6:1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death, ¹  I saw the sovereign master ²  seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe filled the temple. 6:2 Seraphs ³  stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, ⁴  and they used the remaining two to fly. 6:3 They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy ⁵  is the Lord who commands armies! ⁶  His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!” 6:4 The sound of their voices shook the door frames, ⁷  and the temple was filled with smoke.

6:5 I said, “Too bad for me! I am destroyed, ⁸  for my lips are contaminated by sin, ⁹  and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. ¹⁰  My eyes have seen the king, the Lord who commands armies.” ¹¹  6:6 But then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs. 6:7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Look, this coal has touched your lips. Your evil is removed; your sin is forgiven.” ¹²  6:8 I heard the voice of the sovereign master say, “Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” ¹³  I answered, “Here I am, send me!” 6:9 He said, “Go and tell these people:

‘Listen continually, but don’t understand!

Look continually, but don’t perceive!’

6:10 Make the hearts of these people calloused;

make their ears deaf and their eyes blind!

Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed.” ¹⁴ 

6:11 I replied, “How long, sovereign master?” He said,

“Until cities are in ruins and unpopulated,

and houses are uninhabited,

and the land is ruined and devastated,

6:12 and the Lord has sent the people off to a distant place,

and the very heart of the land is completely abandoned. ¹⁵ 

6:13 Even if only a tenth of the people remain in the land, it will again be destroyed, ¹⁶  like one of the large sacred trees ¹⁷  or an Asherah pole, when a sacred pillar on a high place is thrown down. ¹⁸  That sacred pillar symbolizes the special chosen family.” ¹⁹ 

7:1 During ²⁰  the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel marched up to Jerusalem ²¹  to do battle, but they were unable to prevail against it. ²² 

7:2 It was reported to the family ²³  of David, “Syria has allied with ²⁴  Ephraim.” They and their people were emotionally shaken, just as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. ²⁵  7:3 So the Lord told Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub ²⁶  and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ²⁷  7:4 Tell him, ‘Make sure you stay calm! ²⁸  Don’t be afraid! Don’t be intimidated ²⁹  by these two stubs of smoking logs, ³⁰  or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 7:5 Syria has plotted with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah to bring about your demise. ³¹  7:6 They say, “Let’s attack Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it. ³²  Then we’ll set up the son of Tabeel as its king.” ³³  7:7 For this reason the sovereign master, ³⁴  the Lord, says:

“It will not take place;

it will not happen.

7:8 For Syria’s leader is Damascus,

and the leader of Damascus is Rezin.

Within sixty-five years Ephraim will no longer exist as a nation. ³⁵ 

7:9 Ephraim’s leader is Samaria,

and Samaria’s leader is the son of Remaliah.

If your faith does not remain firm,

then you will not remain secure.” ³⁶ 

7:10 The Lord again spoke to Ahaz: 7:11 “Ask for a confirming sign from the Lord your God. You can even ask for something miraculous.” ³⁷  7:12 But Ahaz responded, “I don’t want to ask; I don’t want to put the Lord to a test.” ³⁸  7:13 So Isaiah replied, ³⁹  “Pay attention, ⁴⁰  family ⁴¹  of David. ⁴²  Do you consider it too insignificant to try the patience of men? Is that why you are also trying the patience of my God? 7:14 For this reason the sovereign master himself will give you a confirming sign. ⁴³  Look, this ⁴⁴  young woman ⁴⁵  is about to conceive ⁴⁶  and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him ⁴⁷  Immanuel. ⁴⁸  7:15 He will eat sour milk ⁴⁹  and honey, which will help him know how ⁵⁰  to reject evil and choose what is right. 7:16 Here is why this will be so: ⁵¹  Before the child knows how to reject evil and choose what is right, the land ⁵²  whose two kings you fear will be desolate. ⁵³  7:17 The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your father’s family a time ⁵⁴  unlike any since Ephraim departed from Judah – the king of Assyria!” ⁵⁵ 

