Isaiah 11
1 [Like] [MET] a [new] shoot [often] grows from the stump [of a tree], there will be a descendant of King David who will be a new king.
A shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will produce fruit.
2 The Spirit of Yahweh will always be with him. The Spirit will enable him to be wise and to understand [much about many things]. The Spirit will enable him to decide what is good to do, and will enable him to be very powerful. The Spirit will enable him to know Yahweh and to revere him.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, which is Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of advice and power, a Spirit of knowledge and awe of the Lord.
3 He will be glad to obey Yahweh. He will not decide [whether someone is righteous or not only] by seeing what that person looks like, or by listening to [what others say about that person].
His happiness will be in giving reverence to the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees, and he will not make decisions based on what he hears.
4 He will judge [the cases of] needy people fairly; and he will act justly toward poor people. He will punish evil people as a result of what he decides [MTY]; he will get rid of wicked people because of [MTY] [their behavior].
Instead, he will judge the poor justly, and make decisions fairness on behalf of the destitute people of the earth. He will strike the earth when he pronounces judgment, and he will execute the wicked with just a word from his lips.
5 He will always act righteously; his doing that will [accompany him like] [MET] a belt [around his waist]. He will always speak what is true; his doing that will [accompany him like] [MET] a sash [around his waist].
He will wear goodness like a sash and trustworthiness like a belt.
6 [When he becomes king], wolves and lambs will live together [peacefully]; leopards, [instead of killing] baby goats, will lie down with them. [Similarly], calves and lions will eat food together; and a young child will take care of them.
Wolves will live with lambs; leopards will lie down with young goats, calves and young lions and young livestock will be together, and a small child will lead them along.
7 Cows and bears will eat [together]; bear cubs and calves will lie down together. Lions will [not eat other animals]; [instead], they will eat hay like cows do.
Cows and bears will graze side by side; young lions will eat straw like cattle.
8 Babies will play [safely] near the holes where cobra snakes [live]; small children will [even] put their hands into nests of poisonous snakes, [and the snakes will not harm them].
Babies will be able to play safely near snake holes, little children will be able to put their hands into a vipers' den.
9 No creatures will harm or kill other creatures on [Zion Hill], my holy hill; and the earth will [be filled with people who] know Yahweh like [SIM] the seas are full of water.
Nothing will cause any harm or damage anywhere on my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord in the same way that water fills the sea.
10 At that time, a descendant of King David will [hold up] a flag to signal to the people of all people-groups [that they should gather around him]; they will come to him to get his advice, and the place where he lives will be glorious.
At that time the root of Jesse will stand like a banner for the nations. Foreigners will come to him, and the place of where he lives will be glorious.
11 At that time, Yahweh will (reach out his hand/use his power) as he did long ago; he will enable those who had been (exiled from/forced to leave) Israel to return home, from Assyria, from northern Egypt, from southern Egypt, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath, and from all the distant countries near the sea.
At that time the Lord will act a second time to bring back the remnant of His people from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and from the Mediterranean islands.
12 Yahweh will raise his flag among [all] the people-groups, and he will gather together the people of Israel who had been exiled [long ago]. He will gather from very distant places [IDM] on the earth the people of Judah who [(had been scattered to/are living in) those places].
He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiled people of Israel; he will bring together the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth.
13 [Then], the people of Israel and the people of Judah will not be jealous of each other [any longer], and they will no [longer] be enemies of each other.
Ephraim's jealousy will disappear, and Judah's enemies will be destroyed; Ephraim won't be jealous of Judah, and Judah won't treat Ephraim as an enemy.
14 Their [armies] will [join together to] attack the people of Philistia to the west. And together they will attack nations to the east; they will [defeat those nations and] take away all their valuable possessions. They will capture [the areas of] Edom and Moab, and the people of the Ammon people-group will be controlled/ruled by the people of Israel and Judah.
Together they will fly downhill to attack the Philistines to the west; they will plunder the people of the east. They will defeat Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will become their subjects.
15 Yahweh will make a dry road through the sea near Egypt. And [it will be as though] he will wave his hand over the [Euphrates] River and send a strong wind to cause it to divide into seven streams, with the result that people will be able to walk across [those streams].
The Lord will divide the Gulf of Suez; he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River creating a scorching wind. He will split into seven streams that people can cross easily on foot.
16 And because he will make a highway for his people who are living in Assyria, they will be able to return [to their own land], just like [long ago] he made a path for [the people of] Israel [so that they could go through the water] when they left Egypt.
There will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant of his people that are left, just as there was for Israel when they left the land of Egypt.
