Category: Isaiah

Introduction

The Book of Isaiah

is named for a great prophet who lived in Jerusalem in the latter half of the eighth century

b.c.

This book may be divided into three principal parts:

1)

Chapters 1–39

come from a time when Judah, the southern kingdom, was threatened by a powerful neighbor, Assyria. Isaiah saw that the real threat to the life of Judah was not simply the might of Assyria, but the nation’s own sin and disobedience toward God, and their lack of trust in him. In vivid words and actions the prophet called the people and their leaders to a life of righteousness and justice, and warned that failure to listen to God would bring doom and destruction. Isaiah also foretold a time of world-wide peace and the coming of a descendant of David who would be the ideal king.

2)

Chapters 40–55

speak to a time when many of the people of Judah were in exile in Babylon, crushed and without hope. The prophet proclaimed that God would set his people free and take them home to Jerusalem to begin a new life. A notable theme of these chapters is that God is the Lord of history, and his plan for his people includes their mission to all nations, who will be blessed through Israel. The passages about “the Servant of the Lord” are among the best known of the Old Testament.

3)

Chapters 56–66

for the most part speak to a time when people were back in Jerusalem and needed reassurance that God was going to fulfill his promises to the nation. Concern is expressed for righteousness and justice, and also for Sabbath observance, sacrifice, and prayer. A notable passage is 61.1-2, words used by Jesus at the beginning of his ministry to express his calling.

Outline of Contents

Warnings and promises (1.1—12.6)

Punishment of the nations (13.1—23.18)

God’s judgment of the world (24.1—27.13)

Further warnings and promises (28.1—35.10)

King Hezekiah of Judah and the Assyrians (36.1—39.8)

Messages of promise and hope (40.1—55.13)

Warnings and promises (56.1—66.24)

1 This book contains the messages about Judah and Jerusalem which God revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

God Reprimands His People

2 TheLordsaid, “Earth and sky, listen to what I am saying! The children I brought up have rebelled against me.

3 Cattle know who owns them, and donkeys know where their master feeds them. But that is more than my people Israel know. They don’t understand at all.”

4 You are doomed, you sinful nation, you corrupt and evil people! Your sins drag you down! You have rejected theLord, the holy God of Israel, and have turned your backs on him.

5 Why do you keep on rebelling? Do you want to be punished even more? Israel, your head is already covered with wounds, and your heart and mind are sick.

6 From head to foot there is not a healthy spot on your body. You are covered with bruises and sores and open wounds. Your wounds have not been cleaned or bandaged. No medicine has been put on them.

7 Your country has been devastated, and your cities have been burned to the ground. While you look on, foreigners take over your land and bring everything to ruin.

8 Jerusalem alone is left, a city under siege—as defenseless as a guard’s hut in a vineyard or a shed in a cucumber field.

9 If theLordAlmighty had not let some of the people survive, Jerusalem would have been totally destroyed, just as Sodom and Gomorrah were.

10 Jerusalem, your rulers and your people are like those of Sodom and Gomorrah. Listen to what theLordis saying to you. Pay attention to what our God is teaching you.

11 He says, “Do you think I want all these sacrifices you keep offering to me? I have had more than enough of the sheep you burn as sacrifices and of the fat of your fine animals. I am tired of the blood of bulls and sheep and goats.

12 Who asked you to bring me all this when you come to worship me? Who asked you to do all this tramping around in my Temple?

13 It’s useless to bring your offerings. I am disgusted with the smell of the incense you burn. I cannot stand your New Moon Festivals, your Sabbaths, and your religious gatherings; they are all corrupted by your sins.

14 I hate your New Moon Festivals and holy days; they are a burden that I am tired of bearing.

15 “When you lift your hands in prayer, I will not look at you. No matter how much you pray, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with blood.

16 Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil

17 and learn to do right. See that justice is done—help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows.”

18 TheLordsays, “Now, let’s settle the matter. You are stained red with sin, but I will wash you as clean as snow.Although your stains are deep red, you will be as white as wool.

19 If you will only obey me, you will eat the good things the land produces.

20 But if you defy me, you are doomed to die. I, theLord, have spoken.”

The Sinful City

21 The city that once was faithful is behaving like a whore! At one time it was filled with righteous people, but now only murderers remain.

