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At that time the Lord will punish Leviathan with his sword.
His great, powerful and deadly sword will punish
the snake that glides through the sea.
He will kill that twisting sea monster.
2 At that time the Lord will sing about his fruitful vineyard. He will say,
3 ‘I am the Lord. I watch over my vineyard.
I water it all the time.
I guard it day and night.
I do it so no one can harm it.
4 I am not angry with my vineyard.
I wish thorns and bushes would come up in it.
Then I would march out against them in battle.
I would set all of them on fire.
5 So the enemies of my people should come to me for safety.
They should make peace with me.
I will say it again.
They should make peace with me.’
6 In days to come, Jacob's people will put down roots like a vine.
Israel will bud and bloom.
They will fill the whole world with fruit.
7 The Lord struck down those who struck down Israel.
But he hasn't punished Israel as much.
The Lord killed those who killed many of his people.
But he hasn't punished his people as much.
8 The Lord will use war to punish Israel.
He will make them leave their land.
With a strong blast of his anger he will drive them out.
It will be as if the east wind were blowing.
9 The people of Jacob will have to pay for their sin.
Here is how they will show that their sin has been removed.
They will make all the altar stones like limestone.
They will crush them to pieces.
No poles used to worship the female god named Asherah will be left standing.
No incense altars will be left either.
10 Cities that have high walls around them will become empty.
They will be settlements with no one in them.
They will be like a desert.
Calves will eat and lie down in them.
They will strip bare the branches of their trees.
11 When their twigs are dry, they will be broken off.
Then women will come and make fires with them.
The people of Jacob don't understand the Lord.
So the God who made them won't be concerned about them.
Their Creator won't be kind to them.
12 At that time the Lord will separate Israel from other people. He will gather the Israelites together one by one. He will gather them from the River Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt. 13 At that time a loud trumpet will be blown. Those who were dying in Assyria will come and worship the Lord. So will those who were taken away to Egypt. All of them will worship the Lord on his holy mountain in Jerusalem.
24:1–27:13 The messages of judgement in these chapters are about the whole world. They are examples of apocalyptic writing. They use powerful and scary pictures and signs to describe judgement. It was hard for Isaiah to share these judgement messages. They made him feel weak and terrible. The judgement messages were bad news for people who were proud. They were bad news for people who trusted in cities that have high walls. This was a way of talking about trusting a government or army instead of trusting God. The judgement messages were also bad news for the spiritual forces of evil. These are evil spiritual beings and the devil. The messages of hope in these chapters are also about the whole world. They talk about God ruling as King of the whole world. He will destroy cities that are proud. This means that God will destroy all governments and leaders that are proud. He will destroy governments and leaders that don't follow his example for being rulers. This brings great joy to the people treated badly by those governments and leaders. Then all people will learn to do what is right. All nations will honour God. People who were God's enemies will be able to make peace with God. They will be able to trust him for safety. God will put a stop to things that make people sad and full of shame. He will destroy death and will give life to people once again. This time of joy is described as a feast that God prepares for all nations. He prepares it on Mount Zion where the temple is. This is a picture of how God would bless all nations through the people of Israel. It's a picture of how all nations will worship God as the one true God. These messages lead people to sing songs of praise to God. Jews understood that Isaiah's prophecies talked about a time in the future. Some of these messages of hope came true when Babylon lost its power. Some of John's visions in Revelation are like Isaiah's messages of judgement and hope. Revelation chapters 19 to 22 make it clear when Isaiah's messages will fully come true. That will be when Jesus rules completely as King in the new creation.