v1 *Woe to those who make cruel and unfair laws. v2 And *woe to you judges who issue unfair judgements. You rob poor people of their *rights. And you *seize the property of widows and the property of children who have no parents. v3 You will not know what to do when fierce enemies from a distant land attack you. You will not know where to run for help. You will not know where to hide your wealth. v4 You will not avoid punishment and death. The *Lord is very angry. He lifts his hand. He is ready to strike you again.

v5 *Woe to the *Assyrians! Their own terrible punishment will be coming. But just for now, they are like a heavy stick. For a short time, I am seizing that heavy stick because of my anger. v6 I shall use that heavy stick to punish Judah. And Judah is the nation that has made me angry. I am sending the *Assyrian army against them. This is because the people in Judah will not obey me. They have made me very angry. The *Assyrian army is to *seize all that nation’s possessions. And they will act as if other people are mere mud on the streets.

v7 But the king of Assyria is thinking about his own cruel plans. He intends to destroy many nations. v8 He declares that every one of his commanders is like a prince. v9 His armies have *seized the cities called Calno and Carchemish. And the cities called Hamath and Arnad. And the cities called Damascus and Samaria. v10-11 The king of Assyria declares that all these places were very strong. Their gods were more powerful than all the images and gods in *Jerusalem. ‘I shall certainly do to *Jerusalem what I have already done to Samaria and its much stronger gods.’

v12 But the king of Assyria is merely carrying out God’s purpose against the people in *Jerusalem. As soon as that purpose is complete, the *Lord will punish the king of Assyria. This is because of the king’s proud words. v13 The king had been declaring that he had won all his battles by his own strength and wisdom. He had destroyed boundaries between nations. He had *seized their national treasures (precious objects). He had overcome the inhabitants. v14 Each of the nations was like a bird’s nest. ‘I gathered the wealth of the nations as easily as someone could gather eggs from a nest. Not a wing moved. Not a beak (bird’s mouth) opened to frighten me.’

v15 An axe is not greater than the man who uses it. Nor is a saw more important than the man who saws. A heavy stick cannot raise either itself or the hand that holds it. v16 Therefore the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) will send a disease that will make even the strongest *Assyrian soldier very weak. A terrible illness will seem like a fire in the body that burns constantly. v17 The God of Israel will act like a fire. Israel’s holy God will act like a flame. In one day that fire will burn everything that belongs to Assyria, even their bushes. v18 The fire will completely destroy the rich forests and fields, even as a final illness kills a man. v19 So few trees will remain that even a child will be able to count them on his fingers.

v20 On that day the few people that remain in Israel and in Judah will never again have to depend on the *Assyrians for supplies. They will completely depend on the *Lord, the Holy God of Israel. v21 Only a few people will return to the All-Powerful God of Israel. v22 The people in Israel were once like the sand on the shore in number. But only a very few people will return. God has decided to destroy his people, as they deserve. v23 The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) has decided to punish everyone in the entire country.

v24 Now the *Lord, the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies), speaks to God’s people who still live in *Jerusalem. Do not be afraid of the *Assyrians when they hit you with heavy sticks. They behave as the *Egyptians did long ago.

v25 Very soon my anger will end. v26 Then the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) will attack the *Assyrians. As once he did when he struck the *Midianite army at the Rock of Oreb. And the All-Powerful *Lord will make a path through the sea. As once he did against Egypt. v27 On that day the *Assyrians will not still rule your nation. It will feel as if a heavy weight has gone from your shoulders.

v28 *Assyrian soldiers are coming from Samaria. They have reached the town called Aiath. They have marched through Migram. They have left some of their supplies at Michmash. v29 They have crossed the valley. They are spending the night at Geba. Terror has filled the people in Ramah. Everyone has run from Saul’s town called Gibeah. v30 The people in the towns called Gallim and Laisha are screaming. And poor Anathoth! Your fate is terrible! v31 People are running from Madmena and Gebim. v32 But the enemy stops at Nob for the rest of the day. The soldiers shake their fists at *Jerusalem. v33-34 Now the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) will completely destroy the vast *Assyrian army. As a man with a powerful axe could destroy the greatest of trees in the forests of Lebanon.

