Isaiah

Isaiah

¹ This is the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz. God showed Isaiah what would happen to Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah saw this during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

God’s Case Against Israel

² Heaven and earth, listen! This is what the LORD says:

“ I raised my children and helped them grow up,

but they have turned against me.

³ A bull knows its master,

and a donkey knows where its owner feeds it.

But Israel does not know me.

My people do not understand.”

⁴ Oh, what a sinful nation! Their guilt is like a heavy weight that they must carry. They are evil, destructive children.+ 1:4 They … children Or “They are destructive children of evil parents.” They left the LORD and insulted the Holy One of Israel. They turned away and treated him like a stranger.

⁵ What good will it do to keep punishing you? You will continue to rebel. Your whole head and heart are already sick and aching.+ 1:5 Your whole … aching Or “Every head and heart is already sick and aching.”⁶ From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head, every part of your body has wounds, cuts, and open sores. You have not taken care of them. Your wounds have not been cleaned and bandaged.

⁷ Your land is in ruins, and your cities are in flames. Your enemies have taken your land, and foreigners are taking what it produces. It looks like some foreigners destroyed it.+ 1:7 It looks … destroyed it Or “It looks like the land of the foreigners that was destroyed.” This might refer to civil war in Israel or to some time when God destroyed foreign nations, such as Sodom and Gomorrah.

Warnings for Jerusalem

⁸ The city of Jerusalem+ 1:8 city of Jerusalem Literally, “daughter Zion.” See “Zion” in the Word List. is now like an empty shed left in a vineyard. It is like an old straw hut abandoned in a field of cucumbers or like a city surrounded by enemies. ⁹ If the LORD All-Powerful had not allowed a few people to live, we would have been destroyed completely like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And that almost happened!

¹⁰ You officers of Sodom, listen to the LORD’S message. You people of Gomorrah,+ 1:10 officers of Sodom … Gomorrah Here, this refers to leaders and people from Judah. listen to God’s teaching. ¹¹ The LORD says, “ Why do you continue giving me all these sacrifices? I have had enough of your sacrifices of rams and the fat from well-fed animals. I don’t want the blood of those bulls, sheep, and goats. ¹² When you people come to meet with me, you trample everything in my yard. Who told you to do this?

¹³ “ Don’t keep bringing me those worthless sacrifices. I hate the incense you give me. I cannot stand your festivals for the New Moon, the Sabbath, and other special meeting days. I hate the evil you do during those holy times together. ¹⁴ I hate your monthly meetings and councils. They have become like heavy weights to me, and I am tired of carrying them.

¹⁵ “ When you raise your arms to pray to me, I will refuse to look at you. You will say more and more prayers, but I will refuse to listen because your hands are covered with blood.

¹⁶ “ Wash yourselves and make yourselves clean. Stop doing the evil things I see you do. Stop doing wrong. ¹⁷ Learn to do good. Treat people fairly. Punish those who hurt others. Speak up for the widows and orphans. Argue their cases for them in court.”

¹⁸ “ I, the LORD, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow.

¹⁹ “ If you listen to what I say, you will get the good things from this land. ²⁰ But if you refuse to listen and rebel against me, your enemies will destroy you.”

The LORD himself said this.

Unfaithful Jerusalem

²¹ Look at Jerusalem. She was a faithful city. What made her become like a prostitute? In the past, Jerusalem was filled with justice, and goodness should live there now. Instead, there are murderers.

²² Once you were like pure silver, but now you are like the impurities that people throw away when the silver is purified. You are like good wine that has been weakened with water. ²³ Your rulers are rebels and friends of thieves. They demand bribes and accept money for doing wrong. They take money to cheat people, and they don’t speak up for widows and orphans. They will not even listen to their cries for help.

²⁴ Because of this, the Lord GOD All-Powerful, the Mighty One of Israel, says, “Look, I will get relief from my enemies. You will not cause me any more trouble. ²⁵ People use lye to clean silver. In the same way, I will clean away all your wrongs. I will remove all the impurities from you. ²⁶ I will bring back the kind of judges you had in the beginning. Your counselors will be like those you had long ago. Then you will be called ‘ The Good and Faithful City.’”

²⁷ God is good and does what is right, so he will rescue Zion and the people who come back to him. ²⁸ But all the criminals and sinners will be destroyed. Those who stopped following the LORD will be removed.

²⁹ In the future, you will be ashamed of the oak trees and special gardens+ 1:29 special gardens Gardens where people worshiped false gods. you chose to worship, ³⁰ because you will be like an oak tree whose leaves are dying. You will be like a garden dying without water. ³¹ Powerful people will be like small, dry pieces of wood, and what they did will be like the sparks that start a fire. These people and their works will both burn up, and no one will be able to put out that fire.

God’s Message to Judah and Jerusalem

¹ Isaiah son of Amoz received this message about Judah and Jerusalem.

² In the last days the mountain of the LORD’S Temple

will be the highest of all mountains.

It will be raised higher than the hills.

There will be a steady stream of people from all nations going there.

³ People from many places will go there and say,

“ Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD,

to the Temple of the God of Jacob.

Then God will teach us his way of living,

and we will follow him.”

His teaching, the LORD’S message, will begin in Jerusalem on Mount Zion

and will go out to all the world.

⁴ Then God will act as judge to end arguments between nations.

He will decide what is right for people from many lands.

They will stop using their weapons for war.

They will hammer their swords into plows

and use their spears to make tools for harvesting.

All fighting between nations will end.

They will never again train for war.

⁵ Family of Jacob, let us follow the LORD.

⁶ Family of Jacob, you have abandoned your people. This is clear because they have been filled with bad influences from the East,+ 2:6 East This usually refers to the area around Babylon. and now your people try to tell the future like the Philistines. They have completely accepted those strange ideas. ⁷ Jacob’s land has been filled with silver and gold from other places. There are many treasures there. His land has been filled with horses and many chariots. ⁸ His land is full of gods that the people bow down to worship. They made those idols themselves. ⁹ The people have become worse and worse. They have become very low, and you leaders did nothing to lift them up!+ 2:9 They … up Or “The people have become very low. Surely you will not forgive them!”

