Isaiah 7:14-21:10

New International Version

⁶ “Because this people has rejected^(AR)
    the gently flowing waters of Shiloah^(AS)
and rejoices over Rezin
    and the son of Remaliah,^(AT)
7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
    the mighty floodwaters^(AU) of the Euphrates—
    the king of Assyria^(AV) with all his pomp.^(AW)
It will overflow all its channels,
    run over all its banks^(AX)
8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,^(AY)
    passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings^(AZ) will cover the breadth of your land,
    Immanuel^[g]!”^(BA)

⁹ Raise the war cry,^[h](BB) you nations, and be shattered!^(BC)
    Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare^(BD) for battle, and be shattered!
    Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
¹⁰ Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;^(BE)
    propose your plan, but it will not stand,^(BF)
    for God is with us.^[i](BG)

¹² “Do not call conspiracy^(BJ)
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,^(BK)
    and do not dread it.^(BL)
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,^(BM)
    he is the one you are to fear,^(BN)
    he is the one you are to dread.^(BO)
14 He will be a holy place;^(BP)
    for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone^(BQ) that causes people to stumble^(BR)
    and a rock that makes them fall.^(BS)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
    a trap and a snare.^(BT)
15 Many of them will stumble;^(BU)
    they will fall and be broken,
    they will be snared and captured.”

¹⁶ Bind up this testimony of warning^(BV)
    and seal^(BW) up God’s instruction among my disciples.
¹⁷ I will wait^(BX) for the Lord,
    who is hiding^(BY) his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.^(BZ)

² The people walking in darkness^(CS)
    have seen a great light;^(CT)
on those living in the land of deep darkness^(CU)
    a light has dawned.^(CV)
3 You have enlarged the nation^(CW)
    and increased their joy;^(CX)
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.^(CY)
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,^(CZ)
    you have shattered^(DA)
the yoke^(DB) that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,^(DC)
    the rod of their oppressor.^(DD)
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,^(DE)
    will be fuel for the fire.
⁶ For to us a child is born,^(DF)
    to us a son is given,^(DG)
    and the government^(DH) will be on his shoulders.^(DI)
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor,^(DJ) Mighty God,^(DK)
    Everlasting^(DL) Father,^(DM) Prince of Peace.^(DN)
7 Of the greatness of his government^(DO) and peace^(DP)
    there will be no end.^(DQ)
He will reign^(DR) on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice^(DS) and righteousness^(DT)
    from that time on and forever.^(DU)
The zeal^(DV) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Yet for all this, his anger^(EH) is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.^(EI)

¹³ But the people have not returned^(EJ) to him who struck^(EK) them,
    nor have they sought^(EL) the Lord Almighty.
¹⁴ So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
    both palm branch and reed^(EM) in a single day;^(EN)
15 the elders^(EO) and dignitaries^(EP) are the head,
    the prophets^(EQ) who teach lies^(ER) are the tail.
¹⁶ Those who guide^(ES) this people mislead them,
    and those who are guided are led astray.^(ET)
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,^(EU)
    nor will he pity^(EV) the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly^(EW) and wicked,^(EX)
    every mouth speaks folly.^(EY)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.^(EZ)

¹⁸ Surely wickedness burns like a fire;^(FA)
    it consumes briers and thorns,^(FB)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,^(FC)
    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
¹⁹ By the wrath^(FD) of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched^(FE)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;^(FF)
    they will not spare one another.^(FG)
20 On the right they will devour,
    but still be hungry;^(FH)
on the left they will eat,^(FI)
    but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring^[k]:
²¹     Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;^(FJ)
    together they will turn against Judah.^(FK)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
    his hand is still upraised.^(FL)

10 Woe^(FM) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,^(FN)
2 to deprive^(FO) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,^(FP)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.^(FQ)
3 What will you do on the day of reckoning,^(FR)
    when disaster^(FS) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?^(FT)
    Where will you leave your riches?
⁴ Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives^(FU)
    or fall among the slain.^(FV)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,^(FW)
    his hand is still upraised.

