God’s Wrath against Nations

34 Come near, (A)you nations, to hear; and listen, you peoples!
(B)Let the earth and [a]all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.
For the Lords (C)anger is against all the nations,
And His wrath against all their armies.
He has [b](D)utterly destroyed them,
He has turned them over to (E)slaughter.
So their slain will be (F)thrown out,
And their corpses [c]will give off their (G)stench,
And the mountains will [d]be drenched with their (H)blood.
And (I)all the heavenly [e]lights will [f]wear away,
And the (J)sky will be rolled up like a scroll;
All its [g]lights will also wither away
As a leaf withers from the vine,
Or as one withers from the fig tree.
For (K)My sword has drunk its fill in heaven;
Behold it shall descend for judgment upon (L)Edom,
And upon the people whom I have (M)designated for destruction.
The sword of the Lord is filled with blood,
It drips with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats,
With the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice in (N)Bozrah,
And a great slaughter in the land of (O)Edom.
(P)Wild oxen will also [h]fall with them
And (Q)young bulls with strong ones;
So their land will be (R)soaked with blood,
And their dust [i]become greasy with fat.
For the Lord has a day of (S)vengeance,
A year of retribution for the [j]cause of Zion.
[k]Its streams will be turned into pitch,
And its loose earth into (T)brimstone,
And its land will become burning pitch.
10 It will (U)not be extinguished night or day;
Its (V)smoke will go up forever.
From (W)generation to generation it will be desolate;
(X)None will pass through it forever and ever.
11 But [l](Y)pelican and hedgehog will possess it,
And [m]owl and raven will dwell in it;
And He will stretch over it the (Z)line of [n]desolation
And the [o]plumb line of emptiness.
12 Its nobles—there is (AA)no one there
Whom they may proclaim king—
And all its officials will be (AB)nothing.
13 Thorns will come up in its (AC)fortified towers,
Weeds and thistles in its fortified cities;
It will also be a haunt of (AD)jackals
And a habitat of ostriches.
14 The desert (AE)creatures will meet with the [p]wolves,
The [q](AF)goat also will cry to its kind.
Yes, the [r]night-bird will settle there
And will find herself a resting place.
15 The tree snake will make its nest and lay eggs there,
And it will hatch and gather them under its [s]protection.
Yes, (AG)the [t]hawks will be gathered there,
Every one with its kind.

16 Seek from the (AH)book of the Lord, and read:

Not one of these will be missing;
None will lack its mate.
For [u](AI)His mouth has commanded,
And His Spirit has gathered them.
17 He has cast the (AJ)lot for them,
And His hand has divided it to them by the (AK)measuring line.
They shall possess it forever;
From (AL)generation to generation they will dwell in it.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 34:1 Lit its fullness
  2. Isaiah 34:2 Lit put under the ban
  3. Isaiah 34:3 Lit their stench will go up
  4. Isaiah 34:3 Lit dissolve
  5. Isaiah 34:4 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
  6. Isaiah 34:4 Lit rot
  7. Isaiah 34:4 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.
  8. Isaiah 34:7 Lit go down
  9. Isaiah 34:7 Lit made fat
  10. Isaiah 34:8 Or controversy
  11. Isaiah 34:9 I.e., Edom’s
  12. Isaiah 34:11 Or owl; or jackdaw
  13. Isaiah 34:11 Or great horned owl
  14. Isaiah 34:11 Or formlessness
  15. Isaiah 34:11 Lit stones of void
  16. Isaiah 34:14 Or howling creatures
  17. Isaiah 34:14 Or goat demon
  18. Isaiah 34:14 Or a demon; Heb Lilith
  19. Isaiah 34:15 Lit shade
  20. Isaiah 34:15 Or kites
  21. Isaiah 34:16 As in DSS; MT My

Judgment Against the Nations

34 Come near, you nations, and listen;(A)
    pay attention, you peoples!(B)
Let the earth(C) hear, and all that is in it,
    the world, and all that comes out of it!(D)
The Lord is angry with all nations;
    his wrath(E) is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy[a](F) them,
    he will give them over to slaughter.(G)
Their slain(H) will be thrown out,
    their dead bodies(I) will stink;(J)
    the mountains will be soaked with their blood.(K)
All the stars in the sky will be dissolved(L)
    and the heavens rolled up(M) like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall(N)
    like withered(O) leaves from the vine,
    like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

My sword(P) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
    see, it descends in judgment on Edom,(Q)
    the people I have totally destroyed.(R)
The sword(S) 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(T) in Bozrah(U)
    and a great slaughter(V) in the land of Edom.
And the wild oxen(W) will fall with them,
    the bull calves and the great bulls.(X)
Their land will be drenched with blood,(Y)
    and the dust will be soaked with fat.

For the Lord has a day(Z) of vengeance,(AA)
    a year of retribution,(AB) to uphold Zion’s cause.
Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
    her dust into burning sulfur;(AC)
    her land will become blazing pitch!
10 It will not be quenched(AD) night or day;
    its smoke will rise forever.(AE)
From generation to generation(AF) it will lie desolate;(AG)
    no one will ever pass through it again.
11 The desert owl[b](AH) and screech owl[c] will possess it;
    the great owl[d] and the raven(AI) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom(AJ)
    the measuring line of chaos(AK)
    and the plumb line(AL) of desolation.
12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
    all her princes(AM) will vanish(AN) away.
13 Thorns(AO) will overrun her citadels,
    nettles and brambles her strongholds.(AP)
She will become a haunt for jackals,(AQ)
    a home for owls.(AR)
14 Desert creatures(AS) will meet with hyenas,(AT)
    and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures(AU) 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;(AV)
there also the falcons(AW) will gather,
    each with its mate.

16 Look in the scroll(AX) of the Lord and read:

None of these will be missing,(AY)
    not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth(AZ) that has given the order,(BA)
    and his Spirit will gather them together.
17 He allots their portions;(BB)
    his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
    and dwell there from generation to generation.(BC)

Footnotes

  1. 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.
  2. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
  3. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
  4. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.

34 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.

For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.

Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.

And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.

The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.

And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.

For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

11 But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.

12 They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.

13 And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.

14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.

15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.

16 Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.

17 And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.