Isaiah 9:8–10:4

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

⁸The Lord has sent a message^c against Jacob;

it will fall on Israel.

⁹All the people will know it—

Ephraim^d and the inhabitants of Samaria^e—

who say with pride

and arrogance^f of heart,

¹⁰“The bricks have fallen down,

but we will rebuild with dressed stone;^g

the fig^h trees have been felled,

but we will replace them with cedars.ⁱ”

¹¹But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s^j foes against them

and has spurred their enemies on.

¹²Arameans^k from the east and Philistines^l from the west

have devoured^m Israel with open mouth.

Yet for all this, his angerⁿ is not turned away,

his hand is still upraised.^o

¹³But the people have not returned^p to him who struck^q them,

nor have they sought^r the Lord Almighty.

¹⁴So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,

both palm branch and reed^s in a single day;^t

¹⁵the elders^u and dignitaries^v are the head,

the prophets^w who teach lies^x are the tail.

¹⁶Those who guide^y this people mislead them,

and those who are guided are led astray.^z

¹⁷Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,^a

nor will he pity^b the fatherless and widows,

for everyone is ungodly^c and wicked,^d

every mouth speaks folly.^e

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,

his hand is still upraised.^f

¹⁸Surely wickedness burns like a fire;^g

it consumes briers and thorns,^h

it sets the forest thickets ablaze,ⁱ

so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.

¹⁹By the wrath^j of the Lord Almighty

the land will be scorched^k

and the people will be fuel for the fire;^l

they will not spare one another.^m

²⁰On the right they will devour,

but still be hungry;ⁿ

on the left they will eat,^o

but not be satisfied.

Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring^b:

²¹Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;^p

together they will turn against Judah.^q

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,

his hand is still upraised.^r

10Woe^s to those who make unjust laws,

to those who issue oppressive decrees,^t

²to deprive^u the poor of their rights

and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,^v

making widows their prey

and robbing the fatherless.^w

³What will you do on the day of reckoning,^x

when disaster^y comes from afar?

To whom will you run for help?^z

Where will you leave your riches?

⁴Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives^a

or fall among the slain.^b

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,^c

his hand is still upraised.