“‘By the strength of my hand^(GW) I have done this,^(GX)
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;^(GY)
    like a mighty one I subdued^[l] their kings.^(GZ)
14 As one reaches into a nest,^(HA)
    so my hand reached for the wealth^(HB) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;^(HC)
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.^(HD)’”

¹⁵ Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
    or the saw boast against the one who uses it?^(HE)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
    or a club^(HF) brandish the one who is not wood!
¹⁶ Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will send a wasting disease^(HG) upon his sturdy warriors;^(HH)
under his pomp^(HI) a fire^(HJ) will be kindled
    like a blazing flame.
¹⁷ The Light of Israel will become a fire,^(HK)
    their Holy One^(HL) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
    his thorns^(HM) and his briers.^(HN)
18 The splendor of his forests^(HO) and fertile fields
    it will completely destroy,^(HP)
    as when a sick person wastes away.
¹⁹ And the remaining trees of his forests^(HQ) will be so few^(HR)
    that a child could write them down.

“My people who live in Zion,^(IG)
    do not be afraid^(IH) of the Assyrians,
who beat^(II) you with a rod^(IJ)
    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
²⁵ Very soon^(IK) my anger against you will end
    and my wrath^(IL) will be directed to their destruction.^(IM)”

²⁶ The Lord Almighty will lash^(IN) them with a whip,
    as when he struck down Midian^(IO) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff^(IP) over the waters,^(IQ)
    as he did in Egypt.
²⁷ In that day^(IR) their burden^(IS) will be lifted from your shoulders,
    their yoke^(IT) from your neck;^(IU)
the yoke^(IV) will be broken
    because you have grown so fat.^[n]

²⁸ They enter Aiath;
    they pass through Migron;^(IW)
    they store supplies^(IX) at Mikmash.^(IY)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
    “We will camp overnight at Geba.^(IZ)”
Ramah^(JA) trembles;
    Gibeah^(JB) of Saul flees.^(JC)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!^(JD)
    Listen, Laishah!
    Poor Anathoth!^(JE)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
    the people of Gebim take cover.
³² This day they will halt at Nob;^(JF)
    they will shake their fist^(JG)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,^(JH)
    at the hill of Jerusalem.

³³ See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will lop off^(JI) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,^(JJ)
    the tall^(JK) ones will be brought low.^(JL)
34 He will cut down^(JM) the forest thickets with an ax;
    Lebanon^(JN) will fall before the Mighty One.^(JO)

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,^(JY)
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;^(JZ)
4 but with righteousness^(KA) he will judge the needy,^(KB)
    with justice^(KC) he will give decisions for the poor^(KD) of the earth.
He will strike^(KE) the earth with the rod of his mouth;^(KF)
    with the breath^(KG) of his lips he will slay the wicked.^(KH)
5 Righteousness will be his belt^(KI)
    and faithfulness^(KJ) the sash around his waist.^(KK)

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,^(KL)
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling^[o] together;
    and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.^(KM)
8 The infant^(KN) will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s^(KO) nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy^(KP)
    on all my holy mountain,^(KQ)
for the earth^(KR) will be filled with the knowledge^(KS) of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

¹² He will raise a banner^(LJ) for the nations
    and gather^(LK) the exiles of Israel;^(LL)
he will assemble the scattered people^(LM) of Judah
    from the four quarters of the earth.^(LN)
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
    and Judah’s enemies^[r] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
    nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.^(LO)
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia^(LP) to the west;
    together they will plunder the people to the east.^(LQ)
They will subdue Edom^(LR) and Moab,^(LS)
    and the Ammonites^(LT) will be subject to them.^(LU)
15 The Lord will dry up^(LV)
    the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind^(LW) he will sweep his hand^(LX)
    over the Euphrates River.^(LY)
He will break it up into seven streams
    so that anyone can cross over in sandals.^(LZ)
16 There will be a highway^(MA) for the remnant^(MB) of his people
    that is left from Assyria,^(MC)
as there was for Israel
    when they came up from Egypt.^(MD)

“I will praise^(MF) you, Lord.
    Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away^(MG)
    and you have comforted^(MH) me.
² Surely God is my salvation;^(MI)
    I will trust^(MJ) and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself,^(MK) is my strength^(ML) and my defense^[s];
    he has become my salvation.^(MM)”
³ With joy you will draw water^(MN)
    from the wells^(MO) of salvation.

