Isaiah 11–13

Chapter 11

A Branch from David’s Line

¹Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—

yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.

²And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

³He will delight in obeying the Lord.

He will not judge by appearance

nor make a decision based on hearsay.

⁴He will give justice to the poor

and make fair decisions for the exploited.

The earth will shake at the force of his word,

and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.

⁵He will wear righteousness like a belt

and truth like an undergarment.

⁶In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;

the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.

The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,

and a little child will lead them all.

⁷The cow will graze near the bear.

The cub and the calf will lie down together.

The lion will eat hay like a cow.

⁸The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.

Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.

⁹Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,

for as the waters fill the sea,

so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.

¹⁰In that day the heir to David’s throne

will be a banner of salvation to all the world.

The nations will rally to him,

and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.

¹¹In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time

to bring back the remnant of his people—

those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt;

in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam;

in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.

¹²He will raise a flag among the nations

and assemble the exiles of Israel.

He will gather the scattered people of Judah

from the ends of the earth.

¹³Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end.

They will not be rivals anymore.

¹⁴They will join forces to swoop down on Philistia to the west.

Together they will attack and plunder the nations to the east.

They will occupy the lands of Edom and Moab,

and Ammon will obey them.

¹⁵The Lord will make a dry path through the gulf of the Red Sea.

He will wave his hand over the Euphrates River,

sending a mighty wind to divide it into seven streams

so it can easily be crossed on foot.

¹⁶He will make a highway for the remnant of his people,

the remnant coming from Assyria,

just as he did for Israel long ago

when they returned from Egypt.

Chapter 12

Songs of Praise for Salvation

¹In that day you will sing:

“I will praise you, O Lord!

You were angry with me, but not any more.

Now you comfort me.

²See, God has come to save me.

I will trust in him and not be afraid.

The Lord God is my strength and my song;

he has given me victory.”

³With joy you will drink deeply

from the fountain of salvation!

⁴In that wonderful day you will sing:

“Thank the Lord! Praise his name!

Tell the nations what he has done.

Let them know how mighty he is!

⁵Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things.

Make known his praise around the world.

⁶Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy!

For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.”

Chapter 13

A Message about Babylon

Isaiah son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon:

²“Raise a signal flag on a bare hilltop.

Call up an army against Babylon.

Wave your hand to encourage them

as they march into the palaces of the high and mighty.

³I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task.

Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger,

and they will rejoice when I am exalted.”

⁴Hear the noise on the mountains!

Listen, as the vast armies march!

It is the noise and shouting of many nations.

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has called this army together.

⁵They come from distant countries,

from beyond the farthest horizons.

They are the Lord’s weapons to carry out his anger.

With them he will destroy the whole land.

⁶Scream in terror, for the day of the Lord has arrived—

the time for the Almighty to destroy.

⁷Every arm is paralyzed with fear.

Every heart melts,

⁸and people are terrified.

Pangs of anguish grip them,

like those of a woman in labor.

They look helplessly at one another,

their faces aflame with fear.

⁹For see, the day of the Lord is coming—

the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger.

The land will be made desolate,

and all the sinners destroyed with it.

¹⁰The heavens will be black above them;

the stars will give no light.

The sun will be dark when it rises,

and the moon will provide no light.

¹¹“I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil

and the wicked for their sin.

I will crush the arrogance of the proud

and humble the pride of the mighty.

¹²I will make people scarcer than gold—

more rare than the fine gold of Ophir.

¹³For I will shake the heavens.

The earth will move from its place

when the Lord of Heaven’s Armies displays his wrath

in the day of his fierce anger.”

¹⁴Everyone in Babylon will run about like a hunted gazelle,

like sheep without a shepherd.

They will try to find their own people

and flee to their own land.

¹⁵Anyone who is captured will be cut down—

run through with a sword.

¹⁶Their little children will be dashed to death before their eyes.

Their homes will be sacked, and their wives will be raped.

¹⁷“Look, I will stir up the Medes against Babylon.

They cannot be tempted by silver

or bribed with gold.

¹⁸The attacking armies will shoot down the young men with arrows.

They will have no mercy on helpless babies

and will show no compassion for children.”

¹⁹Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms,

the flower of Chaldean pride,

will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah

when God destroyed them.

²⁰Babylon will never be inhabited again.

It will remain empty for generation after generation.

Nomads will refuse to camp there,

and shepherds will not bed down their sheep.

²¹Desert animals will move into the ruined city,

and the houses will be haunted by howling creatures.

Owls will live among the ruins,

and wild goats will go there to dance.

²²Hyenas will howl in its fortresses,

and jackals will make dens in its luxurious palaces.

Babylon’s days are numbered;

its time of destruction will soon arrive.