v1 Like a branch that grows from a *stump, somebody from Jesse’s family will one day become king of Israel. v2 The Spirit of the *Lord will rest (remain) upon him. The Spirit will give him wisdom, intelligence and strength. The Spirit will teach him to know what the *Lord desires. v3 This king’s greatest joy will be to obey the *Lord perfectly. The king will not make any decision only by what he sees with his eyes. Nor will he issue any judgement only by what he hears with his ears. v4 He will deal fairly with poor people. He will defend the *rights of people who have no helpers. He will punish wicked people who are cruel to poor people. v5 Because the king will rule his people rightly and with truth.

v6 Fierce animals will live calmly with young sheep and young goats. v7 Cows and bears will feed together. Lions will eat straw as the farmer’s animals do. And a little child will look after them. v8 Young children will play safely near the hole of a poisonous snake. They will even put their hands on its nest. v9 Nobody will hurt or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain. For the land will be as full of the knowledge about the *Lord as the waters fill the sea.

v10 One day, this new king from the family of Jesse (David’s father) will come. His arrival will be the signal to all the nations to gather in the royal city (*Jerusalem) to give him honour. His own nation will become famous. v11 When that day comes, the *Lord will again use his power. He will bring back his people from foreign countries. They will come from Assyria and from Egypt. From Cush and from Elam. From Shinar and from Hamath. From the land along the coast. v12 The *Lord will raise a flag as a signal to nations all over the world. He will show the nations that he is bringing back his people from foreign lands. v13 Ephraim’s jealous attitudes will vanish. Judah will not still want to fight. Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah. Judah will not still want to fight Ephraim. v14 Together Ephraim and Judah will attack the *Philistines to the west. Together they will *seize the possessions of the nations to the east. They will overcome Edom and Moab. Ammon will obey their rule. v15 The *Lord will dry part of the Red Sea near Egypt. He will send a very hot wind to divide the river called Euphrates into seven streams. The streams will be shallow enough for people to cross. v16 So for God’s people who are returning, there will be a good road from Assyria. Just as when their families at the time of Moses escaped from Egypt.

v1 On the day that you are free, you will sing. ‘I give you honour, *Lord! You have been very angry with your people. But your anger has ended. Now you have comforted me. v2 You will keep me safe. I shall not be afraid. My power and my strength come from you, *Lord. You have saved me.’

v3 It is as if your people have been desperate to find water to drink. Then somebody provides a wonderful fountain. The cool water saves your life. What joy is yours! v4 On that day you will offer grateful thanks to the *Lord. And you will give him great honour. You will tell other nations what a wonderful God he is. v5 Sing to the *Lord! He has done such wonderful things. Let all the world know! v6 The Holy God of Israel is great. And he lives among you. So shout aloud and sing with great joy, you people of God!

v1 *Woe to Babylon! God gave this special message to Isaiah son of Amoz. v2 From the top of a hill raise a flag as a signal. Shout aloud your orders! Raise your hand to order the attack! The soldiers are to break through the gates of Babylon’s proud rulers. v3 The *Lord has given orders to his very best soldiers. His proud heroes are to show how very angry he is.

v4 Listen to the noise on the mountains! Hear the sound of a vast crowd of people! Many nations are joining forces. The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) is bringing together his soldiers for battle. v5 Soldiers are coming from distant nations. The *Lord is so angry that he will ruin the whole country. v6 Cry and weep! The day is coming when the All-Powerful *Lord will make the whole land a bare (empty) desert. v7 Terror will fill everyone. Courage will vanish. v8 All the people will tremble with pain, like a mother when her child is being born. People will stare at each other with terror on their faces.

