ISAIAH

The Bible – Old Testament

Chapter 7

1 ¹ In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah, went up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it.

2 When word came to the house of David that Aram was encamped in Ephraim, the heart of the king and heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

3 ² Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s field,

4 and say to him: Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear; let not your courage fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands (the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans, and of the son of Remaliah),

5 because of the mischief that Aram (Ephraim and the son of Remaliah) plots against you, saying,

6 ³ «Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force, and appoint the son of Tabeel king there.»

7 Thus says the LORD: This shall not stand, it shall not be!

8 Damascus is the capital of Aram, and Rezin the head of Damascus; Samaria is the capital of Ephraim, and Remaliah’s son the head of Samaria.

9 ⁴ But within sixty years and five, Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation. Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!

10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz:

11 ⁵ Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!

12 ⁶ But Ahaz answered, «I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!»

13 Then he said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God?

14 ⁷ Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

15 ⁸ He shall be living on curds and honey by the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good.

16 For before the child learns to reject the bad and choose the good, the land of those two kings whom you dread shall be deserted.

17 The LORD shall bring upon you and your people and your father’s house days worse than any since Ephraim seceded from Judah. (This means the king of Assyria.)

18 On that day The LORD shall whistle for the fly that is in the farthest streams of Egypt, and for the bee in the land of Assyria.

19 All of them shall come and settle in the steep ravines and in the rocky clefts, on all thornbushes and in all pastures.

20 ⁹ On that day the LORD shall shave with the razor hired from across the River (with the king of Assyria) the head, and the hair between the legs. It shall also shave off the beard.

21 On that day a man shall keep a heifer or a couple of sheep,

22 and from their abundant yield of milk he shall live on curds; curds and honey shall be the food of all who remain in the land.

23 On that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand pieces of silver, shall be turned to briers and thorns.

24 Men shall go there with bow and arrows; for all the country shall be briers and thorns.

25 For fear of briers and thorns you shall not go upon any mountainside which used to be hoed with the mattock; they shall be grazing land for cattle and shall be trampled upon by sheep.

1 [1] Days of Ahaz: who ruled from 735 to 715 B.C. This attack against Jerusalem by the kings of Aram (Syria) and Israel was occasioned by Ahaz’ refusal to enter with them into an anti-Assyrian alliance; cf 2 Kings 16.

2 [3] Shear-jashub: this name means «a remnant will return.»

3 [6] Son of Tabeel: an adherent of Jerusalem’s enemies. His appointment would interrupt the lawful succession from David.

4 [9] Within sixty years and five: if the text is correct, its reference is unknown.

5 [11] Deep . . . sky: an extraordinary or miraculous sign that would prove God’s firm will to save the royal house of David from its oppressors.

6 [12] Tempt the LORD: Ahaz expresses in this hypocritical way his preference for depending upon the might of Assyria rather than upon God.

7 [14] The sign proposed by Isaiah was concerned with the preservation of Judah in the midst of distress (cf ⇒ Isaiah 7:15, ⇒ 17), but more especially with the fulfillment of God’s earlier promise to David (⇒ 2 Sam 7:12-16) in the coming of Immanuel (meaning, «With us is God») as the ideal king (cf ⇒ Isaiah 9:5-6; ⇒ 11:1-5). The Church has always followed St. Matthew in seeing the transcendent fulfillment of this verse in Christ and his Virgin Mother. The prophet need not have known the full force latent in his own words; and some Catholic writers have sought a preliminary and partial fulfillment in the conception and birth of the future King Hezekiah, whose mother, at the time Isaiah spoke, would have been a young, unmarried woman (Hebrew, almah). The Holy Spirit was preparing, however, for another Nativity which alone could fulfill the divinely given terms of Immanuel’s mission, and in which the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God was to fulfill also the words of this prophecy in the integral sense intended by the divine Wisdom.

8 [15] Curds and honey: the restricted diet of those who remain after devastation has changed the once fertile fields of Judah into grazing land; cf ⇒ Isaiah 7:21-25.

9 [20] God will use the Assyrians from across the River (the Euphrates) as his instrument (razor) to inflict disgrace and suffering upon his people.