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;^(MQ)
    make known among the nations^(MR) what he has done,
    and proclaim that his name is exalted.^(MS)
5 Sing^(MT) to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;^(MU)
    let this be known to all the world.
⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy,^(MV) people of Zion,
    for great^(MW) is the Holy One of Israel^(MX) among you.^(MY)”

² Raise a banner^(ND) on a bare hilltop,
    shout to them;
beckon to them
    to enter the gates^(NE) of the nobles.
³ I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
    I have summoned my warriors^(NF) to carry out my wrath^(NG)—
    those who rejoice^(NH) in my triumph.

⁴ Listen, a noise on the mountains,
    like that of a great multitude!^(NI)
Listen, an uproar^(NJ) among the kingdoms,
    like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty^(NK) is mustering^(NL)
    an army for war.
⁵ They come from faraway lands,
    from the ends of the heavens^(NM)—
the Lord and the weapons^(NN) of his wrath^(NO)—
    to destroy^(NP) the whole country.

⁶ Wail,^(NQ) for the day^(NR) of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction^(NS) from the Almighty.^[t](NT)
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,^(NU)
    every heart will melt with fear.^(NV)
8 Terror^(NW) will seize them,
    pain and anguish will grip^(NX) them;
    they will writhe like a woman in labor.^(NY)
They will look aghast at each other,
    their faces aflame.^(NZ)

⁹ See, the day^(OA) of the Lord is coming
    —a cruel^(OB) day, with wrath^(OC) and fierce anger^(OD)—
to make the land desolate
    and destroy the sinners within it.
¹⁰ The stars of heaven and their constellations
    will not show their light.^(OE)
The rising sun^(OF) will be darkened^(OG)
    and the moon will not give its light.^(OH)
11 I will punish^(OI) the world for its evil,
    the wicked^(OJ) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty^(OK)
    and will humble^(OL) the pride of the ruthless.^(OM)
12 I will make people^(ON) scarcer than pure gold,
    more rare than the gold of Ophir.^(OO)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;^(OP)
    and the earth will shake^(OQ) from its place
at the wrath^(OR) of the Lord Almighty,
    in the day of his burning anger.^(OS)

¹⁴ Like a hunted^(OT) gazelle,
    like sheep without a shepherd,^(OU)
they will all return to their own people,
    they will flee^(OV) to their native land.^(OW)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
    all who are caught will fall^(OX) by the sword.^(OY)
16 Their infants^(OZ) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
    their houses will be looted and their wives violated.^(PA)

¹⁷ See, I will stir up^(PB) against them the Medes,^(PC)
    who do not care for silver
    and have no delight in gold.^(PD)
18 Their bows^(PE) will strike down the young men;^(PF)
    they will have no mercy^(PG) on infants,
    nor will they look with compassion on children.^(PH)
19 Babylon,^(PI) the jewel of kingdoms,^(PJ)
    the pride and glory^(PK) of the Babylonians,^[u]
will be overthrown^(PL) by God
    like Sodom and Gomorrah.^(PM)
20 She will never be inhabited^(PN)
    or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads^(PO) will pitch their tents,
    there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
²¹ But desert creatures^(PP) will lie there,
    jackals^(PQ) will fill her houses;
there the owls^(PR) will dwell,
    and there the wild goats^(PS) will leap about.
²² Hyenas^(PT) will inhabit her strongholds,^(PU)
    jackals^(PV) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,^(PW)
    and her days will not be prolonged.^(PX)

