Delphi Septuagint

by Lancelot C L Brenton (ed)

  Chapter 7

  [1] And it came to pass in the days of Achaz the son of Joatham, the son of Ozias, king of Juda, there came up Rasim king of Aram, and Phakee son of Romelias, king of Israel, against Jerusalem to war against it, but they could not take it. [2] And a message was brought to the house of David, saying, Aram has conspired with Ephraim. And his soul was amazed, and the soul of his people, as in a wood a tree is moved by the wind. [3] And the Lord said to Isaiah, Go forth to meet Achaz, thou, and thy son Jasub who is left, to the pool of the upper way of the fuller’s field. [4] And thou shalt say to him, Take care to be quiet, and fear not, neither let thy soul be disheartened because of these two smoking firebrands: for when my fierce anger is over, I will heal again. [5] And as for the son of Aram, and the son of Romelias, forasmuch as they have devised an evil counsel, saying, [6] We will go up against Judea, and having conferred with them we will turn them away to our side, and we will make the son of Tabeel king of it; [7] thus saith the Lord of hosts, This counsel shall not abide, nor come to pass. [8] But the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus, Rasim; and yet within sixty and five years the kingdom of Ephraim shall cease from being a people. [9] And the head of Ephraim is Somoron, and the head of Somoron the son of Romelias: but if ye believe not, neither will ye at all understand.

  [10] And the Lord again spoke to Achaz, saying, [11] Ask for thyself a sign of the Lord thy God, in the depth or in the height. [12] And Achaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. [13] And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; is it a little thing for you to contend with men? and how do ye contend against the Lord? [14] Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel. [15] Butter and honey shall he eat, before he knows either to prefer evil or choose the good. [16] For before the child shall know good or evil, he refuses evil, to choose the good; and the land shall be forsaken which thou art afraid of because of the two kings.

  [17] But God shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon the house of thy father, days which have never come, from the day that Ephraim took away from Juda the king of the Assyrians. [18] And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall hiss for the flies, which insect shall rule over a part of the river of Egypt, and for the bee which is in the land of the Assyrians. [19] And they all shall enter into the clefts of the land, and into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves, and into every ravine. [20] In that day the Lord shall shave with the hired razor of the king of Assyria beyond the river the head, and the hairs of the feet, and will remove the beard. [21] And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall rear a heifer, and two sheep. [22] And it shall come to pass from their drinking an abundance of milk, that every one that is left on the land shall eat butter and honey.

  [23] And it shall come to pass in that day, for every place where there shall be a thousand vines at a thousand shekels, they shall become barren land and thorns. [24] Men shall enter thither with arrow and bow; for all the land shall be barren ground and thorns. [25] And every mountain shall be certainly ploughed: there shall no fear come thither: for there shall be from among the barren ground and thorns that whereon cattle shall feed and oxen shall tread.

  Chapter 8

  [1] And the Lord said to me, Take to thyself a volume of a great new book, and write in it with a man’s pen concerning the making a rapid plunder of spoils; for it is near at hand. [2] And make me witnesses of faithful men, Urias, and Zacharias the son of Barachias. [3] And I went in to the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. And the Lord said to me, Call his name, Spoil quickly, plunder speedily. [4] For before the child shall know how to call his father or his mother, one shall take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians.

  [5] And the Lord spoke to me yet again, saying, [6] Because this people chooses not the water of Siloam that goes softly, but wills to have Rassin, and the son of Romelias to be king over you; [7] therefore, behold, the Lord brings up upon you the water of the river, strong and abundant, even the king of the Assyrians, and his glory: and he shall come up over every valley of yours, and shall walk over every wall of yours: [8] and he shall take away from Juda every man who shall be able to lift up his head, and every one able to accomplish anything; and his camp shall fill the breadth of thy land, O God with us.

  [9] Know, ye Gentiles, and be conquered; hearken ye, even to the extremity of the earth: be conquered, after ye strengthened yourselves; for even if ye should again strengthen yourselves, ye shall again be conquered. [10] And whatsoever counsel ye shall take, the Lord shall bring it to nought; and whatsoever word ye shall speak, it shall not stand among you: for God is with us. [11] Thus saith the Lord, With a strong hand they revolt from the course of the way of this people, saying, [12] Let them not say, It is hard, for whatsoever this people says, is hard: but fear not ye their fear, neither be dismayed. [13] Sanctify ye the Lord himself; and he shall be thy fear. [14] And if thou shalt trust in him, he shall be to thee for a sanctuary; and ye shall not come against him as against a stumbling-stone, neither as against the falling of a rock: but the houses of Jacob are in a snare, and the dwellers in Jerusalem in a pit. [15] Therefore many among them shall be weak, and fall, and be crushed; and they shall draw nigh, and men shall be taken securely. [16] Then shall those who seal themselves that they may not learn the law be made manifest.

