The Book of
Author
The first verse of this book names its author as Isaiah, the son of Amoz. The name “Isaiah” means “Yahweh Is Salvation.” The vision and prophecy are claimed four times by Isaiah; his name is mentioned an additional twelve times in the book. His name also occurs twelve times in 2 Kings and four times in 2 Chronicles.
The Book of Isaiah is directly quoted twenty-one times in the New Testament and attributed in each case to the prophet Isaiah. Some scholars who have difficulty with detailed prophetic prediction of future events have denied to Isaiah the authorship of chapters 40—66. They term this section Second Isaiah and insist that since these chapters deal with events that took place long after Isaiah’s day, such as the Babylonian captivity of Judah, the return from Exile, and the rise of Cyrus, the Persian ruler who mandated the return from Exile (45:1), they were written later and attached to Isaiah.
If divine inspiration of Scripture and the possibility of the supernatural are accepted, however, one should have no difficulty with the unity of authorship of Isaiah. After all, Isaiah and other prophets of his time prophesied events in the life of Jesus that happened seven hundred years later. Furthermore, critics overlook the fact that Isaiah had access to the Book of Deuteronomy, which predicted both a captivity and a return from exile (Deut. 29; 30). If the mention of Cyrus (44:28; 45:1) is a stumbling block, what about Bethlehem, Jesus’ birthplace, named and predicted by Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah (Mic. 5:2)?
Other arguments favor single authorship: 1) key words and phrases are equally distributed throughout Isaiah; 2) references to landscape and local coloring are also uniform. The greater beauty in style of Hebrew poetry in the latter chapters of Isaiah can be explained by the change in subject matter from judgment and entreaty to comfort and assurance. In any case, as clearly likely as it is that Isaiah was written via one penman, contending for this position is not intended to impugn the sincerity of any with contrary opinion.
Date
The prophet states that he prophesied during the reigns of “Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (1:1). Many conservative scholars accept his call to the prophetic office as being in the year that King Uzziah died, which was about 740 B.C. (6:1, 8). Since Isaiah mentions the death of the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, who died about 680 B.C. (37:37, 38), he must have outlived Hezekiah by a few years. Tradition has it that Isaiah was martyred during the reign of Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son. Many believe that the clause “sawn in two” in Hebrews 11:37 is a reference to Isaiah’s death. The first part of the book may have been written in Isaiah’s earlier years, the latter chapters after his retirement from public life.
Background
If Isaiah began prophesying about 740 B.C., his ministry overlapped those of Hosea in the northern kingdom of Israel and Micah in the southern kingdom of Judah.
Isaiah prophesied at the most crucial period in the history of Judah and Israel. Both the southern and northern kingdoms had experienced nearly a half-century of increasing prosperity and power. Israel, ruled by Jeroboam and six other minor kings, had succumbed to pagan worship; Judah, under Uzziah, Jotham, and Hezekiah, had maintained an outward conformity to orthodoxy, but had gradually fallen into serious moral and spiritual decline (3:8–26). Secret places of pagan worship were tolerated; the wealthy oppressed the poor; the women neglected their families in the quest of carnal pleasure; many of the priests and prophets became drunken men-pleasers (5:7–12, 18–23; 22:12–14). While there would come one more revival in Judah under King Josiah (640–609 B.C.), it was clear to Isaiah that the covenant recorded by Moses in Deuteronomy 30:11–20 had been so completely violated that judgment and captivity were inevitable for Judah, even as it was for Israel.
Isaiah entered his ministry at about the time of the founding of Rome and the first Olympic games of the Greeks. European powers were not quite ready for wide conquest, but several Asian powers were looking beyond their borders. Assyria particularly was poised for conquest to the south and to the west. The prophet, who was a student of world affairs, could see the conflict that was imminent. Assyria took Samaria in 721 B.C., resulting in the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel and its people being taken into Assyrian captivity.
