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Isaiah 5:20-30
New King James Version
Isaiah 5:20-30
New King James Version
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!
21 Woe to those who are (A)wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!
22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who (B)justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!
24 Therefore, (C)as the [a]fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So (D)their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 (E)Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people;
He has stretched out His hand against them
And stricken them,
And (F)the hills trembled.
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.
(G)For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
26 (H)He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,
And will (I)whistle to them from (J)the end of the earth;
Surely (K)they shall come with speed, swiftly.
27 No one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep;
Nor (L)will the belt on their loins be loosed,
Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;
28 (M)Whose arrows are sharp,
And all their bows bent;
Their horses’ hooves will [b]seem like flint,
And their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roaring will be like a lion,
They will roar like young lions;
Yes, they will roar
And lay hold of the prey;
They will carry it away safely,
And no one will deliver.
30 In that day they will roar against them
Like the roaring of the sea.
And if one (N)looks to the land,
Behold, darkness and [c]sorrow;
And the light is darkened by the clouds.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 5:24 Lit. tongue of fire
- Isaiah 5:28 Lit. be regarded as
- Isaiah 5:30 distress
Isaiah 5:20-30
New International Version
Isaiah 5:20-30
New International Version
20 Woe(A) to those who call evil good(B)
and good evil,(C)
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,(D)
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.(E)
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes(F)
and clever in their own sight.
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine(G)
and champions at mixing drinks,(H)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,(I)
but deny justice(J) to the innocent.(K)
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire(L) lick up straw(M)
and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay(N)
and their flowers blow away like dust;(O)
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
and spurned the word(P) of the Holy One(Q) of Israel.
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger(R) burns against his people;
his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,(S)
and the dead bodies(T) are like refuse(U) in the streets.(V)
26 He lifts up a banner(Y) for the distant nations,
he whistles(Z) for those at the ends of the earth.(AA)
Here they come,
swiftly and speedily!
27 Not one of them grows tired(AB) or stumbles,
not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt(AC) is loosened at the waist,(AD)
not a sandal strap is broken.(AE)
28 Their arrows are sharp,(AF)
all their bows(AG) are strung;
their horses’ hooves(AH) seem like flint,
their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.(AI)
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,(AJ)
they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize(AK) their prey
and carry it off with no one to rescue.(AL)
30 In that day(AM) they will roar over it
like the roaring of the sea.(AN)
And if one looks at the land,
there is only darkness(AO) and distress;(AP)
even the sun will be darkened(AQ) by clouds.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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.