¹⁰ You should be afraid of the LORD! Go hide in the dirt and behind the rocks. Hide from his glorious power!

¹¹ Proud people will stop being proud. They will bow down to the ground with shame, and only the LORD will still stand high.

¹² The LORD All-Powerful has a special day planned when he will punish the proud and boastful people. They will be brought down. ¹³ They might be like the tall cedar trees from Lebanon or the great oak trees from Bashan, but they will be cut down. ¹⁴ They might be like the tall mountains and high hills¹⁵ or like the tall towers and high walls, but they will be brought down. ¹⁶ They might be like great ships from Tarshish,+ 2:16 ships from Tarshish This is probably a special type of cargo ship. filled with such wonderful cargo, but they will be brought down.

¹⁷ At that time those proud people will fall. They will bow low to the ground, and only the LORD will stand high. ¹⁸ All the idols will be gone. ¹⁹ People will go into the holes in the ground and the cracks in the rocks because they fear the LORD and his great power as he stands to shake the earth.

²⁰ At that time people will throw away their idols they made from gold and silver. They made these statues to worship, but they will throw them into holes in the ground where bats and moles live. ²¹ They will go down into cracks in the rocks and boulders because they are afraid of the LORD and his glorious power as he stands to shake the earth.

²² Stop trusting other people to save you. Do not think too highly of them; they are only humans who have not stopped breathing yet.

¹ Understand what I am telling you: The Lord GOD All-Powerful will take away everything Judah and Jerusalem depend on. He will take away all the food and water. ² He will take away all the heroes and soldiers. He will take away all the judges, the prophets, the fortunetellers, and the elders. ³ He will take away the army officers and important officials. He will take away the skilled counselors, the magicians, and those who try to tell the future.

⁴ He says, “ I will put young boys in charge of you. They will be your leaders. ⁵ The people will turn against each other. Young people will not respect those who are older. The common people will not respect important leaders.”

⁶ At that time a man will grab one of his brothers from his own family and tell him, “ You have a coat,+ 3:6 coat Or “robe.” This showed that a person was a leader of the people. so you will be our leader. You will be the leader over all these ruins.”

⁷ But the brother will refuse and say, “ I cannot help you. I don’t have enough food or clothes for my own family. You will not make me your leader.”

⁸ This will happen because Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen. They turned against the LORD. They said and did things against him, right in front of his glorious eyes.

⁹ The look on their faces shows that they are guilty. They are like the people of Sodom; they don’t care who sees their sin. But it will be very bad for them. They will get what they deserve.

¹⁰ Tell the good people who do what is right that good things will happen to them. They will receive a reward for what they do. ¹¹ But it will be very bad for wicked people, because they, too, will get what they deserve. They will get what they did to others. ¹² Even children will defeat my people, and women will rule over them.

My people, your guides lead you the wrong way, and they destroy the path you should follow.

God’s Decision About His People

¹³ Look, the LORD is standing to judge his people. ¹⁴ The LORD is ready to present his case against the elders and leaders of his people.

He says, “ You people have burned the vineyard,+ 3:14 vineyard A garden for growing grapes. Here, this probably means Judah. and what you stole from the poor is still in your houses. ¹⁵ What gives you the right to hurt my people? What gives you the right to push the faces of the poor into the dirt?” The Lord GOD All-Powerful said this.

¹⁶ The LORD says, “ The women in Zion have become very proud. They walk around with their heads in the air, acting like they are better than other people. They flirt with their eyes and make tinkling sounds with their ankle bracelets as they take their quick little steps.”

¹⁷ The Lord will put sores on the heads of those women in Zion. The LORD will make their heads bald. ¹⁸ Then the Lord will take away everything they are proud of: the beautiful ankle bracelets, the necklaces that look like the sun and the moon, ¹⁹ the earrings, bracelets, and veils, ²⁰ the scarves, the ankle chains, the cloth belts worn around their waists, the bottles of perfume, the charms,+ 3:20 charms Things people wore on bracelets and necklaces. People thought these things would protect them from evil or danger.²¹ the signet rings, and the nose rings, ²² the fine dresses, robes, veils, and purses, ²³ the mirrors, linen dresses, turbans, and long shawls.

²⁴ Those women now have sweet-smelling perfume, but it will get moldy and stink. Now they wear belts, but then they will have only ropes to wear. Now they have their hair fixed in fancy ways, but then their heads will be shaved— they will have no hair.+ 3:24 they will have no hair This means that they will become slaves. Now they have party dresses, but then they will have only mourning clothes. They have beauty marks on their faces now, but then they will have another mark. It will be a mark burned into their skin to show that they are slaves.

²⁵ Your men will be killed with swords. Your heroes will die in war. ²⁶ There will be crying and sadness in the meeting places by the city gates. Jerusalem will sit there empty, like a woman who has lost everything to thieves and robbers and now just sits on the ground and cries.

¹ At that time seven women will grab one man and say, “Please marry us! We will supply our own food and make our own clothes. You won’t have to do anything else if you let us wear your name and take away our shame.”

² At that time the LORD’S plant+ 4:2 the LORD’S plant This might refer to the country of Judah or to the future king or Messiah. See Isaiah 5:7. will be very beautiful and glorious. The people in Israel who survived will be very proud of what the land grows. ³ And all those who are left in Zion and Jerusalem will be called holy. Their names were on the list of people in Jerusalem who were allowed to live.

⁴ The Lord will wash away the filth+ 4:4 wash away the filth This is like a special ceremony for washing away the blood after a menstrual period. After this a man and wife could have sexual relations. from the daughters of Zion.+ 4:4 daughters of Zion This can refer either to the small towns around Jerusalem or to the women living there. He will wash away the blood from Jerusalem. With a spirit of judgment that burns like fire, he will make everything pure. ⁵ Then the LORD will create a cloud of smoke in the day and a bright flame of fire+ 4:5 cloud of smoke … fire The signs God used to show that he was with his people. at night over every building and over every meeting of the people on the mountain of Zion. And there will be a covering over everyone+ 4:5 everyone Literally, “glory,” but this can also mean “soul” or “person.” See Psalm 16:9. for protection. ⁶ It will be a shelter to protect the people from the heat of the sun and from all kinds of storms and rain.

