Isaiah 9-12

New International Version

9 ^[a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom^(A) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,^(B) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

²The people walking in darkness^(C)
    have seen a great light;^(D)
on those living in the land of deep darkness^(E)
    a light has dawned.^(F)
³You have enlarged the nation^(G)
    and increased their joy;^(H)
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.^(I)
⁴For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,^(J)
    you have shattered^(K)
the yoke^(L) that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,^(M)
    the rod of their oppressor.^(N)
⁵Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,^(O)
    will be fuel for the fire.
⁶For to us a child is born,^(P)
    to us a son is given,^(Q)
    and the government^(R) will be on his shoulders.^(S)
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor,^(T) Mighty God,^(U)
    Everlasting^(V) Father,^(W) Prince of Peace.^(X)
⁷Of the greatness of his government^(Y) and peace^(Z)
    there will be no end.^(AA)
He will reign^(AB) on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice^(AC) and righteousness^(AD)
    from that time on and forever.^(AE)
The zeal^(AF) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

⁸The Lord has sent a message^(AG) against Jacob;
    it will fall on Israel.
⁹All the people will know it—
    Ephraim^(AH) and the inhabitants of Samaria^(AI)—
who say with pride
    and arrogance^(AJ) of heart,
¹⁰“The bricks have fallen down,
    but we will rebuild with dressed stone;^(AK)
the fig^(AL) trees have been felled,
    but we will replace them with cedars.^(AM)”
¹¹But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s^(AN) foes against them
    and has spurred their enemies on.
¹²Arameans^(AO) from the east and Philistines^(AP) from the west
    have devoured^(AQ) Israel with open mouth.

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

¹³But the people have not returned^(AT) to him who struck^(AU) them,
    nor have they sought^(AV) the Lord Almighty.
¹⁴So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
    both palm branch and reed^(AW) in a single day;^(AX)
¹⁵the elders^(AY) and dignitaries^(AZ) are the head,
    the prophets^(BA) who teach lies^(BB) are the tail.
¹⁶Those who guide^(BC) this people mislead them,
    and those who are guided are led astray.^(BD)
¹⁷Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,^(BE)
    nor will he pity^(BF) the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly^(BG) and wicked,^(BH)
    every mouth speaks folly.^(BI)

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

¹⁸Surely wickedness burns like a fire;^(BK)
    it consumes briers and thorns,^(BL)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,^(BM)
    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
¹⁹By the wrath^(BN) of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched^(BO)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;^(BP)
    they will not spare one another.^(BQ)
²⁰On the right they will devour,
    but still be hungry;^(BR)
on the left they will eat,^(BS)
    but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring^[b]:
²¹    Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;^(BT)
    together they will turn against Judah.^(BU)

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

10 Woe^(BW) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,^(BX)
²to deprive^(BY) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,^(BZ)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.^(CA)
³What will you do on the day of reckoning,^(CB)
    when disaster^(CC) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?^(CD)
    Where will you leave your riches?
⁴Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives^(CE)
    or fall among the slain.^(CF)

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

God’s Judgment on Assyria

⁵“Woe^(CH) to the Assyrian,^(CI) the rod^(CJ) of my anger,
    in whose hand is the club^(CK) of my wrath!^(CL)
⁶I send him against a godless^(CM) nation,
    I dispatch^(CN) him against a people who anger me,^(CO)
to seize loot and snatch plunder,^(CP)
    and to trample^(CQ) them down like mud in the streets.
⁷But this is not what he intends,^(CR)
    this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
    to put an end to many nations.
⁸‘Are not my commanders^(CS) all kings?’ he says.
⁹    ‘Has not Kalno^(CT) fared like Carchemish?^(CU)
Is not Hamath^(CV) like Arpad,^(CW)
    and Samaria^(CX) like Damascus?^(CY)
¹⁰As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,^(CZ)
    kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
¹¹shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
    as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?^(DA)’”

¹²When the Lord has finished all his work^(DB) against Mount Zion^(DC) and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria^(DD) for the willful pride^(DE) of his heart and the haughty look^(DF) in his eyes. ¹³For he says:

“‘By the strength of my hand^(DG) I have done this,^(DH)
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;^(DI)
    like a mighty one I subdued^[c] their kings.^(DJ)
¹⁴As one reaches into a nest,^(DK)
    so my hand reached for the wealth^(DL) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;^(DM)
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.^(DN)’”

¹⁵Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
    or the saw boast against the one who uses it?^(DO)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
    or a club^(DP) brandish the one who is not wood!
¹⁶Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will send a wasting disease^(DQ) upon his sturdy warriors;^(DR)
under his pomp^(DS) a fire^(DT) will be kindled
    like a blazing flame.
¹⁷The Light of Israel will become a fire,^(DU)
    their Holy One^(DV) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
    his thorns^(DW) and his briers.^(DX)
¹⁸The splendor of his forests^(DY) and fertile fields
    it will completely destroy,^(DZ)
    as when a sick person wastes away.
¹⁹And the remaining trees of his forests^(EA) will be so few^(EB)
    that a child could write them down.

