Bible in 90 Days

The Sinful Nation of Judah

1 This is the special dream of Isaiah the son of Amoz, about Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the rule of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

² Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken: “I have brought up and have taken care of sons, but they have turned against Me. ³ An ox knows its owner. A donkey knows where to find the food its owner gives it. But Israel does not know. My people do not understand.” ⁴ O sinful nation, people weighed down with sin, children of those who do wrong, sons who act in a sinful way! They have left the Lord. They have hated the Holy One of Israel. They have turned away from Him.

⁵ Where will you be punished again, since you still fight against the Lord? Your whole head is sick, and your whole heart is weak. ⁶ From the bottom of the foot even to the head, there is no good part. There are only sores from beatings and open sores. They are not taken care of or covered or made soft with oil.

⁷ Your land lies waste. Your cities are burned with fire. Strangers are eating the food of your fields in front of you. It lies waste, as destroyed by strangers. ⁸ The people of Zion are left like a tent in a grape-field, like a watchman’s house in a vegetable field, like a city closed in by armies. ⁹ If the Lord of All had not left some people, we would have all been destroyed like those who lived in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

¹⁰ Hear the Word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah. ¹¹ “What are your many gifts given in worship to Me?” says the Lord. “I have had enough burnt gifts of rams and the fat of cattle. And I am not pleased with the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. ¹² When you come to show yourselves before Me, who says you must walk and walk around My open spaces? ¹³ Do not bring your gifts of no worth any more. Your special perfume is a hated thing to Me. The new moon and Day of Rest, this calling together of the people, I cannot put up with. I cannot put up with your sin and your meetings of worship. ¹⁴ I hate your new moons and your special suppers. They have become heavy upon Me. I am tired of carrying them. ¹⁵ So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you. Even if you pray many times, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood.

¹⁶ “Wash yourselves. Make yourselves clean. Take your sinful actions from My eyes. Stop doing sinful things. ¹⁷ Learn to do good. Look for what is right and fair. Speak strong words to those who make it hard for people. Stand up for the rights of those who have no parents. Help the woman whose husband has died. ¹⁸ “Come now, let us think about this together,” says the Lord. “Even though your sins are bright red, they will be as white as snow. Even though they are dark red, they will be like wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing and obey, you will eat the best of the land. ²⁰ But if you are not willing and turn against Me, you will be destroyed by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

The Sinful City

²¹ The faithful city has become like a woman who sells the use of her body. At one time she was full of what was right and fair! Those who are right and good lived in her, but now those who kill. ²² Your silver has lost its worth. Your wine is mixed with water. ²³ Your rulers have turned against what is right. They are the friends of robbers. Every one loves to get pay in secret for wrong-doing, and they run after gifts. They do not stand for the rights of those who have no parents. And they never hear the cry for help of the woman whose husband has died.

²⁴ So the Lord God of All, the Powerful One of Israel, says, “I will put an end to those who fight against Me. I will punish those who hate Me. ²⁵ I will turn My hand against you and burn what is of no worth in you. And I will take away from you all that is not pure. ²⁶ Then I will give you judges as at the first, and your wise men as at the beginning. After that you will be called the city that is right and good, a faithful city.”

²⁷ Zion will be saved by being fair. Those who are sorry for their sins and turn from them will be saved by being right and good. ²⁸ But wrong-doers and sinners will be crushed together. Those who turn away from the Lord will come to an end. ²⁹ For you will be ashamed of the oaks where you worshiped. You will be ashamed of the gardens you have chosen. ³⁰ For you will be like an oak tree whose leaf dries up, or like a garden that has no water. ³¹ The strong man will become easy to burn, and his work also a fire. They will burn together, and there will be no one to put the fire out.

