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Isaiah 4-6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Isaiah 4-6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
4 Seven women shall take hold of one man on that day, saying,
“We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes;
just let us be called by your name;
take away our disgrace.”(A)
The Future Glory of the Survivors in Zion
2 On that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel.(B) 3 Whoever is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,(C) 4 once the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.(D) 5 Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its places of assembly a cloud by day and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night. Indeed, over all the glory there will be a canopy.(E) 6 It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.(F)
The Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard
5 I will sing for my beloved
my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.(G)
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
but it yielded rotten grapes.(H)
3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah,
judge between me
and my vineyard.(I)
4 What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
why did it yield rotten grapes?(J)
5 And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.(K)
6 I will make it a wasteland;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.(L)
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are his cherished garden;
he expected justice
but saw bloodshed;
righteousness
but heard a cry!(M)
Social Injustice Denounced
8 Woe to those who join house to house,
who add field to field,
until there is room for no one,
and you are left to live alone
in the midst of the land!(N)
9 The Lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing:
Surely many houses shall be desolate,
large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant.(O)
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath,
and a homer of seed shall yield a mere ephah.[a](P)
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning
in pursuit of strong drink,
who linger in the evening
to be inflamed by wine,(Q)
12 whose feasts consist of lyre and harp,
tambourine and flute and wine,
but who do not regard the deeds of the Lord
or see the work of his hands!(R)
13 Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge;
their nobles are dying of hunger,
and their multitude is parched with thirst.(S)
14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite
and opened its mouth beyond measure;
the nobility of Jerusalem[b] and her multitude go down,
her throng and all who exult in her.(T)
15 People are bowed down, everyone is brought low,
and the eyes of the haughty are humbled.(U)
16 But the Lord of hosts is exalted by justice,
and the Holy God shows himself holy by righteousness.(V)
17 Then the lambs shall graze as in their pasture;
fatted calves and kids[c] shall feed among the ruins.
18 Woe to those who drag iniquity along with cords of falsehood,
who drag sin along as with cart ropes,(W)
19 who say, “Let him make haste;
let him speed his work
that we may see it;
let the plan of the Holy One of Israel hasten to fulfillment,
that we may know it!”(X)
20 Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter!(Y)
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and shrewd in their own sight!(Z)
22 Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine
and valiant at mixing drink,(AA)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe
and deprive the innocent of their rights!(AB)
Foreign Invasion Predicted
24 Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble
and as dry grass sinks down in the flame,
so their root will become rotten,
and their blossom go up like dust,
for they have rejected the instruction of the Lord of hosts
and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.(AC)
25 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them;
the mountains quaked,
and their corpses were like refuse
in the streets.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.(AD)
26 He will raise a signal for a nation far away
and whistle for a people at the ends of the earth.
Here they come, swiftly, speedily!(AE)
27 None of them is weary; none stumbles;
none slumbers or sleeps;
not a loincloth is loose;
not a sandal strap broken;(AF)
28 their arrows are sharp;
all their bows strung;
their horses’ hoofs seem like flint,
and their wheels like the whirlwind.(AG)
29 Their roaring is like a lion;
like young lions they roar;
they growl and seize their prey;
they carry it off, and no one can rescue.(AH)
30 They will roar over it on that day,
like the roaring of the sea.
And if one look to the land—
only darkness and distress;
and the light grows dark with its clouds.(AI)
A Vision of God in the Temple
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe filled the temple.(AJ) 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.(AK) 3 And one called to another and said,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”(AL)
4 The pivots[d] on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”(AM)
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph[e] touched my mouth with it and said, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.”(AN) 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”(AO) 9 And he said, “Go and say to this people:
‘Keep listening, but do not comprehend;
keep looking, but do not understand.’(AP)
10 Make the mind of this people dull,
and stop their ears,
and shut their eyes,
so that they may not look with their eyes
and listen with their ears
and comprehend with their minds
and turn and be healed.”(AQ)
11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said,
“Until cities lie waste
without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
and the land is utterly desolate;(AR)
12 until the Lord sends everyone far away,
and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land.(AS)
13 Even if a tenth part remain in it,
it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak
whose stump remains standing
when it is felled.”[f]
(The holy seed is its stump.)(AT)
Isaiah 4-6
New International Version
Isaiah 4-6
New International Version
4 1 In that day(A) seven women
will take hold of one man(B)
and say, “We will eat our own food(C)
and provide our own clothes;
only let us be called by your name.
Take away our disgrace!”(D)
The Branch of the Lord
2 In that day(E) the Branch of the Lord(F) will be beautiful(G) and glorious, and the fruit(H) of the land will be the pride and glory(I) of the survivors(J) in Israel. 3 Those who are left in Zion,(K) who remain(L) in Jerusalem, will be called holy,(M) all who are recorded(N) among the living in Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will wash away the filth(O) of the women of Zion;(P) he will cleanse(Q) the bloodstains(R) from Jerusalem by a spirit[a] of judgment(S) and a spirit[b] of fire.(T) 5 Then the Lord will create(U) over all of Mount Zion(V) and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night;(W) over everything the glory[c](X) will be a canopy.(Y) 6 It will be a shelter(Z) and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge(AA) and hiding place from the storm(AB) and rain.
