so we may knowe that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,f
so that we will be dismayedg and filled with fear.
24But you are less than nothingh
and your works are utterly worthless;i
whoever chooses you is detestable.j
25“I have stirredk up one from the north,l and he comes—
one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treadsm on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he were a potter treading the clay.
26Who told of this from the beginning,n so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
no one foretoldo it,
no one heard any wordsp from you.
27I was the first to tellq Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.r
28I look but there is no ones—
no one among the gods to give counsel,t
no one to give answeru when I ask them.
29See, they are all false!
Their deeds amount to nothing;v
The Servant of the LORD
1“Here is my servant,a whom I uphold,
my chosen oneb in whom I delight;c
I will put my Spiritd on him,
and he will bring justicee to the nations.f Article: The Servant Songs of Isaiah
2He will not shout or cry out,g
or raise his voice in the streets.
3A bruised reedh he will not break,i
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.j
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;k
4he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justicel on earth.
In his teachingm the islandsn will put their hope.”o
5This is what God the LORD says—
the Creator of the heavens,p who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earthq with all that springs from it,r
who gives breaths to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6“I, the LORD, have calledt you in righteousness;u
I will take hold of your hand.v
I will keepw you and will make you
to be a covenantx for the people
and a lighty for the Gentiles,z
7to open eyes that are blind,a
to freeb captives from prisonc
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.d
8“I am the LORD;e that is my name!f
I will not yield my glory to anotherg
or my praise to idols.h
9See, the former thingsi have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announcej them to you.”
Song of Praise to the LORD
10Singk to the LORD a new song,l
his praisem from the ends of the earth,n
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,o
you islands,p and all who live in them.
11Let the wildernessq and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedarr lives rejoice.
Let the people of Selas sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.t
12Let them give gloryu to the LORD
and proclaim his praisev in the islands.w
13The LORD will march out like a champion,x
like a warriory he will stir up his zeal;z
with a shouta he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.b
14“For a long time I have kept silent,c
I have been quiet and held myself back.d
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.e
15I will lay wastef the mountainsg and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry uph the pools.
16I will leadi the blindj by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into lightk before them
and make the rough places smooth.l
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsakem them.
17But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’n
will be turned back in utter shame.o
Israel Blind and Deaf
look, you blind, and see!
19Who is blindq but my servant,r
and deaf like the messengers I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenantt with me,
blind like the servant of the LORD?
20You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
your ears are open, but you do not listen.”u
21It pleased the LORD
for the sakev of his righteousness
to make his laww great and glorious.
22But this is a people plunderedx and looted,
all of them trapped in pitsy
or hidden away in prisons.z
They have become plunder,
with no one to rescue them;a
they have been made loot,
with no one to say, “Send them back.”
23Which of you will listen to this
or pay close attentionb in time to come?
24Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the plunderers?c
Was it not the LORD,d
against whom we have sinned?
For they would not followe his ways;
they did not obey his law.f
25So he poured out on them his burning anger,g
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,h yet they did not understand;i
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.j
Israel’s Only Savior
1But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who createda you, Jacob,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemedd you;
I have summoned you by name;e you are mine.f
2When you pass through the waters,g
I will be with you;h
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,i
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.j
the Holy Onel of Israel, your Savior;m
I give Egyptn for your ransom,
Cush1,o and Sebap in your stead.q
4Since you are precious and honoredr in my sight,
and because I loves you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5Do not be afraid,t for I am with you;u
I will bring your childrenv from the east
and gatherw you from the west.x
6I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south,y ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughtersz from the ends of the eartha—
7everyone who is called by my name,b
whom I createdc for my glory,d
whom I formed and made.e”
8Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,f
who have ears but are deaf.g
9All the nations gather togetherh
and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretoldi this
and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
10“You are my witnesses,j” declares the LORD,
“and my servantk whom I have chosen,
so that you may knowl and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no godm was formed,
nor will there be one after me.n
and apart from me there is no savior.p
12I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign godq among you.
You are my witnesses,r” declares the LORD, “that I am God.
