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Isaiah 28-30
Contemporary English Version
Isaiah 28-30
Contemporary English Version
Samaria Will Be Punished
28 The city of Samaria
above a fertile valley
is in for trouble!
Its leaders are drunkards,
who stuff themselves
with food and wine.
But they will be like flowers
that dry up and wilt.
2 Only the Lord is strong
and powerful!
His mighty hand
will strike them down
with the force of a hailstorm
or a mighty whirlwind
or an overwhelming flood.
3 Every drunkard in Ephraim[a]
takes pride in Samaria,
but it will be crushed.
4 Samaria above a fertile valley
will quickly lose its glory.
It will be gobbled up
like the first ripe fig
at harvest season.
5 When this time comes,
the Lord All-Powerful
will be a glorious crown
for his people who survive.
6 He will see that justice rules
and that his people are able
to defend their cities.
Corrupt Leaders Will Be Punished
7 Priests and prophets stumble
because they are drunk.
Their minds are too confused
to receive God's messages
or give honest decisions.
8 Their tables are covered,
completely covered,
with their stinking vomit.
9 You drunken leaders
are like babies!
How can you possibly understand
or teach the Lord's message?
10 You don't even listen—
all you hear is senseless sound
after senseless sound.[b]
11 (A) So, the Lord will speak
to his people
in strange sounds
and foreign languages.[c]
12 He promised you
perfect peace and rest,
but you refused to listen.
13 Now his message to you
will be senseless sound
after senseless sound.[d]
Then you will fall backwards,
injured and trapped.
False Security Is Fatal
14 You rulers of Jerusalem
do nothing but sneer;
now you must listen
to what the Lord says.
15 (B) Do you think you have
an agreement with death
and the world of the dead?
Why do you trust in your lies
to keep you safe from danger
and the mighty flood?
16 (C) And so the Lord says,
“I'm laying a firm foundation
for the city of Zion.
It's a valuable cornerstone
proven to be trustworthy;
no one who trusts it
will ever be disappointed.
17 Justice and fairness
will be the measuring lines
that help me build.”
Hailstones and floods
will destroy and wash away
your shelter of lies.
18 Your agreement with death
and the world of the dead
will be broken.
Then angry, roaring waves
will sweep over you.
19 Morning, noon, and night
an overwhelming flood
will wash you away.
The terrible things that happen
will teach you this lesson:
20 Your bed is too short,
your blanket too skimpy.[e]
21 (D) The Lord will fiercely attack
as he did at Mount Perazim[f]
and in Gibeon Valley.[g]
But this time the Lord
will do something surprising,
not what you expect.
22 So you had better stop sneering
or you will be in worse shape
than ever before.
I heard the Lord All-Powerful
threaten the whole country
with destruction.
All Wisdom Comes from the Lord
23 Pay close attention
to what I am saying.
24 Farmers don't just plow
and break up the ground.
25 When a field is ready,
they scatter the seeds
of dill and cumin;
they plant the seeds
of wheat and barley
in the proper places
and sow other grains
around the edges.
26 They learn this from their God.
27 After dill and cumin
have been harvested,
the stalks are pounded,
not run over with a wagon.
28 Wheat and barley are pounded,
but not beaten to pulp;
they are run over with a wagon,
but not ground to dust.
29 This wonderful knowledge comes
from the Lord All-Powerful,
who has such great wisdom.
Jerusalem Will Suffer
The Lord said:
29 Jerusalem, city of David,
the place of my altar,[h]
you are in for trouble!
Celebrate your festivals
year after year.
2 I will still make you suffer,
and your people will cry
when I make an altar of you.[i]
3 I will surround you and prepare
to attack from all sides.[j]
4 From deep in the earth,
you will call out for help
with only a faint whisper.
5 Then your cruel enemies
will suddenly be swept away
like dust in a windstorm.
6 I, the Lord All-Powerful,
will come to your rescue
with a thundering earthquake
and a fiery whirlwind.
7 Every brutal nation
that attacks Jerusalem
and makes it suffer
will disappear like a dream
when night is over.
8 Those nations that attack
Mount Zion
will suffer from hunger
and thirst.