The Remnant of Israel

²⁰In that day^(EC) the remnant of Israel,
    the survivors^(ED) of Jacob,
will no longer rely^(EE) on him
    who struck them down^(EF)
but will truly rely^(EG) on the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel.^(EH)
²¹A remnant^(EI) will return,^[d]^(EJ) a remnant of Jacob
    will return to the Mighty God.^(EK)
²²Though your people be like the sand^(EL) by the sea, Israel,
    only a remnant will return.^(EM)
Destruction has been decreed,^(EN)
    overwhelming and righteous.
²³The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
    the destruction decreed^(EO) upon the whole land.^(EP)

²⁴Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“My people who live in Zion,^(EQ)
    do not be afraid^(ER) of the Assyrians,
who beat^(ES) you with a rod^(ET)
    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
²⁵Very soon^(EU) my anger against you will end
    and my wrath^(EV) will be directed to their destruction.^(EW)”

²⁶The Lord Almighty will lash^(EX) them with a whip,
    as when he struck down Midian^(EY) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff^(EZ) over the waters,^(FA)
    as he did in Egypt.
²⁷In that day^(FB) their burden^(FC) will be lifted from your shoulders,
    their yoke^(FD) from your neck;^(FE)
the yoke^(FF) will be broken
    because you have grown so fat.^[e]

²⁸They enter Aiath;
    they pass through Migron;^(FG)
    they store supplies^(FH) at Mikmash.^(FI)
²⁹They go over the pass, and say,
    “We will camp overnight at Geba.^(FJ)”
Ramah^(FK) trembles;
    Gibeah^(FL) of Saul flees.^(FM)
³⁰Cry out, Daughter Gallim!^(FN)
    Listen, Laishah!
    Poor Anathoth!^(FO)
³¹Madmenah is in flight;
    the people of Gebim take cover.
³²This day they will halt at Nob;^(FP)
    they will shake their fist^(FQ)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,^(FR)
    at the hill of Jerusalem.

³³See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will lop off^(FS) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,^(FT)
    the tall^(FU) ones will be brought low.^(FV)
³⁴He will cut down^(FW) the forest thickets with an ax;
    Lebanon^(FX) will fall before the Mighty One.^(FY)

The Branch From Jesse

11 A shoot^(FZ) will come up from the stump^(GA) of Jesse;^(GB)
    from his roots a Branch^(GC) will bear fruit.^(GD)
²The Spirit^(GE) of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom^(GF) and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,^(GG)
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³and he will delight in the fear^(GH) of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,^(GI)
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;^(GJ)
⁴but with righteousness^(GK) he will judge the needy,^(GL)
    with justice^(GM) he will give decisions for the poor^(GN) of the earth.
He will strike^(GO) the earth with the rod of his mouth;^(GP)
    with the breath^(GQ) of his lips he will slay the wicked.^(GR)
⁵Righteousness will be his belt^(GS)
    and faithfulness^(GT) the sash around his waist.^(GU)

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

¹⁰In that day^(HD) the Root of Jesse^(HE) will stand as a banner^(HF) for the peoples; the nations^(HG) will rally to him,^(HH) and his resting place^(HI) will be glorious.^(HJ) ¹¹In that day^(HK) the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant^(HL) of his people from Assyria,^(HM) from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt,^(HN) from Cush,^[g]^(HO) from Elam,^(HP) from Babylonia,^[h] from Hamath^(HQ) and from the islands^(HR) of the Mediterranean.^(HS)

¹²He will raise a banner^(HT) for the nations
    and gather^(HU) the exiles of Israel;^(HV)
he will assemble the scattered people^(HW) of Judah
    from the four quarters of the earth.^(HX)
¹³Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
    and Judah’s enemies^[i] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
    nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.^(HY)
¹⁴They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia^(HZ) to the west;
    together they will plunder the people to the east.^(IA)
They will subdue Edom^(IB) and Moab,^(IC)
    and the Ammonites^(ID) will be subject to them.^(IE)
¹⁵The Lord will dry up^(IF)
    the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind^(IG) he will sweep his hand^(IH)
    over the Euphrates River.^(II)
He will break it up into seven streams
    so that anyone can cross over in sandals.^(IJ)
¹⁶There will be a highway^(IK) for the remnant^(IL) of his people
    that is left from Assyria,^(IM)
as there was for Israel
    when they came up from Egypt.^(IN)

Songs of Praise

12 In that day^(IO) you will say:

“I will praise^(IP) you, Lord.
    Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away^(IQ)
    and you have comforted^(IR) me.
²Surely God is my salvation;^(IS)
    I will trust^(IT) and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself,^(IU) is my strength^(IV) and my defense^[j];
    he has become my salvation.^(IW)”
³With joy you will draw water^(IX)
    from the wells^(IY) of salvation.

⁴In that day^(IZ) you will say:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;^(JA)
    make known among the nations^(JB) what he has done,
    and proclaim that his name is exalted.^(JC)
⁵Sing^(JD) to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;^(JE)
    let this be known to all the world.
⁶Shout aloud and sing for joy,^(JF) people of Zion,
    for great^(JG) is the Holy One of Israel^(JH) among you.^(JI)”