13Yes, and from ancient dayss I am he.t
No one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?”u
God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness
14This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer,v the Holy Onew of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon
and bring down as fugitivesx all the Babylonians,2,y
in the ships in which they took pride.
15I am the LORD,z your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator,a your King.b”
16This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,c
17who drew outd the chariots and horses,e
the army and reinforcements together,f
and they layg there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:h
do not dwell on the past.
19See, I am doing a new thing!j
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wildernessk
and streams in the wasteland.l
the jackalsn and the owls,
because I provide watero in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21the people I formedp for myselfq
that they may proclaim my praise.r
22“Yet you have not called on me, Jacob,
you have not wearieds yourselves for3 me, Israel.t
23You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings,u
nor honoredv me with your sacrifices.w
I have not burdenedx you with grain offerings
nor wearied you with demandsy for incense.z
24You have not bought any fragrant calamusa for me,
or lavished on me the fatb of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins
and weariedc me with your offenses.d Photo
25“I, even I, am he who blots out
your transgressions,e for my own sake,f
and remembers your sinsg no more.h
26Review the past for me,
let us argue the matter together;i
state the casej for your innocence.
those I sent to teachl you rebelledm against me.
28So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple;
I consigned Jacob to destruction4,n
and Israel to scorn.o
Israel the Chosen
1“But now listen, Jacob, my servant,a
Israel, whom I have chosen.b
2This is what the LORD says—
he who madec you, who formed you in the womb,d
and who will helpe you:
Do not be afraid,f Jacob, my servant,g
Jeshurun,1,h whom I have chosen.
3For I will pour wateri on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;j
I will pour out my Spiritk on your offspring,
and my blessingl on your descendants.m
4They will spring up like grassn in a meadow,
like poplar treeso by flowing streams.p
5Some will say, ‘I belongq to the LORD’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand,r ‘The LORD’s,’s
and will take the name Israel.
The LORD, Not Idols
6“This is what the LORD says—
Israel’s Kingt and Redeemer,u the LORD Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;v
apart from me there is no God.w
7Who then is like me?x Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let them foretelly what will come.
8Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaimz this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any Goda besides me?
No, there is no other Rock;b I know not one.”
9All who make idolsc are nothing,
and the things they treasure are worthless.d
Those who would speak up for them are blind;e
they are ignorant, to their own shame.f
10Who shapes a god and casts an idol,g
which can profit nothing?h
11People who do that will be put to shame;i
such craftsmen are only human beings.
Let them all come together and take their stand;
they will be brought down to terror and shame.j
12The blacksmithk takes a tool
and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
he forges it with the might of his arm.l
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
he drinks no water and grows faint.m
13The carpentern measures with a line
and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,o
human form in all its glory,
that it may dwell in a shrine.p
14He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine,q and the rain made it grow.
15It is used as fuelr for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worshipss it;
he makes an idol and bowst down to it.
16Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.u”
17From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.v
He praysw to it and says,
“Savex me! You are my god!”
18They know nothing, they understandy nothing;
their eyesz are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understandinga to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;b
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestablec thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”d
20Such a person feeds on ashes;e a deludedf heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?g”
21“Rememberh these things, Jacob,
for you, Israel, are my servant.i
I have made you, you are my servant;j
Israel, I will not forget you.k
22I have swept awayl your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Returnm to me,
for I have redeemedn you.”
23Sing for joy,o you heavens, for the LORD has done this;
shout aloud, you earthp beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,q
you forests and all your trees,r
for the LORD has redeemeds Jacob,
he displays his gloryt in Israel.
Jerusalem to Be Inhabited
24“This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer,u who formedv you in the womb:w
I am the LORD,
the Maker of all things,
who stretches out the heavens,x
who spreads out the earthy by myself,
25who foilsz the signs of false prophets
and makes fools of diviners,a
who overthrows the learning of the wiseb
and turns it into nonsense,c
26who carries out the wordsd of his servants
and fulfillse the predictions of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem,f ‘It shall be inhabited,’
of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’
and of their ruins,g ‘I will restore them,’h
27who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry upi your streams,’
28who says of Cyrus,j ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem,k “Let it be rebuilt,”
1“This is what the LORD says to his anointed,a
to Cyrus,b whose right hand I take holdc of
to subdue nationsd before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut:
and will levelf the mountains1;
I will break down gatesg of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.h
3I will give you hidden treasures,i
riches stored in secret places,j
so that you may knowk that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.l
4For the sake of Jacob my servant,m
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledgen me.