7:18 At that time ⁵⁶  the Lord will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. ⁵⁷  7:19 All of them will come and make their home ⁵⁸  in the ravines between the cliffs, and in the crevices of the cliffs, in all the thorn bushes, and in all the watering holes. ⁵⁹  7:20 At that time ⁶⁰  the sovereign master will use a razor hired from the banks of the Euphrates River, ⁶¹  the king of Assyria, to shave the head and the pubic hair; ⁶²  it will also shave off the beard. 7:21 At that time ⁶³  a man will keep alive a young cow from the herd and a couple of goats. 7:22 From the abundance of milk they produce, ⁶⁴  he will have sour milk for his meals. Indeed, everyone left in the heart of the land will eat sour milk and honey. 7:23 At that time ⁶⁵  every place where there had been a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels will be overrun ⁶⁶  with thorns and briers. 7:24 With bow and arrow ⁶⁷  men will hunt ⁶⁸  there, for the whole land will be covered ⁶⁹  with thorns and briers. 7:25 They will stay away from all the hills that were cultivated, for fear of the thorns and briers. ⁷⁰  Cattle will graze there and sheep will trample on them. ⁷¹ 

8:1 The Lord told me, “Take a large tablet ⁷²  and inscribe these words ⁷³  on it with an ordinary stylus: ⁷⁴  ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.’ ⁷⁵  8:2 Then I will summon ⁷⁶  as my reliable witnesses Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.” 8:3 I then had sexual relations with the prophetess; she conceived and gave birth to a son. The Lord told me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, 8:4 for before the child knows how to cry out, ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria ⁷⁷  will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” ⁷⁸ 

8:5 The Lord spoke to me again: 8:6 “These people ⁷⁹  have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah ⁸⁰  and melt in fear over Rezin and the son of Remaliah. ⁸¹  8:7 So look, the sovereign master ⁸²  is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River ⁸³  – the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage and overflow its banks. ⁸⁴  8:8 It will spill into Judah, flooding and engulfing, as it reaches to the necks of its victims. He will spread his wings out over your entire land, ⁸⁵  O Immanuel.” ⁸⁶ 

8:9 You will be broken, ⁸⁷  O nations;

you will be shattered! ⁸⁸ 

Pay attention, all you distant lands of the earth!

Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered!

Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered! ⁸⁹ 

8:10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted!

Issue your orders, but they will not be executed! ⁹⁰ 

For God is with us! ⁹¹ 

8:11 Indeed this is what the Lord told me. He took hold of me firmly and warned me not to act like these people: ⁹² 

8:12 “Do not say, ‘Conspiracy,’ every time these people say the word. ⁹³ 

Don’t be afraid of what scares them; don’t be terrified.

8:13 You must recognize the authority of the Lord who commands armies. ⁹⁴ 

He is the one you must respect;

he is the one you must fear. ⁹⁵ 

8:14 He will become a sanctuary, ⁹⁶ 

but a stone that makes a person trip,

and a rock that makes one stumble –

to the two houses of Israel. ⁹⁷ 

He will become ⁹⁸  a trap and a snare

to the residents of Jerusalem. ⁹⁹ 

8:15 Many will stumble over the stone and the rock, ¹⁰⁰ 

and will fall and be seriously injured,

and will be ensnared and captured.”

8:16 Tie up the scroll as legal evidence, ¹⁰¹ 

seal the official record of God’s instructions and give it to my followers. ¹⁰² 

8:17 I will wait patiently for the Lord,

who has rejected the family of Jacob; ¹⁰³ 

I will wait for him.

8:18 Look, I and the sons whom the Lord has given me ¹⁰⁴  are reminders and object lessons ¹⁰⁵  in Israel, sent from the Lord who commands armies, who lives on Mount Zion.

8:19 ¹⁰⁶ 

They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations. ¹⁰⁷  Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?” ¹⁰⁸  8:20 Then you must recall the Lord’s instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen. ¹⁰⁹  Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened. ¹¹⁰  8:21 They will pass through the land ¹¹¹  destitute and starving. Their hunger will make them angry, ¹¹²  and they will curse their king and their God ¹¹³  as they look upward. 8:22 When one looks out over the land, he sees ¹¹⁴  distress and darkness, gloom ¹¹⁵  and anxiety, darkness and people forced from the land. ¹¹⁶  9:1 ¹¹⁷  The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. ¹¹⁸ 

In earlier times he ¹¹⁹  humiliated

the land of Zebulun,

and the land of Naphtali; ¹²⁰ 

but now he brings honor ¹²¹ 

to the way of the sea,

the region beyond the Jordan,

and Galilee of the nations. ¹²² 

9:2 The people walking in darkness

see a bright light; ¹²³ 

light shines

on those who live in a land of deep darkness. ¹²⁴ 

9:3 You ¹²⁵  have enlarged the nation;

you give them great joy. ¹²⁶ 

They rejoice in your presence

as harvesters rejoice;

as warriors celebrate ¹²⁷  when they divide up the plunder.

