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Isaiah 33:13-36:22
Contemporary English Version
Isaiah 33:13-36:22
Contemporary English Version
13 Everyone, both far and near,
come look at what I have done.
See my mighty power!”
Punishment and Rewards
14 Those terrible sinners
on Mount Zion tremble
as they ask in fear,
“How can we possibly live
where a raging fire
never stops burning?”
15 But there will be rewards
for those who live right
and tell the truth,
for those who refuse
to take money by force
or accept bribes,
for all who hate murder
and violent crimes.
16 They will live in a fortress
high on a rocky cliff,
where they will have food
and plenty of water.
The Lord Is Our King
17 With your own eyes
you will see the glorious King;
you will see his kingdom
reaching far and wide.
18 Then you will ask yourself,
“Where are those officials
who terrified us and forced us
to pay such heavy taxes?”
19 You will never again have to see
the proud people who spoke
a strange and foreign language
you could not understand.
20 Look to Mount Zion
where we celebrate
our religious festivals.
You will see Jerusalem,
secure as a tent with pegs
that cannot be pulled up
and fastened with ropes
that can never be broken.
21 Our wonderful Lord
will be with us!
There will be deep rivers
and wide streams
safe from enemy ships.[a]
The Lord Is Our Judge
22 The Lord is our judge
and our ruler;
the Lord is our king
and will keep us safe.
23 But your nation[b] is a ship
with its rigging loose,
its mast shaky,
and its sail not spread.
Someday even you that are lame
will take everything you want
from your enemies.
24 The Lord will forgive your sins,
and none of you will say,
“I feel sick.”
The Nations Will Be Judged
34 Everyone of every nation,
the entire earth,
and all its creatures,
come here and listen!
2 The Lord is terribly angry
with the nations;
he has condemned them
to be slaughtered.
3 Their dead bodies will be left
to rot and stink;
their blood will flow
down the mountains.
4 (A) Each star[c] will disappear—
the sky will roll up
like a scroll.[d]
Everything in the sky
will dry up and wilt
like leaves on a vine
or fruit on a tree.
Trouble for Edom
5 (B) After the sword of the Lord
has done what it wants
to the skies above,[e]
it will come down on Edom,
the nation that the Lord
has doomed for destruction.
6 The sword of the Lord
is covered with blood
from lambs and goats,
together with fat
from kidneys of rams.
This is because the Lord
will slaughter many people
and make a sacrifice of them
in the city of Bozrah
and everywhere else
in Edom.
7 Edom's leaders are wild oxen.
They are powerful bulls,
but they will die
with the others.
Their country will be soaked
with their own blood,
and its soil made fertile
with their own fat.
8 The Lord has chosen
the year and the day,
when he will take revenge
and come to Zion's defense.
9 Edom's streams will turn into tar
and its soil into sulfur—
then the whole country
will go up in flames.
10 (C) It will burn night and day
and never stop smoking.
Edom will be a desert,
generation after generation;
no one will ever travel
through that land.
11 Owls, hawks, and wild animals[f]
will make it their home.
God will leave it in ruins,
merely a pile of rocks.
The End of Edom
12 Edom will be called
“Kingdom of Nothing.”
Its rulers will also be nothing.
13 Its palaces and fortresses
will be covered with thorns;
only wolves and ostriches
will make their home there.
14 Wildcats and hyenas
will hunt together,
demons will scream to demons,
and creatures of the night
will live among the ruins.
15 Owls will nest there
to raise their young
among its shadows,[g]
while families of vultures
circle around.
16 In
you can search and find
where it is written,
“The Lord brought together
all of his creatures
by the power of his Spirit.
Not one is missing.”
17 The Lord has decided
where they each should live;
they will be there forever,
generation after generation.
God's Splendor Will Be Seen
35 Thirsty deserts will be glad;
barren lands will celebrate
and blossom with flowers.
2 Deserts will bloom everywhere
and sing joyful songs.
They will be as majestic
as Mount Lebanon,
as glorious as Mount Carmel
or Sharon Valley.
Everyone will see
the wonderful splendor
of the Lord our God.
God Changes Everything
* 3 (D) Here is a message for all
who are weak, trembling,
and worried:
4 “Cheer up! Don't be afraid.
Your God is coming
to punish your enemies.
God will take revenge on them
and rescue you.”
5 (E) The blind will see,
and the ears of the deaf
will be healed.
6 (F) Those who were lame
will leap around like deer;
tongues once silent
will shout for joy.
Water will rush
through the desert.
7 Scorching sand
will turn into a lake,
and thirsty ground
will flow with fountains.
Grass will grow in deserts,
where packs of wild dogs
once made their home.[i]
God's Sacred Highway
8 A good road will be there,
and it will be named
“God's Sacred Highway.”
It will be for God's people;
no one unfit to worship God
will walk on that road.
And no fools can travel
on that highway.[j]
9 No lions or other wild animals
will come near that road;
only those the Lord has saved
will travel there.