They will dream of food and drink
but wake up weary and hungry
and thirsty as ever.
Prophets Who Fool Themselves
9 Be shocked and stunned,
you prophets!
Refuse to see.
Get drunk and stagger,
but not from wine.
10 (E) The Lord has made you drowsy;
he put you into a deep sleep
and covered your head.
11 Now his message is like a sealed letter to you. Some of you say, “We can't read it, because it's sealed.” 12 Others say, “We can't read it, because we don't know how to read.”
13 (F) The Lord has said:
“These people praise me
with their words,
but they never really
think about me.
They worship me by repeating
rules made up by humans.
14 (G) So once again I will do things
that shock and amaze them,
and I will destroy the wisdom
of those who claim to know
and understand.”
15 You are in for trouble,
if you try to hide your plans
from the Lord!
Or if you think what you do
in the dark can't be seen.
16 (H) You have it all backwards.
A clay dish doesn't say
to the potter,
“You didn't make me.
You don't even know how.”
Hope for the Future
17 Soon the forest of Lebanon
will become a field with crops,
thick as a forest.[k]
18 The deaf will be able to hear
whatever is read to them;
the blind will be freed
from a life of darkness.
19 The poor and the needy
will celebrate and shout
because of the Lord,
the holy God of Israel.
20 All who are cruel and arrogant
will be gone forever.
Those who live by crime
will disappear,
21 together with everyone
who tells lies in court
and keeps innocent people
from getting a fair trial.
22 The Lord who rescued Abraham
has this to say
about Jacob's descendants:
“They will no longer
be ashamed and disgraced.
23 When they see how great
I have made their nation,
they will praise and honor me,
the holy God of Israel.
24 Everyone who is confused
will understand,
and all who have complained
will obey my teaching.”
Don't Expect Help from Egypt
30 This is the Lord's message for his rebellious people:
“You follow your own plans
instead of mine;
you make treaties
without asking me,
and you keep on sinning.
2 You trust Egypt for protection.
So you refuse my advice
and send messengers to Egypt
to beg their king for help.
3 “You will be disappointed,
completely disgraced
for trusting Egypt.
4 The king's power reaches
from the city of Zoan
as far south as Hanes.[l]
5 But Egypt can't protect you,
and to trust that nation
is useless and foolish.”
6 This is a message
about the animals
of the Southern Desert:
“You people carry treasures
on donkeys and camels.
You travel to a feeble nation
through a troublesome desert
filled with lions
and flying fiery dragons.
7 Egypt can't help you!
That's why I call that nation
a helpless monster.”[m]
Israel Refuses To Listen
8 The Lord told me to write down his message for his people, so that it would be there forever. 9 They have turned against the Lord and can't be trusted. They have refused his teaching 10 and have said to his messengers and prophets:
Don't tell us what God has shown you and don't preach the truth. Just say what we want to hear, even if it's false. 11 Stop telling us what God has said! We don't want to hear any more about the holy One of Israel.
12 Now this is the answer
of the holy One of Israel:
“You rejected my message,
and you trust in violence
and lies.
13 This sin is like a crack
that makes a high wall
quickly crumble 14 and shatter
like a crushed bowl.
There's not a piece left
big enough to carry hot coals
or to dip out water.”
Trust the Lord
15 The holy Lord God of Israel
had told all of you,
“I will keep you safe
if you turn back to me
and calm down.
I will make you strong
if you quietly trust me.”
Then you stubbornly 16 said,
“No! We will safely escape
on speedy horses.”
But those who chase you
will be even faster.
17 As few as five of them,
or even one, will be enough
to chase a thousand of you.
Finally, all that will be left
will be a few survivors
as lonely as a flag pole
on a barren hill.
The Lord Will Show Mercy
18 The Lord God is waiting
to show how kind he is
and to have pity on you.
The Lord always does right;
he blesses those who trust him.
19 People of Jerusalem, you don't need to cry anymore. The Lord is kind, and as soon as he hears your cries for help, he will come. 20 The Lord has given you trouble and sorrow as your food and drink. But now you will again see the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, “This is the road! Now follow it.” 22 Then you will treat your idols of silver and gold like garbage; you will throw them away like filthy rags.