5I am the LORD, and there is no other;o
apart from me there is no God.p
I will strengthen you,q
though you have not acknowledged me,
6so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its settingr
people may knows there is none besides me.t
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
7I form the light and create darkness,u
I bring prosperity and create disaster;v
I, the LORD, do all these things.
8“You heavens above, rainw down my righteousness;x
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvationy spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
I, the LORD, have created it.
9“Woe to those who quarrelz with their Maker,a
those who are nothing but potsherdsb
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,c
‘What are you making?’d
Does your work say,
‘The potter has no hands’?e
10Woe to the one who says to a father,
‘What have you begotten?’
or to a mother,
‘What have you brought to birth?’
11“This is what the LORD says—
the Holy Onef of Israel, and its Maker:g
Concerning things to come,
do you question me about my children,
or give me orders about the work of my hands?h
and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;j
I marshaled their starry hosts.k
13I will raise up Cyrus2,l in my righteousness:
I will make all his ways straight.m
He will rebuild my cityn
and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,o
says the LORD Almighty.”
14This is what the LORD says:
“The productsp of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,3
and those tall Sabeansq—
they will come over to your
and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,s
coming over to you in chains.t
They will bow down before you
and pleadu with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,v and there is no other;
there is no other god.w’ ”
15Truly you are a God who has been hidingx himself,
the God and Saviory of Israel.
16All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;z
they will go off into disgrace together.
17But Israel will be saveda by the LORD
with an everlasting salvation;b
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,c
to ages everlasting.
18For this is what the LORD says—
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,d
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,e
but formed it to be inhabitedf—
he says:
“I am the LORD,
and there is no other.g
19I have not spoken in secret,h
from somewhere in a land of darkness;i
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,j
‘Seekk me in vain.’
I, the LORD, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.l
assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorantn are those who carryo about idols of wood,
who pray to gods that cannot save.p
21Declare what is to be, present it—
let them take counsel together.
Who foretoldq this long ago,
who declared it from the distant past?r
Was it not I, the LORD?
And there is no God apart from me,s
a righteous Godt and a Savior;u
there is none but me.
all you ends of the earth;x
for I am God, and there is no other.y
my mouth has uttered in all integritya
a word that will not be revoked:b
Before me every knee will bow;c
by me every tongue will swear.d
24They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone
are deliverancee and strength.f’ ”
All who have raged against him
will come to him and be put to shame.g
25But all the descendantsh of Israel
will find deliverancei in the LORD
and will make their boast in him.j
Gods of Babylon
1Bela bows down, Nebo stoops low;
their idolsb are borne by beasts of burden.1
The images that are carriedc about are burdensome,
a burden for the weary.
2They stoop and bow down together;
unable to rescue the burden,
they themselves go off into captivity.d
3“Listene to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnantf of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,g
and have carriedh since you were born.i
4Even to your old age and gray hairsj
I am he,k I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustainl you and I will rescue you.
5“With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?m
6Some pour out gold from their bags
and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmithn to make it into a god,
and they bow down and worship it.o
7They lift it to their shoulders and carryp it;
they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move.q
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;r
it cannot saves them from their troubles.
8“Remembert this, keep it in mind,
take it to heart, you rebels.u
9Remember the former things,v those of long ago;w
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.x
10I make known the end from the beginning,y
from ancient times,z what is still to come.a
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,b
and I will do all that I please.’
11From the east I summonc a bird of prey;d
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned,e that I will do.f
12Listeng to me, you stubborn-hearted,h
you who are now far from my righteousness.i
13I am bringing my righteousnessj near,
it is not far away;
and my salvationk will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,l
my splendorm to Israel.