Israel's Sin and the Servant's Obedience

50 Thus says the Lord:
“Where is (A)your mother's certificate of divorce,
    with which (B)I sent her away?
Or (C)which of my creditors is it
    to whom I have sold you?
(D)Behold, for your iniquities you were sold,
    and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.
(E)Why, when I came, was there no man;
    why, when I called, was there no one to answer?
(F)Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem?
    Or have I no power to deliver?
(G)Behold, by my rebuke (H)I dry up the sea,
    (I)I make the rivers a desert;
(J)their fish stink for lack of water
    and die of thirst.
(K)I clothe the heavens with blackness
    and make sackcloth their covering.”

The Lord God has given (L)me
    the tongue of those who are taught,
that (M)I may know how to sustain with a word
    (N)him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens;
    he awakens my ear
    to hear as those who are taught.
(O)The Lord God has opened my ear,
    (P)and I was not rebellious;
    I turned not backward.
(Q)I gave my back to those who strike,
    and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
    from disgrace and spitting.

But the Lord God helps me;
    therefore I have not been disgraced;
(R)therefore I have set my face like a flint,
    and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
    (S)He who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
    Let us stand up together.
Who is my adversary?
    Let him come near to me.
(T)Behold, the Lord God helps me;
    who will declare me guilty?
Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment;
    the moth will eat them up.

10 Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys (U)the voice of his servant?
(V)Let him who walks in darkness
    and has no light
trust in the name of the Lord
    and rely on his God.
11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire,
    who equip yourselves with burning torches!
Walk by the light of your fire,
    and by the torches that you have kindled!
(W)This you have from my hand:
    you shall lie down in torment.

Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

50 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce(A)
    with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
    did I sell(B) you?
Because of your sins(C) you were sold;(D)
    because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.
When I came, why was there no one?
    When I called, why was there no one to answer?(E)
Was my arm too short(F) to deliver you?
    Do I lack the strength(G) to rescue you?
By a mere rebuke(H) I dry up the sea,(I)
    I turn rivers into a desert;(J)
their fish rot for lack of water
    and die of thirst.
I clothe the heavens with darkness(K)
    and make sackcloth(L) its covering.”

The Sovereign Lord(M) has given me a well-instructed tongue,(N)
    to know the word that sustains the weary.(O)
He wakens me morning by morning,(P)
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.(Q)
The Sovereign Lord(R) has opened my ears;(S)
    I have not been rebellious,(T)
    I have not turned away.
I offered my back to those who beat(U) me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;(V)
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting.(W)
Because the Sovereign Lord(X) helps(Y) me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,(Z)
    and I know I will not be put to shame.(AA)
He who vindicates(AB) me is near.(AC)
    Who then will bring charges against me?(AD)
    Let us face each other!(AE)
Who is my accuser?
    Let him confront me!
It is the Sovereign Lord(AF) who helps(AG) me.
    Who will condemn(AH) me?
They will all wear out like a garment;
    the moths(AI) will eat them up.

10 Who among you fears(AJ) the Lord
    and obeys(AK) the word of his servant?(AL)
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,(AM)
trust(AN) in the name of the Lord
    and rely on their God.
11 But now, all you who light fires
    and provide yourselves with flaming torches,(AO)
go, walk in the light of your fires(AP)
    and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:(AQ)
    You will lie down in torment.(AR)

10 Woe to those who (A)decree iniquitous decrees,
    and the writers who (B)keep writing oppression,
to turn aside the needy from justice
    and (C)to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
    and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
What will you do on (D)the day of punishment,
    in the ruin that will come (E)from afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
    and where will you leave your wealth?
Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
    or fall among the slain.
(F)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.

Judgment on Arrogant Assyria

Woe to Assyria, (G)the rod of my anger;
    the staff in their hands is my fury!
Against a (H)godless nation I send him,
    and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take (I)spoil and seize plunder,
    and to (J)tread them down like the mire of the streets.
But he (K)does not so intend,
    and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
    and to cut off nations not a few;
for he says:
(L)“Are not my commanders all kings?
(M)Is not (N)Calno like (O)Carchemish?
    Is not (P)Hamath like (Q)Arpad?
    (R)Is not (S)Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to (T)the kingdoms of the idols,
    whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and (U)her idols
    (V)as I have done to Samaria and her images?”

12 (W)When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, (X)he[a] will punish the speech[b] of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. 13 (Y)For he says:

“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
    and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
    and plunder their treasures;
    like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
14 My hand has found like a nest
    the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
    so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
    or opened the mouth or chirped.”

15 Shall (Z)the axe boast over him who hews with it,
    or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
    or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts
    will send wasting sickness among his (AA)stout warriors,
and under his glory (AB)a burning will be kindled,
    like the burning of fire.
17 (AC)The light of Israel will become a fire,
    and (AD)his Holy One a flame,
and (AE)it will burn and devour
    his thorns and briers (AF)in one day.
18 The glory of (AG)his forest and of his (AH)fruitful land
    the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
    and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
    that a child can write them down.

The Remnant of Israel Will Return

20 (AI)In that day (AJ)the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more (AK)lean on him who struck them, but (AL)will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, (AM)to the mighty God. 22 (AN)For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, (AO)only a remnant of them will return. (AP)Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.