The Mountain of the House of God

2 This is what Isaiah the son of Amoz saw about Judah and Jerusalem that was coming: ² In the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be the most important of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills. All the nations will come to it. ³ Many people will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. Then He will teach us about His ways, that we may walk in His paths. For the Law will go out from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” ⁴ He will judge between the nations, and will decide for many people. And they will beat their swords into plows, and their spears into knives for cutting vines. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and they will not learn about war anymore.

The Day of the Lord

⁵ Come, people of Jacob. Let us walk in the light of the Lord. ⁶ For You have left Your people, the family of Jacob, because they are filled with the sinful ways of the East. They use secret ways to tell the future like the Philistines. And they make agreements with the children of strangers. ⁷ Their land is filled with silver and gold. There is no end to their riches. Their land is filled with horses also. And there is no end to their war-wagons. ⁸ Their land is filled with false gods. They worship the work of their hands, that which their fingers have made. ⁹ So pride has been taken away from the poor man, and important men have been put to shame. Do not forgive them. ¹⁰ Go into the rock and hide in the dust from the anger of the Lord and from the shining-greatness of His power. ¹¹ The proud look of man will be put to shame. The pride of men will be taken away. And the Lord alone will be honored in that day.

¹² On that day the Lord of All will be against everyone who is proud and feels important, and against all who are honored. They will be put to shame. ¹³ He will be against all the cedar trees of Lebanon that are tall and honored, and against all the oak trees of Bashan. ¹⁴ He will be against all the high mountains, against all the high hills, ¹⁵ against every high tower, and against every strong wall. ¹⁶ He will be against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the beautiful boats. ¹⁷ The pride of man will be taken away. What men honor will be put to shame. The Lord alone will be honored in that day. ¹⁸ All the false gods will be gone. ¹⁹ Men will go into the caves of the rocks and into holes of the earth because of the anger of the Lord and the shining-greatness of His power when He rises up to shake the earth. ²⁰ In that day men will take their false gods of silver and gold which they made for themselves to worship and will throw them away to the moles and the bats. ²¹ They will go into the caves of the rocks and mountains. They will try to hide from the anger of the Lord and from the shining-greatness of His power, when He rises up to shake the earth. ²² Stop trusting in man. He has only a breath in his nose. Why should he be honored?

God Will Remove the Leaders of Judah

3 See, the Lord, the Lord God of All, is going to take away from Jerusalem and Judah all they have to keep themselves alive and safe, all the bread and all the water. ² He will take away the strong man, the man of war, the man who judges, the man who tells what will happen in the future, the man who uses secret ways, and the leader. ³ He will take away the captain of fifty, the man of honor, the wise man, the able workman, and the one who uses secret powers. ⁴ I will make boys their rulers. Foolish children will rule over them. ⁵ The people will make it hard for each other. Each one will hurt the other, and each one will be hurt by his neighbor. The younger will show anger toward the older. And the man who is not respected will show anger toward the man of honor.

⁶ A man will take hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying, “You have a coat. You will be our ruler. This destroyed city will be under your rule.” ⁷ In that day he will call out, “I can not be of help to you. For in my house there is no bread or coat. You should not choose me to be ruler of the people.” ⁸ For Jerusalem has no strength, and Judah has fallen, because their speaking and their actions are against the Lord. They have turned against His shining-greatness. ⁹ The look on their faces speaks against them. They show their sin like Sodom. They do not even hide it. It is bad for them! For they have brought trouble upon themselves. ¹⁰ Tell those who are right and good that it will go well for them. For they will enjoy the fruit of what they do. ¹¹ It will be bad for the sinful man! It will not go well for him, for what he has done will be done to him. ¹² O My people! Children make it hard for them. And women rule over them. O My people! Your leaders lead you in the wrong way. You do not know which path to take.

The Lord Will Judge His People

¹³ The Lord is ready to say what He thinks and stands to judge the people. ¹⁴ The Lord judges the leaders and rulers of His people: “It is you who have destroyed the grape-field. What had belonged to the poor is in your houses. ¹⁵ What do you mean by crushing My people, and grinding the faces of the poor?” says the Lord God of All.