Judah, God’s Vineyard

¹ Now I will sing a song for my friend, my love song about his vineyard.

My friend had a vineyard

on a very fertile hill.

² He dug and cleared the field

and planted the best grapevines there.

He built a tower in the middle

and cut a winepress into the stone.

He expected good grapes to grow there,

but there were only rotten ones.

³ My friend said, “ You people living in Jerusalem and you people of Judah,+ 5:3 You people … Judah Or “Rulers of Jerusalem and leader of Judah ….”

think about me and my vineyard.

⁴ What more could I do for my vineyard?

I did everything I could.

I hoped for good grapes to grow,

but there were only rotten ones.

Why did that happen?

⁵ “ Now I will tell you

what I will do to my vineyard:

I will pull up the thornbushes that protect it,

and I will burn them.

I will break down the stone wall

and use the stones for a walkway.

⁶ I will turn my vineyard into useless land.

No one will care for the plants or work in the field.

Weeds and thorns will grow there.

I will command the clouds

not to rain on it.”

⁷ The vineyard that belongs to the LORD All-Powerful is the house of Israel. The grapevine, the plant he loves, is the man of Judah.+ 5:7 man of Judah This could mean either “the king of Judah” or simply, “people of Judah.”

The Lord hoped for justice,

but there was only killing.

He hoped for fairness,

but there were only cries from people being treated badly.

⁸ Look at you people! You join houses to houses and fields to fields until there is no room for anyone else. But when the punishment comes, you will be forced to live alone. You will be the only people in the whole land. ⁹ I heard the LORD All-Powerful make this oath: “ I swear, all these houses will be destroyed. These big, fancy houses will be empty. ¹⁰ A ten-acre vineyard will make only a little wine,+ 5:10 only a little wine Literally, “one bath,” a measure that equals about 6 gallons (22 l). and many sacks of seed will grow only a little grain.+ 5:10 only a little grain Literally, “A homer of seed will grow only an ephah of grain.” A homer equals about 6 bushels (220 l). An ephah equals about 2/3 bushel (22 l).”

¹¹ How terrible it will be for you people who rise early in the morning and go looking for beer to drink. You stay awake late at night, getting drunk on wine. ¹² At your parties with your wine, harps, drums, flutes, and other musical instruments, you don’t see what the LORD has done. You don’t notice what his hands have made.

¹³ My people don’t really know God. So they will be captured and taken away. Everyone, the respected leaders and the common people as well, will be hungry and thirsty. ¹⁴ They will die, and the place of death will open its mouth wide and swallow many of them. Then the noisy crowds and all the beautiful, happy people who are now so comfortable will go down into the grave.

¹⁵ Everyone, common people and leaders alike, will be humbled. Those who are now so proud will bow their heads in shame. ¹⁶ The LORD All-Powerful will judge fairly, and people will honor him. They will respect the Holy God when he brings justice. ¹⁷ Then sheep will be able to go wherever they want and graze on the land that rich people once owned.

¹⁸ Look at those people! They pull their guilt and sins behind them like people pulling wagons with ropes.+ 5:18 ropes Literally, “useless ropes.” The Hebrew words here are like those meaning “useless things,” that is, idols.¹⁹ They say, “ We wish God would hurry and do what he plans to do so that we can see it. Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen soon so that we can know what it is.”

²⁰ Look at those people! They say good is bad and bad is good. They think light is dark and dark is light. They think sour is sweet and sweet is sour. ²¹ They think they are so smart. They think they are very intelligent. ²² They are famous for drinking wine and are heroes known for mixing drinks. ²³ And if you pay them enough money, they will forgive a criminal. But they will not let good people be judged fairly. ²⁴ So bad things will happen to them. Their descendants will be destroyed completely, just as fire burns straw and leaves. Their descendants will be like plants with rotten roots, whose flowers have all blown away like dust in the wind.

Those people refused to obey the teachings+ 5:24 teachings This can also mean “laws.” Sometimes this means the laws God gave Moses to teach to the people of Israel. of the LORD All-Powerful. They hated the message from the Holy One of Israel. ²⁵ So the LORD became angry with his people, and he raised his hand to punish them. Even the mountains shook with fear. Dead bodies were left in the streets like garbage. And he is not finished yet. He is still angry, and his arm is raised to continue punishing his people.

God Will Bring Armies to Punish Israel

²⁶ Look! God is giving a sign to the nations far away. He is raising a flag and whistling for them to come.

Now the enemy is coming from a faraway land and will soon enter the country. They are moving very quickly. ²⁷ The enemy soldiers never get tired and stumble. They never get sleepy and fall asleep. Their weapon belts are always ready. Their sandal straps never break. ²⁸ Their arrows are sharp. Their bows are strung and ready to shoot. The horses’ hooves are as hard as flint. Clouds of dust rise from behind their chariots.

²⁹ The shouts of the enemy sound like the roar of lions. Like strong, young lions, they growl and grab their prey. The captives struggle and try to escape, but there is no one to save them. ³⁰ Then there is a roar as loud as the ocean waves, and the captives turn their faces to the ground. And there is only darkness closing in as the light fades away in a black cloud.

God Calls Isaiah to Be a Prophet

¹ In the year that King Uzziah died,+ 6:1 year … died This was probably 740 B.C. I saw the Lord sitting on a very high and wonderful throne. His long robe filled the Temple. ² Seraph angels stood around him. Each angel had six wings. They used two wings to cover their faces, two wings to cover their bodies, and two wings to fly. ³ The angels were calling to each other, “ Holy, holy, holy is the LORD All-Powerful. His Glory fills the whole earth.” ⁴ The sound was so loud that it caused the frame around the door to shake, and the Temple was filled with smoke.+ 6:4 smoke This showed that God was in the Temple. See Exodus 40:34-35.

⁵ I was frightened and said, “Oh, no! I will be destroyed. I am not pure enough to speak to God, and I live among people who are not pure enough to speak to him.+ 6:5 I am not pure … him Literally, “I am a man of unclean lips and live among people of unclean lips.” But I have seen the King, the LORD All-Powerful.”

