Chapter 10

1  Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,
    and the writers who keep writing oppression,
2  to turn aside the needy from justice
    and to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
    and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
3  What will you do on the day of punishment,
    in the ruin that will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
    and where will you leave your wealth?
4  Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
    or fall among the slain.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.

Judgment on Arrogant Assyria

5  Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger;
    the staff in their hands is my fury!
6  Against a godless nation I send him,
    and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
    and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7  But he does not so intend,
    and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
    and to cut off nations not a few;
8  for he says:
“Are not my commanders all kings?
9  Is not Calno like Carchemish?
    Is not Hamath like Arpad?
    Is not Samaria like Damascus?
10  As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols,
    whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11  shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols
    as I have done to Samaria and her images?”

12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he ^{1 10:12 Hebrew I} will punish the speech ^{2 10:12 Hebrew fruit} of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. 13 For he says:

“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
    and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
    and plunder their treasures;
    like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
14  My hand has found like a nest
    the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
    so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
    or opened the mouth or chirped.”

15  Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
    or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
    or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
16  Therefore the Lord God of hosts
    will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors,
and under his glory a burning will be kindled,
    like the burning of fire.
17  The light of Israel will become a fire,
    and his Holy One a flame,
and it will burn and devour
    his thorns and briers in one day.
18  The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land
    the LORD will destroy, both soul and body,
    and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19  The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
    that a child can write them down.

The Remnant of Israel Will Return

20 In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 22 For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.

24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. 25 For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 26 And the LORD of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt. 27 And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.” ^{3 10:27 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain}

28  He has come to Aiath;
he has passed through Migron;
    at Michmash he stores his baggage;
29  they have crossed over the pass;
    at Geba they lodge for the night;
Ramah trembles;
    Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30  Cry aloud, O daughter of Gallim!
    Give attention, O Laishah!
    O poor Anathoth!
31  Madmenah is in flight;
    the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32  This very day he will halt at Nob;
    he will shake his fist
    at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
    the hill of Jerusalem.

33  Behold, the Lord God of hosts
    will lop the boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
    and the lofty will be brought low.
34  He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe,
    and Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.

Chapter 11

The Righteous Reign of the Branch

1  There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2  And the 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 the fear of the LORD.
3  And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4  but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5  Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

6  The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
    and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
    and a little child shall lead them.
7  The cow and the bear shall graze;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8  The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
9  They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
    as the waters cover the sea.

10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, ^{4 11:11 Probably Nubia} from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

12  He will raise a signal for the nations
    and will assemble the banished of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
    from the four corners of the earth.
13  The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,
    and those who harass Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
    and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
14  But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west,
    and together they shall plunder the people of the east.
They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab,
    and the Ammonites shall obey them.
15  And the LORD will utterly destroy ^{5 11:15 Hebrew devote to destruction}
    the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,
and will wave his hand over the River ^{6 11:15 That is, the Euphrates}
    with his scorching breath, ^{7 11:15 Or wind}
and strike it into seven channels,
    and he will lead people across in sandals.
16  And there will be a highway from Assyria
    for the remnant that remains of his people,
as there was for Israel
    when they came up from the land of Egypt.

Chapter 12

The LORD Is My Strength and My Song

1  You ^{8 12:1 The Hebrew for you is singular in verse 1} will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O LORD,
    for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
    that you might comfort me.

2  Behold, God is my salvation;
    I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the LORD God ^{9 12:2 Hebrew for Yah, the LORD} is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation.”

3 With joy you ^{10 12:3 The Hebrew for you is plural in verses 3, 4} will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the LORD,
    call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
    proclaim that his name is exalted.

5  Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously;
    let this be made known ^{11 12:5 Or this is made known} in all the earth.
6  Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
    for great in your ^{12 12:6 The Hebrew for your in verse 6 is singular, referring to the inhabitant of Zion} midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Chapter 13

The Judgment of Babylon

1 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

2  On a bare hill raise a signal;
    cry aloud to them;
wave the hand for them to enter
    the gates of the nobles.
3  I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,
    and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger,
    my proudly exulting ones. ^{13 13:3 Or those who exult in my majesty}

4  The sound of a tumult is on the mountains
    as of a great multitude!
The sound of an uproar of kingdoms,
    of nations gathering together!
The LORD of hosts is mustering
    a host for battle.
5  They come from a distant land,
    from the end of the heavens,
the LORD and the weapons of his indignation,
    to destroy the whole land. ^{14 13:5 Or earth; also verse 9}

6  Wail, for the day of the LORD is near;
    as destruction from the Almighty ^{15 13:6 The Hebrew words for destruction and almighty sound alike} it will come!
7  Therefore all hands will be feeble,
    and every human heart will melt.
8  They will be dismayed:
    pangs and agony will seize them;
    they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at one another;
    their faces will be aflame.