Women of Jerusalem Will Suffer

¹⁶ The Lord said, “The daughters of Zion are proud. They walk with heads held high and a wrong desire in their eyes. They walk with short steps, making noise with the chains on their ankles. ¹⁷ So the Lord will make sores come upon the heads of the daughters of Zion, and take the hair from their head. ¹⁸ In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their ankle chains, headbands, moon-like objects, ¹⁹ rings worn on their ears and arms, face-coverings, ²⁰ head-dresses, leg-chains, wide belts, perfume boxes, objects with secret powers, ²¹ finger rings, nose rings, ²² bright clothing, coats, money-bags, ²³ hand mirrors, underclothes, head-coverings, and face-coverings. ²⁴ Instead of sweet perfume there will be a bad smell. Instead of a belt there will be a rope. Instead of well set hair there will be no hair. Instead of fine clothes they will wear cloth made from hair. And there will be burnt marks instead of beauty. ²⁵ Your men will fall by the sword. Your strong ones will fall in battle. ²⁶ Jerusalem’s gates will be filled with sorrow. She will sit on the ground, laid waste and empty.

Jerusalem to Have Its Shining-Greatness Again

4 Seven women will take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes. Only let us be called by your name. Take away our shame!”

² In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and shining with greatness. The fruit of the earth will be the pride and the beauty of those of Israel who are still alive. ³ He who is left in Zion and stays in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been written down among the living in Jerusalem. ⁴ The Lord will wash away the sin of the daughters of Zion. He will wash away the blood that was shed in Jerusalem, by the spirit of punishment and the spirit of fire. ⁵ Then the Lord will cover the whole land of Mount Zion and her people with a cloud of smoke during the day, and a bright fire that shines during the night. The Lord’s shining-greatness will cover everything. ⁶ It will be a covering from the heat during the day and it will keep the people safe from the storm and the rain.

The Song of the Grape-Field

5 Let me sing for my loved one a love song about His grape-field: My loved one had a grape-field on a hill that grows much fruit. ² He dug all around it and took away its stones, and planted it with the best vine. He built a tower in the center of it, and cut out a place in it for crushing grapes. Then He expected it to give good grapes, but it gave only wild grapes.

³ “And now, O people living in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between Me and My grape-field. ⁴ What more was there to do for My grape-field that I have not done for it? When I expected it to give good grapes, why did it give wild grapes? ⁵ Now I will tell you what I am going to do to My grape-field. I will take away its fence and it will be destroyed. I will break down its wall and it will be crushed under foot. ⁶ I will make it a waste. It will not be taken care of, and thistles and thorns will come up. I will also tell the clouds not to rain on it.”

⁷ For the grape-field of the Lord of All is the people of Israel, and the men of Judah are the vines He planted. So He looked for what is right and fair, but He saw blood poured out. He looked for what is right and good, but He heard a cry of those in trouble.

It Is Bad for the Sinful

⁸ It is bad for those who join house to house and field to field until there is no empty space, and you have to live alone in the land. ⁹ The Lord of All has sworn in my ears, “For sure, many houses will be laid waste. Large and beautiful houses will be empty. ¹⁰ For ten fields of vines will give only eleven large bottles of wine. And 110 jars of seed will give only eleven jars of grain.” ¹¹ It is bad for those who get up early in the morning to run after strong drink! It is bad for those who stay up late in the evening that they may get drunk! ¹² They have harps, a noise-maker, a horn, and wine at their special suppers. But they do not think about the works of the Lord. They do not think of the work of His hands.

¹³ So My people are taken away to strange lands because they have not been wise. Their men of honor are dying because they are hungry. Their people are dried up because they are thirsty. ¹⁴ So the grave has become larger and has opened its mouth wide. And Jerusalem’s greatness, her people, her sounds of wild joy, and those who are happy with sin go down into it. ¹⁵ Man’s pride will be taken away. Important men will be put to shame. The eyes of the proud also will be put to shame. ¹⁶ But the Lord of All will be honored in what is right and fair. The holy God will show Himself holy in what is right and good. ¹⁷ Then the lambs will eat as in their field. And strangers will eat in the waste places of the rich.