10 The people the Lord has rescued
will come back singing
as they enter Zion.
Happiness will be a crown
everyone will always wear.
They will celebrate and shout
because all sorrows and worries
will be gone far away.
The Assyrians Surround Jerusalem
(2 Kings 18.13-27; 2 Chronicles 32.1-19)
36 Hezekiah had been king of Judah for 14 years when King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded the country and captured every walled city 2 except Jerusalem. The Assyrian king ordered his army commander to leave the city of Lachish and to take a large army to Jerusalem.
The commander went there and stood on the road near the cloth makers' shops along the canal from the upper pool. 3 Three of the king's highest officials came out of Jerusalem to meet him. One of them was Hilkiah's son Eliakim, who was the prime minister. The other two were Shebna, assistant to the prime minister, and Joah son of Asaph, keeper of the government records.
4 The Assyrian commander told them:
I have a message for Hezekiah from the great king of Assyria. Ask Hezekiah why he feels so sure of himself. 5 Does he think he can plan and win a war with nothing but words? Who is going to help him, now that he has turned against the king of Assyria? 6 (G) Is he depending on Egypt and its king? That's the same as leaning on a broken stick, and it will go right through his hand.
7 Is Hezekiah now depending on the Lord, your God? Didn't Hezekiah tear down all except one of the Lord's altars and places of worship?[k] Didn't he tell the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship at that one place?
8 The king of Assyria wants to make a bet with you people! He will give you 2,000 horses, if you have enough troops to ride them. 9 How could you even defeat our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry? 10 Don't forget that it was the Lord who sent me here with orders to destroy your nation!
11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said, “Sir, we don't want the people listening from the city wall to understand what you are saying. So please speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrew.”
12 The Assyrian army commander answered, “My king sent me to speak to everyone, not just to you leaders. These people will soon have to eat their own body waste and drink their own urine! And so will the three of you!”
13 Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he shouted out in Hebrew:
Listen to what the great king of Assyria says! 14 Don't be fooled by Hezekiah. He can't save you. 15 Don't trust him when he tells you that the Lord will protect you from the king of Assyria. 16 Stop listening to Hezekiah. Pay attention to my king. Surrender to him. He will let you keep your own vineyards, fig trees, and cisterns 17 for a while. Then he will come and take you away to a country just like yours, where you can plant vineyards and raise your own grain.
18 Hezekiah claims the Lord will save you. But don't be fooled by him. Were any other gods able to defend their land against the king of Assyria? 19 What happened to the gods of Hamath, Arpad, and Sepharvaim? Were the gods of Samaria able to protect their land against the Assyrian forces? 20 None of those gods kept their people safe from the king of Assyria. Do you think the Lord, your God, can do any better?
21-22 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah had been warned by King Hezekiah not to answer the Assyrian commander. So they tore their clothes in sorrow and reported to Hezekiah everything the commander had said.
Footnotes
- 33.21 safe … ships: This probably means that Jerusalem will have a lot of water, without the danger of attacks from enemy ships.
- 33.23 your nation: Possibly Judah or Assyria.
- 34.4 star: Stars were worshiped as gods.
- 34.4 scroll: A roll of paper or specially prepared leather used for writing on.
- 34.5 has done … above: The Standard Hebrew Text; the Dead Sea Scrolls “appears in the skies above.”
- 34.11 Owls … animals: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 34.15 Owls … shadows: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 34.16 The Book of the Lord: The book that Isaiah refers to is unknown.
- 35.7 Grass … home: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 35.8 And … highway: Or “And not even a fool can miss that highway.”
- 36.7 worship: Hezekiah actually had torn down the places where idols were worshiped, and he had told the people to worship the Lord at the one place of worship in Jerusalem. But the Assyrian leader was confused and thought these were also places where the Lord was supposed to be worshiped.
Isaiah 33:13-36:22
New International Version
Isaiah 33:13-36:22
New International Version
13 You who are far away,(A) hear(B) what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners(C) in Zion are terrified;
trembling(D) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?(E)
Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously(F)
and speak what is right,(G)
who reject gain from extortion(H)
and keep their hands from accepting bribes,(I)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
and shut their eyes(J) against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,(K)
whose refuge(L) will be the mountain fortress.(M)
Their bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail(N) them.
17 Your eyes will see the king(O) in his beauty(P)
and view a land that stretches afar.(Q)
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:(R)
“Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
Where is the officer in charge of the towers?(S)”
19 You will see those arrogant people(T) no more,
people whose speech is obscure,
whose language is strange and incomprehensible.(U)
20 Look on Zion,(V) the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful abode,(W) a tent(X) that will not be moved;(Y)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty(Z) One.
It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.(AA)
No galley with oars will ride them,
no mighty ship(AB) will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,(AC)
the Lord is our lawgiver,(AD)
the Lord is our king;(AE)
it is he who will save(AF) us.
