Isaiah 7:17-21:13

New International Version

⁶ “Because this people has rejected^(AI)
    the gently flowing waters of Shiloah^(AJ)
and rejoices over Rezin
    and the son of Remaliah,^(AK)
7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
    the mighty floodwaters^(AL) of the Euphrates—
    the king of Assyria^(AM) with all his pomp.^(AN)
It will overflow all its channels,
    run over all its banks^(AO)
8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,^(AP)
    passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings^(AQ) will cover the breadth of your land,
    Immanuel^[c]!”^(AR)

⁹ Raise the war cry,^[d](AS) you nations, and be shattered!^(AT)
    Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare^(AU) for battle, and be shattered!
    Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
¹⁰ Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;^(AV)
    propose your plan, but it will not stand,^(AW)
    for God is with us.^[e](AX)

¹² “Do not call conspiracy^(BA)
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,^(BB)
    and do not dread it.^(BC)
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,^(BD)
    he is the one you are to fear,^(BE)
    he is the one you are to dread.^(BF)
14 He will be a holy place;^(BG)
    for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone^(BH) that causes people to stumble^(BI)
    and a rock that makes them fall.^(BJ)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
    a trap and a snare.^(BK)
15 Many of them will stumble;^(BL)
    they will fall and be broken,
    they will be snared and captured.”

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁸ Surely wickedness burns like a fire;^(ER)
    it consumes briers and thorns,^(ES)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,^(ET)
    so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
¹⁹ By the wrath^(EU) of the Lord Almighty
    the land will be scorched^(EV)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;^(EW)
    they will not spare one another.^(EX)
20 On the right they will devour,
    but still be hungry;^(EY)
on the left they will eat,^(EZ)
    but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring^[g]:
²¹     Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;^(FA)
    together they will turn against Judah.^(FB)

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

10 Woe^(FD) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,^(FE)
2 to deprive^(FF) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,^(FG)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.^(FH)
3 What will you do on the day of reckoning,^(FI)
    when disaster^(FJ) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?^(FK)
    Where will you leave your riches?
⁴ Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives^(FL)
    or fall among the slain.^(FM)

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

“‘By the strength of my hand^(GN) I have done this,^(GO)
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;^(GP)
    like a mighty one I subdued^[h] their kings.^(GQ)
14 As one reaches into a nest,^(GR)
    so my hand reached for the wealth^(GS) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;^(GT)
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.^(GU)’”

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

“My people who live in Zion,^(HX)
    do not be afraid^(HY) of the Assyrians,
who beat^(HZ) you with a rod^(IA)
    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
²⁵ Very soon^(IB) my anger against you will end
    and my wrath^(IC) will be directed to their destruction.^(ID)”

²⁶ The Lord Almighty will lash^(IE) them with a whip,
    as when he struck down Midian^(IF) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff^(IG) over the waters,^(IH)
    as he did in Egypt.
²⁷ In that day^(II) their burden^(IJ) will be lifted from your shoulders,
    their yoke^(IK) from your neck;^(IL)
the yoke^(IM) will be broken
    because you have grown so fat.^[j]

²⁸ They enter Aiath;
    they pass through Migron;^(IN)
    they store supplies^(IO) at Mikmash.^(IP)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
    “We will camp overnight at Geba.^(IQ)”
Ramah^(IR) trembles;
    Gibeah^(IS) of Saul flees.^(IT)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!^(IU)
    Listen, Laishah!
    Poor Anathoth!^(IV)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
    the people of Gebim take cover.
³² This day they will halt at Nob;^(IW)
    they will shake their fist^(IX)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,^(IY)
    at the hill of Jerusalem.

³³ See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will lop off^(IZ) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,^(JA)
    the tall^(JB) ones will be brought low.^(JC)
34 He will cut down^(JD) the forest thickets with an ax;
    Lebanon^(JE) will fall before the Mighty One.^(JF)

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,^(JP)
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;^(JQ)
4 but with righteousness^(JR) he will judge the needy,^(JS)
    with justice^(JT) he will give decisions for the poor^(JU) of the earth.
He will strike^(JV) the earth with the rod of his mouth;^(JW)
    with the breath^(JX) of his lips he will slay the wicked.^(JY)
5 Righteousness will be his belt^(JZ)
    and faithfulness^(KA) the sash around his waist.^(KB)

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,^(KC)
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling^[k] 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.^(KD)
8 The infant^(KE) will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s^(KF) nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy^(KG)
    on all my holy mountain,^(KH)
for the earth^(KI) will be filled with the knowledge^(KJ) of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

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

“I will praise^(LW) you, Lord.
    Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away^(LX)
    and you have comforted^(LY) me.
² Surely God is my salvation;^(LZ)
    I will trust^(MA) and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself,^(MB) is my strength^(MC) and my defense^[o];
    he has become my salvation.^(MD)”
³ With joy you will draw water^(ME)
    from the wells^(MF) of salvation.