¹⁸ It is bad for those who pull sin along with ropes of lies, who pull wrong-doing as with a wagon rope, ¹⁹ who say, “Let Him hurry. Let Him be quick to do His work, that we may see it. Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel be done, that we may know it!” ²⁰ It is bad for those who call what is sinful good, and good sinful, who say dark is light and light is dark, who make bitter sweet, and sweet bitter! ²¹ It is bad for those who are wise in their own eyes, and who think they know a lot! ²² It is bad for those who are good at drinking wine, and are proud as they mix strong drink! ²³ They take money in secret for saying that bad people are good. And they take away the rights of those who are not guilty.

²⁴ So, as fire destroys what is left of the cut grain and dry grass falls into the fire, so their root will waste away and their flower blow away like dust. For they have turned away from the Law of the Lord of All. They have hated the Word of the Holy One of Israel. ²⁵ Because of this the anger of the Lord has burned against His people. He has put out His hand against them and destroyed them. The mountains shook. Their dead bodies lay like waste in the center of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away but His hand is still put out.

²⁶ He will raise up flags as a sign to the nations far away. He will call for them from the ends of the earth, and they will hurry to come. ²⁷ Not one of them is tired or falls. No one sleeps. Not a belt is loosened at the waist, or a shoe string broken. ²⁸ Their arrows are sharp, and their bows are ready. The feet of their horses are like hard stone. And the wheels of their war-wagons are like a strong-wind. ²⁹ Their noise is like that of a female lion. They sound like young lions. They make an angry noise as they take their food, and carry it away where no one can take it from them. ³⁰ In that day they will make an angry noise over it like the noise of the sea. If one looks to the land, he will see darkness and trouble. Even the light is made dark by its clouds.

Isaiah Called to Be a Man Who Speaks for God

6 In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and honored. His long clothing spread out and filled the house of God. ² Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings. With two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ One called out to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of All. The whole earth is full of His shining-greatness.” ⁴ And the base of the doorways shook at the voice of him who called out, while the house of God was filled with smoke. ⁵ Then I said, “It is bad for me, for I am destroyed! Because I am a man whose lips are unclean. And I live among a people whose lips are unclean. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of All.”

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal which he had taken from the altar using a special tool. ⁷ He touched my mouth with it, and said, “See, this has touched your lips, and your guilt is taken away. Your sin is forgiven.” ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom should I send? Who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” ⁹ He said, “Go, and tell these people, ‘You hear and hear but do not understand. You look and look but do not see.’ ¹⁰ Make the hearts of these people hard. May their ears hear little and their eyes see little. Or they will see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts, and turn again and be healed.” ¹¹ Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are destroyed and empty, and until houses are without people and the land is laid waste. ¹² Until the Lord has taken men far away, and there are many places with no people in the land. ¹³ Yet one tenth part of the people will stay in it. But it will be burned again, like an oak tree whose roots are still there when it is cut down. The holy seed is all that will be left (of Israel).”

Isaiah Is Sent to King Ahaz

7 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to make war against Jerusalem. But they could not win the battle. ² When the family of David was told, “Syria has joined with Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as trees shake with the wind.

³ Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Now you and your son Shear-jashub go out to meet Ahaz at the end of the ditch of the upper pool on the road to the Fuller’s Field. ⁴ Say to him, ‘Be careful and quiet. Do not be afraid or weak in your heart because of these two pieces of burnt and smoking wood. Do not be afraid of the burning anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. ⁵ Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, have made sinful plans against you, saying, ⁶ “Let us go up against Judah and make the people very afraid. Let us break open its walls, and make the son of Tabeel its king.” ⁷ But the Lord God says, “This plan will not work. It will not happen. ⁸ For the head of Syria is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin. (Within another sixty-five years Ephraim will be destroyed so that it is no longer a people.) ⁹ The head of Ephraim is Samaria. And the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, for sure you will not last.”’”