v9 The day of the *Lord is near. ‘I shall not pity anyone when that time comes. Because I am so angry, I shall destroy the land. And I shall kill every wicked person in it. v10 The stars in the sky will not shine. The sun will be dark when it rises. The moon will give no light. v11 I shall severely punish the inhabitants of the world because of their evil actions. I shall punish all who are proud and selfish. v12 Few people will remain after I have finished my work. It will be easier to find pure gold than to find people that remain. v13 I shall make the skies tremble. I shall shake the foundations (the base) of the earth.’ These things will happen because the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) is so very angry.

v14 Foreigners who were living in Babylon will rush home to their own land. Just as an animal runs from the hunter. Just as sheep scatter when nobody looks after them. v15-16 In Babylon, the soldiers will kill anyone that they catch. They will even kill children. They will rob houses of all valuable things. The soldiers will force women to have sex with them. v17 God declares that he is sending the *Medes to ruin Babylon. No amount of silver or gold will tempt them not to attack.

v18 The *Medes will kill the young men with bows and arrows. They will not pity babies or children. v19 Babylon is the most beautiful of cities. But I shall completely destroy it, just as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. v20 Nobody will ever live there again. No *Arab will erect a tent there. Nobody who looks after sheep will ever take them there.

v21 Only wild goats and other animals of the desert will live there. And birds will nest there. v22 The noise in Babylon’s castles and palaces will be the sound of wild dogs. Babylon’s end has come. Babylon will not continue to exist.

v1 The *Lord will pity the people from Israel. He will again choose them to be his special people. He will bring them back to their own country. And now foreigners will want to join them as part of the *Lord’s special people. v2 Foreigners will lead the people back home to Israel. And the people from Israel will use the foreigners as male and female slaves in the *Lord’s country. The people from Israel will now have authority over those who once ruled them so cruelly.

v3 The *Lord will bring relief from pain to his people. He will bring them relief from what they suffered as slaves. v4 Then they will laugh at the powerful king of Babylon when they sing this song:

          ‘See how that cruel criminal has come to his end!

          He will never attack us again.’

v5-6 The *Lord has broken the power of the evil rulers. They struck whole nations with angry blows. They never stopped their cruelty to the inhabitants. v7 Everywhere there is now peace. All nations are singing with joy. v8 Even the great trees in Lebanon seem to be glad. Since the king died, nobody has chopped them.

v9 *Sheol is very excited. The spirits of dead rulers know that the spirit of the dead king of Babylon is coming to join them. v10 They will say to him, ‘Now you are just as weak as any of us! v11 Your proud power and your music have ended here in *Sheol. You lie on a bed of *worms. And *worms cover you like a blanket. v12 You shine like the dawn. But you have really fallen from the sky! In the past you overcame other nations. Now you have suffered the same fate. God has chopped you to the ground, just as men cut down a tree.

v13 You proudly said to yourself, “I shall climb up to heaven. I shall place my royal seat above the highest stars. I shall sit with the gods, far away in the north. v14 I shall be above the clouds, just like God Most High.”

v15 But instead, God has sent you to the deepest part of *Sheol.’

v16 Those who see you will stare at you. This is the man who made the world tremble. This is the man who shook countries. v17 He overcame cities. He made the earth a desert. He is the cruel king who refused to let prisoners go home.

v18 When kings die, men bury them with honour in a splendid royal grave. v19 But nobody will bury you. You will be just another dead body, like a dead branch on the ground. You will be like dead soldiers after a battle. People throw the bodies into a hole, one on top of another. v20 Men will not bury you with honour, as they have buried other kings. Because it was your own land that you ruined. It was your own people that you murdered. No son of yours will ever be king. v21 We shall kill your sons. We shall make them pay for the crimes of their father. Your sons will never *seize the world. They will not build new cities everywhere, as you did. v22-23 The *Lord will ruin the city called Babylon, so that it is merely a home for wild animals. And he will flood the country that surrounds the city.