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;^(MH)
    make known among the nations^(MI) what he has done,
    and proclaim that his name is exalted.^(MJ)
5 Sing^(MK) to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;^(ML)
    let this be known to all the world.
⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy,^(MM) people of Zion,
    for great^(MN) is the Holy One of Israel^(MO) among you.^(MP)”

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

⁴ Listen, a noise on the mountains,
    like that of a great multitude!^(MZ)
Listen, an uproar^(NA) among the kingdoms,
    like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty^(NB) is mustering^(NC)
    an army for war.
⁵ They come from faraway lands,
    from the ends of the heavens^(ND)—
the Lord and the weapons^(NE) of his wrath^(NF)—
    to destroy^(NG) the whole country.

⁶ Wail,^(NH) for the day^(NI) of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction^(NJ) from the Almighty.^[p](NK)
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,^(NL)
    every heart will melt with fear.^(NM)
8 Terror^(NN) will seize them,
    pain and anguish will grip^(NO) them;
    they will writhe like a woman in labor.^(NP)
They will look aghast at each other,
    their faces aflame.^(NQ)

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

¹⁴ Like a hunted^(OK) gazelle,
    like sheep without a shepherd,^(OL)
they will all return to their own people,
    they will flee^(OM) to their native land.^(ON)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
    all who are caught will fall^(OO) by the sword.^(OP)
16 Their infants^(OQ) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
    their houses will be looted and their wives violated.^(OR)

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

14 The Lord will have compassion^(PP) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(PQ) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(PR)
Foreigners^(PS) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
² Nations will take them
    and bring^(PT) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(PU)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(PV) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(PW)

How the oppressor^(QC) has come to an end!
    How his fury^[r] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(QD) of the wicked,^(QE)
    the scepter^(QF) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(QG)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(QH) nations
    with relentless aggression.^(QI)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(QJ)
    they break into singing.^(QK)
8 Even the junipers^(QL) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”^(QM)

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

¹² How you have fallen^(QW) from heaven,
    morning star,^(QX) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!^(QY)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend^(QZ) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(RA)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(RB)
    on the utmost heights^(RC) of Mount Zaphon.^[s]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(RD)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”^(RE)
15 But you are brought down^(RF) to the realm of the dead,^(RG)
    to the depths^(RH) of the pit.^(RI)

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

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

Let the offspring^(RU) of the wicked^(RV)
    never be mentioned^(RW) again.
²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(RX)
    for the sins of their ancestors;^(RY)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up^(RZ) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(SA) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,^(SB)”
declares the Lord.
²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(SC)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(SD)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(SE)

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

²⁶ This is the plan^(SL) determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand^(SM) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(SN) and who can thwart him?
    His hand^(SO) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(SP)

²⁹ Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(ST)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(SU)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(SV)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy^(SW) will lie down in safety.^(SX)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(SY)
    it will slay^(SZ) your survivors.^(TA)

³¹ Wail,^(TB) you gate!^(TC) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!^(TD)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(TE)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(TF)
32 What answer shall be given
    to the envoys^(TG) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,^(TH)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(TI)”

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

⁵ My heart cries out^(UD) over Moab;^(UE)
    her fugitives^(UF) flee as far as Zoar,^(UG)
    as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the hill to Luhith,
    weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim^(UH)
    they lament their destruction.^(UI)
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up^(UJ)
    and the grass is withered;^(UK)
the vegetation is gone^(UL)
    and nothing green is left.^(UM)
7 So the wealth they have acquired^(UN) 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^(UO) Elim.
⁹ The waters of Dimon^[t] are full of blood,
    but I will bring still more upon Dimon^[u]—
a lion^(UP) upon the fugitives of Moab^(UQ)
    and upon those who remain in the land.

16 Send lambs^(UR) as tribute^(US)
    to the ruler of the land,
from Sela,^(UT) across the desert,
    to the mount of Daughter Zion.^(UU)
2 Like fluttering birds
    pushed from the nest,^(UV)
so are the women of Moab^(UW)
    at the fords^(UX) of the Arnon.^(UY)

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

The oppressor^(VB) will come to an end,
    and destruction will cease;^(VC)
    the aggressor will vanish from the land.
⁵ In love a throne^(VD) will be established;^(VE)
    in faithfulness a man will sit on it—
    one from the house^[v] of David^(VF)—
one who in judging seeks justice^(VG)
    and speeds the cause of righteousness.