22 Jerusalem, you were once like silver, but now you are worthless; you were like good wine, but now you are only water.

23 Your leaders are rebels and friends of thieves; they are always accepting gifts and bribes. They never defend orphans in court or listen when widows present their case.

24 So now, listen to what theLordAlmighty, Israel’s powerful God, is saying: “I will take revenge on you, my enemies, and you will cause me no more trouble.

25 I will take action against you. I will purify you the way metal is refined, and will remove all your impurity.

26 I will give you rulers and advisers like those you had long ago. Then Jerusalem will be called the righteous, faithful city.”

27 Because theLordis righteous, he will save Jerusalem and everyone there who repents.

28 But he will crush everyone who sins and rebels against him; he will kill everyone who forsakes him.

29 You will be sorry that you ever worshiped trees and planted sacred gardens.

30 You will wither like a dying oak, like a garden that no one waters.

31 Just as straw is set on fire by a spark, so powerful people will be destroyed by their own evil deeds, and no one will be able to stop the destruction.

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Everlasting Peace

1 Here is the message which God gave to Isaiah son of Amoz about Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In days to come

the mountain where the Temple stands

will be the highest one of all,

towering above all the hills.

Many nations will come streaming to it,

3 and their people will say,

“Let us go up the hill of theLord,

to the Temple of Israel’s God.

He will teach us what he wants us to do;

we will walk in the paths he has chosen.

For theLord’s teaching comes from Jerusalem;

from Zion he speaks to his people.”

4 He will settle disputes among great nations.

They will hammer their swords into plows

and their spears into pruning knives.

Nations will never again go to war,

never prepare for battle again.

5 Now, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light which theLordgives us!

Arrogance Will Be Destroyed

6 O God, you have forsaken your people, the descendants of Jacob! The land is full of magic practices from the East and from Philistia.The people follow foreign customs.

7 Their land is full of silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses, and there is no end to their chariots.

8 Their land is full of idols, and they worship objects that they have made with their own hands.

9 Everyone will be humiliated and disgraced. Do not forgive them,Lord!

10 They will hide in caves in the rocky hills or dig holes in the ground to try to escape from theLord’s anger and to hide from his power and glory!

11 A day is coming when human pride will be ended and human arrogance destroyed. Then theLordalone will be exalted.

12 On that day theLordAlmighty will humble everyone who is powerful, everyone who is proud and conceited.

13 He will destroy the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the oaks in the land of Bashan.

14 He will level the high mountains and hills,

15 every high tower, and the walls of every fortress.

16 He will sink even the largest and most beautiful ships.

17-18 Human pride will be ended, and human arrogance will be destroyed. Idols will completely disappear, and theLordalone will be exalted on that day.

19 People will hide in caves in the rocky hills or dig holes in the ground to try to escape from theLord’s anger and to hide from his power and glory, when he comes to shake the earth.

20 When that day comes, they will throw away the gold and silver idols they have made, and abandon them to the moles and the bats.

21 When theLordcomes to shake the earth, people will hide in holes and caves in the rocky hills to try to escape from his anger and to hide from his power and glory.

22 Put no more confidence in mortals. What are they worth?

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/2-e92f81a3fcc732b9b2588e670c7db567.mp3?version_id=68—

Chaos in Jerusalem

1 Now the Lord, the AlmightyLord, is about to take away from Jerusalem and Judah everything and everyone that the people depend on. He is going to take away their food and their water,

2 their heroes and their soldiers, their judges and their prophets, their fortunetellers and their statesmen,

3 their military and civilian leaders, their politicians and everyone who uses magic to control events.

4 TheLordwill let the people be governed by immature boys.

5 Everyone will take advantage of everyone else. Young people will not respect their elders, and worthless people will not respect their superiors.

6 A time will come when the members of a clan will choose one of their number and say to him, “You at least have something to wear, so be our leader in this time of trouble.”

7 But he will answer, “Not me! I can’t help you. I don’t have any food or clothes either. Don’t make me your leader!”

8 Yes, Jerusalem is doomed! Judah is collapsing! Everything they say and do is against theLord; they openly insult God himself.