Word about Immanuel

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, ¹¹ “Ask for something special to see from the Lord your God. Ask for it to be as deep as the place of the dead or as high as heaven.” ¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.” ¹³ Then Isaiah said, “Listen now, O people of David! Is it too small a thing for you to test men, that you will test my God as well? ¹⁴ So the Lord Himself will give you a special thing to see: A young woman, who has never had a man, will give birth to a son. She will give Him the name Immanuel. ¹⁵ He will eat milk and honey when He knows enough to have nothing to do with wrong-doing and chooses good. ¹⁶ For before the boy knows to turn away from what is bad and choose good, the land whose two kings you are afraid of will be left empty.” ¹⁷ The Lord will bring upon you and your people and your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that Ephraim was divided from Judah. He is going to bring the king of Assyria on you. ¹⁸ In that day the Lord will call for flies that are in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, and for bees that are in the land of Assyria. ¹⁹ They will all come and stay in the narrow valleys, on the hill-sides, on the thorn bushes, and in the fields.

²⁰ In that day the Lord will use the king of Assyria from the other side of the Euphrates to cut off the hair from your head, your legs, and your face.

²¹ In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep. ²² And because they give much milk, he will have all he can use. For everyone who is left in the land will have milk and honey to eat. ²³ In that day, every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand pieces of silver, will be thistles and thorns. ²⁴ Men will go there with bows and arrows because all the land will be covered with thistles and thorns. ²⁵ As for all the hills which used to be cared for as a garden, you will not go there for fear of thistles and thorns. They will become a place where cattle feed and where sheep will run.

Assyria Will Take the Land

8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large piece of stone and write on it in easy-to-read letters: ‘They hurry to get what they can. They run to pick up what is left.’” ² And I took men who could be trusted to watch the writing, Uriah the religious leader and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. ³ Then I went to the woman who spoke for God, and she was able to have a child, and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hashbaz. ⁴ For before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and everything of any worth in Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”

⁵ The Lord spoke to me again, saying, ⁶ “These people have turned away from the gentle, flowing waters of Shiloah, and find joy in Rezin and the son of Remaliah. ⁷ So now, see, the Lord is ready to bring on them the strong and powerful waters of the Euphrates, the king of Assyria and all his greatness. It will rise up high and cause a flood. ⁸ Then it will flow into Judah. It will flood and pass through, and come up even to the neck. And the spread of its wings will cover the width of your land, O Immanuel.

⁹ “Be broken, O people, and be afraid. Listen, all you far places of the earth. Get ready, yet be afraid. Get ready, yet be afraid. ¹⁰ Make a plan, but it will come to nothing. Give your plan, but it will not be done. For God is with us.”

The People Are Told to Obey

¹¹ For the Lord said this to me with great power, and told me not to walk in the way of these people. He said, ¹² “Do not call holy all that these people call holy. Do not fear what they fear, or be afraid of it. ¹³ It is the Lord of All Whom you should think of as holy. Let Him be the One you fear. He is the One to be afraid of. ¹⁴ Then He will become a holy place. But He will be a stone of trouble and a rock to fall over for both houses of Israel. He will be a net and a trap for the people of Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Many will fall over them. They will fall and be broken. They will be trapped and caught.”

¹⁶ Put together what I have said. Hold to my teachings among my followers. ¹⁷ I will wait for the Lord Who is hiding His face from the family of Jacob. I trust Him and hope in Him. ¹⁸ See, I and the children the Lord has given me are something special to see and a wonder in Israel from the Lord of All, Who lives on Mount Zion.