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

“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
    but will become a heap of ruins.^(WP)
2 The cities of Aroer^(WQ) will be deserted
    and left to flocks,^(WR) which will lie down,^(WS)
    with no one to make them afraid.^(WT)
3 The fortified^(WU) city will disappear from Ephraim,
    and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
    like the glory^(WV) of the Israelites,”^(WW)
declares the Lord Almighty.

⁴ “In that day^(WX) the glory^(WY) of Jacob will fade;
    the fat of his body will waste^(WZ) away.
⁵ It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain,
    gathering^(XA) the grain in their arms—
as when someone gleans heads of grain^(XB)
    in the Valley of Rephaim.^(XC)
6 Yet some gleanings will remain,^(XD)
    as when an olive tree is beaten,^(XE)
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^(XF) people will look^(XG) to their Maker^(XH)
    and turn their eyes to the Holy One^(XI) of Israel.
⁸ They will not look to the altars,^(XJ)
    the work of their hands,^(XK)
and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles^[x](XL)
    and the incense altars their fingers^(XM) have made.

¹⁰ You have forgotten^(XO) God your Savior;^(XP)
    you have not remembered the Rock,^(XQ) your fortress.^(XR)
Therefore, though you set out the finest plants
    and plant imported vines,^(XS)
11 though on the day you set them out, you make them grow,
    and on the morning^(XT) when you plant them, you bring them to bud,
yet the harvest^(XU) will be as nothing^(XV)
    in the day of disease and incurable^(XW) pain.^(XX)

¹² Woe to the many nations that rage^(XY)—
    they rage like the raging sea!^(XZ)
Woe to the peoples who roar^(YA)—
    they roar like the roaring of great waters!^(YB)
13 Although the peoples roar^(YC) like the roar of surging waters,
    when he rebukes^(YD) them they flee^(YE) far away,
driven before the wind like chaff^(YF) on the hills,
    like tumbleweed before a gale.^(YG)
14 In the evening, sudden^(YH) terror!^(YI)
    Before the morning, they are gone!^(YJ)
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,^(YO)
    to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive^(YP) nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers.^(YQ)

³ All you people of the world,^(YR)
    you who live on the earth,
when a banner^(YS) is raised on the mountains,
    you will see it,
and when a trumpet^(YT) sounds,
    you will hear it.
⁴ This is what the Lord says to me:
    “I will remain quiet^(YU) and will look on from my dwelling place,^(YV)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,^(YW)
    like a cloud of dew^(YX) 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^(YY) the shoots with pruning knives,
    and cut down and take away the spreading branches.^(YZ)
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey^(ZA)
    and to the wild animals;^(ZB)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
    the wild animals all winter.

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

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

² “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
    brother will fight against brother,^(ZL)
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    kingdom against kingdom.^(ZM)
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,^(ZN)
    and I will bring their plans^(ZO) to nothing;^(ZP)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
    the mediums and the spiritists.^(ZQ)
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
    to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king^(ZR) will rule over them,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

⁵ The waters of the river will dry up,^(ZS)
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry.^(ZT)
6 The canals will stink;^(ZU)
    the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.^(ZV)
The reeds^(ZW) and rushes will wither,^(ZX)
7     also the plants^(ZY) along the Nile,
    at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field^(ZZ) along the Nile
    will become parched, will blow away and be no more.^(AAA)
8 The fishermen^(AAB) will groan and lament,
    all who cast hooks^(AAC) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
    will pine away.
⁹ Those who work with combed flax^(AAD) will despair,
    the weavers of fine linen^(AAE) 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^(AAF) are nothing but fools;
    the wise counselors^(AAG) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.^(AAH)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am one of the wise men,^(AAI)
    a disciple of the ancient kings”?

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

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

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

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

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

“Go, post a lookout^(ADS)
    and have him report what he sees.
⁷ When he sees chariots^(ADT)
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,^(ADU)
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^(ADW)
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon^(ADX) has fallen,^(ADY) has fallen!
All the images of its gods^(ADZ)
    lie shattered^(AEA) on the ground!’”

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

Someone calls to me from Seir,^(AED)
    “Watchman, what is left of the night?
    Watchman, what is left of the night?”
¹² The watchman replies,
    “Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
    and come back yet again.”

You caravans of Dedanites,^(AEG)
    who camp in the thickets of Arabia,