14 The Lord will have compassion^(PY) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(PZ) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(QA)
Foreigners^(QB) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
² Nations will take them
    and bring^(QC) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(QD)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(QE) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(QF)

How the oppressor^(QL) has come to an end!
    How his fury^[v] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(QM) of the wicked,^(QN)
    the scepter^(QO) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(QP)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(QQ) nations
    with relentless aggression.^(QR)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(QS)
    they break into singing.^(QT)
8 Even the junipers^(QU) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”^(QV)

⁹ The realm of the dead^(QW) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed^(QX) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders^(QY) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.^(QZ)
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”^(RA)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^(RB)
    along with the noise of your harps;^(RC)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms^(RD) cover you.^(RE)

¹² How you have fallen^(RF) from heaven,
    morning star,^(RG) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!^(RH)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend^(RI) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(RJ)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(RK)
    on the utmost heights^(RL) of Mount Zaphon.^[w]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(RM)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”^(RN)
15 But you are brought down^(RO) to the realm of the dead,^(RP)
    to the depths^(RQ) of the pit.^(RR)

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:^(RS)
“Is this the man who shook^(RT) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,^(RU)
    who overthrew^(RV) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”^(RW)

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.^(RX)
19 But you are cast out^(RY) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,^(RZ)
    with those pierced by the sword,^(SA)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.^(SB)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
²⁰     you will not join them in burial,^(SC)
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring^(SD) of the wicked^(SE)
    never be mentioned^(SF) again.
²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(SG)
    for the sins of their ancestors;^(SH)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up^(SI) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(SJ) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,^(SK)”
declares the Lord.
²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(SL)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(SM)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(SN)

“Surely, as I have planned,^(SP) so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.^(SQ)
25 I will crush the Assyrian^(SR) in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke^(SS) will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.^(ST)”

²⁶ This is the plan^(SU) determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand^(SV) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(SW) and who can thwart him?
    His hand^(SX) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(SY)

²⁹ Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(TC)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(TD)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(TE)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy^(TF) will lie down in safety.^(TG)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(TH)
    it will slay^(TI) your survivors.^(TJ)

³¹ Wail,^(TK) you gate!^(TL) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!^(TM)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(TN)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(TO)
32 What answer shall be given
    to the envoys^(TP) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,^(TQ)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(TR)”

Ar^(TV) in Moab is ruined,^(TW)
    destroyed in a night!
Kir^(TX) in Moab is ruined,
    destroyed in a night!
² Dibon^(TY) goes up to its temple,
    to its high places^(TZ) to weep;
    Moab wails^(UA) over Nebo^(UB) and Medeba.
Every head is shaved^(UC)
    and every beard cut off.^(UD)
3 In the streets they wear sackcloth;^(UE)
    on the roofs^(UF) and in the public squares^(UG)
they all wail,^(UH)
    prostrate with weeping.^(UI)
4 Heshbon^(UJ) and Elealeh^(UK) cry out,
    their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.^(UL)
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
    and their hearts are faint.

⁵ My heart cries out^(UM) over Moab;^(UN)
    her fugitives^(UO) flee as far as Zoar,^(UP)
    as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the hill to Luhith,
    weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim^(UQ)
    they lament their destruction.^(UR)
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up^(US)
    and the grass is withered;^(UT)
the vegetation is gone^(UU)
    and nothing green is left.^(UV)
7 So the wealth they have acquired^(UW) and stored up
    they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.
⁸ Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;
    their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
    their lamentation as far as Beer^(UX) Elim.
⁹ The waters of Dimon^[x] are full of blood,
    but I will bring still more upon Dimon^[y]—
a lion^(UY) upon the fugitives of Moab^(UZ)
    and upon those who remain in the land.

16 Send lambs^(VA) as tribute^(VB)
    to the ruler of the land,
from Sela,^(VC) across the desert,
    to the mount of Daughter Zion.^(VD)
2 Like fluttering birds
    pushed from the nest,^(VE)
so are the women of Moab^(VF)
    at the fords^(VG) of the Arnon.^(VH)

³ “Make up your mind,” Moab says.
    “Render a decision.
Make your shadow like night—
    at high noon.
Hide the fugitives,^(VI)
    do not betray the refugees.
⁴ Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you;
    be their shelter^(VJ) from the destroyer.”