⁶ There was a fire on the altar. One of the Seraph angels used a pair of tongs to take a hot coal from the fire. Then the angel flew to me with it in his hand. ⁷ Then he touched my mouth with the hot coal and said, “ When this hot coal touched your lips, your guilt was taken away, and your sins were erased.+ 6:7 erased Or “atoned” or “covered over.””

⁸ Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “ Who can I send? Who will go for us?”

So I said, “ Here I am. Send me!”

⁹ Then the Lord said, “Go and tell the people, ‘ Listen closely, but don’t understand. Look closely, but don’t learn.’ ¹⁰ Confuse them. Make them unable to understand what they hear and see. If you don’t do this, they might really look with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their minds. Then they might come back to me and be healed!”

¹¹ Then I asked, “ Lord, how long should I do this?”

He answered, “ Do this until the cities are destroyed and all the people are gone. Do this until there is no one left living in the houses and the land is destroyed and empty.”

¹² The LORD will make the people go far away, and there will be large areas of empty land in the country. ¹³ A tenth of the people will be allowed to stay in the land, but it will be destroyed again. They will be like an oak tree. When the tree is chopped down, a stump is left. This stump will be a very special seed that will grow again.

Trouble With Aram

¹ Ahaz was the son of Jotham, who was the son of Uzziah. Rezin was the king of Aram, Pekah son of Remaliah+ 7:1 Pekah son of Remaliah A king of northern Israel. He ruled about 740-731 B.C. was the king of Israel. When Ahaz was king of Judah, Rezin and Pekah went up to Jerusalem to attack it, but they were not able to defeat the city.+ 7:1 Rezin and Pekah … the city Or “Rezin and Pekah went up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to fight.”

² The family of David received a message that said, “ The armies of Aram and Ephraim have joined together in one camp.” When King Ahaz heard this message, he and the people became frightened. They shook with fear like trees of the forest blowing in the wind.

³ Then the LORD told Isaiah, “ You and your son Shear Jashub+ 7:3 Shear Jashub This is a name that means “a few people will come back.” should go out and talk to Ahaz. Go to the place where the water flows into the Upper Pool,+ 7:3 Upper Pool Probably the Pool of Siloam at the southern tip of the City of David, just above the older pool now called the Red Pool. on the street that leads up to Laundryman’s Field.

⁴ “ Tell Ahaz, ‘ Be careful, but be calm. Don’t be afraid. Don’t let those two men, Rezin and Remaliah’s son,+ 7:4 Remaliah’s son Pekah, the king of northern Israel. He ruled about 740–731 B.C. frighten you! They are like two burning sticks. They might be hot now, but soon they will be nothing but smoke. Rezin, Aram, and Remaliah’s son became angry⁵ and made plans against you. They said, ⁶ “Let’s go fight against Judah and divide it among ourselves. Then we will make Tabeel’s son the new king of Judah.”’”

⁷ But the Lord GOD says, “ Their plan will not succeed. It will not happen⁸ because Aram depends on its capital Damascus, and Damascus is led by its weak king Rezin. And don’t worry about Ephraim. Within 65 years it will be crushed, no longer a nation. ⁹ Ephraim depends on its capital Samaria, and Samaria is led by Remaliah’s son. So you have no reason to fear. Believe this, or you will not survive.”

Immanuel— God Is With Us

¹⁰ Then the LORD spoke to Ahaz again¹¹ and said, “ Ask for a sign from the LORD your God to prove to yourself that this is true. You can ask for any sign you want. The sign can come from a place as deep as Sheol+ 7:11 The sign … Sheol Or “Make your request deep.” The Hebrew word for “question” is like the word for Sheol. or as high as the skies.+ 7:11 The sign … skies Literally, “make your request very high.””

¹² But Ahaz said, “ I will not ask for a sign as proof. I will not test the LORD.”

¹³ Then Isaiah said, “ Family of David, listen very carefully! Is it not enough that you would test the patience of humans? Will you now test the patience of my God? ¹⁴ But the Lord will still show you this sign:

The young woman is pregnant+ 7:14 And here … pregnant Or “Look at this young woman. She is pregnant.” The ancient Greek version (quoted in Matthew 1:23) translates “young woman” in this passage with a word meaning “virgin” and has “Look! The virgin will become pregnant.”

and will give birth to a son.

She will name him Immanuel.+ 7:14 Immanuel This name means “God is with us.”

¹⁵ He will eat milk curds and honey+ 7:15 milk curds and honey This refers to some of the first solid foods, something like yogurt, that were fed to a baby. This is also the food that even the poor can find to eat. Also in verse 22.

as he learns to choose good and refuse evil.

¹⁶ But before he is old enough to make that choice,

the land of the two kings you fear will be empty.

¹⁷ “ But the LORD will bring troubled times to you. These troubles will be worse than anything that has happened since the time Israel separated from Judah. This will happen to your people and to your father’s family when God brings the king of Assyria to fight against you.

¹⁸ “ At that time the LORD will call for the ‘Fly’ that is now near the streams of Egypt, and he will call for the ‘Bee’ that is now in the country of Assyria. Those enemies will come to your country. ¹⁹ They will settle in the deep valleys and in the caves, by the thornbushes and watering holes. ²⁰ The Lord will use Assyria to punish Judah. Assyria will be hired and used like a razor to shave off Judah’s beard and to remove the hair from his head and body.+ 7:20 shave … body This means that the people of Judah would be humiliated and treated like slaves.

²¹ “ At that time someone might keep only one young cow and two sheep alive. ²² But there will be enough milk for them to eat milk curds. In fact, everyone left in the country will eat milk curds and honey. ²³ There are now fields that have 1000 grapevines, and each grapevine is worth 1000 pieces of silver. But those fields will be covered with weeds and thorns. ²⁴ That land will be wild and used only as a hunting ground where people go with bows and arrows. ²⁵ People once worked the soil and grew food on these hills, but at that time they will not go there, because the fields will be covered with weeds and thorns. It will be a place where cattle graze and sheep wander.”

Assyria Is Coming Soon

¹ The LORD told me, “ Get a large scroll,+ 8:1 scroll This Hebrew word might also mean a clay or stone tablet. and use an ordinary pen+ 8:1 ordinary pen Literally, “stylus of a man.” This might be a pen for writing on clay. to write these words: ‘ This is for Maher Shalal Hash Baz.’+ 8:1 Maher Shalal Hash Baz This means “There will soon be looting and stealing.””