9:4 For their oppressive yoke

and the club that strikes their shoulders,

the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, ¹²⁸ 

you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat. ¹²⁹ 

9:5 Indeed every boot that marches and shakes the earth ¹³⁰ 

and every garment dragged through blood

is used as fuel for the fire.

9:6 For a child has been ¹³¹  born to us,

a son has been given to us.

He shoulders responsibility

and is called: ¹³² 

Extraordinary Strategist, ¹³³ 

Mighty God, ¹³⁴ 

Everlasting Father, ¹³⁵ 

Prince of Peace. ¹³⁶ 

9:7 His dominion will be vast ¹³⁷ 

and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. ¹³⁸ 

He will rule on David’s throne

and over David’s kingdom, ¹³⁹ 

establishing it ¹⁴⁰  and strengthening it

by promoting justice and fairness, ¹⁴¹ 

from this time forward and forevermore.

The Lord’s intense devotion to his people ¹⁴²  will accomplish this.

9:8 ¹⁴³ 

The sovereign master ¹⁴⁴  decreed judgment ¹⁴⁵  on Jacob,

and it fell on Israel. ¹⁴⁶ 

9:9 All the people were aware ¹⁴⁷  of it,

the people of Ephraim and those living in Samaria. ¹⁴⁸ 

Yet with pride and an arrogant attitude, they said, ¹⁴⁹ 

9:10 “The bricks have fallen,

but we will rebuild with chiseled stone;

the sycamore fig trees have been cut down,

but we will replace them with cedars.” ¹⁵⁰ 

9:11 Then the Lord provoked ¹⁵¹  their adversaries to attack them, ¹⁵² 

he stirred up ¹⁵³  their enemies –

9:12 Syria from the east,

and the Philistines from the west,

they gobbled up Israelite territory. ¹⁵⁴ 

Despite all this, his anger does not subside,

and his hand is ready to strike again. ¹⁵⁵ 

9:13 The people did not return to the one who struck them,

they did not seek reconciliation ¹⁵⁶  with the Lord who commands armies.

9:14 So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail,

both the shoots and stalk ¹⁵⁷  in one day.

9:15 The leaders and the highly respected people ¹⁵⁸  are the head,

the prophets who teach lies are the tail.

9:16 The leaders of this nation were misleading people,

and the people being led were destroyed. ¹⁵⁹ 

9:17 So the sovereign master was not pleased ¹⁶⁰  with their young men,

he took no pity ¹⁶¹  on their orphans and widows;

for the whole nation was godless ¹⁶²  and did wicked things, ¹⁶³ 

every mouth was speaking disgraceful words. ¹⁶⁴ 

Despite all this, his anger does not subside,

and his hand is ready to strike again. ¹⁶⁵ 

9:18 For ¹⁶⁶  evil burned like a fire, ¹⁶⁷ 

it consumed thorns and briers;

it burned up the thickets of the forest,

and they went up in smoke. ¹⁶⁸ 

9:19 Because of the anger of the Lord who commands armies, the land was scorched, ¹⁶⁹ 

and the people became fuel for the fire. ¹⁷⁰ 

People had no compassion on one another. ¹⁷¹ 

9:20 They devoured ¹⁷²  on the right, but were still hungry,

they ate on the left, but were not satisfied.

People even ate ¹⁷³  the flesh of their own arm! ¹⁷⁴ 

9:21 Manasseh fought against ¹⁷⁵  Ephraim,

and Ephraim against Manasseh;

together they fought against Judah.