23 The Lord will send rain to water the seeds you have planted—your fields will produce more crops than you need, and your cattle will graze in open pastures. 24 Even the oxen and donkeys that plow your fields will be fed the finest grain.[n]
25 On that day people will be slaughtered and towers destroyed, but streams of water will flow from high hills and towering mountains. 26 Then the Lord will bandage his people's injuries and heal the wounds he has caused. The moon will shine as bright as the sun, and the sun will shine seven times brighter than usual. It will be like the light of seven days all at once.
Assyria Will Be Punished
27 The Lord is coming
from far away
with his fiery anger
and thick clouds of smoke.[o]
His angry words flame up
like a destructive fire;
28 he breathes out a flood
that comes up to the neck.
He sifts the nations
and destroys them.
Then he puts a bridle
in every foreigner's mouth
and leads them to doom.
29 The Lord's people will sing as they do when they celebrate a religious festival[p] at night. The Lord is Israel's mighty rock,[q] and his people will be as happy as they are when they follow the sound of flutes to the mountain where he is worshiped.
30 The Lord will get furious. His fearsome voice will be heard, his arm will be seen ready to strike, and his anger will be like a destructive fire, followed by thunderstorms and hailstones. 31 When the Assyrians hear the Lord's voice and see him striking with his iron rod, they will be terrified. 32 He will attack them in battle, and each time he strikes them, it will be to the music of tambourines and harps.
33 Long ago the Lord got a place ready for burning the body of the dead king.[r] The place for the fire is deep and wide, the wood is piled high, and the Lord will start the fire by breathing out flaming sulfur.
Footnotes
- 28.3 Ephraim: The northern kingdom of Israel; Samaria was its capital.
- 28.10 sound: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verses 9,10.
- 28.11 in … foreign languages: This probably refers to the language of the Assyrians.
- 28.13 Now … sound: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 28.20 Your bed … skimpy: Isaiah quotes a popular saying to teach that the treaty made with Egypt (verse 18) cannot give the nation security from its enemies.
- 28.21 Mount Perazim: This may refer to David's defeat of the Philistines at Baal Perazim (2 Samuel 5.17-21).
- 28.21 Gibeon Valley: This refers to Joshua's victory at Gibeon (Joshua 10.1-11).
- 29.1 the place of my altar: One possible meaning for “ariel, ariel” of the Hebrew text. In Hebrew “ariel” can mean “God's hero” or “God's lion” or “God's altar.”
- 29.2 when … you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 29.3 from all sides: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. One ancient translation has “like David.”
- 29.17 with … forest: Or “and Mount Carmel will be covered with forests.”
- 30.4 Zoan … Hanes: Or “Your messengers have reached the city of Zoan and gone as far as Hanes.” Zoan was in northeast Egypt; Hanes was to the south.
- 30.7 a helpless monster: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 30.24 the finest grain: The Hebrew text refers to grain with the husks removed.
- 30.27 with … smoke: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 30.29 a religious festival: Probably Passover.
- 30.29 mighty rock: See the note at 17.10.
- 30.33 burning … king: Or “sacrificing the king” or “sacrificing to Molech.” Human sacrifices were sometimes offered to Molech, a god whose name sounds like the Hebrew word for “king” (see 2 Kings 23.10; Jeremiah 32.35).
Isaiah 28-30
New International Version
Isaiah 28-30
New International Version
Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah
28 Woe(A) to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(B) drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley(C)—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!(D)
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful(E) and strong.
Like a hailstorm(F) and a destructive wind,(G)
like a driving rain and a flooding(H) downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s(I) drunkards,
will be trampled(J) underfoot.
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,(K)
will be like figs(L) ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5 In that day(M) the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious(N) crown,(O)
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant(P) of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice(Q)
to the one who sits in judgment,(R)
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle(S) at the gate.
7 And these also stagger(T) from wine(U)
and reel(V) from beer:
Priests(W) and prophets(X) stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,(Y)
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit(Z)
and there is not a spot without filth.
