12 Heb “As a lion growls, a young lion over its prey.” In the Hebrew text the opening comparison is completed later in the verse (“so the Lord will come down …”), after a parenthesis describing how fearless the lion is. The present translation divides the verse into three sentences for English stylistic reasons.
13 Heb “Though there is summoned against it fullness of shepherds, by their voice it is not terrified, and to their noise it does not respond.”
14 Some prefer to translate the phrase לִצְבֹּא עַל (litsbo’ ’al) as “fight against,” but the following context pictures the Lord defending, not attacking, Zion.
15 Heb “just as birds fly.” The words “over a nest” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
16 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
17 The only other occurrence of this verb is in Exod 12:13, 23, 27, where the Lord “passes over” (i.e., “spares”) the Israelite households as he comes to judge their Egyptian oppressors. The noun פֶּסַח (pesakh, “Passover”) is derived from the verb. The use of the verb in Isa 31:5 is probably an intentional echo of the Exodus event. As in the days of Moses the Lord will spare his people as he comes to judge their enemies.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

For thus the Lord said to me,

“As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey,

and when a band of shepherds is called out against him

he is not terrified by their shouting

or daunted at their noise,

so the Lord of hosts will come down

to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.

Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts

will protect Jerusalem;

he will protect and deliver it;

he will spare and rescue it.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion growls,

a great lion over its prey—

and though a whole band of shepherds

is called together against it,

it is not frightened by their shouts

or disturbed by their clamor—

so the Lord Almighty will come down

to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.

Like birds hovering overhead,

the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem;

he will shield it and deliver it,

he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

For this is what the Lord said to me:

As a lion or young lion growls over its prey

when a band of shepherds is called out against it,

and it is not terrified by their shouting

or subdued by their noise,

so the Lord of Armies will come down

to fight on Mount Zion

and on its hill.

Like hovering birds,

so the Lord of Armies will protect Jerusalem;

by protecting it, he will rescue it;

by passing over it, he will deliver it.

NLTNew Living Translation

But this is what the Lord has told me:

“When a strong young lion

stands growling over a sheep it has killed,

it is not frightened by the shouts and noise

of a whole crowd of shepherds.

In the same way, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies

will come down and fight on Mount Zion.

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will hover over Jerusalem

and protect it like a bird protecting its nest.

He will defend and save the city;

he will pass over it and rescue it.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

For Yahweh said this to me:

“As which a lion growls

and a young lion over its prey

when a full group of shepherds is called against him,

it is not terrified by their voice,

and to their noise it does not respond,

so Yahweh of hosts will come down to fight upon Mount Zion

and upon its hill.

Like birds flying overhead, so Yahweh of hosts will protect Jerusalem;

he will protect and deliver it;

he will pass over and rescue it.

KJV 1900King James Version

For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me,

Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey,

When a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him,

He will not be afraid of their voice,

Nor abase himself for the noise of them:

So shall the Lord of hosts come down

To fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.

As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem;

Defending also he will deliver it;

And passing over he will preserve it.

Public Domain