9  Behold, the day of the LORD comes,
    cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
to make the land a desolation
    and to destroy its sinners from it.
10  For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
    will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising,
    and the moon will not shed its light.
11  I will punish the world for its evil,
    and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,
    and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
12  I will make people more rare than fine gold,
    and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
13  Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
    and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the LORD of hosts
    in the day of his fierce anger.
14  And like a hunted gazelle,
    or like sheep with none to gather them,
each will turn to his own people,
    and each will flee to his own land.
15  Whoever is found will be thrust through,
    and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.
16  Their infants will be dashed in pieces
    before their eyes;
their houses will be plundered
    and their wives ravished.

17  Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them,
    who have no regard for silver
    and do not delight in gold.
18  Their bows will slaughter ^{16 13:18 Hebrew dash in pieces} the young men;
    they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;
    their eyes will not pity children.
19  And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
    the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
    when God overthrew them.
20  It will never be inhabited
    or lived in for all generations;
no Arab will pitch his tent there;
    no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.
21  But wild animals will lie down there,
    and their houses will be full of howling creatures;
there ostriches ^{17 13:21 Or owls} will dwell,
    and there wild goats will dance.
22  Hyenas ^{18 13:22 Or foxes} will cry in its towers,
    and jackals in the pleasant palaces;
its time is close at hand
    and its days will not be prolonged.

Chapter 14

The Restoration of Jacob

1 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves. ^{19 14:2 Or servants} They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.

Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon

3 When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

“How the oppressor has ceased,
    the insolent fury ^{20 14:4 Dead Sea Scroll (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain} ceased!
5  The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked,
    the scepter of rulers,
6  that struck the peoples in wrath
    with unceasing blows,
that ruled the nations in anger
    with unrelenting persecution.
7  The whole earth is at rest and quiet;
    they break forth into singing.
8  The cypresses rejoice at you,
    the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low,
    no woodcutter comes up against us.’
9  Sheol beneath is stirred up
    to meet you when you come;
it rouses the shades to greet you,
    all who were leaders of the earth;
it raises from their thrones
    all who were kings of the nations.
10  All of them will answer
    and say to you:
‘You too have become as weak as we!
    You have become like us!’
11  Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
    the sound of your harps;
maggots are laid as a bed beneath you,
    and worms are your covers.

12  How you are fallen from heaven,
    O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
    you who laid the nations low!
13  You said in your heart,
    ‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
    I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
    in the far reaches of the north; ^{21 14:13 Or in the remote parts of Zaphon}
14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.’
15  But you are brought down to Sheol,
    to the far reaches of the pit.
16  Those who see you will stare at you
    and ponder over you:
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
    who shook kingdoms,
17  who made the world like a desert
    and overthrew its cities,
    who did not let his prisoners go home?’
18  All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
    each in his own tomb; ^{22 14:18 Hebrew house}
19  but you are cast out, away from your grave,
    like a loathed branch,
clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword,
    who go down to the stones of the pit,
    like a dead body trampled underfoot.
20  You will not be joined with them in burial,
    because you have destroyed your land,
    you have slain your people.

May the offspring of evildoers
    nevermore be named!
21  Prepare slaughter for his sons
    because of the guilt of their fathers,
lest they rise and possess the earth,
    and fill the face of the world with cities.”

22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the LORD. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, ^{23 14:23 Possibly porcupine, or owl} and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts.

An Oracle Concerning Assyria

24  The LORD of hosts has sworn:
“As I have planned,
    so shall it be,
and as I have purposed,
    so shall it stand,
25  that I will break the Assyrian in my land,
    and on my mountains trample him underfoot;
and his yoke shall depart from them,
    and his burden from their shoulder.”

26  This is the purpose that is purposed
    concerning the whole earth,
and this is the hand that is stretched out
    over all the nations.
27  For the LORD of hosts has purposed,
    and who will annul it?
His hand is stretched out,
    and who will turn it back?

An Oracle Concerning Philistia

28 In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle:

29  Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you,
    that the rod that struck you is broken,
for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder,
    and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.
30  And the firstborn of the poor will graze,
    and the needy lie down in safety;
but I will kill your root with famine,
    and your remnant it will slay.
31  Wail, O gate; cry out, O city;
    melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you!
For smoke comes out of the north,
    and there is no straggler in his ranks.

32  What will one answer the messengers of the nation?
“The LORD has founded Zion,
    and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.”