Isaiah 11
An Ideal King Establishes a Kingdom of Peace
11:1 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s1 root stock,
a bud will sprout2 from his roots.
11:2 The
a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,4
a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,5
a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the
11:3 He will take delight in obeying the
He will not judge by mere appearances,8
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.9
11:4 He will treat the poor fairly,10
and make right decisions11 for the downtrodden of the earth.12
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,13
and order the wicked to be executed.14
11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,
integrity will be like a belt around his hips.15
11:6 A wolf will reside16 with a lamb,
and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;
an ox and a young lion will graze together,17
as a small child leads them along.
11:7 A cow and a bear will graze together,
their young will lie down together.18
A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.
11:8 A baby19 will play
over the hole of a snake;20
over the nest21 of a serpent
an infant22 will put his hand.23
11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain.24
For there will be universal submission to the
just as the waters completely cover the sea.25
Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited
11:10 At that time26 a root from Jesse27 will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance,28 and his residence will be majestic. 11:11 At that time29 the sovereign master30 will again lift his hand31 to reclaim32 the remnant of his people33 from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros,34 Cush,35 Elam, Shinar,36 Hamath, and the seacoasts.37
11:12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations;
he will gather Israel’s dispersed people38
and assemble Judah’s scattered people
from the four corners of the earth.
11:13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end,39
and Judah’s hostility40 will be eliminated.
Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah,
and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim.
11:14 They will swoop down41 on the Philistine hills to the west;42
together they will loot the people of the east.
They will take over Edom and Moab,43
and the Ammonites will be their subjects.
11:15 The
he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River47 and send a strong wind,48
he will turn it into seven dried-up streams,49
and enable them to walk across in their sandals.
11:16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria
for the remnant of his people,50
just as there was for Israel,
when51 they went up from the land of Egypt.