Isaiah 25:1-28:13

New International Version

⁶ On this mountain^(U) the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast^(V) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.^(W)
7 On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud^(X) that enfolds all peoples,^(Y)
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸     he will swallow up death^(Z) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears^(AA)
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace^(AB)
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.^(AC)

“Surely this is our God;^(AE)
    we trusted^(AF) in him, and he saved^(AG) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice^(AH) and be glad in his salvation.”^(AI)

¹⁰ The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;^(AJ)
    but Moab^(AK) will be trampled in their land
    as straw is trampled down in the manure.
¹¹ They will stretch out their hands in it,
    as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down^(AL) their pride^(AM)
    despite the cleverness^[a] of their hands.
¹² He will bring down your high fortified walls^(AN)
    and lay them low;^(AO)
he will bring them down to the ground,
    to the very dust.

We have a strong city;^(AR)
    God makes salvation
    its walls^(AS) and ramparts.^(AT)
2 Open the gates^(AU)
    that the righteous^(AV) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
³ You will keep in perfect peace^(AW)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust^(AX) in you.
⁴ Trust^(AY) in the Lord forever,^(AZ)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock^(BA) eternal.
⁵ He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground^(BB)
    and casts it down to the dust.^(BC)
6 Feet trample^(BD) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,^(BE)
    the footsteps of the poor.^(BF)

⁷ The path of the righteous is level;^(BG)
    you, the Upright One,^(BH) make the way of the righteous smooth.^(BI)
8 Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,^[b](BJ)
    we wait^(BK) for you;
your name^(BL) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
⁹ My soul yearns for you in the night;^(BM)
    in the morning my spirit longs^(BN) for you.
When your judgments^(BO) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.^(BP)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,^(BQ)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil^(BR)
    and do not regard^(BS) the majesty of the Lord.
¹¹ Lord, your hand is lifted high,^(BT)
    but they do not see^(BU) it.
Let them see your zeal^(BV) for your people and be put to shame;^(BW)
    let the fire^(BX) reserved for your enemies consume them.

¹² Lord, you establish peace^(BY) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done^(BZ) for us.
¹³ Lord our God, other lords^(CA) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name^(CB) alone do we honor.^(CC)
14 They are now dead,^(CD) they live no more;
    their spirits^(CE) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;^(CF)
    you wiped out all memory of them.^(CG)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.^(CH)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders^(CI) of the land.

¹⁶ Lord, they came to you in their distress;^(CJ)
    when you disciplined^(CK) them,
    they could barely whisper^(CL) a prayer.^[c]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth^(CM)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
¹⁸ We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth^(CN) to wind.
We have not brought salvation^(CO) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.^(CP)

¹⁹ But your dead^(CQ) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust^(CR)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew^(CS) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.^(CT)

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors^(CU) behind you;
hide^(CV) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath^(CW) has passed by.^(CX)
21 See, the Lord is coming^(CY) out of his dwelling^(CZ)
    to punish^(DA) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood^(DB) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

the Lord will punish with his sword^(DD)—
    his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan^(DE) the gliding serpent,^(DF)
    Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster^(DG) of the sea.

“Sing^(DI) about a fruitful vineyard:^(DJ)
3     I, the Lord, watch over it;
    I water^(DK) it continually.
I guard^(DL) it day and night
    so that no one may harm^(DM) it.
⁴     I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
    I would march against them in battle;
    I would set them all on fire.^(DN)
5 Or else let them come to me for refuge;^(DO)
    let them make peace^(DP) with me,
    yes, let them make peace with me.”

⁶ In days to come Jacob will take root,^(DQ)
    Israel will bud and blossom^(DR)
    and fill all the world with fruit.^(DS)

⁷ Has the Lord struck her
    as he struck^(DT) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
    as those were killed who killed her?
⁸ By warfare^[d] and exile^(DU) you contend with her—
    with his fierce blast he drives her out,
    as on a day the east wind^(DV) blows.
⁹ By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned^(DW) for,
    and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:^(DX)
When he makes all the altar stones^(DY)
    to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles^[e](DZ) or incense altars^(EA)
    will be left standing.
¹⁰ The fortified city stands desolate,^(EB)
    an abandoned settlement, forsaken^(EC) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,^(ED)
    there they lie down;^(EE)
    they strip its branches bare.
¹¹ When its twigs are dry, they are broken off^(EF)
    and women come and make fires^(EG) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;^(EH)
    so their Maker has no compassion on them,
    and their Creator^(EI) shows them no favor.^(EJ)

⁵ In that day^(FF) the Lord Almighty
    will be a glorious^(FG) crown,^(FH)
a beautiful wreath
    for the remnant^(FI) of his people.
⁶ He will be a spirit of justice^(FJ)
    to the one who sits in judgment,^(FK)
a source of strength
    to those who turn back the battle^(FL) at the gate.

⁷ And these also stagger^(FM) from wine^(FN)
    and reel^(FO) from beer:
Priests^(FP) and prophets^(FQ) stagger from beer
    and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
    they stagger when seeing visions,^(FR)
    they stumble when rendering decisions.
⁸ All the tables are covered with vomit^(FS)
    and there is not a spot without filth.

⁹ “Who is it he is trying to teach?^(FT)
    To whom is he explaining his message?^(FU)
To children weaned^(FV) from their milk,^(FW)
    to those just taken from the breast?
¹⁰ For it is:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that^[f];
    a little here, a little there.^(FX)”

¹¹ Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues^(FY)
    God will speak to this people,^(FZ)
12 to whom he said,
    “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;^(GA)
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^(GB)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
    they will be injured^(GC) and snared and captured.^(GD)