¹⁹ When they say to you, “Ask those who speak in secret with the spirits of the dead and who use their secret ways,” should not a people ask their God? Should they speak to the dead for the living? ²⁰ Tell them to put their faith in the teaching and the Law. If they do not speak what this word says, it is because they have no light in them. ²¹ They will pass through the land troubled and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be angry and curse their king and their God as they look up. ²² Then they will look to the earth and see trouble and darkness and suffering and will be driven out into darkness.

Birth and Rule of the Prince of Peace

9 But there will be no more heavy hearts for those who were suffering. In the past God allowed the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali to be put to shame. In the future He will honor Galilee where those who are not Jews live and where the road to the sea is. It is on the other side of the Jordan. ² The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. The light will shine on those living in the land of dark shadows. ³ You will make the nation great. You will give them great joy. They will be glad before You, as with the joy of gathering time, and as men have joy when they divide the riches taken after a battle. ⁴ For You will break the heavy load from their neck and shoulders. You will break the power of those who made it hard for them, as at the battle of Midian. ⁵ For every shoe of the soldiers in the battle, and every coat rolled in blood, will be burned in the fire. ⁶ For to us a Child will be born. To us a Son will be given. And the rule of the nations will be on His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Teacher, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace. ⁷ There will be no end to His rule and His peace, upon the throne of David and over his nation. He will build it to last and keep it strong with what is right and fair and good from that time and forever. The work of the Lord of All will do this.

Punishment against Israel

⁸ The Lord sends word against Jacob, and it falls on Israel. ⁹ And all the people will know it, that is, Ephraim and the people of Samaria. They say with a proud spirit in their hearts, ¹⁰ “The clay blocks have fallen down, but we will build again with smooth stones. The sycamore trees have been cut down, but we will put cedar trees in their place.” ¹¹ So the Lord brings men from Rezin to fight against them. He makes those who hate them move to action. ¹² The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west swallow Israel with an open mouth. Even with this, the Lord’s anger does not turn away. His hand is still held out.

¹³ Yet the people do not return to Him Who punished them. They do not look to the Lord of All. ¹⁴ So the Lord will cut off the head and tail from Israel, both palm branch and river-grass in one day. ¹⁵ The leaders and men of honor are the head, and the tail is the false preachers who teach lies. ¹⁶ For those who lead these people are leading them from the right way, and those who are led by them are going the wrong way. ¹⁷ So the Lord is not pleased with their young men. He does not have pity on their children who have no parents or on their women whose husbands have died. Every one of them is without God and does sinful things. Every mouth speaks foolish words. Even with all this, His anger does not turn away. His hand is still held out.

¹⁸ For sin burns like a fire. It burns thistles and thorns. It sets the woods on fire, and they go up in smoke. ¹⁹ The land is burned up by the anger of the Lord, and the people are like wood for the fire. No man shows pity on his brother. ²⁰ They take what is on the right hand but still are hungry. They eat what is in the left hand but are not filled. Each of them eats the flesh of his own children. ²¹ Manasseh goes against Ephraim, and Ephraim goes against Manasseh. And together they are against Judah. Even with all this, the Lord’s anger does not turn away. His hand is still held out.

10 It is bad for those who make laws that are not fair. It is bad for those who make it hard for people. ² They keep what is right and fair from those in need. They take away the rights of the poor of My people. They take from wives after their husbands die, and take what belongs to those who have no parents. ³ Now what will you do in the day of punishment, when the destroying power comes from far away? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? ⁴ Nothing will be left to do but to bow down among those who are being taken to prison, or fall among those who are killed. Even with all this, His anger does not turn away. His hand is still held out.