The oppressor^(VK) will come to an end,
    and destruction will cease;^(VL)
    the aggressor will vanish from the land.
⁵ In love a throne^(VM) will be established;^(VN)
    in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
    one from the house^[z] of David^(VO)—
one who in judging seeks justice^(VP)
    and speeds the cause of righteousness.

⁶ We have heard of Moab’s^(VQ) pride^(VR)—
    how great is her arrogance!—
of her conceit, her pride and her insolence;
    but her boasts are empty.
⁷ Therefore the Moabites wail,^(VS)
    they wail together for Moab.
Lament and grieve
    for the raisin cakes^(VT) of Kir Hareseth.^(VU)
8 The fields of Heshbon^(VV) wither,^(VW)
    the vines of Sibmah^(VX) also.
The rulers of the nations
    have trampled down the choicest vines,^(VY)
which once reached Jazer^(VZ)
    and spread toward the desert.
Their shoots spread out^(WA)
    and went as far as the sea.^[aa](WB)
9 So I weep,^(WC) as Jazer weeps,
    for the vines of Sibmah.
Heshbon and Elealeh,^(WD)
    I drench you with tears!^(WE)
The shouts of joy^(WF) over your ripened fruit
    and over your harvests^(WG) have been stilled.
¹⁰ Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;^(WH)
    no one sings or shouts^(WI) in the vineyards;
no one treads^(WJ) out wine at the presses,^(WK)
    for I have put an end to the shouting.
¹¹ My heart laments for Moab^(WL) like a harp,^(WM)
    my inmost being^(WN) for Kir Hareseth.
¹² When Moab appears at her high place,^(WO)
    she only wears herself out;
when she goes to her shrine^(WP) to pray,
    it is to no avail.^(WQ)

“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
    but will become a heap of ruins.^(WY)
2 The cities of Aroer^(WZ) will be deserted
    and left to flocks,^(XA) which will lie down,^(XB)
    with no one to make them afraid.^(XC)
3 The fortified^(XD) city will disappear from Ephraim,
    and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
    like the glory^(XE) of the Israelites,”^(XF)
declares the Lord Almighty.

⁴ “In that day^(XG) the glory^(XH) of Jacob will fade;
    the fat of his body will waste^(XI) away.
⁵ It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain,
    gathering^(XJ) the grain in their arms—
as when someone gleans heads of grain^(XK)
    in the Valley of Rephaim.^(XL)
6 Yet some gleanings will remain,^(XM)
    as when an olive tree is beaten,^(XN)
leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches,
    four or five on the fruitful boughs,”
declares the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁷ In that day^(XO) people will look^(XP) to their Maker^(XQ)
    and turn their eyes to the Holy One^(XR) of Israel.
⁸ They will not look to the altars,^(XS)
    the work of their hands,^(XT)
and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles^[ab](XU)
    and the incense altars their fingers^(XV) have made.

¹⁰ You have forgotten^(XX) God your Savior;^(XY)
    you have not remembered the Rock,^(XZ) your fortress.^(YA)
Therefore, though you set out the finest plants
    and plant imported vines,^(YB)
11 though on the day you set them out, you make them grow,
    and on the morning^(YC) when you plant them, you bring them to bud,
yet the harvest^(YD) will be as nothing^(YE)
    in the day of disease and incurable^(YF) pain.^(YG)

¹² Woe to the many nations that rage^(YH)—
    they rage like the raging sea!^(YI)
Woe to the peoples who roar^(YJ)—
    they roar like the roaring of great waters!^(YK)
13 Although the peoples roar^(YL) like the roar of surging waters,
    when he rebukes^(YM) them they flee^(YN) far away,
driven before the wind like chaff^(YO) on the hills,
    like tumbleweed before a gale.^(YP)
14 In the evening, sudden^(YQ) terror!^(YR)
    Before the morning, they are gone!^(YS)
This is the portion of those who loot us,
    the lot of those who plunder us.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(YX)
    to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive^(YY) nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers.^(YZ)

