Isaiah chapter 27
English Standard Version
2In that day, "A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! 3I, the Lord, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day; 4I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together. 5Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me." 6 In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit. 7 Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain? 8 Measure by measure, by exile you contended with them; he removed them with his fierce breath in the day of the east wind. 9Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing. 10 For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness; there the calf grazes; there it lies down and strips its branches. 11When its boughs are dry, they are broken; women come and make a fire of them. For this is a people without discernment; therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them; he who formed them will show them no favor. 12In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the Lord will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. 13And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
New International Version
2In that day— "Sing about a fruitful vineyard: 3I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it. 4I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire.
6In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit. 7Has the Lord struck her as he struck down those who struck her? Has she been killed as those were killed who killed her? 8By warfare and exile you contend with her— with his fierce blast he drives her out, as on a day the east wind blows. 9By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like limestone crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing. 10The fortified city stands desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the wilderness; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare. 11When its twigs are dry, they are broken off and women come and make fires with them. For this is a people without understanding; so their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.
12In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one. 13And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
New American Standard Bible
1On that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea. 2On that day, 'A vineyard of beauty, sing of it! 3I, the Lord, am its keeper; I water it every moment. So that no one will damage it, I guard it night and day. 4I have no wrath. Should someone give Me briars and thorns in battle, Then I would step on them, I would burn them completely. 5Or let him rely on My protection, Let him make peace with Me, Let him make peace with Me.' 6 In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, And they will fill the whole world with fruit. 7Like the striking of Him who has struck them, has He struck them? Or like the slaughter of His slain, have they been slain? 8You contended with them by banishing them, by driving them away. With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the east wind. 9Therefore through this Jacob’s wrongdoing will be forgiven; And this will be the full price of the pardoning of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones like pulverized chalk stones; When Asherim and incense altars will not stand. 10For the fortified city is isolated, A homestead deserted and abandoned like the desert; There the calf will graze, And there it will lie down and feed on its branches.
12On that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing stream of the Euphrates River to the brook of Egypt, and you will be gathered up one by one, you sons of Israel. 13It will come about also on that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Christian Standard Bible
2On that day sing about a desirable vineyard: 3I am the Lord, who watches over it to water it regularly. So that no one disturbs it, I watch over it night and day. 4I am not angry. If only there were thorns and briers for me to battle, I would trample them and burn them to the ground. 5Or let it take hold of my strength; let it make peace with me— make peace with me.
6In days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will blossom and bloom and fill the whole world with fruit. 7Did the Lord strike Israel as he struck the one who struck Israel? Was Israel killed like those killed by the Lord? 8You disputed with Israel by banishing and driving her away. He removed her with his severe storm on the day of the east wind. 9Therefore Jacob’s iniquity will be atoned for in this way, and the result of the removal of his sin will be this: when he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing. 10For the fortified city will be desolate, pastures deserted and abandoned like a wilderness. Calves will graze there, and there they will spread out and strip its branches.
11When its branches dry out, they will be broken off. Women will come and make fires with them, for they are not a people with understanding. Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them, and their Creator will not be gracious to them. 12On that day the Lord will thresh grain from the Euphrates River as far as the Wadi of Egypt, and you Israelites will be gathered one by one. 13On that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those lost in the land of Assyria will come, as well as those dispersed in the land of Egypt; and they will worship the Lord at Jerusalem on the holy mountain.
New Living Translation
2'In that day, sing about the fruitful vineyard. 3I, the Lord, will watch over it, watering it carefully. Day and night I will watch so no one can harm it. 4My anger will be gone. If I find briers and thorns growing, I will attack them; I will burn them up — 5unless they turn to me for help. Let them make peace with me; yes, let them make peace with me.' 6The time is coming when Jacob’s descendants will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole earth with fruit!
7Has the Lord struck Israel as he struck her enemies? Has he punished her as he punished them? 8No, but he exiled Israel to call her to account. She was exiled from her land as though blown away in a storm from the east. 9The Lord did this to purge Israel’s wickedness, to take away all her sin. As a result, all the pagan altars will be crushed to dust. No Asherah pole or pagan shrine will be left standing. 10The fortified towns will be silent and empty, the houses abandoned, the streets overgrown with weeds. Calves will graze there, chewing on twigs and branches. 11The people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots. Israel is a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, the one who made them will show them no pity or mercy.
12Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them together like handpicked grain. One by one he will gather them — from the Euphrates River in the east to the Brook of Egypt in the west. 13In that day the great trumpet will sound. Many who were dying in exile in Assyria and Egypt will return to Jerusalem to worship the Lord on his holy mountain.
King James Version
11When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour. 12And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. 13And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
New King James Version
1In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea. 2In that day sing to her, “A vineyard of red wine! 3 I, the Lord, keep it, I water it every moment; Lest any hurt it, I keep it night and day. 4Fury is not in Me. Who would set briers and thorns Against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. 5Or let him take hold of My strength, That he may make peace with Me; And he shall make peace with Me.” 6Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, And fill the face of the world with fruit. 7 Has He struck Israel as He struck those who struck him? Or has He been slain according to the slaughter of those who were slain by Him? 8 In measure, by sending it away, You contended with it. He removes it by His rough wind In the day of the east wind. 9Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered; And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he makes all the stones of the altar Like chalkstones that are beaten to dust, Wooden images and incense altars shall not stand. 10Yet the fortified city will be desolate, The habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness; There the calf will feed, and there it will lie down And consume its branches. 11When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off; The women come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no understanding; Therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, And He who formed them will show them no favor. 12And it shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will thresh, From the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; And you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel. 13 So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
What does Isaiah chapter 27 mean?
Isaiah 27 completes a section (Isaiah 24—27) describing the end times. This uses the expression "that day" in reference to the "day of the Lord" when judgment will come (Isaiah 2:11; Ezekiel 30:3; Obadiah 1:15; Acts 2:20; 2 Peter 3:10). Isaiah earlier revealed the Lord's judgment using the imagery of a city populated by those opposed to God (Isaiah 26:5–6). He described the inauguration feast (Isaiah 25:6) as the Lord takes the throne of Israel and becomes the king of the entire world. Now he pictures the final redemption of God's chosen people Israel.Chapter divisions were not part of Isaiah's original writing; verse 1 seems to fit better as the end of the previous chapter. Isaiah declares that the Lord will defeat Leviathan, a twisting ocean monster which other myths viewed as the enemy of created order. The imagery of God destroying this "chaos monster" symbolizes His ultimate victory in bringing order to the earth (Isaiah 27:1).
As before (Isaiah 5:1–7), the prophet pictures Israel as a vineyard. In chapter 5, the Lord developed and tended the vineyard. When it did not produce as expected, though, the Lord tore down the hedge and the walls and allowed the vineyard to be trampled by wild beasts. Isaiah connected God removing His protection of Israel with the nation's unrighteousness and injustice toward the people.
Here in chapter 27, Isaiah again depicts Israel as the Lord's vineyard. This time, the vineyard has been restored and is flourishing during the Lord's reign as king on the earth. The Lord declares that He has no wrath or anger. He provides all the vineyard needs to thrive and produce beautiful wine grapes (Isaiah 27:2–3).
Even so, God anticipates dealing with threats from within the nation. These are represented as invasive plants which are only useful as firewood. His repeated preference is that these hostiles—unbelievers—would repent and be reconciled to Him. No matter what, the abundant fruit from the vineyard of Israel and Judah will fill the world (Isaiah 27:4–6).
Next, Isaiah deals with the difference between God's wrath as applied to Israel versus other nations. At the time this was written, the northern ten tribes may have already been exiled. The southern two tribes of Judah seemed under constant threat of being wiped out. But the fate of those nations which attacked Israel is even worse. Israel and Judah would be exiled, but the Lord would use this as discipline. He would bring them back with full repentance from worshipping false idols and gods (Isaiah 27:7–9).
Their enemies—symbolized as a fortress city (Isaiah 26:5–6)—will be thoroughly wiped out and only desolation will remain. Those who attacked Israel lack the discernment expected of those who honor God (Proverbs 1:7). Their Creator has neither obligation (Exodus 33:19; Romans 9:15) nor plans to show them mercy (Isaiah 27:10–11).
The chapter and the section end with a promise. In what was then Isaiah's future, the Lord will collect His scattered people. They will come from the regions of Assyria and Egypt and arrive at home. Their exiles and sufferings will not be the end of the nation. The trumpet will be played to gather the Lord's people in, and they will come and worship Him on the mountain in Jerusalem once more (Isaiah 27:12–13).