² I found some men who could be trusted to serve as witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah. They watched me write those words. ³ Then I went to my wife, the woman prophet. She became pregnant and had a son. The LORD told me, “ Name the boy Maher Shalal Hash Baz.” ⁴ He said that because before the boy learns to say “Mama” and “Daddy,” God will take all the wealth and riches from Damascus+ 8:4 Damascus A city in the country of Aram (Syria). and Samaria and give them to the king of Assyria.

⁵ The LORD spoke to me again. ⁶ He said, “ These people+ 8:6 These people Probably Judeans who wanted to join Rezin and Pekah. Also in verse 11. refuse to accept the slow-moving waters of Shiloah.+ 8:6 Shiloah A channel that carried water from Gihon Spring to a pool at the south end of the City of David (Jerusalem). Men from David’s family were anointed to be kings there. They prefer Rezin and Remaliah’s son.” ⁷ But the Lord will bring the king of Assyria and all his power against them. The Assyrians will come like their swift moving river, like water that rises and spills over its banks. ⁸ This water will be like a flash flood as it passes through Judah. It will rise to Judah’s throat and almost drown him.

But he will spread his wings over your whole country, Immanuel.+ 8:8 But he … Immanuel Or “Immanuel, it will spread throughout your whole country.” This might be a promise of God’s protection, or it might be a warning about Assyria’s power.

⁹ All you nations, prepare for war.

You will be defeated.

Listen, all you faraway countries!

Prepare for battle.

You will be defeated.

¹⁰ Make your plans for the fight.

Your plans will be defeated.

Give orders to your armies,

but your orders will be useless,

because God is with us!+ 8:10 God is with us In Hebrew this is like the name Immanuel.

Warnings to Isaiah

¹¹ The LORD spoke to me with his great power and warned+ 8:11 warned Or “prevented.” me not to be like these people. He said, ¹² “ Don’t think there is a plan against you just because the people say there is. Don’t be afraid of what they fear. Don’t let them frighten you!”

¹³ The LORD All-Powerful is the one you should fear. He is the one you should respect.+ 8:13 respect Literally, “consider holy.” He is the one who should frighten you. ¹⁴ If you people would respect him, he would be a safe place+ 8:14 safe place Or “holy place.” for you. But you don’t respect him, so he is like a stone that you stumble over. He is a rock that makes both families of Israel fall. He has become a trap that all the people of Jerusalem will fall into. ¹⁵ ( Many people will trip over this rock. They will fall and be broken. They will be caught in the trap.)

¹⁶ The Lord said, “Write this agreement.+ 8:16 Write this agreement Or “Take a document.” This could refer to the large scroll in verse 1 or to the promise that follows in verse 17. Tie it up and seal it so that it cannot be changed. Give these teachings to my followers for safekeeping.”

¹⁷ The LORD has turned away from the family of Jacob.

But I will wait for him.

I trust that he will come to save us.

¹⁸ Here I am with the children the LORD has given me. We are here as signs from the LORD All-Powerful, who lives on Mount Zion. He is using us to show his plans for the people of Israel.

¹⁹ The people will say, “Go to the fortunetellers and wizards who mumble and chirp like birds. Ask them what to do.” But I say, “Shouldn’t people go to their God for help? Why go to the dead to get help for the living?” ²⁰ You should follow the teachings and the agreement.+ 8:20 agreement This usually means the agreement God made with Israel through Moses. Here, it probably means the agreement in verse 17. I swear, if you follow those other things, there is no future for you. ²¹ When the enemy comes, there will be hard times and hunger. And when he becomes hungry, he will become angry. He will say curses in the name of his king and his gods. Then he will lift his head upwards like a roaring lion . ²² And when the captives turn their faces to the ground, there is only a depressing darkness closing in— the dark sadness of people forced to leave their country.

A New Day Is Coming

¹ But there will be an end to the gloom those people suffered. In the past, people thought the land of Zebulun and Naphtali was not important. But later, that land will be honored— the land along the sea, the land east of the Jordan River, and Galilee where people from other nations live. ² Those people lived in darkness, but they will see a great light. They lived in a place as dark as death, but a great light will shine on them.

³ God, you will make the nation grow, and you will make the people happy. They will rejoice in your presence as they do at harvest time. It will be like the joy when people take their share of things they have won in war. ⁴ That will happen because you will lift the heavy yoke off their shoulders and take away their heavy burden. You will take away the rod that the enemy used to punish your people, as you did when you defeated Midian.+ 9:4 as you … Midian See Judges 7:15-25.

⁵ Every boot that marched in battle and every uniform stained with blood will be destroyed and thrown into the fire. ⁶ This will happen when the special child is born. God will give us a son who will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” ⁷ His power will continue to grow, and there will be peace without end. This will establish him as the king sitting on David’s throne and ruling his kingdom. He will rule with goodness and justice forever and ever. The strong love+ 9:7 strong love The Hebrew word means strong feelings like love, hate, anger, zeal, or jealousy. that the LORD All-Powerful has for his people will make this happen!

God Will Punish Israel

⁸ The Lord gave a command against Jacob and someone in Israel fell.+ 9:8 Or “The Lord sent a command to Jacob and it happened to Israel.”⁹ So all the people in Ephraim, including the ruler in Samaria, learned their lesson.

Those people are very proud and boastful now. They say, ¹⁰ “Yes, those bricks fell, but we will rebuild with strong stone. Yes, those little trees were chopped down, but we will plant new trees. And they will be large, strong trees.”

¹¹ The LORD found people to go up and fight against Rezin. He stirred up Rezin’s enemies. ¹² As for Israel, the Arameans are in front of him and the Philistines are behind him. And they are both eating away at him. But the Lord is not finished yet. He is still angry, and his arm is raised to continue punishing Israel.

¹³ The people did not stop sinning. They did not come to the LORD All-Powerful for help. ¹⁴ So the LORD cut off Israel’s head and tail. He took away the branch and the stalk in one day. ¹⁵ ( The head means the elders and important leaders. The tail means the prophets who told lies.)

