Isaiah 9:8–10:4

The Lord Is Angry With Israel

⁸The Lord has sent a message against Jacob’s people.

He will punish Israel.

⁹All of the people will know about it.

Ephraim’s people and those who live in Samaria will know about it.

Their hearts are very proud.

They say,

¹⁰“The brick buildings have fallen down.

But we will rebuild them with blocks of stone.

The fig trees have been chopped down.

But we’ll plant cedar trees in place of them.”

¹¹In spite of that, the Lord has made Rezin’s enemies stronger.

He has stirred up Assyria to fight against Israel.

¹²Arameans from the east

have opened their mouths and swallowed Israel up.

So have Philistines from the west.

Even then, the Lord is still angry.

His hand is still raised against them.

¹³But his people have not returned

to the One who struck them down.

They haven’t turned for help

to the Lord who rules over all.

¹⁴So he will cut off from Israel heads and tails alike.

In a single day he will cut off palm branches and tall grass alike.

The palm branches are the people who rule over others.

The tall grass is the people who bow down to them.

¹⁵The elders and important leaders are the heads.

The prophets who teach lies are the tails.

¹⁶Those who guide the people of Israel are leading them down the wrong path.

So those who follow them aren’t on the right road.

¹⁷The Lord will not be pleased with the young men.

He won’t take pity on widows and on children whose fathers have died.

All of them are ungodly and evil.

They say sinful things with their mouths.

Even then, the Lord is still angry.

His hand is still raised against them.

¹⁸What is evil burns like a fire.

It burns up bushes and thorns.

It sets the forest on fire.

It sends up a huge column of smoke.

¹⁹The Lord rules over all.

When he gets angry, he will burn up the land.

The people will die.

Men will eat their brothers.

²⁰People will eat up everything they can find on their right.

But they’ll still be hungry.

They will eat everything they can find on their left.

But they won’t be satisfied.

So they will eat the dead bodies of their children.

²¹That’s what Manasseh’s people will do to Ephraim.

And that’s what Ephraim’s people will do to Manasseh.

Together they will turn against Judah.

Even then, the Lord is still angry.

His hand is still raised against them

10How terrible it will be for you

who make laws that aren’t fair!

How terrible for you

who write laws that make life hard for others!

²You take away the rights of poor people.

You hold back what is fair from my people who are suffering.

You take for yourselves what belongs to widows.

You rob children whose fathers have died.

³What will you do on the day when the Lord punishes you?

On that day trouble will come from far away.

Who will you run to for help?

Who will you trust your riches with?

⁴All you can do is bow down in fear among the prisoners.

All you can do is fall among those who have died in battle.

Even then, the Lord is still angry.

His hand is still raised against them.