9 Their prejudices will be held against them. They sin as openly as the people of Sodom did. They are doomed, and they have brought it on themselves.

10 The righteous will be happy,and things will go well for them. They will get to enjoy what they have worked for.

11 But evil people are doomed; what they have done to others will now be done to them.

12 Moneylenders oppress my people, and their creditors cheat them.

My people, your leaders are misleading you, so that you do not know which way to turn.

The Lord Judges His People

13 TheLordis ready to state his case; he is ready to judge his people.

14 TheLordis bringing the elders and leaders of his people to judgment. He makes this accusation: “You have plundered vineyards, and your houses are full of what you have taken from the poor.

15 You have no right to crush my people and take advantage of the poor. I, the SovereignLordAlmighty, have spoken.”

A Warning to the Women of Jerusalem

16 TheLordsaid, “Look how proud the women of Jerusalem are! They walk along with their noses in the air. They are always flirting. They take dainty little steps, and the bracelets on their ankles jingle.

17 But I will punish them—I will shave their heads and leave them bald.”

18 A day is coming when the Lord will take away from the women of Jerusalem everything they are so proud of—the ornaments they wear on their ankles, on their heads, on their necks,

19 and on their wrists. He will take away their veils

20 and their hats; the magic charms they wear on their arms and at their waists;

21 the rings they wear on their fingers and in their noses;

22 all their fine robes, gowns, cloaks, and purses;

23 their revealing garments, their linen handkerchiefs, and the scarves and long veils they wear on their heads.

24 Instead of using perfumes, they will stink; instead of fine belts, they will wear coarse ropes; instead of having beautiful hair, they will be bald; instead of fine clothes, they will be dressed in rags; their beauty will be turned to shame!

25 The men of the city, yes, even the strongest men, will be killed in war.

26 The city gates will mourn and cry, and the city itself will be like a woman sitting on the ground, stripped naked.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/3-7eb7b4368732ae7901457f6e3d1e31f3.mp3?version_id=68—

1 When that time comes, seven women will grab hold of one man and say, “We can feed and clothe ourselves, but please let us say you are our husband, so that we won’t have to endure the shame of being unmarried.”

Jerusalem Will Be Restored

2 The time is coming when theLordwill make every plant and tree in the land grow large and beautiful. All the people of Israel who survive will take delight and pride in the crops that the land produces.

3 Everyone who is left in Jerusalem, whom God has chosen for survival, will be called holy.

4 By his power the Lord will judge and purify the nation and wash away the guilt of Jerusalem and the blood that has been shed there.

5 Then over Mount Zion and over all who are gathered there, theLordwill send a cloud in the daytime and smoke and a bright flame at night. God’s glory will cover and protect the whole city.

6 His glory will shade the city from the heat of the day and make it a place of safety, sheltered from the rain and storm.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/4-b8ee2d72551af798aafe6dade9befb4c.mp3?version_id=68—

The Song of the Vineyard

1 Listen while I sing you this song,

a song of my friend and his vineyard:

My friend had a vineyard

on a very fertile hill.

2 He dug the soil and cleared it of stones;

he planted the finest vines.

He built a tower to guard them,

dug a pit for treading the grapes.

He waited for the grapes to ripen,

but every grape was sour.

3 So now my friend says, “You people who live in Jerusalem and Judah, judge between my vineyard and me.

4 Is there anything I failed to do for it? Then why did it produce sour grapes and not the good grapes I expected?

5 “Here is what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge around it, break down the wall that protects it, and let wild animals eat it and trample it down.

6 I will let it be overgrown with weeds. I will not trim the vines or hoe the ground; instead, I will let briers and thorns cover it. I will even forbid the clouds to let rain fall on it.”

7 Israel is the vineyard of theLordAlmighty;

the people of Judah are the vines he planted.

He expected them to do what was good,

but instead they committed murder.

He expected them to do what was right,

but their victims cried out for justice.

The Evil That People Do

8 You are doomed! You buy more houses and fields to add to those you already have. Soon there will be no place for anyone else to live, and you alone will live in the land.