¹⁶ Their guides are leading them the wrong way, so those who follow them will be destroyed. ¹⁷ All of them are evil. So the Lord is not happy with the young men, and he will not show mercy to their widows and orphans. That is because they are evil hypocrites. They tell lies.

The Lord has punished them, but he is not finished yet. He is still angry, and his arm is raised to continue punishing his people.

¹⁸ That evil was like a small fire that started among the weeds and thorns and then spread to the larger bushes in the forest. Finally, it became a giant fire, and everything went up in smoke.

¹⁹ The LORD All-Powerful was angry, so the land was burned. The people were fuel for the fire. No one showed any compassion to anyone else. ²⁰ People looked to the right and grabbed whatever they could, but they were still hungry. They grabbed whatever was on their left, but still they were not satisfied. So they turned on themselves and began to eat the bodies of their own children. ²¹ Manasseh fought against Ephraim, and Ephraim fought against Manasseh. Then both of them turned on Judah.

But the Lord is not finished punishing his people. He is still angry, and his arm is raised to continue punishing them.

¹ Just look at those lawmakers who write evil laws and make life hard for the people. ² They are not fair to the poor. They take away the rights of the poor and allow people to steal from widows and orphans.

³ Lawmakers, you will have to explain what you have done. What will you do then? Your destruction is coming from a faraway country. Where will you run for help? Your money and your riches will not help you. ⁴ You will have to bow down like a prisoner. You will fall down like a dead man, but that will not help you. God will still be angry and ready to punish you.

God Will Punish Assyria’s Pride

⁵ The Lord says, “ I will use Assyria like a stick. In my anger I will use Assyria to punish Israel. ⁶ I will send Assyria to fight against the people who do evil. I am angry with them, and I will command Assyria to fight against them. Assyria will defeat them and take their wealth. Israel will be like dirt for Assyria to walk on in the streets.

⁷ “ But Assyria does not understand that I will use him. He does not think of himself as my tool. He only wants to destroy other people. He only plans to destroy many nations. ⁸ Assyria says to himself, ‘ All of my officers are like kings! ⁹ The city of Calno is no better than the city of Carchemish. Arpad is like Hamath, and Samaria is like Damascus. ¹⁰ I defeated those evil kingdoms and now I control them. The idols those people worship are better than the idols of Jerusalem and Samaria. ¹¹ I defeated Samaria and her gods. I will also defeat Jerusalem and the idols her people have made.’”

¹² When the Lord finishes doing what he planned to Jerusalem and Mount Zion, he will punish Assyria. The king of Assyria is very proud. His pride made him do many bad things, so God will punish him.

¹³ The king of Assyria said, “ I am very wise. By my own wisdom and power I have done many great things. I have defeated many nations. I have taken their wealth and their people as slaves. I am a very powerful man. ¹⁴ With my own hands I have taken the riches of all these people— like someone taking eggs from a bird’s nest. A bird often leaves its nest and eggs, and there is nothing to protect the nest. There is no bird to chirp and fight with its wings and beak, so anyone can come take the eggs. And there is no one to stop me from taking all the people on earth.”

¹⁵ An ax is not better than the one who cuts with it. A saw is not better than the one who uses it. Is a stick stronger than the one who picks it up? It can’t do anything to the person who is using it to punish someone! ¹⁶ But Assyria doesn’t understand this. So the Lord GOD All-Powerful will send a terrible disease against him. He will lose his wealth and power like a sick man losing weight. Then Assyria’s glory will be destroyed. It will be like a fire burning until everything is gone. ¹⁷ The Light of Israel+ 10:17 The Light of Israel This is a name for God, like “The Holy One” in the next sentence. See “Israel” in the Word List. will be like a fire. The Holy One will be like a flame. He will be like a fire that first begins to burn the weeds and thorns¹⁸ and then spreads to burn up the tall trees and vineyards. Finally, everything will be destroyed— even the people. Assyria will be like a rotting log. ¹⁹ There will be a few trees left standing in the forest— so few that even a child could count them.

²⁰ Then the people from Jacob’s family who are left living in Israel will stop depending on the one who beat them. They will learn to depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. ²¹ Those who are left in Jacob’s family will again follow the Powerful God.+ 10:21 Powerful God See Isaiah 9:6.

²² Israel, your people are as many as the sands of the sea, but only a few of them will be left to come back to God. But before that happens, your country will be destroyed. God has announced that he will destroy the land. And then justice will come into the land like a river flowing full. ²³ The Lord GOD All-Powerful really will destroy this land.

²⁴ The Lord GOD All-Powerful says, “ My people living in Zion, don’t be afraid of Assyria! Yes, he will beat you, and it will be just as the time when Egypt beat you with a stick. ²⁵ But after a short time my anger will stop. I will be satisfied that Assyria has punished you enough.”

²⁶ Then the LORD All-Powerful will beat Assyria with a whip, just as he defeated Midian at Raven Rock.+ 10:26 Midian at Raven Rock Or “Midian at the Rock of Oreb.” See Judges 7:25. He will punish his enemies, as he did when he raised his stick over the sea+ 10:26 he raised … sea See Exodus 14:1-15:21. and led his people from Egypt.

²⁷ He will take away the troubles Assyria brought you—troubles that are like heavy weights carried with a yoke on your neck. But that yoke will be taken off your neck. The burden will be lifted from your shoulders.

The Army of Assyria Invades Israel

²⁸+ 10:28 Isaiah uses names with double meanings to describe the different ways the Assyrian army would fight against Judah. The army of Assyria will enter near the “Ruins” ( Aiath). The army will walk on the “Threshing Floor” ( Migron). It will keep its food in the “Storehouse” ( Micmash). ²⁹ The army will cross the river at the “ Crossing” (Maabarah) and sleep at Geba. Ramah will be afraid. The people at Gibeah of Saul+ 10:29 Geba, Ramah … Gibeah of Saul Towns north of Jerusalem. will run away.

