Isaiah 11-14

New International Version

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,^(J)
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;^(K)
4 but with righteousness^(L) he will judge the needy,^(M)
    with justice^(N) he will give decisions for the poor^(O) of the earth.
He will strike^(P) the earth with the rod of his mouth;^(Q)
    with the breath^(R) of his lips he will slay the wicked.^(S)
5 Righteousness will be his belt^(T)
    and faithfulness^(U) the sash around his waist.^(V)

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,^(W)
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling^[a] 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.^(X)
8 The infant^(Y) will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s^(Z) nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy^(AA)
    on all my holy mountain,^(AB)
for the earth^(AC) will be filled with the knowledge^(AD) of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

¹² He will raise a banner^(AU) for the nations
    and gather^(AV) the exiles of Israel;^(AW)
he will assemble the scattered people^(AX) of Judah
    from the four quarters of the earth.^(AY)
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
    and Judah’s enemies^[d] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
    nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.^(AZ)
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia^(BA) to the west;
    together they will plunder the people to the east.^(BB)
They will subdue Edom^(BC) and Moab,^(BD)
    and the Ammonites^(BE) will be subject to them.^(BF)
15 The Lord will dry up^(BG)
    the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind^(BH) he will sweep his hand^(BI)
    over the Euphrates River.^(BJ)
He will break it up into seven streams
    so that anyone can cross over in sandals.^(BK)
16 There will be a highway^(BL) for the remnant^(BM) of his people
    that is left from Assyria,^(BN)
as there was for Israel
    when they came up from Egypt.^(BO)

“I will praise^(BQ) you, Lord.
    Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away^(BR)
    and you have comforted^(BS) me.
² Surely God is my salvation;^(BT)
    I will trust^(BU) and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself,^(BV) is my strength^(BW) and my defense^[e];
    he has become my salvation.^(BX)”
³ With joy you will draw water^(BY)
    from the wells^(BZ) of salvation.

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;^(CB)
    make known among the nations^(CC) what he has done,
    and proclaim that his name is exalted.^(CD)
5 Sing^(CE) to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;^(CF)
    let this be known to all the world.
⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy,^(CG) people of Zion,
    for great^(CH) is the Holy One of Israel^(CI) among you.^(CJ)”

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

⁴ Listen, a noise on the mountains,
    like that of a great multitude!^(CT)
Listen, an uproar^(CU) among the kingdoms,
    like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty^(CV) is mustering^(CW)
    an army for war.
⁵ They come from faraway lands,
    from the ends of the heavens^(CX)—
the Lord and the weapons^(CY) of his wrath^(CZ)—
    to destroy^(DA) the whole country.

⁶ Wail,^(DB) for the day^(DC) of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction^(DD) from the Almighty.^[f](DE)
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,^(DF)
    every heart will melt with fear.^(DG)
8 Terror^(DH) will seize them,
    pain and anguish will grip^(DI) them;
    they will writhe like a woman in labor.^(DJ)
They will look aghast at each other,
    their faces aflame.^(DK)

⁹ See, the day^(DL) of the Lord is coming
    —a cruel^(DM) day, with wrath^(DN) and fierce anger^(DO)—
to make the land desolate
    and destroy the sinners within it.
¹⁰ The stars of heaven and their constellations
    will not show their light.^(DP)
The rising sun^(DQ) will be darkened^(DR)
    and the moon will not give its light.^(DS)
11 I will punish^(DT) the world for its evil,
    the wicked^(DU) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty^(DV)
    and will humble^(DW) the pride of the ruthless.^(DX)
12 I will make people^(DY) scarcer than pure gold,
    more rare than the gold of Ophir.^(DZ)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;^(EA)
    and the earth will shake^(EB) from its place
at the wrath^(EC) of the Lord Almighty,
    in the day of his burning anger.^(ED)

¹⁴ Like a hunted^(EE) gazelle,
    like sheep without a shepherd,^(EF)
they will all return to their own people,
    they will flee^(EG) to their native land.^(EH)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
    all who are caught will fall^(EI) by the sword.^(EJ)
16 Their infants^(EK) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
    their houses will be looted and their wives violated.^(EL)

¹⁷ See, I will stir up^(EM) against them the Medes,^(EN)
    who do not care for silver
    and have no delight in gold.^(EO)
18 Their bows^(EP) will strike down the young men;^(EQ)
    they will have no mercy^(ER) on infants,
    nor will they look with compassion on children.^(ES)
19 Babylon,^(ET) the jewel of kingdoms,^(EU)
    the pride and glory^(EV) of the Babylonians,^[g]
will be overthrown^(EW) by God
    like Sodom and Gomorrah.^(EX)
20 She will never be inhabited^(EY)
    or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads^(EZ) will pitch their tents,
    there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
²¹ But desert creatures^(FA) will lie there,
    jackals^(FB) will fill her houses;
there the owls^(FC) will dwell,
    and there the wild goats^(FD) will leap about.
²² Hyenas^(FE) will inhabit her strongholds,^(FF)
    jackals^(FG) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,^(FH)
    and her days will not be prolonged.^(FI)

14 The Lord will have compassion^(FJ) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(FK) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(FL)
Foreigners^(FM) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
² Nations will take them
    and bring^(FN) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(FO)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(FP) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(FQ)

How the oppressor^(FW) has come to an end!
    How his fury^[h] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(FX) of the wicked,^(FY)
    the scepter^(FZ) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(GA)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(GB) nations
    with relentless aggression.^(GC)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(GD)
    they break into singing.^(GE)
8 Even the junipers^(GF) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”^(GG)

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

¹² How you have fallen^(GQ) from heaven,
    morning star,^(GR) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!^(GS)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend^(GT) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(GU)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(GV)
    on the utmost heights^(GW) of Mount Zaphon.^[i]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(GX)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”^(GY)
15 But you are brought down^(GZ) to the realm of the dead,^(HA)
    to the depths^(HB) of the pit.^(HC)

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

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

Let the offspring^(HO) of the wicked^(HP)
    never be mentioned^(HQ) again.
²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(HR)
    for the sins of their ancestors;^(HS)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up^(HT) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(HU) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,^(HV)”
declares the Lord.
²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(HW)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(HX)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(HY)

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

²⁶ This is the plan^(IF) determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand^(IG) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(IH) and who can thwart him?
    His hand^(II) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(IJ)

²⁹ Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(IN)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(IO)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(IP)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy^(IQ) will lie down in safety.^(IR)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(IS)
    it will slay^(IT) your survivors.^(IU)

³¹ Wail,^(IV) you gate!^(IW) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!^(IX)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(IY)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(IZ)
32 What answer shall be given
    to the envoys^(JA) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,^(JB)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(JC)”