9 I have heard theLordAlmighty say, “All these big, fine houses will be empty ruins.

10 The grapevines growing on five acres of land will yield only five gallons of wine. Ten bushels of seed will produce only one bushel of grain.”

11 You are doomed! You get up early in the morning to start drinking, and you spend long evenings getting drunk.

12 At your feasts you have harps and tambourines and flutes—and wine. But you don’t understand what theLordis doing,

13 and so you will be carried away as prisoners. Your leaders will starve to death, and the common people will die of thirst.

14 The world of the dead is hungry for them, and it opens its mouth wide. It gulps down the nobles of Jerusalem along with the noisy crowd of common people.

15 Everyone will be disgraced, and all who are proud will be humbled.

16 But theLordAlmighty shows his greatness by doing what is right, and he reveals his holiness by judging his people.

17 In the ruins of the cities lambs will eat grass and young goats will find pasture.

18 You are doomed! You are unable to break free from your sins.

19 You say, “Let theLordhurry up and do what he says he will, so that we can see it. Let Israel’s holy God carry out his plans; let’s see what he has in mind.”

20 You are doomed! You call evil good and call good evil. You turn darkness into light and light into darkness. You make what is bitter sweet, and what is sweet you make bitter.

21 You are doomed! You think you are wise, so very clever.

22 You are doomed! Heroes of the wine bottle! Brave and fearless when it comes to mixing drinks!

23 But for just a bribe you let the guilty go free, and you keep the innocent from getting justice.

24 So now, just as straw and dry grass shrivel and burn in the fire, your roots will rot and your blossoms will dry up and blow away, because you have rejected what theLordAlmighty, Israel’s holy God, has taught us.

25 TheLordis angry with his people and has stretched out his hand to punish them. The mountains will shake, and the bodies of those who die will be left in the streets like rubbish. Yet even then theLord’s anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.

26 TheLordgives a signal to call for a distant nation.He whistles for them to come from the ends of the earth. And here they come, swiftly, quickly!

27 None of them grow tired; none of them stumble. They never doze or sleep. Not a belt is loose; not a sandal strap is broken.

28 Their arrows are sharp, and their bows are ready to shoot. Their horses’ hoofs are as hard as flint, and their chariot wheels turn like a whirlwind.

29 The soldiers roar like lions that have killed an animal and are carrying it off where no one can take it away from them.

30 When that day comes, they will roar over Israel as loudly as the sea. Look at this country! Darkness and distress! The light is swallowed by darkness.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/5-883c042aa6c07f4284f4eafdc43b4609.mp3?version_id=68—

God Calls Isaiah to Be a Prophet

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on his throne, high and exalted, and his robe filled the whole Temple.

2 Around him flaming creatures were standing, each of which had six wings. Each creature covered its face with two wings, and its body with two, and used the other two for flying.

3 They were calling out to each other:

“Holy, holy, holy!

TheLordAlmighty is holy!

His glory fills the world.”

4 The sound of their voices made the foundation of the Temple shake, and the Temple itself became filled with smoke.

5 I said, “There is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes I have seen the King, theLordAlmighty.”

6 Then one of the creatures flew down to me, carrying a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.

7 He touched my lips with the burning coal and said, “This has touched your lips, and now your guilt is gone, and your sins are forgiven.”

8 Then I heard the Lord say, “Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?”

I answered, “I will go! Send me!”

9 So he told me to go and give the people this message: “No matter how much you listen, you will not understand. No matter how much you look, you will not know what is happening.”

10 Then he said to me, “Make the minds of these people dull, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind, so that they cannot see or hear or understand. If they did, they might turn to me and be healed.”

11 I asked, “How long will it be like this, Lord?”

He answered, “Until the cities are ruined and empty—until the houses are uninhabited—until the land itself is a desolate wasteland.

12 I will send the people far away and make the whole land desolate.

13 Even if one person out of ten remains in the land, he too will be destroyed; he will be like the stump of an oak tree that has been cut down.”

(The stump represents a new beginning for God’s people.)