23 Your rigging hangs loose:
The mast is not held secure,
the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
and even the lame(AG) will carry off plunder.(AH)
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;(AI)
and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.(AJ)
Judgment Against the Nations
34 Come near, you nations, and listen;(AK)
pay attention, you peoples!(AL)
Let the earth(AM) hear, and all that is in it,
the world, and all that comes out of it!(AN)
2 The Lord is angry with all nations;
his wrath(AO) is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy[a](AP) them,
he will give them over to slaughter.(AQ)
3 Their slain(AR) will be thrown out,
their dead bodies(AS) will stink;(AT)
the mountains will be soaked with their blood.(AU)
4 All the stars in the sky will be dissolved(AV)
and the heavens rolled up(AW) like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall(AX)
like withered(AY) leaves from the vine,
like shriveled figs from the fig tree.
5 My sword(AZ) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
see, it descends in judgment on Edom,(BA)
the people I have totally destroyed.(BB)
6 The sword(BC) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice(BD) in Bozrah(BE)
and a great slaughter(BF) in the land of Edom.
7 And the wild oxen(BG) will fall with them,
the bull calves and the great bulls.(BH)
Their land will be drenched with blood,(BI)
and the dust will be soaked with fat.
8 For the Lord has a day(BJ) of vengeance,(BK)
a year of retribution,(BL) to uphold Zion’s cause.
9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
her dust into burning sulfur;(BM)
her land will become blazing pitch!
10 It will not be quenched(BN) night or day;
its smoke will rise forever.(BO)
From generation to generation(BP) it will lie desolate;(BQ)
no one will ever pass through it again.
11 The desert owl[b](BR) and screech owl[c] will possess it;
the great owl[d] and the raven(BS) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom(BT)
the measuring line of chaos(BU)
and the plumb line(BV) of desolation.
12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
all her princes(BW) will vanish(BX) away.
13 Thorns(BY) will overrun her citadels,
nettles and brambles her strongholds.(BZ)
She will become a haunt for jackals,(CA)
a home for owls.(CB)
14 Desert creatures(CC) will meet with hyenas,(CD)
and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures(CE) will also lie down
and find for themselves places of rest.
15 The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
she will hatch them, and care for her young
under the shadow of her wings;(CF)
there also the falcons(CG) will gather,
each with its mate.
16 Look in the scroll(CH) of the Lord and read:
None of these will be missing,(CI)
not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth(CJ) that has given the order,(CK)
and his Spirit will gather them together.
17 He allots their portions;(CL)
his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
and dwell there from generation to generation.(CM)
Joy of the Redeemed
35 The desert(CN) and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.(CO)
Like the crocus,(CP) 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.(CQ)
The glory of Lebanon(CR) will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel(CS) and Sharon;(CT)
they will see the glory(CU) of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.(CV)
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees(CW) that give way;
4 say(CX) to those with fearful hearts,(CY)
“Be strong, do not fear;(CZ)
your God will come,(DA)
he will come with vengeance;(DB)
with divine retribution
he will come to save(DC) you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened(DD)
and the ears of the deaf(DE) unstopped.
6 Then will the lame(DF) leap like a deer,(DG)
and the mute tongue(DH) shout for joy.(DI)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams(DJ) in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground(DK) bubbling springs.(DL)
In the haunts where jackals(DM) once lay,
grass and reeds(DN) and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway(DO) will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;(DP)
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean(DQ) will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion(DR) will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;(DS)
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed(DT) will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescued(DU) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(DV)
everlasting joy(DW) will crown their heads.
Gladness(DX) and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(DY)
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem(DZ)
36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s(EA) reign, Sennacherib(EB) king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.(EC) 2 Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish(ED) to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,(EE) 3 Eliakim(EF) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator,(EG) Shebna(EH) the secretary,(EI) and Joah(EJ) son of Asaph the recorder(EK) went out to him.
4 The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah:
“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 5 You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel(EL) against me? 6 Look, I know you are depending(EM) on Egypt,(EN) that splintered reed(EO) of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. 7 But if you say to me, “We are depending(EP) on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed,(EQ) saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?(ER)
8 “‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses(ES)—if you can put riders on them! 9 How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt(ET) for chariots(EU) and horsemen[e]?(EV) 10 Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told(EW) me to march against this country and destroy it.’”
11 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah(EX) said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic,(EY) since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
12 But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?(EZ)”
13 Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew,(FA) “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!(FB) 14 This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive(FC) you. He cannot deliver you! 15 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver(FD) us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’(FE)
16 “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree(FF) and drink water from your own cistern,(FG) 17 until I come and take you to a land like your own(FH)—a land of grain and new wine,(FI) a land of bread and vineyards.
18 “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?(FJ) Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?(FK) Have they rescued Samaria(FL) from my hand? 20 Who of all the gods(FM) of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”(FN)
21 But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”(FO)
22 Then Eliakim(FP) son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder(FQ) went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn,(FR) and told him what the field commander had said.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 34:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 5.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
- Isaiah 36:9 Or charioteers
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