Isaiah - Revised Standard Version (1966)
The greatest of the prophets appeared at a critical moment of Israel's history. The second half of the eighth century B.C. witnessed the collapse of the northern kingdom under the hammerlike blows of Assyria (722), while Jerusalem itself saw the army of Sennacherib drawn up before its walls (701). In the year that Uzziah, king of Judah, died (742), Isaiah received his call to the prophetic office in the Temple of Jerusalem. Close attention should be given to Isa 6, where this divine summons to be the ambassador of the Most High is circumstantially described. The vision of the Lord enthroned in glory stamps an indelible character on Isaiah's ministry and provides the key to the understanding of his message. The majesty, holiness and glory of the Lord took possession of his spirit and, conversely, he gained a new awareness of human pettiness and sinfulness. The enormous abyss between God's sovereign holiness and man's sin overwhelmed the prophet. Only the purifying coal of the seraphim could cleanse his lips and prepare him for acceptance of the call: "Here I am, send me!" The ministry of Isaiah may be divided into three periods, covering the reigns of Jotham (742-735), Ahaz (735-715), and Hezekiah (715-687). To the first period belong, for the most part, the early oracles (Isa 1-5) which exposed the moral breakdown of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem. With the accession of Ahaz, the prophet became adviser to the king, whose throne was threatened by the Syro-Ephraimite coalition. Rejecting the plea of Isaiah for faith and courage, the weak Ahaz turned to Assyria for help. From this period came the majority of messianic oracles found in the section of Immanuel prophecies (Isa 6-12). Hezekiah succeeded his father and undertook a religious reform which Isaiah undoubtedly supported. But the old intrigues began again, and the king was soon won over to the pro-Egyptian party. Isaiah denounced this "covenant with death" and again summoned Judah to faith in Yahweh as her only hope. But it was too late; the revolt had already begun. Assyria acted quickly and her army, after ravaging Judah, laid siege to Jerusalem (701). "I shut up Hezekiah like a bird in his cage," boasts the famous inscription of Sennacherib. But Yahweh delivered the city, as Isaiah had promised: God is the Lord of history, and Assyria but an instrument in his hands. Little is known about the last days of this great religious leader, whose oracles, of singular poetic beauty and power, constantly reminded his wayward people of their destiny and the fidelity of Yahweh to his promises. The complete Book of Isaiah is an anthology of poems composed chiefly by the great prophet, but also by disciples, some of whom came many years after Isaiah. In 1-39 most of the oracles come from Isaiah and faithfully reflect the situation in eighth-century Judah. To disciples deeply influenced by the prophet belong sections such as the Apocalypse of Isaiah (Isa 24-27), the oracles against Babylon (Isa 13-14), and probably the poems of Isa 34-35. - Isa 40-55, sometimes called the Deutero-Isaiah, are generally attributed to an anonymous poet who prophesied toward the end of the Babylonian exile. From this section come the great messianic oracles known as the songs of the Servant, whose mysterious destiny of suffering and glorification is fulfilled in the passion and glorification of Christ. Isa 56-66 contain oracles from a later period and were composed by disciples who inherited the spirit and continued the work of the great prophet. - The principal divisions of the Book of Isaiah are the following: A. The Book of Judgment I. Indictment of Israel and Judah (Isaiah 1:1-5, 30) II. Immanuel Prophecies (Isaiah 6:1-12:6) III. Oracles against the Pagan Nations (Isaiah 13:1-23:18) IV. Apocalypse of Isaiah (Isaiah 24:1-27:13) V. The Lord Alone, Israel's and Judah's Salvation (Isaiah 28:1-33:24)
VI. The Lord, Zion's Avenger (Isaiah 34:1-35:10) VII. Historical Appendix (Isaiah 36:1-39:8) B. The Book of Consolation I. The Lord's Glory in Israel's Liberation (Isaiah 40:1-48:21) II. Expiation of Sin, Spiritual Liberation of Israel (Isaiah 49:1-55:13) III. Return of the First Captives (Isaiah 56:1-66:24) - (NAB)