Purpose
One of Isaiah’s purposes was to declare God’s displeasure with and judgment upon sin in Judah, Israel, and the surrounding nations. Almost all the Hebrew words for sin are employed by the prophet. A parallel purpose was to endeavor to turn God’s people away from disobedience in order to avert disaster, a purpose that was only partially successful. Perhaps the greatest purpose, however, was to lay a foundation of hope and promise for the faithful remnant of God’s people. Thus the book is full of promises of restoration and redemption, of the certain advent of the Messiah, of salvation for all the nations, and of the triumph of God’s purposes in spite of intervals of suffering.
Personal Application
No Old Testament book, with the possible exception of the Psalms, speaks more powerfully and appropriately to the modern-day church than the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah has been called both the “messianic prophet” and the “evangelical prophet.” He prophesied for all future ages, predicting both the first and second advents of Christ. His very name means “Salvation,” a salvation not only for those of his day, but also a salvation of the peoples of the nations for all time. This salvation issues from a Savior or Redeemer who has provided a ransom; it is always a vicarious salvation by grace. The prophetic time frame of Isaiah will not close until the Son of David rules over His kingdom of peace (2:1–5; 11:1–9; 42:1–4; 61:1–11; 65:17–25; 66:22, 23).
Isaiah speaks as powerfully to our day as he did to the society of his day. He focused a spotlight of holiness upon the sordid sins of Israel and Judah; he summoned his contemporaries to cease from their social injustice, their quest for carnal indulgence, their trust in the arm of flesh, and their hypocritical pretense of orthodox religion. He also warned of the consequences of judgment if sin continued.
Christ Revealed
After His resurrection Jesus walked with two of His disciples and “expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). To do so He must have drawn heavily from the Book of Isaiah, because seventeen chapters of Isaiah contain prophetic references to Christ.
Christ is spoken of as the “LORD,” “Branch of the LORD,” “Immanuel,” “Wonderful, Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” “Prince of Peace,” “Rod of Jesse,” “Cornerstone,” “King,” “Shepherd,” “Servant of Yahweh,” “Elect One,” “Lamb of God,” “Leader and Commander,” “Redeemer,” and “Anointed One.”
Chapter 53 is the greatest single Old Testament chapter prophesying the Messiah’s atoning work. No text in either Testament more completely sets forth the purpose of Christ’s vicarious death on the Cross than this chapter. It is directly quoted nine or ten times by New Testament writers: 52:15 (Rom. 15:21); 53:1 (John 12:38; Rom. 10:16); 53:4 (Matt. 8:17); 53:5 (Rom. 4:25; 1 Pet. 2:24); 53:7, 8 (Acts 8:32, 33); 53:9 (1 Pet. 2:22); 53:10 (1 Cor. 15:3, 4); 53:12 (Luke 22:37). There are also many New Testament fulfillments of details in chapter 53 in addition to the direct quotations.
The Holy Spirit at Work
The Holy Spirit is mentioned specifically fifteen times in the Book of Isaiah, not counting references to the Spirit’s power, effect, or influence without mention of His name. There are three general categories under which the work of the Holy Spirit may be described:
1. The Spirit’s operation at Creation and in the preservation of nature (40:13; see also 48:16).
2. The Spirit’s outpouring upon Israel to give them success in their rehabilitation after the pattern of the Exodus (44:1–5; 63:1–5), to protect them from their enemies (59:19), and to preserve Israel in covenant relationship with Yahweh (59:21). However, Israel must be careful not to rebel and grieve the Holy Spirit (63:10; Eph. 4:30).
3. The Spirit’s anointing upon the Messiah to empower Him for His rule and administration as King on the throne of David (11:1–12); as the suffering Servant of the Lord who will heal, liberate, enlighten, and bring justice to the nations (42:1–9); as the Anointed One (Messiah) in both His advents (61:1–3; Luke 4:17–21).