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/6-2b43c8b95fcd5ae6eead8e6f4b2d88a9.mp3?version_id=68—

A Message for King Ahaz

1 When King Ahaz, the son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, ruled Judah, war broke out. Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, attacked Jerusalem, but were unable to capture it.

2 When word reached the king of Judah that the armies of Syria were already in the territory of Israel, he and all his people were so terrified that they trembled like trees shaking in the wind.

3 TheLordsaid to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear Jashub,and go to meet King Ahaz. You will find him on the road where the cloth makers work, at the end of the ditch that brings water from the upper pool.

4 Tell him to keep alert, to stay calm, and not to be frightened or disturbed. The anger of King Rezin and his Syrians and of King Pekah is no more dangerous than the smoke from two smoldering sticks of wood.

5 Syria, together with Israel and its king, has made a plot.

6 They intend to invade Judah, terrify the people into joining their side, and then put Tabeel’s son on the throne.

7 “But I, theLord, declare that this will never happen.

8 Why? Because Syria is no stronger than Damascus, its capital city, and Damascus is no stronger than King Rezin. As for Israel, within sixty-five years it will be too shattered to survive as a nation.

9 Israel is no stronger than Samaria, its capital city, and Samaria is no stronger than King Pekah.

“If your faith is not enduring, you will not endure.”

The Sign of Immanuel

10 TheLordsent another message to Ahaz:

11 “Ask theLordyour God to give you a sign. It can be from deep in the world of the dead or from high up in heaven.”

12 Ahaz answered, “I will not ask for a sign. I refuse to put theLordto the test.”

13 To that Isaiah replied, “Listen, now, descendants of King David. It’s bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people—do you have to wear out God’s patience too?

14 Well then, the Lord himself will give you a sign: a young womanwho is pregnant will have a son and will name him ‘Immanuel.’

15 By the time he is old enough to make his own decisions, people will be drinking milk and eating honey.

16 Even before that time comes, the lands of those two kings who terrify you will be deserted.

17 “TheLordis going to bring on you, on your people, and on the whole royal family, days of trouble worse than any that have come since the kingdom of Israel separated from Judah—he is going to bring the king of Assyria.

18 “When that time comes, theLordwill whistle as a signal for the Egyptians to come like flies from the farthest branches of the Nile, and for the Assyrians to come from their land like bees.

19 They will swarm in the rugged valleys and in the caves in the rocks, and they will cover every thorn bush and every pasture.

20 “When that time comes, the Lord will hire a barber from across the Euphrates—the emperor of Assyria!—and he will shave off your beards and the hair on your heads and your bodies.

21 “When that time comes, even if a farmer has been able to save only one young cow and two goats,

22 they will give so much milk that he will have all he needs. Yes, the few survivors left in the land will have milk and honey to eat.

23 “When that time comes, the fine vineyards, each with a thousand vines and each worth a thousand pieces of silver, will be overgrown with thorn bushes and briers.

24 People will go hunting there with bows and arrows. Yes, the whole country will be full of briers and thorn bushes.

25 All the hills where crops were once planted will be so overgrown with thorns that no one will go there. It will be a place where cattle and sheep graze.”

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Isaiah’s Son as a Sign to the People

1 TheLordsaid to me, “Take a large piece of writing material and write on it in large letters:‘Quick Loot, Fast Plunder.’

2 Get two reliable men, the priest Uriah and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah, to serve as witnesses.”

3 Some time later my wife became pregnant. When our son was born, theLordsaid to me, “Name him ‘Quick-Loot-Fast-Plunder.’

4 Before the boy is old enough to say ‘Mamma’ and ‘Daddy,’ all the wealth of Damascus and all the loot of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”

The Emperor of Assyria Is Coming

5 TheLordspoke to me again.

6 He said, “Because these people have rejected the quiet waters of Shiloah Brookand tremblebefore King Rezin and King Pekah,

7 I, the Lord, will bring the emperor of Assyria and all his forces to attack Judah. They will advance like the flood waters of the Euphrates River, overflowing all its banks.

8 They will sweep through Judah in a flood, rising shoulder high and covering everything.”

God is with us! His outspread wings protect the land.

9 Gather together in fear, you nations! Listen, you distant parts of the earth. Get ready to fight, but be afraid! Yes, get ready, but be afraid!