The Song of the Vineyard
5 I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard:(AC)
My loved one had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.
2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones
and planted it with the choicest vines.(AD)
He built a watchtower(AE) in it
and cut out a winepress(AF) as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad fruit.(AG)
3 “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.(AH)
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?(AI)
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?(AJ)
5 Now I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
and it will be destroyed;(AK)
I will break down its wall,(AL)
and it will be trampled.(AM)
6 I will make it a wasteland,(AN)
neither pruned nor cultivated,
and briers and thorns(AO) will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain(AP) on it.”
7 The vineyard(AQ) of the Lord Almighty
is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice,(AR) but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness,(AS) but heard cries of distress.(AT)
Woes and Judgments
8 Woe(AU) to you who add house to house
and join field to field(AV)
till no space is left
and you live alone in the land.
9 The Lord Almighty(AW) has declared in my hearing:(AX)
“Surely the great houses will become desolate,(AY)
the fine mansions left without occupants.
10 A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath[d] of wine;
a homer[e] of seed will yield only an ephah[f] of grain.”(AZ)
11 Woe(BA) to those who rise early in the morning
to run after their drinks,
who stay up late at night
till they are inflamed with wine.(BB)
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
pipes(BC) and timbrels(BD) and wine,
but they have no regard(BE) for the deeds of the Lord,
no respect for the work of his hands.(BF)
13 Therefore my people will go into exile(BG)
for lack of understanding;(BH)
those of high rank(BI) will die of hunger
and the common people will be parched with thirst.(BJ)
14 Therefore Death(BK) expands its jaws,
opening wide its mouth;(BL)
into it will descend their nobles and masses
with all their brawlers and revelers.(BM)
15 So people will be brought low(BN)
and everyone humbled,(BO)
the eyes of the arrogant(BP) humbled.
16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted(BQ) by his justice,(BR)
and the holy God will be proved holy(BS) by his righteous acts.
17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;(BT)
lambs will feed[g] among the ruins of the rich.
18 Woe(BU) to those who draw sin along with cords(BV) of deceit,
and wickedness(BW) as with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
let him hasten(BX) his work
so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One(BY) of Israel—
let it approach, let it come into view,
so we may know it.”(BZ)
20 Woe(CA) to those who call evil good(CB)
and good evil,(CC)
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,(CD)
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.(CE)
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes(CF)
and clever in their own sight.
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine(CG)
and champions at mixing drinks,(CH)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,(CI)
but deny justice(CJ) to the innocent.(CK)
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire(CL) lick up straw(CM)
and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay(CN)
and their flowers blow away like dust;(CO)
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
and spurned the word(CP) of the Holy One(CQ) of Israel.
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger(CR) burns against his people;
his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,(CS)
and the dead bodies(CT) are like refuse(CU) in the streets.(CV)
26 He lifts up a banner(CY) for the distant nations,
he whistles(CZ) for those at the ends of the earth.(DA)
Here they come,
swiftly and speedily!
27 Not one of them grows tired(DB) or stumbles,
not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt(DC) is loosened at the waist,(DD)
not a sandal strap is broken.(DE)
28 Their arrows are sharp,(DF)
all their bows(DG) are strung;
their horses’ hooves(DH) seem like flint,
their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.(DI)
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,(DJ)
they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize(DK) their prey
and carry it off with no one to rescue.(DL)
30 In that day(DM) they will roar over it
like the roaring of the sea.(DN)
And if one looks at the land,
there is only darkness(DO) and distress;(DP)
even the sun will be darkened(DQ) by clouds.
Isaiah’s Commission
6 In the year that King Uzziah(DR) died,(DS) I saw the Lord,(DT) high and exalted,(DU) seated on a throne;(DV) and the train of his robe(DW) filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim,(DX) each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet,(DY) and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.(ED)
5 “Woe(EE) to me!” I cried. “I am ruined!(EF) For I am a man of unclean lips,(EG) and I live among a people of unclean lips,(EH) and my eyes have seen(EI) the King,(EJ) the Lord Almighty.”(EK)
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal(EL) in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips;(EM) your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.(EN)”
8 Then I heard the voice(EO) of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?(EP) And who will go for us?(EQ)”
And I said, “Here am I.(ER) Send me!”
9 He said, “Go(ES) and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’(ET)
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;(EU)
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.[h](EV)
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,(EW)
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”(EX)
11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”(EY)
And he answered:
“Until the cities lie ruined(EZ)
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted(FA)
and the fields ruined and ravaged,(FB)
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away(FC)
and the land is utterly forsaken.(FD)
13 And though a tenth remains(FE) in the land,
it will again be laid waste.(FF)
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps(FG) when they are cut down,
so the holy(FH) seed will be the stump in the land.”(FI)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 4:4 Or the Spirit
- Isaiah 4:4 Or the Spirit
- Isaiah 4:5 Or over all the glory there
- Isaiah 5:10 That is, about 6 gallons or about 22 liters
- Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 360 pounds or about 160 kilograms
- Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
- Isaiah 5:17 Septuagint; Hebrew / strangers will eat
- Isaiah 6:10 Hebrew; Septuagint ‘You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; / you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / 10 This people’s heart has become calloused; / they hardly hear with their ears, / and they have closed their eyes
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.