Despite all this, his anger does not subside,

and his hand is ready to strike again. ¹⁷⁶ 

10:1 Those who enact unjust policies are as good as dead, ¹⁷⁷ 

those who are always instituting unfair regulations, ¹⁷⁸ 

10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,

and to deprive ¹⁷⁹  the oppressed among my people of justice,

so they can steal what widows own,

and loot what belongs to orphans. ¹⁸⁰ 

10:3 What will you do on judgment day, ¹⁸¹ 

when destruction arrives from a distant place?

To whom will you run for help?

Where will you leave your wealth?

10:4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners,

or to fall among those who have been killed. ¹⁸² 

Despite all this, his anger does not subside,

and his hand is ready to strike again. ¹⁸³ 

10:5 Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, ¹⁸⁴ 

a cudgel with which I angrily punish. ¹⁸⁵ 

10:6 I sent him ¹⁸⁶  against a godless ¹⁸⁷  nation,

I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, ¹⁸⁸ 

to take plunder and to carry away loot,

to trample them down ¹⁸⁹  like dirt in the streets.

10:7 But he does not agree with this,

his mind does not reason this way, ¹⁹⁰ 

for his goal is to destroy,

and to eliminate many nations. ¹⁹¹ 

10:8 Indeed, ¹⁹²  he says:

“Are not my officials all kings?

10:9 Is not Calneh like Carchemish?

Hamath like Arpad?

Samaria like Damascus? ¹⁹³ 

10:10 I overpowered kingdoms ruled by idols, ¹⁹⁴ 

whose carved images were more impressive than Jerusalem’s ¹⁹⁵  or Samaria’s.

10:11 As I have done to Samaria and its idols,

so I will do to Jerusalem and its idols.” ¹⁹⁶ 

10:12 But when ¹⁹⁷  the sovereign master ¹⁹⁸  finishes judging ¹⁹⁹  Mount Zion and Jerusalem, then I ²⁰⁰  will punish the king of Assyria for what he has proudly planned and for the arrogant attitude he displays. ²⁰¹  10:13 For he says:

“By my strong hand I have accomplished this,

by my strategy that I devised.

I invaded the territory of nations, ²⁰² 

and looted their storehouses.

Like a mighty conqueror, ²⁰³  I brought down rulers. ²⁰⁴ 

10:14 My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest,

as one gathers up abandoned eggs,

I gathered up the whole earth.

There was no wing flapping,

or open mouth chirping.” ²⁰⁵ 

10:15 Does an ax exalt itself over the one who wields it,

or a saw magnify itself over the one who cuts with it? ²⁰⁶ 

As if a scepter should brandish the one who raises it,

or a staff should lift up what is not made of wood!

10:16 For this reason ²⁰⁷  the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, will make his healthy ones emaciated. ²⁰⁸  His majestic glory will go up in smoke. ²⁰⁹ 

10:17 The light of Israel ²¹⁰  will become a fire,

their Holy One ²¹¹  will become a flame;

it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s ²¹²  briers

and his thorns in one day.

10:18 The splendor of his forest and his orchard

will be completely destroyed, ²¹³ 

as when a sick man’s life ebbs away. ²¹⁴ 

10:19 There will be so few trees left in his forest,

a child will be able to count them. ²¹⁵ 

10:20 At that time ²¹⁶  those left in Israel, those who remain of the family ²¹⁷  of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them. ²¹⁸  Instead they will truly ²¹⁹  rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. ²²⁰  10:21 A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. ²²¹  10:22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as ²²²  the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. ²²³  Destruction has been decreed; ²²⁴  just punishment ²²⁵  is about to engulf you. ²²⁶  10:23 The sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, is certainly ready to carry out the decreed destruction throughout the land. ²²⁷ 

10:24 So ²²⁸  here is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of Assyria, even though they beat you with a club and lift their cudgel against you as Egypt did. ²²⁹  10:25 For very soon my fury ²³⁰  will subside, and my anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 10:26 The Lord who commands armies is about to beat them ²³¹  with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. ²³²  He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt. ²³³ 

10:27 At that time ²³⁴ 

the Lord will remove their burden from your shoulders, ²³⁵ 

and their yoke from your neck;

the yoke will be taken off because your neck will be too large. ²³⁶ 

10:28 ²³⁷ 

They ²³⁸  attacked ²³⁹  Aiath,

moved through Migron,

depositing their supplies at Micmash.

10:29 They went through the pass,

spent the night at Geba.