10 Make your plans! But they will never succeed. Talk all you want to! But it is all useless, because God is with us.

The Lord Warns the Prophet

11 With his great power theLordwarned me not to follow the road which the people were following. He said,

12 “Do not join in the schemes of the people and do not be afraid of the things that they fear.

13 Remember that I, theLordAlmighty, am holy; I am the one you must fear.

14 Because of my awesome holiness I am like a stone that people stumble over; I am like a trap that will catch the people of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel and the people of Jerusalem.

15 Many will stumble; they will fall and be crushed. They will be caught in a trap.”

Warning against Consulting the Dead

16 You, my disciples, are to guard and preserve the messages that God has given me.

17 TheLordhas hidden himself from his people, but I trust him and place my hope in him.

18 Here I am with the children theLordhas given me. TheLordAlmighty, whose throne is on Mount Zion, has sent us as living messages to the people of Israel.

19 But people will tell you to ask for messages from fortunetellers and mediums, who chirp and mutter. They will say, “After all, people should ask for messages from the spirits and consult the dead on behalf of the living.”

20 You are to answer them, “Listen to what theLordis teaching you! Don’t listen to mediums—what they tell you cannot keep trouble away.”

A Time of Trouble

21 The people will wander through the land, discouraged and hungry. In their hunger and their anger they will curse their king and their God. They may look up to the sky

22 or stare at the ground, but they will see nothing but trouble and darkness, terrifying darkness into which they are being driven.

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1 There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble.

The Future King

The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region, from the Mediterranean eastward to the land on the other side of the Jordan, and even to Galilee itself, where the foreigners live.

2 The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light.

They lived in a land of shadows,

but now light is shining on them.

3 You have given them great joy,Lord;

you have made them happy.

They rejoice in what you have done,

as people rejoice when they harvest grain

or when they divide captured wealth.

4 For you have broken the yoke that burdened them

and the rod that beat their shoulders.

You have defeated the nation

that oppressed and exploited your people,

just as you defeated the army of Midian long ago.

5 The boots of the invading army

and all their bloodstained clothing

will be destroyed by fire.

6 A child is born to us!

A son is given to us!

And he will be our ruler.

He will be called, “WonderfulCounselor,”

“Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,”

“Prince of Peace.”

7 His royal power will continue to grow;

his kingdom will always be at peace.

He will rule as King David’s successor,

basing his power on right and justice,

from now until the end of time.

TheLordAlmighty is determined to do all this.

The Lord Will Punish Israel

8 The Lord has pronounced judgment on the kingdom of Israel, on the descendants of Jacob.

9 All the people of Israel, everyone who lives in the city of Samaria, will know that he has done this. Now they are proud and arrogant. They say,

10 “The brick buildings have fallen down, but we will replace them with stone buildings. The beams of sycamore wood have been cut down, but we will replace them with the finest cedar.”

11 TheLordhas stirred up their enemiesto attack them.

12 Syria on the east and Philistia on the west have opened their mouths to devour Israel. Yet even so theLord’s anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.

13 The people of Israel have not repented; even though theLordAlmighty has punished them, they have not returned to him.

14 In a single day theLordwill punish Israel’s leaders and its people; he will cut them off, head and tail.

15 The old and honorable men are the head—and the tail is the prophets whose teachings are lies!

16 Those who lead these people have misled them and totally confused them.

17 And so the Lord will not let any of the young men escape, and he will not show pity on any of the widows and orphans, because all the people are godless and wicked and everything they say is evil. Yet even so theLord’s anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.

18 The wickedness of the people burns like a fire that destroys thorn bushes and thistles. It burns like a forest fire that sends up columns of smoke.

19 Because theLordAlmighty is angry, his punishment burns like a fire throughout the land and destroys the people, and it is each of us for ourselves.

20 Everywhere in the country people snatch and eat any bit of food they can find, but their hunger is never satisfied. They even eat their own children!

21 The people of Manasseh and the people of Ephraim attack each other, and together they attack Judah. Yet even so theLord’s anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/ISA/9-a20edf37c42aeadcbd7765327096b3d9.mp3?version_id=68—