³⁰ Cry out, Bath Gallim+ 10:30 Bath Gallim Gallim, a city south of Jerusalem. This name means “daughter of the waves,” and might refer to birds that make loud noises by the shore.! Laishah, listen! Anathoth, answer me! ³¹ The people of Madmenah are running away. The people of Gebim+ 10:31 Gebim An unknown city. This name is like the Hebrew word for “pit” or “cistern,” a hole in the ground for storing water. are hiding. ³² This day the army will stop at Nob and prepare to fight against Mount Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

³³ Look, the Lord GOD All-Powerful will use his great power and chop down that great tree. Their highest officials will be brought down. Their most important leaders will be humbled. ³⁴ God will cut down his enemies. Like the tall trees of Lebanon he will cut them down with an ax.

The King of Peace Is Coming

¹ A small tree+ 11:1 small tree That is, a new king will come from the family of David. will begin to grow from the stump of Jesse.+ 11:1 Jesse King David’s father. That branch will grow from Jesse’s roots. ² The LORD’S Spirit will always be with that new king to give him wisdom, understanding, guidance, and power. The Spirit will help him know and respect the LORD. ³ He will find joy in obeying the LORD.

This king will not judge people by the way things look. He will not judge by listening to rumors. ⁴ He will judge the poor fairly and honestly. He will be fair when he decides what to do for the poor of the land. If he decides people should be beaten, he will give the command, and they will be beaten. If he decides people must die, he will give the command, and those evil people will be killed. Goodness and fairness will be like a belt he wears around his waist.

⁶ Then wolves will live at peace with lambs, and leopards will lie down in peace with young goats. Calves, lions, and bulls will all live together in peace. A little child will lead them. ⁷ Bears and cattle will eat together in peace, and all their young will lie down together and will not hurt each other. Lions will eat hay like cattle. ⁸ Even snakes will not hurt people. Babies will be able to play near a cobra’s+ 11:8 cobra A very poisonous snake. hole and put their hands into the nest of a poisonous snake.

⁹ People will stop hurting each other. People on my holy mountain will not want to destroy things because they will know the LORD. The world will be full of knowledge about him, like the sea is full of water.

¹⁰ At that time there will be someone special from Jesse’s family. He will be like a flag that all the nations gather around. The nations will come to him and ask him what they should do. And the place where he is will be filled with glory.

¹¹ At that time the Lord will again reach out and take his people who are left in countries like Assyria, North Egypt, South Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and other faraway countries around the world. ¹² He will gather the people of Israel and Judah who were forced to leave their country. They were scattered to all the faraway places on earth. But he will raise the flag as a sign for the other nations, and he will gather his people together again.

¹³ Then Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will have no enemies left. And Judah will not cause trouble for Ephraim. ¹⁴ But Ephraim and Judah will attack the Philistines. These two nations will be like birds flying down to catch a small animal. Together, they will take the riches from the people in the East.+ 11:14 East This usually refers to the area around Babylon. Ephraim and Judah will control Edom, Moab, and the people in Ammon.+ 11:14 Edom, Moab, Ammon Three countries east of Israel. They were Israel’s enemies for many years.

¹⁵ Just as the LORD divided the Red Sea near Egypt,+ 11:15 the LORD … Egypt Or “the LORD will dry up the tongue of the Sea of Egypt.” he will raise his arm in anger over the Euphrates River and hit it. It will divide into seven small rivers. They will be so small that the people can walk across with their sandals on. ¹⁶ Then God’s people who are left in Assyria will have a way to leave. It will be just like the time God took the people out of Egypt.

A Song of Praise to God

¹ At that time you will say,

“ I praise you, LORD!

You have been angry with me,

but don’t be angry with me now.

Show your love to me.

² God is the one who saves me.

I trust him, and I am not afraid.

The LORD YAH is my strength.

He saves me, and I sing songs of praise about him.+ 12:2 The LORD YAH … him Literally, “YAH, YAHWEH is my strength and praise. And he becomes my salvation.” This comes from the victory song of Moses in Exodus 15:2.”

³ You people will get your water from the spring of salvation.

Then you will be happy.

⁴ At that time you will say,

“ Praise the LORD and call out his name!

Tell everyone what he has done

and how wonderful he is.”

⁵ Sing songs of praise about the LORD,

because he has done great things.

Spread this news about God throughout the whole world.

Let all people know these things.

⁶ People of Zion, shout about these things!

The Holy One of Israel is with you in a powerful way.

So sing and be happy!

God’s Message to Babylon

¹ God showed Isaiah son of Amoz this message+ 13:1 message Or “burden.” about Babylon:

² “ Raise a flag on that mountain+ 13:2 mountain This probably means Babylon. where nothing grows.

Call out to the men.

Wave your arms to let them know

they should enter through the gates for important leaders.

³ “ I have separated these men from the people,

and I myself will command them.

I have gathered these proud, happy soldiers of mine

to show how angry I am.

⁴ “ Listen to that loud noise in the mountains.

It sounds like crowds of people.

People from many kingdoms are gathering together.

The LORD All-Powerful is calling his army together.

⁵ They are coming from a faraway land.

They are coming from beyond the horizon.

The LORD will use this army as a weapon to show his anger.

They will destroy the whole country.”

⁶ The LORD’S special day is near. So cry and be sad for yourselves. A time is coming when the enemy will steal your wealth. God All-Powerful will make that happen.+ 13:6 A time … happen This is a wordplay in Hebrew. The word meaning “stealing things in war” sounds like the word meaning “God All-Powerful.”⁷ People will lose their courage. Fear will make them weak. ⁸ Everyone will be afraid. They will stare at each other with shock on their faces. Fear will grip them like the pains of a woman in childbirth.

God’s Judgment Against Babylon

⁹ Look, the LORD’S special day is coming! It will be a terrible day. God will be very angry. He will destroy the country and wipe out the sinful people who live there. ¹⁰ The skies will be dark. The sun, the moon, and the stars will not shine.

¹¹ The Lord says, “ I will cause bad things to happen to the world. I will punish the evil people for their sin. I will make proud people lose their pride. I will stop the bragging of cruel people. ¹² There will be only a few people left. They will be as rare as pure gold. ¹³ In my anger I will shake the sky, and the earth will be moved from its place.”