³ All you people of the world,^(ZA)
    you who live on the earth,
when a banner^(ZB) is raised on the mountains,
    you will see it,
and when a trumpet^(ZC) sounds,
    you will hear it.
⁴ This is what the Lord says to me:
    “I will remain quiet^(ZD) and will look on from my dwelling place,^(ZE)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,^(ZF)
    like a cloud of dew^(ZG) in the heat of harvest.”
⁵ For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off^(ZH) the shoots with pruning knives,
    and cut down and take away the spreading branches.^(ZI)
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey^(ZJ)
    and to the wild animals;^(ZK)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
    the wild animals all winter.

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(ZM)
    from a people feared^(ZN) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers^(ZO)—

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud^(ZS)
    and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
    and the hearts of the Egyptians melt^(ZT) with fear.

² “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
    brother will fight against brother,^(ZU)
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    kingdom against kingdom.^(ZV)
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,^(ZW)
    and I will bring their plans^(ZX) to nothing;^(ZY)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
    the mediums and the spiritists.^(ZZ)
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
    to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king^(AAA) will rule over them,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

⁵ The waters of the river will dry up,^(AAB)
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry.^(AAC)
6 The canals will stink;^(AAD)
    the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.^(AAE)
The reeds^(AAF) and rushes will wither,^(AAG)
7     also the plants^(AAH) along the Nile,
    at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field^(AAI) along the Nile
    will become parched, will blow away and be no more.^(AAJ)
8 The fishermen^(AAK) will groan and lament,
    all who cast hooks^(AAL) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
    will pine away.
⁹ Those who work with combed flax^(AAM) will despair,
    the weavers of fine linen^(AAN) will lose hope.
¹⁰ The workers in cloth will be dejected,
    and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

¹¹ The officials of Zoan^(AAO) are nothing but fools;
    the wise counselors^(AAP) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.^(AAQ)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am one of the wise men,^(AAR)
    a disciple of the ancient kings”?

¹² Where are your wise men^(AAS) now?
    Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
    has planned^(AAT) against Egypt.
¹³ The officials of Zoan^(AAU) have become fools,
    the leaders of Memphis^(AAV) are deceived;
the cornerstones^(AAW) of her peoples
    have led Egypt astray.
¹⁴ The Lord has poured into them
    a spirit of dizziness;^(AAX)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
    as a drunkard staggers^(AAY) around in his vomit.
¹⁵ There is nothing Egypt can do—
    head or tail, palm branch or reed.^(AAZ)

Like whirlwinds^(ADN) sweeping through the southland,^(ADO)
    an invader comes from the desert,
    from a land of terror.

² A dire^(ADP) vision has been shown to me:
    The traitor betrays,^(ADQ) the looter takes loot.
Elam,^(ADR) attack! Media,^(ADS) lay siege!
    I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

³ At this my body is racked with pain,^(ADT)
    pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;^(ADU)
I am staggered by what I hear,
    I am bewildered^(ADV) by what I see.
⁴ My heart^(ADW) falters,
    fear makes me tremble;^(ADX)
the twilight I longed for
    has become a horror^(ADY) to me.

⁵ They set the tables,
    they spread the rugs,
    they eat, they drink!^(ADZ)
Get up, you officers,
    oil the shields!^(AEA)

“Go, post a lookout^(AEB)
    and have him report what he sees.
⁷ When he sees chariots^(AEC)
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,^(AED)
let him be alert,
    fully alert.”

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
    every night I stay at my post.
⁹ Look, here comes a man in a chariot^(AEF)
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon^(AEG) has fallen,^(AEH) has fallen!
All the images of its gods^(AEI)
    lie shattered^(AEJ) on the ground!’”

¹⁰ My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,^(AEK)
    I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
    from the God of Israel.