Assyria Used to Punish Israel

⁵ It is bad for Assyria. I use Assyria like a stick to punish Israel. ⁶ I sent it against a nation without God, against the people of My anger. I sent it to take away the riches of battle, and to step hard on the people like dirt in the streets. ⁷ But this is not what is in Assyria’s mind. It does not plan this in its heart. It plans to destroy and to cut off many nations. ⁸ For it says, “Are not my princes all kings? ⁹ Is not Calno like Carchemish, or Hamath like Arpad, or Samaria like Damascus? ¹⁰ My hand took the nations of the false gods, whose false gods were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria. ¹¹ Should I not do to Jerusalem and her gods just as I have done to Samaria and her gods?”

¹² So when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will punish the proud heart of the king of Assyria and his proud spirit. ¹³ For the king has said, “I did this by the power of my hand and by my wisdom, for I have understanding. I moved the land-marks of the people and took their riches. Like a strong man I have brought down those who sat on thrones. ¹⁴ My hand has taken the riches of the people like one taken from a nest. I gathered all the earth as one gathers eggs that have been left. And there was not one that moved its wing or opened its mouth or made a sound.”

¹⁵ Can an ax say it is more important than the one who uses it? Is the saw more important than the one who saws with it? A stick of wood does not lift up a man. A man lifts up a stick. ¹⁶ So the Lord, the Lord of All, will send a wasting disease among the strong Assyrian soldiers. Under the king’s greatness a fire will be started that will burn and burn. ¹⁷ The light of Israel and his Holy One will become a fire. And it will burn and destroy his thorns and thistles in one day. ¹⁸ The Lord will destroy the greatness of the trees and the fields that give much fruit, both soul and body. It will be as when a sick man wastes away. ¹⁹ And the rest of his trees will be so few that a child could write them down.

A Few of Israel Will Return

²⁰ In that day those of Israel and of the family of Jacob who are still alive will never again trust in the one who destroyed them. But they will trust in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. ²¹ Some people, those who are left of Jacob, will return to the powerful God. ²² Even if there are as many Jews as the sand by the sea, only a few of them will return. The plan is to destroy them and it will be right and complete. ²³ For the Lord of All will destroy everything in the whole land and do what He planned.

Assyria Will Be Punished

²⁴ So the Lord, the Lord of All, says, “O My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they come to fight against you as the Egyptians did. ²⁵ For in a very little while My anger against you will come to an end and it will be turned to destroy them.” ²⁶ The Lord of All will punish them like He punished Midian at the rock of Oreb. His special stick will be over the sea and He will lift it up the way He did in Egypt. ²⁷ In that day the Assyrian’s load will be taken from your shoulders and neck, and it will be broken because you are so fat. ²⁸ He has come against Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he left his bags. ²⁹ They have gone through a narrow path. They stayed in Geba during the night. Ramah is afraid, and Gibeah of Saul has run away. ³⁰ Cry out with your voice, O people of Gallim! See, Laishah! Answer her, O Anathoth! ³¹ Madmenah has run away. The people of Gebim have looked for a safe place. ³² Yet today he will stop at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the people of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

³³ See, the Lord, the Lord of All, will cut off the branches with a great noise. Those who stand tall will be cut down. And those who are high will be brought low. ³⁴ He will cut down the many trees with an iron ax. And Lebanon will fall by the Powerful One.

Peace through the One from the Family of Jesse

11 Then One will come from the family of Jesse. A branch will grow out of his roots. ² And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of wise words and strength, the spirit of much learning and the fear of the Lord. ³ He will be glad in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what His eyes see, or decide by what His ears hear. ⁴ But He will judge the poor in a right and good way. He will be fair in what He decides for the people of the earth who have much trouble. He will punish the earth with His powerful mouth, and kill the sinful with the breath of His lips. ⁵ He will wear a belt of what is right and good and faithful around His body.

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb. The leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the young lion and the young fat animal will lie down together. And a little boy will lead them. ⁷ The cow and the bear will eat side by side. And their young will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. ⁸ The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra. And another child will put his hand in the hole of a snake whose bite is poison. ⁹ They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain. For the earth will be as full of much learning from the Lord as the seas are full of water.