  [17] And one shall say, I will wait for God, who has turned away his face from the house of Jacob, and I will trust in him. [18] Behold I and the children which God has given me: and they shall be for signs and wonders in the house of Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in mount Sion. [19] And if they should say to you, Seek those who have in them a divining spirit, and them that speak out of the earth, them that speak vain words, who speak out of their belly: shall not a nation diligently seek to their God? why do they seek to the dead concerning the living? [20] For he has given the law for a help, that they should not speak according to this word, concerning which there are no gifts to give for it. [21] And famine shall come sorely upon you, and it shall come to pass, that when ye shall be hungry, ye shall be grieved, and ye shall speak ill of the prince and your fathers’ ordinances: and they shall look up to heaven above, [22] and they shall look on the earth below, and behold severe distress, and darkness, affliction, and anguish, and darkness so that one cannot see; and he that is in anguish shall not be distressed only for a time.

  Chapter 9

  [1] Drink this first. Act quickly, O land of Zabulon, land of Nephthalim, and the rest inhabiting the sea-coast, and the land beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

  [2] O people walking in darkness, behold a great light: ye that dwell in the region and shadow of death, a light shall shine upon you. [3] The multitude of the people which thou hast brought down in thy joy, they shall even rejoice before thee as they that rejoice in harvest, and as they that divide the spoil. [4] Because the yoke that was laid upon them has been taken away, and the rod that was on their neck: for he has broken the rod of the exactors, as in the day of Madiam. [5] For they shall compensate for every garment that has been acquired by deceit, and all raiment with restitution; and they shall be willing, even if they were burnt with fire.

  [6] For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder: and his name is called the Messenger of great counsel: for I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to him. [7] His government shall be great, and of his peace there is no end: it shall be upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to support it with judgement and with righteousness, from henceforth and forever. The seal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.

  [8] The Lord has sent death upon Jacob, and it has come upon Israel. [9] And all the people of Ephraim, and they that dwelt in Samaria shall know, who say in their pride and lofty heart, [10] The bricks are fallen down, but come, let us hew stones, and cut down syc
amores and cedars, and let us build for ourselves a tower. [11] And God shall dash down them that rise up against him on mount Sion, and shall scatter his enemies; [12] even Syria from the rising of the sun, and the Greeks from the setting of the sun, who devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but still his hand is exalted.

  [13] But the people turned not until they were smitten, and they sought not the Lord. [14] So the Lord took away from Israel the head and tail, great and small, in one day: [15] the old man, and them that respect persons, this is the head; and the prophet teaching unlawful things, he is the tail. [16] And they that pronounce this people blessed shall mislead them; and they mislead them that they may devour them. [17] Therefore the Lord shall not take pleasure in their young men, neither shall he have pity on their orphans or on their widows: for they are all transgressors and wicked, and every mouth speaks unjustly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is yet exalted.

  [18] And iniquity shall burn as fire, and shall be devoured by fire as dry grass: and it shall burn in the thickets of the wood, and shall devour all that is round about the hills. [19] The whole earth is set on fire because of the fierce anger of the Lord, and the people shall be as men burnt by fire: no man shall pity his brother. [20] But one shall turn aside to the right hand, for he shall be hungry; and shall eat on the left, and a man shall by no means be satisfied with eating the flesh of his own arm. [21] For Manasses shall eat the flesh of Ephraim, and Ephraim the flesh of Manasses; for they shall besiege Juda together. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is yet exalted.

  Chapter 10

  [1] Woe to them that write wickedness; for when they write they do write wickedness, [2] perverting the cause of the poor, violently wresting the judgement of the needy ones of my people, that the widow may be a prey to them, and the orphan a spoil. [3] And what will they do in the day of visitation? for affliction shall come to you from afar: and to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory, [4] that ye may not fall into captivity?

  For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is yet exalted.

  [5] Woe to the Assyrians; the rod of my wrath, and anger are in their hands. [6] I will send my wrath against a sinful nation, and I will charge my people to take plunder and spoil, and to trample the cities, and to make them dust. [7] But he meant not thus, neither did he devise thus in his soul: but his mind shall change, and that to destroy nations not a few. [8] And if they should say to him, Thou alone art ruler; [9] then shall he say, Have I not taken the country above Babylon and Chalanes, where the tower was built? and have I not taken Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria? [10] As I have taken them, I will also take all the kingdoms: howl, ye idols in Jerusalem, and in Samaria. [11] For as I did to Samaria and her idols, so will I do also to Jerusalem and her idols. [12] And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have finished doing all things on Mount Sion and Jerusalem, that I will visit upon the proud heart, even upon the ruler of the Assyrians, and upon the boastful haughtiness of his eyes. [13] For he said, I will act in strength, and in the wisdom of my understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations, and will spoil their strength. [14] And I will shake the inhabited cities: and I will take with my hand all the world as a nest: and I will even take them as eggs that have been left; and there is none that shall escape me, or contradict me. [15] Shall the axe glorify itself without him that hews with it? or shall the saw lift up itself without him that uses it, as if one should lift a rod or staff? but it shall not be so; [16] but the Lord of hosts shall send dishonour upon thine honour, and burning fire shall be kindled upon thy glory. [17] And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and he shall sanctify him with burning fire, and it shall devour the wood as grass. [18] In that day the mountains shall be consumed, and the hills, and the forests, and fire shall devour both soul and body: and he that flees shall be as one fleeing from burning flame. [19] And they that are left of them shall be a small number, and a child shall write them.

