Isaiah 34:9-17

Other Translations of Isaiah 34:9-17

New International Version

⁹ Edom's streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch! ¹⁰ It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again. ¹¹ The desert owlThe precise identification of these birds is uncertain. and screech owlThe precise identification of these birds is uncertain. will possess it; the great owlThe precise identification of these birds is uncertain. and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation. ¹² Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom, all her princes will vanish away. ¹³ Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls. ¹⁴ Desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also lie down and find for themselves places of rest. ¹⁵ The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather, each with its mate. ¹⁶ Look in the scroll of the Lord and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together. ¹⁷ He allots their portions; his hand distributes them by measure. They will possess it forever and dwell there from generation to generation.

English Standard Version

⁹ And the streams of EdomHebrew her streams shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch. ¹⁰ Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. ¹¹ But the hawk and the porcupineThe identity of the animals rendered hawk and porcupine is uncertain shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusionHebrew formlessness over it, and the plumb line of emptiness. ¹² Its nobles--there is no one there to call it a kingdom, and all its princes shall be nothing. ¹³ Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches.Or owls ¹⁴ And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night birdIdentity uncertain settles and finds for herself a resting place. ¹⁵ There the owl nests and lays and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow; indeed, there the hawks are gathered, each one with her mate. ¹⁶ Seek and read from the book of the Lord: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate. For the mouth of the Lord has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them. ¹⁷ He has cast the lot for them; his hand has portioned it out to them with the line; they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.

The Message

⁹ Edom's streams will flow sluggish, thick with pollution, the soil sterile, poisoned with waste, The whole country a smoking, stinking garbage dump - ¹⁰ The fires burning day and night, the skies black with endless smoke. Generation after generation of wasteland - no more travelers through this country! ¹¹ Vultures and skunks will police the streets; owls and crows will feel at home there. God will reverse creation. Chaos! He will cancel fertility. Emptiness! ¹² Leaders will have no one to lead. They'll name it No Kingdom There, A country where all kings and princes are unemployed. ¹³ Thistles will take over, covering the castles, fortresses conquered by weeds and thornbushes. Wild dogs will prowl the ruins, ostriches have the run of the place. ¹⁴ Wildcats and hyenas will hunt together, demons and devils dance through the night. The night-demon Lilith, evil and rapacious, will establish permanent quarters. ¹⁵ Scavenging carrion birds will breed and brood, infestations of ominous evil. ¹⁶ Get and read God's book: None of this is going away, this breeding, brooding evil. God has personally commanded it all. His Spirit set it in motion. ¹⁷ God has assigned them their place, decreed their fate in detail. This is permanent - generation after generation, the same old thing.

New King James Version

⁹ Its streams shall be turned into pitch, And its dust into brimstone; Its land shall become burning pitch. ¹⁰ It shall not be quenched night or day; Its smoke shall ascend forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; No one shall pass through it forever and ever. ¹¹ But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it, Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. And He shall stretch out over it The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness. ¹² They shall call its nobles to the kingdom, But none shall be there, and all its princes shall be nothing. ¹³ And thorns shall come up in its palaces, Nettles and brambles in its fortresses; It shall be a habitation of jackals, A courtyard for ostriches. ¹⁴ The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals, And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion; Also the night creature shall rest there, And find for herself a place of rest. ¹⁵ There the arrow snake shall make her nest and lay eggs And hatch, and gather them under her shadow; There also shall the hawks be gathered, Every one with her mate. ¹⁶ "Search from the book of the Lord, and read: Not one of these shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them. ¹⁷ He has cast the lot for them, And His hand has divided it among them with a measuring line. They shall possess it forever; From generation to generation they shall dwell in it."

New Living Translation

⁹ The streams of Edom will be filled with burning pitch, and the ground will be covered with fire. ¹⁰ This judgment on Edom will never end; the smoke of its burning will rise forever. The land will lie deserted from generation to generation. No one will live there anymore. ¹¹ It will be haunted by the desert owl and the screech owl, the great owl and the raven. For God will measure that land carefully; he will measure it for chaos and destruction. ¹² It will be called the Land of Nothing, and all its nobles will soon be gone. ¹³ Thorns will overrun its palaces; nettles and thistles will grow in its forts. The ruins will become a haunt for jackals and a home for owls. ¹⁴ Desert animals will mingle there with hyenas, their howls filling the night. Wild goats will bleat at one another among the ruins, and night creatures will come there to rest. ¹⁵ There the owl will make her nest and lay her eggs. She will hatch her young and cover them with her wings. And the buzzards will come, each one with its mate. ¹⁶ Search the book of the Lord, and see what he will do. Not one of these birds and animals will be missing, and none will lack a mate, for the Lord has promised this. His Spirit will make it all come true. ¹⁷ He has surveyed and divided the land and deeded it over to those creatures. They will possess it forever, from generation to generation.