Ramah trembled,

Gibeah of Saul ran away.

10:30 Shout out, daughter of Gallim!

Pay attention, Laishah!

Answer her, Anathoth! ²⁴⁰ 

10:31 Madmenah flees,

the residents of Gebim have hidden.

10:32 This very day, standing in Nob,

they shake their fist at Daughter Zion’s mountain ²⁴¹  –

at the hill of Jerusalem.

10:33 Look, the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies,

is ready to cut off the branches with terrifying power. ²⁴² 

The tallest trees ²⁴³  will be cut down,

the loftiest ones will be brought low.

10:34 The thickets of the forest will be chopped down with an ax,

and mighty Lebanon will fall. ²⁴⁴ 

11:1 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s ²⁴⁵  root stock,

a bud will sprout ²⁴⁶  from his roots.

11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him ²⁴⁷  –

a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, ²⁴⁸ 

a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, ²⁴⁹ 

a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. ²⁵⁰ 

11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord. ²⁵¹ 

He will not judge by mere appearances, ²⁵² 

or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. ²⁵³ 

11:4 He will treat the poor fairly, ²⁵⁴ 

and make right decisions ²⁵⁵  for the downtrodden of the earth. ²⁵⁶ 

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, ²⁵⁷ 

and order the wicked to be executed. ²⁵⁸ 

11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,

integrity will be like a belt around his hips. ²⁵⁹ 

11:6 A wolf will reside ²⁶⁰  with a lamb,

and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;

an ox and a young lion will graze together, ²⁶¹ 

as a small child leads them along.

11:7 A cow and a bear will graze together,

their young will lie down together. ²⁶² 

A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.

11:8 A baby ²⁶³  will play

over the hole of a snake; ²⁶⁴ 

over the nest ²⁶⁵  of a serpent

an infant ²⁶⁶  will put his hand. ²⁶⁷ 

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain. ²⁶⁸ 

For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,

just as the waters completely cover the sea. ²⁶⁹ 

11:10 At that time ²⁷⁰  a root from Jesse ²⁷¹  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ²⁷²  and his residence will be majestic. 11:11 At that time ²⁷³  the sovereign master ²⁷⁴  will again lift his hand ²⁷⁵  to reclaim ²⁷⁶  the remnant of his people ²⁷⁷  from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, ²⁷⁸  Cush, ²⁷⁹  Elam, Shinar, ²⁸⁰  Hamath, and the seacoasts. ²⁸¹ 

11:12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations;

he will gather Israel’s dispersed people ²⁸² 

and assemble Judah’s scattered people

from the four corners of the earth.

11:13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end, ²⁸³ 

and Judah’s hostility ²⁸⁴  will be eliminated.

Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah,

and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim.

11:14 They will swoop down ²⁸⁵  on the Philistine hills to the west; ²⁸⁶ 

together they will loot the people of the east.

They will take over Edom and Moab, ²⁸⁷ 

and the Ammonites will be their subjects.

11:15 The Lord will divide ²⁸⁸  the gulf ²⁸⁹  of the Egyptian Sea; ²⁹⁰ 

he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River ²⁹¹  and send a strong wind, ²⁹² 

he will turn it into seven dried-up streams, ²⁹³ 

and enable them to walk across in their sandals.

11:16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria

for the remnant of his people, ²⁹⁴ 

just as there was for Israel,

when ²⁹⁵  they went up from the land of Egypt.

12:1 At that time ²⁹⁶  you will say:

“I praise you, O Lord,

for even though you were angry with me,

your anger subsided, and you consoled me.

12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! ²⁹⁷ 

I will trust in him ²⁹⁸  and not fear.

For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; ²⁹⁹ 

he has become my deliverer.” ³⁰⁰ 

12:3 Joyfully you will draw water

from the springs of deliverance. ³⁰¹ 

12:4 At that time ³⁰²  you will say:

“Praise the Lord!

Ask him for help! ³⁰³ 

Publicize his mighty acts among the nations!

Make it known that he is unique! ³⁰⁴ 

12:5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things,

let this be known ³⁰⁵  throughout the earth!

12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,

for the Holy One of Israel ³⁰⁶  acts mightily ³⁰⁷  among you!”