v24 The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) makes a serious promise. ‘All will happen, *exactly as I have arranged. What I have decided to do, I shall certainly carry out. v25 I shall break up the *Assyrians who have been occupying my special land. They shall become like dirt upon my mountains. And my people shall never again be their slaves. v26 This is the plan that I have decided for the whole earth. I have raised my hand against all nations.’ v27 The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) has prepared his plan. Nobody can stop it. He lifts his hand. He is ready to strike. Nobody can oppose him.

v28 A special message from God came to Isaiah in the year when Ahaz king of Judah died. v29 Do not be glad, all you *Philistines! Once it seemed as if a heavy stick was striking you. You are glad because now that heavy stick has broken. But that heavy stick will become like a poisonous snake. And that snake will turn into something *fiery that flies. v30 The very poorest of my people will live in safety. And they will be able to feed their sheep in my green fields. But you *Philistines will starve. And I shall kill any that remain. v31 Cry aloud in the city! Shout for help! All the *Philistines tremble with fear! A cloud of dust is coming from the north. Another powerful army is approaching. Every enemy soldier is ready to attack. v32 What shall we say to *messengers that come to us from the *Philistines? Tell them that *Jerusalem is the *Lord’s foundation. Even the poorest of his people will find safety and security there.

v1 God gave Isaiah this special message about Moab. Enemies will suddenly attack Moab. They will completely destroy the important towns called Ar and Kir in one night. The shock will cause all the people in Moab to be silent. v2 The people in Dibon will go to the high place to weep. The people in Moab will cry because of the fate of Nebo and Medeba. People will shave the hair from their heads. Men will cut their beards. v3 People will wear *sackcloth in the streets. On roofs and in public places, people cry bitterly. Tears are pouring down their cheeks. v4 The inhabitants of Heshbon and Elealeh shout because of their pain. The sound of their voices reaches even as far as Jahaz. Moab’s soldiers are very afraid. Terror fills them.

v5 I feel so sorry for the people from Moab. Some of them have reached Zoar and Eglath as they try to escape from the enemy. They are crying as they climb the road to Luhith. They are in tears because of what has happened. v6 The wells at Nimrim are dry. The grass is brown. No new grass is growing. Nothing remains. v7 Therefore the people from Moab carry what they can across the little Stream of the Trees. v8 People are weeping across the whole country called Moab, from one end to the other end. v9 God declares that the stream near Dibon will run red because of the blood. But he has not finished yet! Lions will hunt the people who are escaping. And lions will also hunt the people who remain.

v1 From the town called Sela in the desert, Moab’s people send a gift of young sheep to the king of Judah in *Jerusalem. v2 At a shallow point in the river Arnon, the worried young women from Moab are desperate for news. They wander about like anxious birds. They seem like young birds that have lost their nest. v3 The *messengers who brought the gift to *Jerusalem ask the king of Judah for advice and for help. v4 ‘Please give us a safe place in your country. Please protect us. Please do not hand us over to our enemies.’

The present terror will come to an end. Moab’s enemy will disappear. v5 Then in love God will establish a man from David’s family to be Judah’s king. That king will give judgement fairly. He will not hesitate to do what is right.

v6 It is common knowledge that the people in Moab are so very proud. We all know about their silly excess of pride. That pride has no *foundation whatever. v7 The people in Moab will soon be weeping. The whole nation will cry bitterly because of the fate of Kir-hareseth. Enemies have completely ruined the splendid fields of *vines in that district. v8 Enemies have destroyed the farms and the fields in Heshbon and the *vines in Sibmah. Alcohol in the famous red *wine of these places was very powerful. It caused the rulers of nations to become drunks. The *vines once reached as far as Jazer and the Dead Sea. v9 Therefore I shall weep for the people in Sibmah and in Jazer. I shall cry bitterly for the inhabitants of Heshbon and Elealeh. There is no harvest to make the people glad. v10 There will be no more joy and happiness in the fields. They will never again make *wine from *grapes. Nobody will hear the songs and the cheerful shouts of the workers as they collect the harvest. v11 I am so very sorry for the people in Moab and the people in Kir-hareseth. v12 When the people in Moab go to pray at their special place, they are wasting their time and effort. They will receive no answer from their gods.