That will happen on the day the LORD All-Powerful shows his anger. ¹⁴ Then the people from Babylon will run away like wounded deer or sheep that have no shepherd. Everyone will turn and run back to their own country and people. ¹⁵ Anyone caught by the enemy will be killed with a sword. ¹⁶ Everything in their houses will be stolen. Their wives will be raped, and their little children will be beaten to death while they watch.

¹⁷ The Lord says, “ Look, I will cause the armies of Media to attack Babylon. Nothing will stop them, even if someone offers them gold and silver. ¹⁸ They will walk on the bows of the young soldiers of Babylon. The enemy soldiers will not show any kindness or mercy even to the babies and young children. ¹⁹ Babylon will be destroyed like the time God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

“ Babylon is the most beautiful of all kingdoms. The Babylonians+ 13:19 Babylonians Literally, “Chaldeans.” are very proud of their city. ²⁰ But Babylon will not continue to be beautiful. People will not continue to live there in the future. Arabs will not put their tents there. Shepherds will not bring their sheep to let them eat there. ²¹ The only animals living there will be wild animals from the desert. People will not be living in their houses in Babylon. The houses will be full of owls and large birds. Wild goats+ 13:21 Wild goats The Hebrew word means “hairy,” “goat,” or “goat-demon.” will play in the houses. ²² Wild dogs and wolves will howl in the great and beautiful buildings. Babylon will be finished. The end is near, and it will not be delayed.”

Israel Will Return Home

¹ The LORD will again show his love to Jacob. He will again choose the people of Israel. He will give them their land. Then the non-Israelites+ 14:1 non-Israelites This usually means those who live in a country but are not yet citizens of that country. Here, it is the non-Israelites who decided to follow God. will join the Israelites, and both will become one family— Jacob’s family. ² Those nations will bring the Israelites back to their land. The men and women from the other nations will become slaves to Israel. In the past, those people forced the Israelites to become their slaves. But in the future the Israelites will defeat those nations, and Israel will then rule over them in the LORD’S land. ³ In the past, you were slaves. People forced you to work hard. But the LORD will take away the hard work you were forced to do.

A Song About the King of Babylon

⁴ At that time you will begin to sing this song about the king of Babylon:

The king was cruel when he ruled us,

but now his rule is finished.

⁵ The LORD breaks the scepter of evil rulers;

he takes away their power.

⁶ In anger, the king of Babylon beat the people.

He never stopped beating them.

He was an evil ruler who ruled in anger.

He never stopped hurting people.

⁷ But now, the whole country rests and is quiet.

Now the people begin to celebrate.

⁸ You were an evil king,

and now you are finished.

Even the pine trees are happy.

The cedar trees of Lebanon rejoice.

They say, “ The king chopped us down,

but now the king has fallen,

and he will never stand again.”

⁹ The place of death is excited

that you are coming.

Sheol is waking the spirits

of all the leaders of the earth for you.

Sheol is making the kings stand up

from their thrones to meet you.

¹⁰ They will make fun of you, saying,

“ Now you are as dead as we are.

Now you are just like us.”

¹¹ Your pride has been sent down to Sheol.

The music from your harps announces the coming of your proud spirit.

Maggots will be the bed you lie on,

and other worms will cover your body like a blanket.

¹² You were like the morning star,

but you have fallen from the sky.

In the past, all the nations on earth bowed down before you,

but now you have been cut down.

¹³ You always told yourself,

“ I will go to the skies above.

I will put my throne above God’s stars.

I will sit on Zaphon,+ 14:13 Zaphon This Hebrew word literally means “north” or “hidden.” the holy mountain where the gods meet.

¹⁴ I will go up to the altar above the tops of the clouds.

I will be like God Most High.”

¹⁵ But that did not happen.

You were brought down to the deep pit— Sheol, the place of death.

¹⁶ People will come to look at your dead body.

They will think about you and say,

“ Is this the same man

who caused great fear in all the kingdoms on earth,

¹⁷ who destroyed cities

and turned the land into a desert,

who captured people in war

and would not let them go home?”

¹⁸ The kings of other nations lie buried with honor,

each king with his own grave.

¹⁹ But you were thrown out of your grave

like a branch cut from a tree and thrown away.

You are like a dead man who fell in battle,

trampled under the feet of other soldiers.

Now you look like any other dead man

wrapped in burial clothes.

²⁰ Other kings have their own graves,

but you will not join them,

because you ruined your own country

and killed your own people.

So your wicked descendants will be stopped.

²¹ Prepare to kill his children,

because their father is guilty.

His children will never take control of the land.

They will never fill the world with their cities.

²² The LORD All-Powerful said, “ I will stand and fight against those people. I will destroy the famous city, Babylon. I will destroy all the people there. I will destroy their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren.” The LORD himself said this.

²³ “ I will change Babylon. It will be a place for animals,+ 14:23 animals Literally, “porcupines.” not people. It will be a swamp. I will use the ‘ broom of destruction’ to sweep Babylon away.” The LORD All-Powerful said this.

God Will Also Punish Assyria

²⁴ The LORD All-Powerful made this promise: “ This will happen exactly as I meant for it to happen. It will happen just the way I planned. ²⁵ I will destroy the king of Assyria in my country. I will walk on him on my mountains. He forced my people to be his slaves; he put a yoke on their necks. But that pole will be taken off Judah’s neck, and that burden will be removed. ²⁶ This is what I plan to do for this land. I will use my power to punish all those nations.”

²⁷ When the LORD All-Powerful makes a plan, no one can change it. When he raises his arm to punish, no one can stop him.

God’s Message to Philistia

²⁸ This message+ 14:28 message Or “burden.” Also in 15:1. was given to me the year King Ahaz died+ 14:28 year King Ahaz died About 727 B.C.:

²⁹ Country of Philistia, don’t be happy that the king who beat you is now dead. It is true that his rule has ended, but his son will come and rule. It will be like one snake giving birth to a more dangerous one. The new king will be like a quick and dangerous snake to you. ³⁰ But even the poorest of my people will be able to eat safely. And their children will be able to lie down and feel safe. But I will make your family die from hunger, and your enemy will kill anyone who survives.

³¹ People near the city gates, cry!

People in the city, cry out!

Everyone in Philistia,

your courage will melt like hot wax.