The Bible – Old Testament Isaiah Chapter 1 1 1 The vision which Isaiah, son of Amoz, had concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2 Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth, for the LORD speaks: Sons have I raised and reared, but they have disowned… Seguir leyendo Isaiah – Chapter 1

Isaiah – Chapter 49

The Bible – Old Testament Isaiah Chapter 49 1 1 2 Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The LORD called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. 2 3 He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm. He made me a polished arrow,… Seguir leyendo Isaiah – Chapter 49

Isaiah – Chapter 52

The Bible – Old Testament Isaiah Chapter 52 1 Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your glorious garments, O Jerusalem, holy city. No longer shall the uncircumcised or the unclean enter you. 2 Shake off the dust, ascend to the throne, Jerusalem; Loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter… Seguir leyendo Isaiah – Chapter 52

The Bible – Old Testament

Isaiah

Chapter 61

1 ¹ The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners,

2 To announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn;

3 To place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. They will be called oaks of justice, planted by the LORD to show his glory.

4 They shall rebuild the ancient ruins, the former wastes they shall raise up And restore the ruined cities, desolate now for generations.

5 Strangers shall stand ready to pasture your flocks, foreigners shall be your farmers and vinedressers.

6 You yourselves shall be named priests of the LORD, ministers of our God you shall be called. You shall eat the wealth of the nations and boast of riches from them.

7 Since their shame was double and disgrace and spittle were their portion, They shall have a double inheritance in their land, everlasting joy shall be theirs.

8 For I, the LORD, love what is right, I hate robbery and injustice; I will give them their recompense faithfully, a lasting covenant I will make with them.

9 Their descendants shall be renowned among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; All who see them shall acknowledge them as a race the LORD has blessed.

10 I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; For he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, Like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels.

11 As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, So will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.

1 [1-2] This was spoken by the prophet in regard to the restoration of Zion, but quoted by Christ as referring to his mission; cf ⇒ Luke 4:18, ⇒ 19. Year of favor . . . day of vindication: the time of God’s salvation.

The Bible – Old Testament

Isaiah

Chapter 51

1 ¹ Thus says the LORD: Where is the bill of divorce with which I dismissed your mother? Or to which of my creditors have I sold you? It was for your sins that you were sold, for your crimes that your mother was dismissed.

2 ² Why was no one there when I came? Why did no one answer when I called? Is my hand too short to ransom? Have I not the strength to deliver? Lo, with my rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; Their fish rot for lack of water, and die of thirst.

3 I clothe the heavens in mourning, and make sackcloth their vesture.

4 ³ The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear;

5 ⁴ And I have not rebelled, have not turned back.

6 ⁵ I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.

7 The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

8 He is near who upholds my right; if anyone wishes to oppose me, let us appear together. Who disputes my right? Let him confront me.

9 See, the Lord GOD is my help; who will prove me wrong? Lo, they will all wear out like cloth, the moth will eat them up.

10 ⁶ Who among you fears the LORD, heeds his servant’s voice, And walks in darkness without any light, Trusting in the name of the LORD and relying on his God?

11 All of you kindle flames and carry about you fiery darts; Walk by the light of your own fire and by the flares you have burnt! This is your fate from my hand: you shall lie down in a place of pain.

1 [1] Responding to the people’s complaint of utter abandonment by God, the prophet shows that their sins were responsible for their banishment. Since there was no bill of divorce, the bond between the Lord and his people still exists and he will ultimately save them.

2 [2] Israel’s faith in God is weak; she does not answer his call, nor believe in his promises of deliverance.

3 [4-11] The third of the four «Servant-of-the-Lord» oracles; in ⇒ Isaiah 50:4-9 the Servant speaks; in ⇒ Isaiah 50:10-11 God reproves the people for not following the Servant.

4 [5] The Servant does not refuse the divine vocation.

5 [6] He willingly submits to insults and beatings. Plucked my beard: a grave insult.

6 [10-11] Instead of trusting in the Lord and his Servant, the people rely on their own devices, to their own destruction.

Isaiah – Chapter 42

The Bible – Old Testament Isaiah Chapter 42 1 1 Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, Upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, 2 Not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. 3 2 A… Seguir leyendo Isaiah – Chapter 42

Isaiah – Chapter 60

The Bible – Old Testament Isaiah Chapter 60 1 1 Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; But upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. 3 Nations shall walk by your… Seguir leyendo Isaiah – Chapter 60

Isaiah – Introduction

The Bible – Old Testament Isaiah Introduction The greatest of the prophets appeared at a critical moment of Israel’s history. The second half of the eighth century B.C. witnessed the collapse of the northern kingdom under the hammerlike blows of Assyria (722), while Jerusalem itself saw the army of Sennacherib drawn up before its walls… Seguir leyendo Isaiah – Introduction

The Bible – Old Testament

Isaiah

Chapter 7

1

1 In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah, went up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it.