24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, (AQ)who dwell in Zion, (AR)be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as (AS)the Egyptians did. 25 For (AT)in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 26 And (AU)the Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck (AV)Midian (AW)at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it (AX)as he did in Egypt. 27 And in that day (AY)his burden will depart from your shoulder, and (AZ)his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”[c]

28 He has come to Aiath;
he has passed through (BA)Migron;
    at Michmash he stores (BB)his baggage;
29 they have crossed over (BC)the pass;
    at (BD)Geba they lodge for the night;
(BE)Ramah trembles;
    (BF)Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud, O daughter of (BG)Gallim!
    Give attention, O Laishah!
    O poor (BH)Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is in flight;
    the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32 This very day he will halt at (BI)Nob;
    he will shake his fist
    at the mount of (BJ)the daughter of Zion,
    the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord God of hosts
    (BK)will lop (BL)the boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
    and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down (BM)the thickets of the forest with an axe,
    and (BN)Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:12 Hebrew I
  2. Isaiah 10:12 Hebrew fruit
  3. Isaiah 10:27 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

10 Woe(A) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,(B)
to deprive(C) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,(D)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.(E)
What will you do on the day of reckoning,(F)
    when disaster(G) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?(H)
    Where will you leave your riches?
Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives(I)
    or fall among the slain.(J)

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

God’s Judgment on Assyria

“Woe(L) to the Assyrian,(M) the rod(N) of my anger,
    in whose hand is the club(O) of my wrath!(P)
I send him against a godless(Q) nation,
    I dispatch(R) him against a people who anger me,(S)
to seize loot and snatch plunder,(T)
    and to trample(U) them down like mud in the streets.
But this is not what he intends,(V)
    this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
    to put an end to many nations.
‘Are not my commanders(W) all kings?’ he says.
    ‘Has not Kalno(X) fared like Carchemish?(Y)
Is not Hamath(Z) like Arpad,(AA)
    and Samaria(AB) like Damascus?(AC)
10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,(AD)
    kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
11 shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
    as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?(AE)’”

12 When the Lord has finished all his work(AF) against Mount Zion(AG) and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria(AH) for the willful pride(AI) of his heart and the haughty look(AJ) in his eyes. 13 For he says:

“‘By the strength of my hand(AK) I have done this,(AL)
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;(AM)
    like a mighty one I subdued[a] their kings.(AN)
14 As one reaches into a nest,(AO)
    so my hand reached for the wealth(AP) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;(AQ)
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.(AR)’”

15 Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
    or the saw boast against the one who uses it?(AS)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
    or a club(AT) brandish the one who is not wood!
16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will send a wasting disease(AU) upon his sturdy warriors;(AV)
under his pomp(AW) a fire(AX) will be kindled
    like a blazing flame.
17 The Light of Israel will become a fire,(AY)
    their Holy One(AZ) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
    his thorns(BA) and his briers.(BB)
18 The splendor of his forests(BC) and fertile fields
    it will completely destroy,(BD)
    as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the remaining trees of his forests(BE) will be so few(BF)
    that a child could write them down.

The Remnant of Israel

20 In that day(BG) the remnant of Israel,
    the survivors(BH) of Jacob,
will no longer rely(BI) on him
    who struck them down(BJ)
but will truly rely(BK) on the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel.(BL)
21 A remnant(BM) will return,[b](BN) a remnant of Jacob
    will return to the Mighty God.(BO)
22 Though your people be like the sand(BP) by the sea, Israel,
    only a remnant will return.(BQ)
Destruction has been decreed,(BR)
    overwhelming and righteous.
23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
    the destruction decreed(BS) upon the whole land.(BT)

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

“My people who live in Zion,(BU)
    do not be afraid(BV) of the Assyrians,
who beat(BW) you with a rod(BX)
    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
25 Very soon(BY) my anger against you will end
    and my wrath(BZ) will be directed to their destruction.(CA)

26 The Lord Almighty will lash(CB) them with a whip,
    as when he struck down Midian(CC) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff(CD) over the waters,(CE)
    as he did in Egypt.
27 In that day(CF) their burden(CG) will be lifted from your shoulders,
    their yoke(CH) from your neck;(CI)
the yoke(CJ) will be broken
    because you have grown so fat.[c]

28 They enter Aiath;
    they pass through Migron;(CK)
    they store supplies(CL) at Mikmash.(CM)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
    “We will camp overnight at Geba.(CN)
Ramah(CO) trembles;
    Gibeah(CP) of Saul flees.(CQ)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!(CR)
    Listen, Laishah!
    Poor Anathoth!(CS)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
    the people of Gebim take cover.
32 This day they will halt at Nob;(CT)
    they will shake their fist(CU)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,(CV)
    at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will lop off(CW) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,(CX)
    the tall(CY) ones will be brought low.(CZ)
34 He will cut down(DA) the forest thickets with an ax;
    Lebanon(DB) will fall before the Mighty One.(DC)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:13 Or treasures; / I subdued the mighty,
  2. Isaiah 10:21 Hebrew shear-jashub (see 7:3 and note); also in verse 22
  3. Isaiah 10:27 Hebrew; Septuagint broken / from your shoulders

16 (A)And I will lead the blind
    in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
    I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
    (B)the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do,
    and I do not forsake them.

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16 I will lead(A) the blind(B) by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(C) before them
    and make the rough places smooth.(D)
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake(E) them.

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