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Isaiah chapter 16 in Hebrew and English

14 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

שִׁלְחוּ־כַר מֹשֵׁל־אֶרֶץ מִסֶּלַע מִדְבָּרָה אֶל־הַר בַּת־צִיּֽוֹן׃

Send ye the lambs for the ruler of the land From the crags that are toward the wilderness, Unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.

וְהָיָה כְעוֹף־נוֹדֵד קֵן מְשֻׁלָּח תִּהְיֶינָה בְּנוֹת מוֹאָב מַעְבָּרֹת לְאַרְנֽוֹן׃

For it shall be that, as wandering birds, As a scattered nest, So shall the daughters of Moab be At the fords of Arnon.

הָבִיאִי עֵצָה עֲשׂוּ פְלִילָה שִׁיתִי כַלַּיִל צִלֵּךְ בְּתוֹךְ צָהֳרָיִם סַתְּרִי נִדָּחִים נֹדