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Isaiah 9-12
Common English Bible
Isaiah 9-12
Common English Bible
A great light
9 [a] Nonetheless, those who were in distress won’t be exhausted. At an earlier time, God cursed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but later he glorified the way of the sea, the far side of the Jordan, and the Galilee of the nations.[b]
2 [c] The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
On those living in a pitch-dark land, light has dawned.
3 You have made the nation great;
you have increased its joy.
They rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest,
as those who divide plunder rejoice.
4 As on the day of Midian, you’ve shattered the yoke that burdened them,
the staff on their shoulders,
and the rod of their oppressor.
5 Because every boot of the thundering warriors,
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned, fuel for the fire.
6 A child is born to us, a son is given to us,
and authority will be on his shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be vast authority and endless peace
for David’s throne and for his kingdom,
establishing and sustaining it
with justice and righteousness
now and forever.
The zeal of the Lord of heavenly forces will do this.
God’s hand still stretched out
8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob;
it fell upon Israel;
9 the people all knew it—
Ephraim and the one who rules in Samaria.
But with a proud and arrogant heart they said,
10 “Bricks have fallen,
but let’s rebuild with stones.
Sycamores were cut down,
but let’s replace them with cedars.”
11 So the Lord raised up their foes against them,[d]
and stirred up their enemies—
12 Aram from the east and the Philistines from the west—
and they devoured Israel with an open mouth.
Even then God’s anger didn’t turn away;
God’s hand was still extended.
13 But the people didn’t turn to the one who struck them.
They didn’t seek the Lord of heavenly forces.
14 So the Lord cut off head and tail,
palm branch and reed from Israel in one day.
15 (Elders and celebrities are the head;
prophets who teach lies are the tail.)
16 But this people’s leaders were misleading,
and those being led were confused.
17 So the Lord showed their youth no pity,
and showed their orphans and widows no mercy;
for everyone was godless and evil;
every mouth spoke nonsense.
Even then God’s anger didn’t turn away;
God’s hand was still extended.
18 Wickedness burned like fire,
devouring thorn and thistle.
It kindled the thickets of the forest;
they swirled in rising smoke.
19 The land was scorched by the rage of the Lord of heavenly forces;
the people were like fuel for the fire.
Not one person pitied another:
20 they consumed on the right, but remained hungry;
devoured on the left, and weren’t satisfied.
They devoured the flesh of their own children.[e]
21 Manasseh devoured Ephraim and Ephraim Manasseh;
together they turned against Judah.
Even then God’s anger didn’t turn away;
God’s hand was still extended.
Wicked laws
10 Doom to those who pronounce wicked decrees,
and keep writing harmful laws
2 to deprive the needy of their rights
and to rob the poor among my people of justice;
to make widows their loot;
to steal from orphans!
3 What will you do on the day of punishment
when disaster comes from far away?
To whom will you flee for help;
where will you stash your wealth?
4 How will you avoid crouching among the prisoners
and falling among the slain?
Even so, God’s anger hasn’t turned away;
God’s hand is still extended.
Assyria as God’s punishing weapon
5 Doom to Assyria, rod of my anger,
in whose hand is the staff of my fury!
6 Against a godless nation I send him;
against an infuriating people
I direct him to seize spoil, to steal plunder,
and to trample them like mud in the streets.
7 But he has other plans;
he schemes in secret;
destruction is on his mind,
extermination of nation after nation.
8 He says: Aren’t my commanders all kings?
9 Isn’t Calno like Carchemish?
Isn’t Hamath like Arpad?
Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?
10 Just as I took control of idolatrous kingdoms
with more images than Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 just as I did to Samaria and her false gods,
won’t I also do this to Jerusalem and her idols?
12 But when the Lord has finished all this work on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will punish[f] the Assyrian king’s arrogant actions and the boasting of his haughty eyes.
13 He said, “By my own strength I have achieved it,
and by my wisdom, since I’m so clever.
I disregarded national boundaries; I raided their treasures;
I knocked down their rulers like a bull.
14 My hand found the wealth of the peoples
as if it were in a nest.
Just as one gathers abandoned eggs,
I have gathered the entire earth;
no creature fluttered a wing or opened a mouth to chirp.”