The Lord Jesus, whose earthly ministry was carried out in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit, as Isaiah has prophesied, promised to pour out His Spirit upon the church to empower it for ministry in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
Outline of Isaiah
I. Prophecy of denunciation and invitation (Part One) 1:1—35:10
A. Messages of judgment and promise 1:1—6:13
1. An indictment of rebellion, call to repent 1:1–31
2. Future glory, punishment for perversion 2:1—4:1
3. Branch of the Lord 4:2–6
4. Song of the vineyard, and assorted woes 5:1–30
5. The prophet, his vision, and call 6:1–13
B. Messages concerning Immanuel 7:1—12:6
1. Invasion against Ahaz, Yahweh’s sign: a Child’s birth 7:1–25
2. Assyria, the Lord’s instrument 8:1–22
3. A great light, God’s Wonderful Child 9:1–7
4. God’s judgment upon Israel and Assyria 9:8—10:19
5. The remnant of Jacob, Branch of Jesse 10:20—11:16
6. Songs of praise to the Lord 12:1–6
C. Messages of judgment upon the nations 13:1—24:23
D. Messages of judgment, praise, promise 25:1—27:13
1. The Lord’s deliverance, the kingdom age 25:1–12
2. The Rock of Ages and the resurrection 26:1–21
3. Doom of oppressors, Israel restored 27:1–13
E. Woes to unbelievers and immoral in Israel 28:1—33:24
1. Woe to drunkards and scoffers 28:1–29
2. Woe to hypocrites in Zion 29:1–24
3. Woes to those who trust in Egypt 30:1—31:9
4. About the coming King and His reign of peace, mingled with assorted woes 32:1—33:24
1. Judgments upon ungodly nations 34:1–17
2. Joy and blessing to God’s people 35:1–10
II. God’s dealing with Hezekiah 36:1—39:8
A. God’s deliverance of Judah 36:1—37:38
B. God’s healing of Hezekiah 38:1–22
C. God’s censure of Hezekiah 39:1–8
III. Prophecy of comfort and peace (Part Two) 40:1—66:24
A. The assurance of comfort and peace 40:1—48:22
1. The greatness of Yahweh the Comforter 40:1–31
2. His challenge to the nations and Israel 41:1–29
3. Yahweh’s servants: Christ and Israel 42:1–25
4. Yahweh’s gracious redemption 43:1—44:5
5. Yahweh’s indictment of idolatry 44:6–23
6. Yahweh’s using Cyrus as a deliverer 44:24—45:25
7. Yahweh and idols contrasted 46:1–13
8. Yahweh’s judgment upon Babylon 47:1–15
9. Yahweh’s rebuke to Israel followed by promise 48:1–22
B. The Lord’s Servant, the Author of comfort and peace 49:1—57:21
1. The Servant’s restoration of Israel and light to the nations 49:1–26
2. The disobedience of Israel and the obedience of the Servant 50:1–11
3. Yahweh’s remnant encouraged to listen 51:1—52:12
4. The Servant’s triumph through vicarious suffering 52:13—53:12
5. The resulting restoration of Israel 54:1–17
6. God’s grace and peace toward repentant sinners 55:1—56:8
7. The rebuke of false leaders and idolatrous backsliders 56:9—57:21
C. The realization of comfort and peace 58:1—66:24
1. False and true worship compared 58:1–14
2. Israel’s sin and God’s Redeemer 59:1–21
3. The well-being and peace of the redeemed of the Lord 60:1–22
4. The Spirit-anointed Redeemer who brings the kingdom of peace 61:1—62:12
5. God’s vengeance and Israel’s prayer for deliverance 63:1—64:12
6. God’s answer to prayer and Israel’s future hope 65:1—66:24
1 THE avision* of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the bdays of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
The Wickedness of Judah
2 aHear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!
For the LORD has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children,
And they have rebelled against Me;
And the donkey its master’s 1crib;
But Israel bdoes not know,
My people do not 2consider.”
4 Alas, sinful nation,
A people 1laden with iniquity,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the LORD,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.
5 aWhy should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.
Your cities are burned with fire;
Strangers devour your land in your presence;
And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 So the daughter of Zion is left aas a 1booth in a vineyard,
As a hut in a garden of cucumbers,
bAs a besieged city.
9 aUnless the LORD of hosts
Had left to us a very small remnant,
We would have become like bSodom,
We would have been made like Gomorrah.
You rulers aof Sodom;
Give ear to the law of our God,
You people of Gomorrah:
11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your asacrifices to Me?”
Says the LORD.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not *delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.