The People of Israel and Judah Return

¹⁰ In that day the nations will turn to the One from the family of Jesse. He will be honored by the people as someone special to see. And His place of rest will be full of His shining-greatness. ¹¹ In that day the Lord will put out His hand a second time to bring back His people who are left. He will bring them back from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. ¹² He will lift up flags for the nations, and will gather together the people of Israel and of Judah who had been sent away. He will bring them back from the four corners of the earth. ¹³ Ephraim will not be jealous. Those who made it hard for Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not make it hard for Ephraim. ¹⁴ But they will go down against the Philistines in the west. Together they will take what belongs to the sons of the east. They will go against Edom and Moab. And they will rule the sons of Ammon. ¹⁵ The Lord will dry up all the tongue of the Sea of Egypt. He will wave His hand over the Euphrates River with His burning wind, and will break it into seven rivers. Men will be able to walk over it with dry feet. ¹⁶ And there will be a road from Assyria for those of His people who will be left just as it was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.

A Song of Thanks

12 You will say on that day, “I will give thanks to You, O Lord. Even though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away and You comfort me. ² See, God saves me. I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord God is my strength and song. And He has become the One Who saves me.” ³ As water from a well brings joy to the thirsty, so people have joy when He saves them. ⁴ In that day you will say, “Give thanks to the Lord. Call on His name. Make known His works among the people. Help them remember that His name is honored.” ⁵ Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done great things. Let this be known in all the earth. ⁶ Call out and sing for joy, O people of Zion. For the Holy One of Israel is great among you.

Babylon Will Be Punished

13 The special word about Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw: ² Lift up a flag on the hill without trees. Call out to the people. Wave the hand for them to go into the gates of the princes. ³ I have told My holy ones, and My powerful soldiers who take pride in their strength, to carry out My anger. ⁴ Listen to the noise on the mountains, like that of many people! Listen to the loud sound of the many people, of nations gathered together! The Lord of All is gathering an army for battle. ⁵ They are coming from a far country, from the end of the heavens. The Lord and all He is using to show His anger are coming to destroy the whole land. ⁶ Cry out in sorrow, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as a destroying power from the All-powerful. ⁷ So all hands will become weak, and every man’s heart will melt. ⁸ They will be filled with fear. Pain and suffering will take hold of them. They will suffer like a woman giving birth. They will look surprised at one another, their faces burning. ⁹ See, the day of the Lord is coming, without pity and with much anger. He is coming to destroy the land and its sinners from it. ¹⁰ The stars of heaven and every group of stars will not give out their light. The sun will be dark when it comes up, and the moon will not give its light. ¹¹ This is how I will punish the world for its sin, and the sinful for their wrong-doing. I will also put an end to those who are proud. And I will put to shame those who make it hard for others and show no pity. ¹² I will make men so few that they will be of more worth than pure gold, even the gold of Ophir. ¹³ I will make the heavens shake. And the earth will be shaken from its place with the anger of the Lord of All in the day of His burning anger. ¹⁴ Every man will turn to his own people and run to his own land like a hunted gazelle or like sheep with no shepherd. ¹⁵ Anyone who is found will have a spear put through him. And anyone who is caught will fall by the sword. ¹⁶ Their little ones will be broken in pieces in front of their eyes. Their things will be taken from their houses. And their wives will be carried away.

¹⁷ See, I am going to make the Medes go against them, who will not want silver or be happy with gold. ¹⁸ Their bows will cut down the young men. They will have no pity on babies. Their eyes will not pity children. ¹⁹ And Babylon, the beauty of nations, the shining-greatness and pride of the Babylonians, will be as when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. ²⁰ People will never live in it again, even all the people-to-come. No Arab will set up his tent there. No shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. ²¹ But wild animals of the desert will lie down there. Their houses will be full of owls. Ostriches will live there, and wild goats will play there. ²² Hyenas will make noise in their strong towers, and wild dogs in their beautiful houses. The end of her time is near. Her days will be few.