15 Will the ax glorify itself over the one who chops with it?
Or will the saw magnify itself over its user?
As if a rod could wave the one who lifts it!
As if a staff could lift up the one not made of wood!
16 Therefore, the Lord God of heavenly forces
will make the well-fed people waste away;
and among his officials,
a blaze will burn like scorching fire.
17 The light of Israel will become a fire,
its holy one a flame,
which will burn and devour
its thorns and thistles
in a single day.
18 Its abundant forest and farmland
will be finished completely,[g]
as when a sick person wastes away;
19 its forest’s remaining trees will be no more than a child can count.
A few will return
20 On that day, what’s left of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on the one who beat them. Instead, they will faithfully depend on the Lord, the holy one of Israel. 21 A few will return, what’s left of Jacob, to the mighty God. 22 Although your people, Israel, were like the sand of the sea, only a few survivors will return. The end is announced, overflowing with justice. 23 Yes, destruction has been announced; the Lord God of heavenly forces will carry it out against the entire land.
24 Therefore, the Lord God of heavenly forces says: My people who live in Zion, don’t fear Assyria, which strikes you with the rod and raises its staff against you as Egypt did. 25 In a very short time my fury will end, and my anger at the world will be finished.[h]
26 Therefore, the Lord of heavenly forces will crack a whip against Assyria,
as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb.
He will raise a rod over the sea,
as he did in Egypt.
27 On that day, God will remove the burden from your shoulder
and destroy the yoke on your neck.[i]
The exalted laid low
He has gone up from Samaria,
28 come against Aiath,
passed to Migron.
At Michmash he stored his equipment.
29 They crossed at the pass: “We’ll camp at Geba!”
Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud, Daughter Gallim!
Listen, Laishah! Answer her, Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has flown.
Gebim’s inhabitants sought refuge.
32 This very day he will stand at Nob
and shake his fist[j] at Daughter Zion’s mountain,
the hill of Jerusalem!
33 Look! The Lord God of heavenly forces
is chopping off the branches with terrible power.
The loftiest ones are about to be cut down
and the exalted laid low.
34 He will strike down the forest thickets with an ax,
and mighty Lebanon will fall.
A shoot from Jesse’s stump
11 A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse;
a branch will sprout[k] from his roots.
2 The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him,
a spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a spirit of planning and strength,
a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.
3 He will delight in fearing the Lord.
He won’t judge by appearances,
nor decide by hearsay.
4 He will judge the needy with righteousness,
and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land.
He will strike the violent[l] with the rod of his mouth;
by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be the belt around his hips,
and faithfulness the belt around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;
the calf and the young lion will feed[m] together,
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow and the bear will graze.
Their young will lie down together,
and a lion will eat straw like an ox.
8 A nursing child will play over the snake’s hole;
toddlers will reach right over the serpent’s den.
9 They won’t harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain.
The earth will surely be filled with the knowledge of the Lord,
just as the water covers the sea.
A signal to the peoples
10 On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal to the peoples. The nations will seek him out, and his dwelling will be glorious.
11 On that day, the Lord will extend his hand a second time to reclaim the survivors of God’s people who are left from Assyria and from Egypt, from Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the coastlands[n] of the sea.
12 God will raise a signal for the nations and gather the outcast men of Israel.
God will collect the dispersed women of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will cease,
and Judah’s harassment will be eliminated.
Ephraim won’t be jealous of Judah,
and Judah won’t harass Ephraim.
14 But they will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.
Edom and Moab will be under their power,
and the Ammonites will be their subjects.
15 The Lord will split the tongue of the Egyptian sea. God will wave a hand over the Euphrates with a powerful[o] wind and break it into seven streams so that it can be crossed in sandals. 16 Then there will be a highway from Assyria for the survivors of God’s people who are left from Assyria, just as there was for Israel on the day they went up from the land of Egypt.
Hymn of trust
12 You will say on that day:
“I thank you, Lord.
Though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away and you comforted me.
2 God is indeed my salvation;
I will trust and won’t be afraid.
Yah, the Lord, is my strength and my shield;
he has become my salvation.”