12 “When you come ato appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
13 Bring no more afutile1 sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and bthe calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14 Your aNew Moons and your bappointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 aWhen you 1spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
bEven though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of 2blood.
16 “Washa yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
bCease to do evil,
Seek justice,
Rebuke 1the oppressor;
2Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
18 “Come now, and let us areason together,”
Says the LORD,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
bThey shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
aFor the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
The Degenerate City
21 aHow the faithful city has become a 1harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now bmurderers.
22 aYour silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23 aYour princes are rebellious,
cEveryone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They ddo not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord says,
The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,
“Ah, aI will 1rid Myself of My adversaries,
And 2take vengeance on My enemies.
25 I will turn My hand against you,
And athoroughly1 *purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges aas at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward byou shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
And her 1penitents with righteousness.
28 The adestruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,
And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
29 For 1they shall be ashamed of the 2terebinth trees
Which you have desired;
And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens
Which you have chosen.
30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades,
And as a garden that has no water.
31 aThe strong shall be as tinder,
And the work of it as a spark;
Both will burn together,
And no one shall bquench them.
The Future House of God
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Now ait shall come to pass bin the latter days
cThat the mountain of the LORD’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
3 Many people shall come and say,
a“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
bFor out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning 1hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
The Day of the LORD
5 O house of Jacob, come and let us awalk
In the light of the LORD.
6 For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled awith eastern ways;
They are bsoothsayers like the Philistines,
cAnd they 1are pleased with the children of foreigners.
7 aTheir land is also full of silver and gold,
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land is also full of horses,
And there is no end to their chariots.
8 aTheir land is also full of idols;
They worship the work of their own hands,
That which their own fingers have made.
And each man *humbles himself;
Therefore do not forgive them.
10 aEnter into the rock, and hide in the dust,
From the terror of the LORD
And the *glory of His majesty.
11 The 1lofty looks of man shall be ahumbled,*
The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,
And the LORD alone shall be exalted bin that day.
12 For the day of the LORD of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—
13 Upon all athe cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,
And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
14 aUpon all the high mountains,
And upon all the hills that are lifted up;
15 Upon every high tower,
And upon every fortified wall;
16 aUpon all the ships of Tarshish,
And upon all the beautiful sloops.
17 The 1loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;
The LORD alone will be exalted in that day,
18 But the idols 1He shall utterly abolish.
19 They shall go into the aholes of the rocks,
And into the caves of the 1earth,
bFrom the terror of the LORD
And the *glory of His majesty,
When He arises cto shake the earth mightily.
20 In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver
And his idols of gold,
Which they made, each for himself to worship,
To the moles and bats,
21 To go into the clefts of the rocks,
And into the crags of the rugged rocks,
From the terror of the LORD
And the *glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
22 aSever1 yourselves from such a man,
Whose bbreath is in his nostrils;
Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem
1 For behold, the *Lord, the LORD of hosts,
aTakes away from Jerusalem and from Judah
The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water;
2 aThe mighty man and the man of war,
The judge and the prophet,
And the diviner and the *elder;
3 The captain of fifty and the 1honorable man,
The counselor and the skillful artisan,
And the expert enchanter.
4 “I will give achildren1 to be their princes,
And 2babes shall rule over them.
5 The people will be oppressed,
Every one by another and every one by his neighbor;
The child will be insolent toward the 1elder,
And the 2base toward the honorable.”
6 When a man takes hold of his brother
In the house of his father, saying,
“You have clothing;
You be our ruler,
And let these ruins be under your 1power,”
7 In that day he will protest, saying,
“I cannot cure your ills,
For in my house is neither food nor clothing;
Do not make me a ruler of the people.”
And Judah is fallen,
Because their tongue and their doings
Are against the LORD,
To provoke the eyes of His glory.
9 The look on their countenance witnesses against them,
And they declare their *sin as aSodom;
They do not hide it.
Woe to their soul!
For they have brought evil upon themselves.
10 “Say to the righteous athat it shall be well with them,
bFor they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe to the wicked! aIt shall be ill with him,
For the reward of his hands shall be 1given him.
12 As for My people, children are their oppressors,
And women rule over them.
O My people! aThose who lead you 1cause you to err,
And destroy the way of your paths.”
Oppression and Luxury Condemned
13 The LORD stands up ato 1plead,
And stands to *judge the people.
14 The LORD will enter into judgment
With the *elders of His people
And His princes:
“For you have 1eaten up athe vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by acrushing My people
And grinding the faces of the poor?”
Says the Lord GOD of hosts.
16 Moreover the LORD says:
“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
And walk with 1outstretched necks
And 2wanton eyes,
Walking and 3mincing as they go,
Making a jingling with their feet,
17 Therefore the Lord will strike with aa scab
The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
And the LORD will buncover their secret parts.”
18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery:
The jingling anklets, the 1scarves, and the acrescents;
19 The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
20 The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands;
The perfume boxes, the charms,
The nose jewels,
22 the festal apparel, and the mantles;
The outer garments, the purses,
The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.
Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;
Instead of a sash, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, abaldness;
Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;
And 1branding instead of *beauty.
25 Your men shall fall by the sword,
And your 1mighty in the war.
26 aHer gates shall lament and *mourn,
And she being desolate bshall sit on the ground.
1 And ain that day seven women shall take hold of *one *man, saying,
“We will beat our own food and wear our own apparel;
Only let us be called by your name,
To take away cour reproach.”
The Renewal of Zion
2 In that day athe Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious;
And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing
For those of Israel who have escaped.
3 And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem awill be called holy—everyone who is brecorded among the living in Jerusalem.
4 When athe Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the 1blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning,
5 then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, aa cloud and smoke by day and bthe shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a 1covering.
6 And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, afor a *place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.
God’s Disappointing Vineyard
1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved aregarding His vineyard:
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
1On a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also 1made a winepress in it;
aSo He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
aJudge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in ait?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
aI will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will lay it awaste;
It shall not be pruned or 1dug,
But there shall come up briers and bthorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold, 1a cry for help.
Impending Judgment on Excesses
8 Woe to those who 1join ahouse to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
9 aIn my hearing the LORD of hosts said,
“Truly, many houses shall be desolate,
Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one abath,1
And a homer of seed shall yield one 2ephah.”
11 aWoe to those who rise early in the morning,
That they may 1follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!
12 aThe harp and the strings,
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;
But bthey do not regard the work of the LORD,
Nor consider the operation of His hands.
13 aTherefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no bknowledge;
Their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.
15 People shall be brought down,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.
16 But the LORD of hosts shall be aexalted in judgment,
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.
17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture,
And in the waste places of athe 1fat ones strangers shall eat.
18 Woe to those who 1draw iniquity with cords of 2vanity,
And sin as if with a cart rope;
19 aThat say, “Let Him make speed and hasten His work,
That we may see it;
And let the *counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come,
That we may know it.”
20 Woe to those who call *evil *good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are awise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!
22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men *valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who ajustify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!
24 Therefore, aas the 1fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So btheir root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 aTherefore the anger of the LORD is aroused against His people;
He has stretched out His hand against them
And stricken them,
And bthe hills trembled.
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.
cFor all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
26 aHe will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,
And will bwhistle to them from cthe end of the earth;
Surely dthey shall come with speed, swiftly.
27 No one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep;
Nor awill the belt on their loins be loosed,
Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;
28 aWhose arrows are sharp,
And all their bows bent;
Their horses’ hooves will 1seem like flint,
And their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roaring will be like a lion,
They will *roar like young lions;
Yes, they will roar
And lay hold of the prey;
They will carry it away safely,
And no one will deliver.
30 In that day they will roar against them
Like the roaring of the sea.
And if one alooks to the land,
Behold, darkness and 1sorrow;
And the light is darkened by the clouds.
Isaiah Called to Be a Prophet
1 In the year that aKing Uzziah died, I bsaw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, awith two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one cried to another and said:
a“Holy,* holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
bThe whole *earth is full of His glory!”
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 So I said:
“Woe is me, for I am 1undone!
Because I am a man of aunclean* lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.”
6 Then one of the *seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from athe *altar.
7 And he atouched my mouth with it, and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for aUs?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
9 And He said, “Go, and atell this people:
‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 “Make athe heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
bLest they see with their eyes,
And *hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered:
a“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant,
The houses are without a man,
The land is utterly desolate,
12 aThe LORD has removed men far away,
And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 But yet a tenth will be in it,
And will return and be for consuming,
As a terebinth tree or as an oak,
Whose stump remains when it is cut down.
So athe holy seed shall be its stump.”
Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz
1 Now it came to pass in the days of aAhaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against bit, but could not 1prevail against it.
2 And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are 1deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.
3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and 1Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field,
4 “and say to him: 1‘Take heed, and 2be aquiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah.
5 ‘Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying,
6 “Let us go up against Judah and 1trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”—
a“It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.
8 aFor the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be 1broken,
So that it will not be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son.
Surely you shall not be established.” ’ ”
The Immanuel Prophecy
10 Moreover the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying,
11 a“Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your *God; 1ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I *test the LORD!”
13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?
14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a *sign: aBehold, the virgin shall conceive and bear ba Son, and shall call His name cImmanuel.1
15 “Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.
16 a“For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by bboth her kings.
17 a“The LORD will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that bEphraim departed from Judah.”
18 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the LORD awill whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in athe clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.
20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a ahired brazor,
With those from beyond 1the River, with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.
21 It shall be in that day
That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give,
That he will eat curds;
For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.
23 It shall happen in that day,
That wherever there could be a thousand vines
Worth a thousand shekels of silver,
aIt will be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and bows men will come there,
Because all the land will become briers and thorns.
25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe,
You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns;
But it will become a range for oxen
And a place for sheep to roam.
Assyria Will Invade the Land
1 Moreover the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll, and awrite on it with a man’s pen concerning 1Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
2 “And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, aUriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”
3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the LORD said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz;
4 a“for before the child 1shall have knowledge to cry ‘My *father’ and ‘My mother,’ bthe riches of Damascus and the 2spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”
5 The LORD also spoke to me again, saying:
6 “Inasmuch as these people refused
The *waters of aShiloah that flow softly,
And rejoice bin Rezin and in Remaliah’s son;
7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them
The waters of 1the River, strong and mighty—
The king of Assyria and all his glory;
He will 2go up over all his channels
And go over all his banks.
He will overflow and pass over,
aHe will reach up to the neck;
And the stretching out of his wings
Will 1fill the breadth of Your land, O bImmanuel.2
9 “Bea shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces!
Give ear, all you from far countries.
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces;
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.
10 aTake counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, bbut it will not stand,
Fear God, Heed His Word
11 For the LORD spoke thus to me with 1a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:
12 “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their 1threats,* nor be 2troubled.
13 The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.
14 aHe will be as a 1sanctuary,
But ba stone of stumbling and a rock of 2offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall astumble;
They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and 1taken.”
16 Bind up the testimony,
Seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait on the LORD,
Who ahides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I bwill hope in Him.
18 aHere am I and the children whom the LORD has given me!
We bare for signs and wonders in Israel
From the LORD of hosts,
Who *dwells in Mount Zion.
19 And when they say to you, a“Seek those who are mediums and wizards, bwho whisper and *mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they cseek the dead on behalf of the living?
20 aTo the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because bthere1 is no light in them.
21 They will pass through it hardpressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and acurse 1their king and their God, and look upward.
22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.
The Government of the Promised Son
1 Nevertheless athe gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at bfirst He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And cafterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 aThe people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And 1increased its joy;
They *rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men *rejoice awhen they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of aMidian.
5 For every warrior’s 1sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments *rolled in blood,
aWill be used for burning and fuel 2of fire.
6 aFor unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a bSon is given;
And cthe government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be *called
dWonderful, Counselor, eMighty God,
Everlasting Father, fPrince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
aThere will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even *forever.
The bzeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
The Punishment of Samaria
8 The Lord sent a word against aJacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria—
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the LORD shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is 1stretched out still.
13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts.
14 Therefore the LORD will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush ain one day.
15 The *elder and honorable, he is the head;
The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For athe leaders of this people cause them to err,
And those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord awill *have no joy in their young men,
Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
And every mouth speaks 1folly.
bFor all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness aburns as the fire;
It shall devour the briers and thorns,
And kindle in the thickets of the forest;
They shall mount up like rising smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts
aThe land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire;
bNo man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall 1snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
bEvery man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be aagainst Judah.
bFor all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
1 “Woe to those who adecree unrighteous decrees,
Who write misfortune,
Which they have prescribed
2 To rob the needy of justice,
And to take what is right from the poor of My people,
That widows may be their prey,
And that they may rob the fatherless.
3 aWhat will you do in bthe day of punishment,
And in the desolation which will come from cafar?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your glory?
4 Without Me they shall bow down among the aprisoners,
And they shall fall 1among the slain.”
bFor all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
Arrogant Assyria Also Judged
5 “Woe to Assyria, athe rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
6 I will send him against aan ungodly nation,
And against the people of My wrath
I will bgive him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Nor does his heart think so;
But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations.
8 aFor he says,
‘Are not my princes altogether kings?
9 Is not aCalno blike Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria clike Damascus?
10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols,
Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?’ ”
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has 1performed all His work aon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, b“I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.”
13 aFor he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
And by my wisdom, for I am prudent;
Also I have removed the boundaries of the people,
And have robbed their treasuries;
So I have put down the inhabitants like a 1valiant man.
14 aMy hand has found like a nest the riches of the people,
And as one gathers eggs that are left,
I have gathered all the earth;
And there was no one who moved his wing,
Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.”
15 Shall athe ax boast itself against him who chops with it?
Or shall the saw *exalt itself against him who saws with it?
As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up,
Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord, the 1Lord of hosts,
Will send leanness among his fat ones;
And under his glory
He will kindle a burning
Like the burning of a fire.
17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire,
And his Holy One for a flame;
aIt will burn and devour
His thorns and his briers in one day.
18 And it will consume the glory of his forest and of ahis fruitful field,
Both soul and body;
And they will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 Then the rest of the trees of his forest
Will be so few in number
That a child may write them.
The Returning Remnant of Israel
20 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the remnant of Israel,
And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob,
aWill never again depend on him who 1defeated them,
But will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in *truth.
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the aMighty God.
22 aFor though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,
bA remnant of them will return;
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 aFor the Lord GOD of hosts
Will make a determined end
In the midst of all the land.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: “O My people, who dwell in Zion, ado not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of bEgypt.
25 “For yet a very little while aand the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction.”
26 And the LORD of hosts will 1stir* up aa scourge for him like the slaughter of bMidian at the rock of Oreb; cas His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt.
27 It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of athe anointing oil.
28 He has come to Aiath,
He has passed Migron;
At Michmash he has attended to his equipment.
29 They have gone 1along athe ridge,
They have taken up lodging at Geba.
Ramah is afraid,
bGibeah of Saul has fled.
30 1Lift up your voice,
O daughter aof Gallim!
Cause it to be heard as far as bLaish—
2O poor Anathoth!
31 aMadmenah has fled,
The inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge.
32 As yet he will remain aat Nob that day;
He will bshake his fist at the mount of cthe daughter of Zion,
The hill of Jerusalem.
The LORD of hosts,
Will lop off the bough with terror;
aThose of high stature will be hewn down,
And the haughty will be humbled.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
The Reign of Jesse’s Offspring
1 There ashall come forth a 1Rod from the 2stem of bJesse,
And ca Branch shall 3grow out of his roots.
2 aThe Spirit of the LORD shall *rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of *knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But awith righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall bstrike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
6 “Thea wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 aThey shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For bthe earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea.
10 “Anda in that day bthere shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a cbanner to the people;
For the dGentiles shall seek Him,
And His *resting place shall be glorious.”
11 It shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time
To recover the remnant of His people who are left,
aFrom Assyria and Egypt,
From Pathros and Cush,
From Elam and Shinar,
From Hamath and the 1islands of the sea.
12 He will set up a banner for the nations,
And will 1assemble the outcasts of Israel,
And gather together athe dispersed of Judah
From the four 2corners of the earth.
