Listen to the sound from the temple.

It is the sound of Yahweh paying back his enemies as they deserve.

7 Before a woman goes into labor, she gives birth.

Before she has labor pains, she delivers a child.

8 Who has heard of such a thing?

Who has seen such things?

Can a country be born in one day?

Can a nation be born in a moment?

When Zion went into labor, she also gave birth to her children.

9 "Do I bring a mother to the moment of birth and not let her deliver?" asks Yahweh.

"Do I cause a mother to deliver and then make her unable to have children?" asks your Elohim .

10 All who love Jerusalem, be happy and rejoice with her.

All who mourn for her, be glad with her.

11 You will nurse and be satisfied from her comforting breasts.

You will nurse to your heart's delight at her full breasts.

12 This is what Yahweh says: I will offer you peace like a river and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream.

You will nurse and be carried in Jerusalem's arms and cuddled on her knees.

13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.

You will be comforted in Jerusalem.

14 When you see it, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like new grass.

The power of Yahweh will be made known to his servants, but he will condemn his enemies.

15 Yahweh will come with fire and with his chariots like a thunderstorm.

He will pay them back with his burning anger and punish them with flames of fire.

16 Yahweh will judge with fire, and he will judge all people with his sword.

Many people will be struck dead by Yahweh.

17 People make themselves holy and prepare themselves for their garden rituals.

They go into the garden and devour pork, disgusting things, and mice.

"They will come to an end at the same time,"

declares Yahweh.

18 Because of their actions and their thoughts,a I am coming to gather the nations of every language.

They will come and see my glory.

19 I will set up a sign among them and send some of their survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Meshech, Rosh, Tubal, Javan, and to the distant coastlands who have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.

They will tell about my glory among the nations.

20 They will bring all your relatives from every nation like a grain offering to Yahweh.

"They will come on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules and camels to my holy mountain, Jerusalem,"

declares Yahweh.

They will come like the people of Israel who bring their grain offerings in clean dishes to Yahweh's temple.

21 "I will make some of them priests and Levites," declares Yahweh.

22 "The new heaven and earth that I am about to make will continue in my presence," declares Yahweh.

"So your descendants and your name will also continue in my presence.

23 From one month to the next and from one week to the next all people will come to worship me," declares Yahweh .

24 Then they will go out and look at the corpses of those who have rebelled against me.

The worms that eat them will not die.

The fire that burns them will not go out.

All humanity will be disgusted by them.

a Lillian Kwan, Christian Post Reporter, http://zoecity.com/articles/2244-theologian-most-christians-infected-with-prosperity-gospel-christianpostcom (accessed February 9, 2010).

a 3:24 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text "expensive clothes, instead of beauty."

b 4:4 Or "Zion's women."

a 6:2 Or "Seraphim."

a 9:1 Isaiah 9:1-21 in English Bibles is Isaiah 8:23-9:20 in the Hebrew Bible.

b 9:4 A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.

a 10:27 A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.

a 14:25 A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.

a 15:2 The shaving of the head and the beard are signs of a people going into exile.

b 15:9 Or "the survivors in the countryside."

c 16:1 Masoretic Text; Targum "They have sent lambs to the ruler of the land."

a 16:7 Hebrew meaning of this line uncertain.

b 16:14 Hebrew meaning of this sentence uncertain.

a 17:11 Hebrew meaning of this line uncertain.

b 17:11 Or "But the harvest will flee."

a 19:5 Or "Then the water of the sea will be dried up."

b 19:18 Dead Sea Scrolls, some Hebrew manuscripts, Greek, Targum, Latin, Egyptian; Masoretic Text "City of Destruction."

a 21:8 Syriac, Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text, Targum "lion"; Greek "Uriah."

b 21:10 Threshing is the process of beating stalks to separate them from the grain. Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain.

c 21:11 The exact location of Dumah is unknown.

d 21:16 Hebrew meaning of this sentence uncertain.

a 22:8 "The House of the Forest" is a storehouse for weapons and other items. It was built by Solomon as part of the temple complex.

a 24:5 Or "covenant."

a 25:11 Hebrew meaning of "despite the movements of their hands" uncertain.

a 26:16 Hebrew meaning of this line uncertain.

b 27:1 Hebrew meaning uncertain.

c 27:8 Hebrew meaning of this verse uncertain.

a 27:12 Threshing is the process of beating stalks to separate them from the grain.

a 28:10 Or "Command for command, command for command, line for line, line for line, a little here, a little there." Also in verse 13.

a 28:27 Threshing is the process of beating stalks to separate them from the grain.

b 29:1 Ariel is an unknown Hebrew word which may mean "lion of God," "mountain of God," or "fireplace."

a 29:10 A seer is a prophet.

a 30:7 Rahab is the name of a demonic creature who opposes God.

b 30:10 A seer is a prophet.

a 30:24 Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain.

a 31:9 Hebrew meaning of this line uncertain.

a 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text "Cities."

a 37:16 Or "cherubim."

a 37:18 Dead Sea Scrolls, Greek; Masoretic Text "every country and their country."

a 38:21 Verses 21 and 22 have been placed after verse 6 to communicate the order of the account more clearly in English. According to most scholars, if these verses were originally in Isaiah 38, they most likely ended up being misplaced. See 2 Kings 20:7-8 for the proper placement of these verses in the narrative.

a 38:15 Hebrew meaning of this line uncertain.

a 40:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text "Who has measured the water."

a 41:15 Threshing is the process of beating stalks to separate them from the grain.

b 41:16 Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain.

a 41:29 Dead Sea Scrolls, Syriac, Targum; Masoretic Text "They are false."

b 42:6 Or "covenant."

a 44:2 "Jeshurun" is another name for Israel.

a 45:1 Masoretic Text; Greek "my."

a 48:1 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text "the fountain of Judah."

a 49:8 Or "covenant."

a 51:9 Rahab is the name of a demonic creature who opposes God.

a 52:11 "Unclean" refers to anything that Moses' Teachings say is not presentable to God.

b 52:14 Two Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Targum; Masoretic Text "you."

a 54:10 Or "covenant."

b 55:3 Or "covenant."