3 You will draw water with joy from the springs of salvation.
4 And you will say on that day:
“Thank the Lord; call on God’s name;
proclaim God’s deeds among the peoples;
declare that God’s name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord, who has done glorious things;
proclaim this throughout all the earth.”
6 Shout and sing for joy, city of Zion,
because the holy one of Israel is great among you.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 8:23 in Heb
- Isaiah 9:1 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 9:2 9:1 in Heb
- Isaiah 9:11 Or the enemies of Rezin
- Isaiah 9:20 Or arm
- Isaiah 10:12 Or I will punish
- Isaiah 10:18 Syr, Vulg body and soul (that is, completely); MT he will finish
- Isaiah 10:25 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 10:27 Or and his yoke from your neck, and a yoke will be destroyed because of fatness
- Isaiah 10:32 Or wave his hand
- Isaiah 11:1 LXX, Vulg; MT bear fruit
- Isaiah 11:4 Or land
- Isaiah 11:6 Correction; MT and the calf
- Isaiah 11:11 Or islands
- Isaiah 11:15 Heb uncertain
Isaiah 9-12
New International Version
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—
2 The 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)
3 You 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)
4 For 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)
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,(O)
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For 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)
7 Of 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
8 The Lord has sent a message(AG) against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
9 All 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)”
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s(AN) foes against them
and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans(AO) from the east and Philistines(AP) from the west
have devoured(AQ) Israel with open mouth.
13 But the people have not returned(AT) to him who struck(AU) them,
nor have they sought(AV) the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed(AW) in a single day;(AX)
15 the elders(AY) and dignitaries(AZ) are the head,
the prophets(BA) who teach lies(BB) are the tail.
16 Those who guide(BC) this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.(BD)
17 Therefore 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)
18 Surely 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.
19 By 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)
20 On 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)
2 to 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)
3 What 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?
4 Nothing 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)
6 I 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.
7 But 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)
10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,(CZ)
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?(DA)’”
12 When 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. 13 For 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)
14 As 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)’”
15 Does 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!
16 Therefore, 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.
17 The 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)
18 The splendor of his forests(DY) and fertile fields
it will completely destroy,(DZ)
as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the remaining trees of his forests(EA) will be so few(EB)
that a child could write them down.
The Remnant of Israel
20 In 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)
21 A remnant(EI) will return,[d](EJ) a remnant of Jacob
will return to the Mighty God.(EK)
22 Though 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.
23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
the destruction decreed(EO) upon the whole land.(EP)
24 Therefore 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.
25 Very soon(EU) my anger against you will end
and my wrath(EV) will be directed to their destruction.(EW)”
26 The 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.
27 In 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]
28 They enter Aiath;
they pass through Migron;(FG)
they store supplies(FH) at Mikmash.(FI)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
“We will camp overnight at Geba.(FJ)”
Ramah(FK) trembles;
Gibeah(FL) of Saul flees.(FM)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!(FN)
Listen, Laishah!
Poor Anathoth!(FO)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the people of Gebim take cover.
32 This 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.
33 See, 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)
34 He 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)
2 The 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—
3 and 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)
4 but 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)
5 Righteousness will be his belt(GS)
and faithfulness(GT) the sash around his waist.(GU)
6 The 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.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.(GW)
8 The infant(GX) will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s(GY) nest.
9 They 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.
10 In 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) 11 In 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)
12 He 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)
13 Ephraim’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)
14 They 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)
15 The 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)
16 There 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.
2 Surely 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)”
3 With joy you will draw water(IX)
from the wells(IY) of salvation.
4 In 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)
5 Sing(JD) to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;(JE)
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy,(JF) people of Zion,
for great(JG) is the Holy One of Israel(JH) among you.(JI)”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.
- Isaiah 9:20 Or arm
- Isaiah 10:13 Or treasures; / I subdued the mighty,
- Isaiah 10:21 Hebrew shear-jashub (see 7:3 and note); also in verse 22
- Isaiah 10:27 Hebrew; Septuagint broken / from your shoulders
- Isaiah 11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint lion will feed
- Isaiah 11:11 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 11:11 Hebrew Shinar
- Isaiah 11:13 Or hostility
- Isaiah 12:2 Or song
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.