Isaiah 16 (Yesha’yahu) in Hebrew and English
Tenakh Study · Read Isaiah in Hebrew and English, one chapter per page. Our Tenakh study meets every Wednesday at 7 pm (Central Time) on Zoom. Text us for the Zoom link.
Text (469) 608-9944Isaiah, Chapter 16
Mo’av is told to send the lamb to the mount of the daughter of Tziyon and to shelter the outcasts, and a throne is established in the tabernacle of David; the pride of Mo’av is told and the vines of Cheshbon and Sivmah are bewailed; and Hashem says Mo’av’s glory will be brought low within three years.
16:1Send you the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Tziyon (Zion).
אשִׁלְחוּ־כַ֥ר מֹשֵֽׁל־אֶ֖רֶץ מִסֶּ֣לַע מִדְבָּ֑רָה אֶל־הַ֖ר בַּת־צִיּֽוֹן׃
16:2For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Mo’av (Moab) shall be at the fords of Arnon.
בוְהָיָ֥ה כְעוֹף־נוֹדֵ֖ד קֵ֣ן מְשֻׁלָּ֑ח תִּֽהְיֶ֨ינָה֙ בְּנ֣וֹת מוֹאָ֔ב מַעְבָּרֹ֖ת לְאַרְנֽוֹן׃
16:3Take counsel, execute judgment; make your shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wanders.
גהָבִ֤יאִי (כתיב הביאו) עֵצָה֙ עֲשׂ֣וּ פְלִילָ֔ה שִׁ֧יתִי כַלַּ֛יִל צִלֵּ֖ךְ בְּת֣וֹךְ צָהֳרָ֑יִם סַתְּרִי֙ נִדָּחִ֔ים נֹדֵ֖ד אַל־תְּגַלִּֽי׃
16:4Let My outcasts dwell with you, Mo’av; be you a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceases, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.
דיָג֤וּרוּ בָךְ֙ נִדָּחַ֔י מוֹאָ֛ב הֱוִי־סֵ֥תֶר לָ֖מוֹ מִפְּנֵ֣י שׁוֹדֵ֑ד כִּֽי־אָפֵ֤ס הַמֵּץ֙ כָּ֣לָה שֹׁ֔ד תַּ֥מּוּ רֹמֵ֖ס מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
16:5And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.
הוְהוּכַ֤ן בַּחֶ֨סֶד֙ כִּסֵּ֔א וְיָשַׁ֥ב עָלָ֛יו בֶּאֱמֶ֖ת בְּאֹ֣הֶל דָּוִ֑ד שֹׁפֵ֛ט וְדֹרֵ֥שׁ מִשְׁפָּ֖ט וּמְהִ֥ר צֶֽדֶק׃
16:6We have heard of the pride of Mo’av; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.
ושָׁמַ֥עְנוּ גְאוֹן־מוֹאָ֖ב גֵּ֣א מְאֹ֑ד גַּאֲוָת֧וֹ וּגְאוֹנ֛וֹ וְעֶבְרָת֖וֹ לֹא־כֵ֥ן בַּדָּֽיו׃
16:7Therefore shall Mo’av howl for Mo’av, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kir Chareset (Kir-hareseth) shall you mourn; surely they are stricken.
זלָכֵ֗ן יְיֵלִ֥יל מוֹאָ֛ב לְמוֹאָ֖ב כֻּלֹּ֣ה יְיֵלִ֑יל לַאֲשִׁישֵׁ֧י קִיר־חֲרֶ֛שֶׂת תֶּהְגּ֖וּ אַךְ־נְכָאִֽים׃
16:8For the fields of Cheshbon (Heshbon) languish, and the vine of Sivmah (Sibmah): the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Ya’zer (Jazer), they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.
חכִּ֣י שַׁדְמוֹת֩ חֶשְׁבּ֨וֹן אֻמְלָ֜ל גֶּ֣פֶן שִׂבְמָ֗ה בַּעֲלֵ֤י גוֹיִם֙ הָלְמ֣וּ שְׂרוּקֶּ֔יהָ עַד־יַעְזֵ֥ר נָגָ֖עוּ תָּ֣עוּ מִדְבָּ֑ר שְׁלֻ֣חוֹתֶ֔יהָ נִטְּשׁ֖וּ עָ֥בְרוּ יָֽם׃
16:9Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Ya’zer the vine of Sivmah: I will water you with my tears, O Cheshbon, and El’aleh (Elealeh): for the shouting for your summer fruits and for your harvest is fallen.
טעַל־כֵּ֡ן אֶבְכֶּ֞ה בִּבְכִ֤י יַעְזֵר֙ גֶּ֣פֶן שִׂבְמָ֔ה אֲרַיָּ֨וֶךְ֙ דִּמְעָתִ֔י חֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן וְאֶלְעָלֵ֑ה כִּ֧י עַל־קֵיצֵ֛ךְ וְעַל־קְצִירֵ֖ךְ הֵידָ֥ד נָפָֽל׃
16:10And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.
יוְנֶאֱסַ֨ף שִׂמְחָ֤ה וָגִיל֙ מִן־הַכַּרְמֶ֔ל וּבַכְּרָמִ֥ים לֹֽא־יְרֻנָּ֖ן לֹ֣א יְרֹעָ֑ע יַ֗יִן בַּיְקָבִ֛ים לֹֽא־יִדְרֹ֥ךְ הַדֹּרֵ֖ךְ הֵידָ֥ד הִשְׁבַּֽתִּי׃
16:11Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Mo’av, and my inward parts for Kir Chares (Kir-haresh).
יאעַל־כֵּן֙ מֵעַ֣י לְמוֹאָ֔ב כַּכִּנּ֖וֹר יֶֽהֱמ֑וּ וְקִרְבִּ֖י לְקִ֥יר חָֽרֶשׂ׃
16:12And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Mo’av is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.
יבוְהָיָ֧ה כִֽי־נִרְאָ֛ה כִּֽי־נִלְאָ֥ה מוֹאָ֖ב עַל־הַבָּמָ֑ה וּבָ֧א אֶל־מִקְדָּשׁ֛וֹ לְהִתְפַּלֵּ֖ל וְלֹ֥א יוּכָֽל׃
16:13This is the word that Hashem has spoken concerning Mo’av since that time.
יגזֶ֣ה הַדָּבָ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה אֶל־מוֹאָ֖ב מֵאָֽז׃
16:14But now Hashem has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Mo’av shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.”
ידוְעַתָּ֗ה דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהוָה֮ לֵאמֹר֒ בְּשָׁלֹ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ כִּשְׁנֵ֣י שָׂכִ֔יר וְנִקְלָה֙ כְּב֣וֹד מוֹאָ֔ב בְּכֹ֖ל הֶהָמ֣וֹן הָרָ֑ב וּשְׁאָ֥ר מְעַ֛ט מִזְעָ֖ר ל֥וֹא כַבִּֽיר׃
Sources & method
- Hebrew text
- The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. A paragraph mark (ס or פ) inside a verse is shown in small type.
- English translation
- The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yehudah (Judah)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem”; “God” (Elohim) is unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
- Verse numbers
- Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In Isaiah they differ from most English Bibles in chapters 8–9 (9:1 there is 8:23 here) and 63–64 (64:1 there is the end of 63:19 here); a note under the summary on those pages explains how.
- Hebrew font
- SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.