2

When word came to the house of David that Aram was encamped in Ephraim, the heart of the king and heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

3

2 Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s field,

4

and say to him: Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear; let not your courage fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands (the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans, and of the son of Remaliah),

5

because of the mischief that Aram (Ephraim and the son of Remaliah) plots against you, saying,

6

3 «Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force, and appoint the son of Tabeel king there.»

7

Thus says the LORD: This shall not stand, it shall not be!

8

Damascus is the capital of Aram, and Rezin the head of Damascus; Samaria is the capital of Ephraim, and Remaliah’s son the head of Samaria.

9

4 But within sixty years and five, Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation. Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!

10

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz:

11

5 Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!

12

6 But Ahaz answered, «I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!»

13

Then he said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God?

14

7 Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

15

8 He shall be living on curds and honey by the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good.

16

For before the child learns to reject the bad and choose the good, the land of those two kings whom you dread shall be deserted.

17

The LORD shall bring upon you and your people and your father’s house days worse than any since Ephraim seceded from Judah. (This means the king of Assyria.)

18

On that day The LORD shall whistle for the fly that is in the farthest streams of Egypt, and for the bee in the land of Assyria.

19

All of them shall come and settle in the steep ravines and in the rocky clefts, on all thornbushes and in all pastures.

20

9 On that day the LORD shall shave with the razor hired from across the River (with the king of Assyria) the head, and the hair between the legs. It shall also shave off the beard.

21

On that day a man shall keep a heifer or a couple of sheep,

22

and from their abundant yield of milk he shall live on curds; curds and honey shall be the food of all who remain in the land.

23

On that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand pieces of silver, shall be turned to briers and thorns.

24

Men shall go there with bow and arrows; for all the country shall be briers and thorns.

25

For fear of briers and thorns you shall not go upon any mountainside which used to be hoed with the mattock; they shall be grazing land for cattle and shall be trampled upon by sheep.

1 [1] Days of Ahaz: who ruled from 735 to 715 B.C. This attack against Jerusalem by the kings of Aram (Syria) and Israel was occasioned by Ahaz’ refusal to enter with them into an anti-Assyrian alliance; cf 2 Kings 16.

2 [3] Shear-jashub: this name means «a remnant will return.»

3 [6] Son of Tabeel: an adherent of Jerusalem’s enemies. His appointment would interrupt the lawful succession from David.

4 [9] Within sixty years and five: if the text is correct, its reference is unknown.

5 [11] Deep . . . sky: an extraordinary or miraculous sign that would prove God’s firm will to save the royal house of David from its oppressors.

6 [12] Tempt the LORD: Ahaz expresses in this hypocritical way his preference for depending upon the might of Assyria rather than upon God.

8 [15] Curds and honey: the restricted diet of those who remain after devastation has changed the once fertile fields of Judah into grazing land; cf ⇒ Isaiah 7:21-25.

9 [20] God will use the Assyrians from across the River (the Euphrates) as his instrument (razor) to inflict disgrace and suffering upon his people.

Isaiah

The Bible – Old Testament

Isaiah

Chapter 61

1

1 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners,

2

To announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn;

3

To place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. They will be called oaks of justice, planted by the LORD to show his glory.

4

They shall rebuild the ancient ruins, the former wastes they shall raise up And restore the ruined cities, desolate now for generations.

5

Strangers shall stand ready to pasture your flocks, foreigners shall be your farmers and vinedressers.

6

You yourselves shall be named priests of the LORD, ministers of our God you shall be called. You shall eat the wealth of the nations and boast of riches from them.

7

Since their shame was double and disgrace and spittle were their portion, They shall have a double inheritance in their land, everlasting joy shall be theirs.

8

¹ In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah, went up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it.

² Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s field,

³ «Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force, and appoint the son of Tabeel king there.»

⁴ But within sixty years and five, Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation. Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!

⁵ Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!

⁶ But Ahaz answered, «I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!»

⁷ Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

⁸ He shall be living on curds and honey by the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good.

⁹ On that day the LORD shall shave with the razor hired from across the River (with the king of Assyria) the head, and the hair between the legs. It shall also shave off the beard.

¹ The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners,

¹ Thus says the LORD: Where is the bill of divorce with which I dismissed your mother? Or to which of my creditors have I sold you? It was for your sins that you were sold, for your crimes that your mother was dismissed.

² Why was no one there when I came? Why did no one answer when I called? Is my hand too short to ransom? Have I not the strength to deliver? Lo, with my rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; Their fish rot for lack of water, and die of thirst.

³ The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear;

⁴ And I have not rebelled, have not turned back.

⁵ I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.

⁶ Who among you fears the LORD, heeds his servant’s voice, And walks in darkness without any light, Trusting in the name of the LORD and relying on his God?