13 Also athe envy of Ephraim shall depart,
And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not envy Judah,
And Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west;
Together they shall plunder the 1people of the East;
aThey shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab;
And the people of Ammon shall obey them.
15 The LORD awill utterly 1destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt;
With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over 2the River,
And strike it in the seven streams,
And make men *cross over 3dry-shod.
16 aThere will be a highway for the remnant of His people
Who will be left from Assyria,
bAs it was for Israel
In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.
A Hymn of Praise
1 And ain that day you will say:
“O LORD, I will *praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
a‘For bYAH, the LORD, is my *strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”
3 Therefore with joy you will draw awater
From the wells of salvation.
4 And in that day you will say:
a“Praise the LORD, call upon His name;
bDeclare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His cname is exalted.
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
6 aCry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is bthe Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
Proclamation Against Babylon
1 The aburden1 against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2 “Lifta up a banner bon the high mountain,
*Raise your voice to them;
cWave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded My 1sanctified ones;
I have also called aMy mighty ones for My anger—
Those who brejoice in My exaltation.”
4 The anoise of a multitude in the mountains,
Like that of *many people!
A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together!
The LORD of hosts musters
The army for battle.
5 They come from a far country,
From the end of heaven—
The aLORD and His 1weapons of indignation,
To destroy the whole bland.
6 Wail, afor the day of the LORD is at hand!
bIt will come as destruction from the *Almighty.
7 Therefore all hands will be limp,
Every man’s heart will melt,
aPangs1 and sorrows will take hold of them;
They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;
They will be amazed at one another;
Their faces will be like flames.
9 Behold, athe day of the LORD comes,
Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,
To lay the land desolate;
And He will destroy bits sinners from it.
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not give their light;
The sun will be adarkened in its going forth,
And the moon will not cause its light to shine.
11 “I will apunish the *world for its evil,
And the wicked for their iniquity;
bI will halt the arrogance of the proud,
And will lay low the haughtiness of the 1terrible.
12 I will make a *mortal more rare than fine gold,
A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 aTherefore I will shake the heavens,
And the earth will move out of her place,
In the wrath of the LORD of hosts
And in bthe day of His fierce anger.
14 It shall be as the hunted gazelle,
And as a sheep that no man 1takes up;
aEvery man will turn to his own people,
And everyone will flee to his own land.
15 Everyone who is found will be thrust through,
And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their children also will be adashed to pieces before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives bravished.
17 “Behold,a I will stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not 1regard silver;
And as for gold, they will not delight in it.
18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces,
And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
Their eye will not spare children.
19 aAnd Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew bSodom and Gomorrah.
20 aIt will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from *generation to generation;
Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,
Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
21 aBut wild beasts of the desert will lie there,
And their houses will be full of 1owls;
Ostriches will dwell there,
And wild goats will caper there.
22 The hyenas will howl in their citadels,
And jackals in their pleasant palaces.
aHer time is near to come,
And her days will not be prolonged.”
Mercy on Jacob
1 For the LORD awill have mercy on Jacob, and bwill still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. cThe strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob.
2 Then people will take them aand bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the LORD; they will take them captive whose captives they were, band rule over their oppressors.
Fall of the King of Babylon
3 It shall come to pass in the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve,
4 that you awill take up this *proverb against the king of Babylon, and say:
“How the oppressor has ceased,
5 The LORD has broken athe staff of the wicked,
The scepter of the rulers;
6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke,
He who ruled the nations in anger,
Is persecuted and no one hinders.
7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet;
They break forth into singing.
8 aIndeed the cypress trees rejoice over you,
And the cedars of Lebanon,
Saying, ‘Since you 1were cut down,
No woodsman has come up against us.’
9 “Hella1 from beneath is excited about you,
To meet you at your coming;
It stirs up the dead for you,
All the chief ones of the earth;
It has raised up from their thrones
All the kings of the nations.
10 They all shall aspeak and say to you:
‘Have you also become as weak as we?
Have you become like us?
11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
And the sound of your stringed instruments;
The maggot is spread under you,
And worms cover you.’
The Fall of Lucifer