v13 All these events are what the *Lord said about Moab long ago. v14 And now the *Lord declares that in *exactly three years from now, other nations will joke about Moab’s splendid past. Very few people will remain in Moab. And they will be weak. Other nations will consider them to be of little value.

v1 God gave Isaiah this special message about Damascus (capital of Syria). *Woe to Damascus! It will become merely a heap of stones. v2 The villages round Aroer will be empty of people. Only sheep will live there and nobody will disturb them. v3 Attackers will destroy Syria. The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) has promised that Syria’s fate will be the same as the fate of Israel.

v4 When the time comes for God to act, Israel will lose its greatness. v5 The land of Israel will be as empty as a field after workers have collected the harvest. Only a few grains of corn remain. v6 The people in Israel will be like the few *olives that remain on the top branch of a tree after harvest. The *Lord God of Israel has spoken. v7 (Only then will the people from Israel again turn back to the God who created them. Only then will they again obey the Holy God of Israel.) v8 They had made *altars to images of false gods. And they had set up sacred places where they burned *incense to give honour to Asherah. They had also erected special poles in her honour. But now the people from Israel will not join in these activities. v9 On that day your strong cities will be empty of people. Like the cities of the Hittites and Amorites long ago when the army of Israel approached. These cities will again be empty. Weeds and bushes will cover them. v10 Because you forgot the God who saved you. You did not remember that God is your strong Rock (your security). So plant your gardens that are sacred to Baal, that foreign god. v11 Protect your gardens with a fence on the day that you plant them. Next morning your seeds will begin to grow. But then disease will strike them and they will all die.

v12 The loud noise of great armies! Their loud noise is like the loud noise of the sea! The roar of nations! Their roar is like the roar of powerful waters! v13 But when God merely shouts at those great armies, they run! They disappear like leaves on the hills before a wild storm. v14 In the evening, they are causing terror. By the morning, they have all gone. Such is the fate of any enemies that would rob us of our possessions.

v1 *Woe to the country called Cush where clouds of insects fly across the rivers. v2 The people in Cush have sent *messengers across the sea. The *messengers have travelled in fast boats over the water.

Return home, fast *messengers. Go back to your nation of tall people with smooth skins. To your cruel nation that spreads fear everywhere. To your powerful nation of strange speech, to your land of many rivers. v3 Watch, all you people of the world! Listen, you who live on the earth! When a sign appears on the top of the mountains, you will see it. And when the alarm sounds, you will hear it.

v4 The *Lord said to me, ‘I shall simply watch from where I am. I shall be as quiet as warmth that comes from the sun. I shall be as quiet as the early mist when it lifts in the summer of harvest.’

v5 Before the new *grapes appear, an enemy will have destroyed the great army of Cush. It will happen as easily as a sharp knife cuts branches from a tree. v6 All the soldiers will be dead. Their bodies will be food for vultures (birds that eat dead bodies) all the summer and for wild animals all the winter. v7 The time is coming when the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) will accept gifts from the fierce inhabitants of the land of many rivers. And the tall people with smooth skins, who once frightened everyone, will give honour to the *Lord in *Jerusalem.

v1 God gave this special message to Isaiah son of Amoz. The *Lord is coming to Egypt. He is riding on a cloud that moves quickly. The false gods of Egypt will tremble. The courage of the inhabitants of Egypt will disappear because of their fear. v2 I shall make the people in Egypt fight each other. Brothers against brothers. Neighbours against neighbours. Citizens against citizens. People in one region against people in another region. v3 The inhabitants of Egypt will lose their courage completely. I shall confuse their thoughts. The *Egyptians will try to get advice from their false gods and from the spirits of dead persons. v4 I shall hand over the inhabitants of Egypt to a fierce foreign king. He will rule them cruelly. The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) has spoken.