Headings



Book of


1
ISAIAH


The Wickedness of Judah
The Degenerate City
2 The Future House of God
Judgment Pronounced on Arrogance
4 The Future Glory of the Survivors in Zion
5 The Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard
Social Injustice Denounced
Foreign Invasion Predicted
6 A Vision of God in the Temple
7 Isaiah Reassures King Ahaz
Isaiah Gives Ahaz the Sign of Immanuel
8 Isaiah's Son a Sign of the Assyrian Invasion
Disciples of Isaiah
9 The Righteous Reign of the Coming King
Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression
10 Arrogant Assyria Also Judged
The Repentant Remnant of Israel
11 The Peaceful Kingdom
Return of the Remnant of Israel and Judah
12 Thanksgiving and Praise
13 Proclamation against Babylon
14 Restoration of Judah
Downfall of the King of Babylon
An Oracle concerning Assyria
An Oracle concerning Philistia
15 An Oracle concerning Moab
17 An Oracle concerning Damascus
18 An Oracle concerning Ethiopia
19 An Oracle concerning Egypt
Egypt, Assyria, and Israel Blessed
20 Isaiah Dramatizes the Conquest of Egypt and Ethiopia
21 Oracles concerning Babylon, Edom, and Arabia
22 A Warning of Destruction of Jerusalem
Denunciation of Self-Seeking Officials
23 An Oracle concerning Tyre
24 Impending Judgment on the Earth
25 Praise for Deliverance from Oppression
26 Judah's Song of Victory
27 Israel's Redemption
28 Judgment on Corrupt Rulers, Priests, and Prophets
29 The Siege of Jerusalem
Hope for the Future
30 The Futility of Reliance on Egypt
A Rebellious People
God's Promise to Zion
Judgment on Assyria
31 Alliance with Egypt Is Futile
32 Government with Justice Predicted
Complacent Women Warned of Disaster
The Peace of God's Reign
33 A Prophecy of Deliverance from Foes
The Land of the Majestic King
34 Judgment on the Nations
35 The Return of the Redeemed to Zion
36 Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
37 Hezekiah Consults Isaiah
Hezekiah's Prayer
Sennacherib's Defeat and Death
38 Hezekiah's Illness
39 Envoys from Babylon Welcomed
40 God's People Are Comforted
41 Israel Assured of God's Help
The Futility of Idols
42 The Servant, a Light to the Nations
A Hymn of Praise
Israel's Disobedience
43 Restoration and Protection Promised
44 God's Blessing on Israel
The Absurdity of Idol Worship
Israel Is Not Forgotten
45 Cyrus, God's Instrument
Idols Cannot Save Babylon
47 The Humiliation of Babylon
48 God the Creator and Redeemer
49 The Servant's Mission
Zion's Children to Be Brought Home
50 The Servant's Humiliation and Vindication
51 Blessings in Store for God's People
52 Let Zion Rejoice
The Suffering Servant
54 The Eternal Covenant of Peace
55 An Invitation to Abundant Life
56 The Covenant Extended to All Who Obey
The Corruption of Israel's Rulers
57 Israel's Futile Idolatry
A Promise of Help and Healing
58 False and True Worship
59 Injustice and Oppression to Be Punished
60 The Ingathering of the Dispersed
God the Glory of Zion
61 The Good News of Deliverance
62 The Vindication and Salvation of Zion
63 Vengeance on Edom
God's Mercy Remembered
A Prayer of Penitence
65 The Righteousness of God's Judgment
The Glorious New Creation
66 The Worship God Demands
The LORD Vindicates Zion
The Reign and Indignation of God

Version
Nova Vulgata - Latin
Biblia del Pueblo di Dio (BPD) - Spanish
Vulgata - Stuttgart 1969 - Latin
Bíblia Sagrada Ave-Maria (1957) - Portuguese
La Sainte Bible (Crampon 1904) - French
CEI (1974) - Italian
EinheitsÜbersetzung der Heiligen Sc - German