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?(AA)
To whom is he explaining his message?(AB)
To children weaned(AC) from their milk,(AD)
to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that[a];
a little here, a little there.(AE)”
11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues(AF)
God will speak to this people,(AG)
12 to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;(AH)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there(AI)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured(AJ) and snared and captured.(AK)
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord,(AL) you scoffers(AM)
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,(AN)
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(AO)
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie(AP) our refuge
and falsehood[b] our hiding place.(AQ)”
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,(AR) a tested stone,(AS)
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;(AT)
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.(AU)
17 I will make justice(AV) the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;(AW)
hail(AX) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow(AY) your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.(AZ)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,(BA)
you will be beaten down(BB) by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;(BC)
morning after morning,(BD) by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.(BE)
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.(BF)
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,(BG)
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon(BH)—
to do his work,(BI) his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking,(BJ)
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed(BK) against the whole land.(BL)
23 Listen(BM) and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting,(BN) does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?(BO)
Does he not plant wheat in its place,[c]
barley(BP) in its plot,[d]
and spelt(BQ) in its field?
26 His God instructs him
and teaches(BR) him the right way.
27 Caraway is not threshed(BS) with a sledge,(BT)
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,(BU)
and cumin with a stick.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart(BV) may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,(BW)
whose wisdom is magnificent.(BX)
Woe to David’s City
29 Woe(BY) to you, Ariel, Ariel,(BZ)
the city(CA) where David settled!
Add year to year
and let your cycle of festivals(CB) go on.
2 Yet I will besiege Ariel;(CC)
she will mourn and lament,(CD)
she will be to me like an altar hearth.[e](CE)
3 I will encamp against you on all sides;
I will encircle(CF) you with towers
and set up my siege works(CG) against you.
4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumble(CH) out of the dust.(CI)
Your voice will come ghostlike(CJ) from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper.(CK)
5 But your many enemies will become like fine dust,(CL)
the ruthless(CM) hordes like blown chaff.(CN)
Suddenly,(CO) in an instant,
6 the Lord Almighty will come(CP)
with thunder(CQ) and earthquake(CR) and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest(CS) and flames of a devouring fire.(CT)
7 Then the hordes of all the nations(CU) that fight against Ariel,(CV)
that attack her and her fortress and besiege her,
will be as it is with a dream,(CW)
with a vision in the night—
8 as when a hungry person dreams of eating,
but awakens(CX) hungry still;
as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking,
but awakens faint and thirsty still.(CY)
So will it be with the hordes of all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.(CZ)
9 Be stunned and amazed,(DA)
blind yourselves and be sightless;(DB)
be drunk,(DC) but not from wine,(DD)
stagger,(DE) but not from beer.
10 The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep:(DF)
He has sealed your eyes(DG) (the prophets);(DH)
he has covered your heads (the seers).(DI)
11 For you this whole vision(DJ) is nothing but words sealed(DK) in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”
13 The Lord says:
“These people(DL) come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,(DM)
but their hearts are far from me.(DN)
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.[f](DO)
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;(DP)
the wisdom of the wise(DQ) will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.(DR)”
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide(DS) their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us?(DT) Who will know?”(DU)
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!(DV)
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed(DW) it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,(DX)
“You know nothing”?(DY)
17 In a very short time,(DZ) will not Lebanon(EA) be turned into a fertile field(EB)
and the fertile field seem like a forest?(EC)
18 In that day(ED) the deaf(EE) will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness(EF)
the eyes of the blind will see.(EG)
19 Once more the humble(EH) will rejoice in the Lord;
the needy(EI) will rejoice in the Holy One(EJ) of Israel.