v5 The waters of the river Nile will fail to flow. v6 The channels of the river will get smaller and smaller. v7 The plants that grew in the water will become dry. They will die. Then the wind will carry off the dried plants. No trace of them will remain. v8 People who fish in the river Nile will weep bitterly. People who throw a net into the water will be so very sad. There are no fish to catch. No fish to sell. No income. v9 People who grow plants for material to make cloth will not know what to do. v10 All who work in the trade will be in despair. All who were earning wages by this work will now receive no money.

v11 The leaders of the government in Zoan are fools. The wisest of the king’s advisers are stupid. Yet they tell the king that they come from a family of wise princes. v12 King, you have such very wise advisers. So these very wise men should tell the king about the plan that the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) has made against Egypt. v13 The royal officials in Zoan and in Memphis are all fools. Egypt’s great men have led the people in Egypt in the wrong direction. v14 The *Lord has completely confused the officials. They are leading the nation away from the right direction. They are making their people walk like drunks. v15 There will be nothing that anybody in Egypt can do. Both important and unimportant people can do nothing. v16 On the day when the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) acts, the inhabitants of Egypt will be like weak women. They will tremble with fear. v17 The people from Judah will put terror into the *Egyptians. If someone only mentions Judah’s name, everybody in Egypt will be greatly afraid. They feel such great fear because of the things that the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) has decided to do.

v18 The time is coming when the inhabitants of five cities in the country called Egypt will speak Hebrew (the language of the people from Judah). And they will make promises to the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies). One of the cities will be called City of the Sun.

v19 On that day there will be an *altar of stone in the country called Egypt to give honour to the *Lord. And a sacred column near the border to give honour to the *Lord. v20 The *altar and the column will be evidence that the *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) is present in the country called Egypt. If the people suffer because of an enemy, they will be able to cry to the *Lord for help. And he will send them a strong defender to rescue them. v21 The *Lord will make himself known to the *Egyptians. From that day the *Egyptians will know the *Lord. And they will show him honour. They will give him valuable gifts. They will make promises to the *Lord and they will carry them out. v22 After the *Lord has punished the *Egyptians, they will turn to him. And he will cure them when they pray to him.

v23 When that time comes, a good road will link Egypt and Assyria. The *Egyptians and the *Assyrians will travel along that road in both directions. And people from both nations will give honour to the *Lord together. v24 When that time comes, Israel will be a great nation like Egypt and Assyria. And these three nations will be of great benefit to all the world.

v25 The *Lord (commander of heaven’s armies) declares, ‘I will say and do good things to Egypt, my people. And to Assyria, whom I created. And to Israel, my special people.’

v1 Sargon, *emperor of Assyria, ordered the commander of his army to attack the *Philistine town called Ashdod.

v2 Three years earlier the *Lord had told Isaiah son of Amoz to take off his clothes and his shoes. Isaiah obeyed and he went about naked and without shoes on his feet.

v3 After the *Assyrians had *seized Ashdod, the *Lord said, ‘My servant Isaiah has been going about naked and without shoes for three years. This is a sign of the terrible troubles that will happen to Egypt and to Cush. v4 The king of Assyria will *seize the people in Egypt and the people in Cush as prisoners. He will *seize them whether they are young or old. He will make them walk naked and without shoes on their feet. They will be greatly ashamed. v5 The other nations thought that Cush and Egypt would be strong enough to support them against Assyria. But then they will be in despair. v6 People who live along the coast will see these events. And those people will say, “We had hoped that Cush and Egypt would protect us against the *Assyrian army. But now we realise that we cannot hope to escape.” ’