Commentary on Isaiah - Volume 2

1For, behold, the Governor, Jehovah of hosts,
Will take away from Jerusalem and Judah
The stay and the strength;
The whole stay of bread;
The whole stay of water;

2The strong man and the man of war,
The judge and the prophet,
And the diviner and the elder;

3The captain of fifty, and the man of rank,
The senator, and the skilful artificer, and the eloquent. ³⁵⁶

4And I will appoint boys to be their rulers,
And babes shall rule over them.

5The people shall violently oppress each other,
A man his neighbour;
The youth shall behave insolently towards the old man,
The despicable towards the honourable.

6When every man shall take hold of his brother
Of the family of his father, saying,
Thou hast raiment;
Be thou our ruler;
Let this ruin be under thy hand;

7He shall swear in that day, saying,
I will not be a healer;
For in my house is neither bread nor raiment;
Therefore make me not a ruler of the people.

8Verily Jerusalem is ruined,
And Judah is fallen;
Because their tongue And their practices are against Jehovah,
To provoke the eyes of his glory.

9The proof of their countenance answereth in them; ³⁵⁷
They have declared their sin, as Sodom,
And have not hid it.
Wo to their soul!
For they have brought evil on them.

10Say ye to the righteous man,
It shall be well;
For they shall eat the fruit of their hands.

11Wo to the wicked man!
It shall be ill;
For according to the works of his hands
Shall it be rewarded to him.

12Of my people children are oppressors,
And women rule over them.
O my people!
They who govern thee lead thee astray,
And pervert the way of thy paths.

13Jehovah standeth to plead,
And standeth up to judge the people.

14Jehovah will enter into judgment
With the elders of his people,
And with their rulers;
And ye have destroyed the vineyard,
And the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

15What mean ye that ye crush my people,
And grind the faces of the poor?
Saith the Lord Jehovah of hosts.

16Jehovah also saith,
Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
And walk with stretched-forth neck,
And with wandering eyes,
And walk and mince as they go,
And make a tinkling with their feet.

17Therefore will the Lord make bald
The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
And the Lord will expose their shame.

18In that day will the Lord take away
Ornaments that tinkled, or were made of net-work, or like a half-moon,

19Perfumes, bracelets, and head-hands;

20Bonnets, ornaments of the legs,
Chaplets, neck-amulets, and ear-rings;

21Rings and nose-jewels,

22Changeable dresses, mantles,
Upper garments, and hair-ties,

23Mirrors and fine linens,
Hoods and veils.

24And instead of a sweet odour there shall be rottenness,
And instead of a girdle, a rent,
And instead of curled locks, baldness;
Instead of a belt, a girdle of sackcloth,
Instead of beauty, burning.

25Thy men shall fall by the sword,
And thy might in the battle.

26Her gates shall lament and mourn,
And she, desolate, shall sit on the ground.