20 The ruthless(EK) will vanish,(EL)
the mockers(EM) will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil(EN) will be cut down—
21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court(EO)
and with false testimony(EP) deprive the innocent of justice.(EQ)
22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed(ER) Abraham,(ES) says to the descendants of Jacob:
“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;(ET)
no longer will their faces grow pale.(EU)
23 When they see among them their children,(EV)
the work of my hands,(EW)
they will keep my name holy;(EX)
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One(EY) of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who are wayward(EZ) in spirit will gain understanding;(FA)
those who complain will accept instruction.”(FB)
Woe to the Obstinate Nation
30 “Woe(FC) to the obstinate children,”(FD)
declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance,(FE) but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
2 who go down to Egypt(FF)
without consulting(FG) me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,(FH)
to Egypt’s shade for refuge.(FI)
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
Egypt’s shade(FJ) will bring you disgrace.(FK)
4 Though they have officials in Zoan(FL)
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5 everyone will be put to shame
because of a people(FM) useless(FN) to them,
who bring neither help(FO) nor advantage,
but only shame and disgrace.(FP)”
6 A prophecy(FQ) concerning the animals of the Negev:(FR)
Through a land of hardship and distress,(FS)
of lions(FT) and lionesses,
of adders and darting snakes,(FU)
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’(FV) backs,
their treasures(FW) on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
7 to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.(FX)
Therefore I call her
Rahab(FY) the Do-Nothing.
8 Go now, write it on a tablet(FZ) for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,(GA)
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.(GB)
9 For these are rebellious(GC) people, deceitful(GD) children,
children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.(GE)
10 They say to the seers,(GF)
“See no more visions(GG)!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,(GH)
prophesy illusions.(GI)
11 Leave this way,(GJ)
get off this path,
and stop confronting(GK) us
with the Holy One(GL) of Israel!”
12 Therefore this is what the Holy One(GM) of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message,(GN)
relied on oppression(GO)
and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall,(GP) cracked and bulging,
that collapses(GQ) suddenly,(GR) in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery,(GS)
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern.”
15 This is what the Sovereign(GT) Lord, the Holy One(GU) of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest(GV) is your salvation,
in quietness and trust(GW) is your strength,
but you would have none of it.(GX)
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee(GY) on horses.’(GZ)
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five(HA)
you will all flee(HB) away,
till you are left(HC)
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner(HD) on a hill.”
18 Yet the Lord longs(HE) to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.(HF)
For the Lord is a God of justice.(HG)
Blessed are all who wait for him!(HH)
19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.(HI) How gracious he will be when you cry for help!(HJ) As soon as he hears, he will answer(HK) you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread(HL) of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers(HM) will be hidden(HN) no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice(HO) behind you, saying, “This is the way;(HP) walk in it.” 22 Then you will desecrate your idols(HQ) overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold;(HR) you will throw them away like a menstrual(HS) cloth and say to them, “Away with you!(HT)”
23 He will also send you rain(HU) for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich(HV) and plentiful.(HW) In that day(HX) your cattle will graze in broad meadows.(HY) 24 The oxen(HZ) and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder(IA) and mash, spread out with fork(IB) and shovel. 25 In the day of great slaughter,(IC) when the towers(ID) fall, streams of water will flow(IE) on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun,(IF) and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals(IG) the wounds he inflicted.
27 See, the Name(IH) of the Lord comes from afar,
with burning anger(II) and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,(IJ)
and his tongue is a consuming fire.(IK)
28 His breath(IL) is like a rushing torrent,(IM)
rising up to the neck.(IN)
He shakes the nations in the sieve(IO) of destruction;
he places in the jaws of the peoples
a bit(IP) that leads them astray.
29 And you will sing
as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;(IQ)
your hearts will rejoice(IR)
as when people playing pipes(IS) go up
to the mountain(IT) of the Lord,
to the Rock(IU) of Israel.
30 The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice(IV)
and will make them see his arm(IW) coming down
with raging anger(IX) and consuming fire,(IY)
with cloudburst, thunderstorm(IZ) and hail.(JA)
31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;(JB)
with his rod he will strike(JC) them down.
32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them
with his punishing club(JD)
will be to the music of timbrels(JE) and harps,
as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.(JF)
33 Topheth(JG) has long been prepared;
it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath(JH) of the Lord,
like a stream of burning sulfur,(JI)
sets it ablaze.(JJ)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13
- Isaiah 28:15 Or false gods
- Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Isaiah 29:2 The Hebrew for altar hearth sounds like the Hebrew for Ariel.
- Isaiah 29:13 Hebrew; Septuagint They worship me in vain; / their teachings are merely human rules
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