  [20] And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel shall no more join themselves with, and the saved of Jacob shall no more trust in, them that injured them; but they shall trust in the Holy God of Israel, in truth. [21] And the remnant of Jacob shall trust on the mighty God. [22] And though the people of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them shall be saved. [23] He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because the Lord will make a short work in all the world.

  [24] Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Be not afraid, my people who dwell in Sion, of the Assyrians, because he shall smite thee with a rod: for I am bringing a stroke upon thee, that thou mayest see the way of Egypt. [25] For yet a little while, and the indignation shall cease: but my wrath shall be against their council. [26] And God will stir up enemies against them, according to the stroke of Madiam in the place of affliction: and his wrath shall be by the way of the sea, even to the way that leads to Egypt. [27] And it shall come to pass in that day, that his yoke shall be taken away from thy shoulder, and his fear from thee, and the yoke shall be destroyed from off your shoulders.

  [28] For he shall arrive at the city of Angai, and shall pass on to Maggedo, and shall lay up his stores in Machmas. [29] And he shall pass by the valley, and shall arrive at Angai: fear shall seize upon Rama, the city of Saul. [30] The daughter of Gallim shall flee; Laisa shall hear; one shall hear in Anathoth. [31] Madebena also is amazed, and the inhabitants of Gibbir.

  [32] Exhort ye them to-day to remain in the way: exhort ye beckoning with the hand the mountain, the daughter of Sion, even ye hills that are in Jerusalem. [33] Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will mightily confound the glorious ones; and the haughty in pride shall be crushed, and the lofty shall be brought low: [34] and the lofty ones shall fall by the sword, and the Libanus shall fall with his lofty ones.

  Chapter 11

  [1] And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a blossom shall come up from his root: [2] and the Spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and godliness shall fill him; [3] the spirit of the fear of God. He shall not judge according to appearance, nor reprove according to report: [4] but he shall judge the cause of the lowly, and shall reprove the lowly of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the word of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he destroy the ungodly one. [5] And he shall have his loins girt with righteousness, and his sides clothed with truth.

  [6] And the wolf shall feed with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the young calf and bull and lion shall feed together; and a little child shall lead them. [7] And the ox and bear shall feed together; and their young shall be together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. [8] And an infant shall put his hand on the holes of asps, and on the nest of young asps. [9] And they shall not hurt, nor shall they at all be able to destroy any one on my holy mountain: for the whole world is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as much water covers the seas. [10] And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall arise to rule over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust, and his rest shall be glorious. [11] And it shall be in that day, that the Lord shall again shew his hand, to be zealous for the remnant that is left of the people, which shall be left by the Assyrians, and that from Egypt, and from the country of Babylon, and from Ethiopia, and from the Elamites, and from the rising of the sun, and out of Arabia. [12] And he shall lift up a standard for the nations, and he shall gather the lost ones of Israel, and he shall gather the dispersed of Juda from the four corners of the earth. [13] And the envy of Ephraim shall be taken away, and the enemies of Juda shall perish: Ephraim shall not envy Juda, and Juda shall not afflict Ephraim. [14] And they shall fly in the ships of the Philistines: they shall at the same time spoil the sea, and them that come from the east, and Idumea: and they shall lay their hands on Moab first; but the children of Ammon shall first
obey them

  [15] And the Lord shall make desolate the sea of Egypt; and he shall lay his hand on the river with a strong wind, and he shall smite the seven channels, so that men shall pass through it dry-shod. [16] And there shall be a passage for my people that is left in Egypt: and it shall be to Israel as the day when he came forth out of the land of Egypt.

  Chapter 12

  [1] And in that day thou shalt say, I will bless thee, O Lord; for thou wast angry with me, but thou hast turned aside thy wrath, and hast pitied me. [2] Behold, my God is my Saviour; I will trust in him, and not be afraid: for the Lord is my glory and my praise, and is become my salvation. [3] Draw ye therefore water with joy out of the wells of salvation. [4] And in that day thou shalt say, sing to the Lord, call aloud upon his name, proclaim his glorious deeds among the Gentiles; make mention that his name is exalted. [5] Sing praise to the name of the Lord; for he has done great things: declare this in all the earth. [6] Exalt and rejoice, ye that dwell in Sion: for the Holy One of Israel is exalted in the midst of her.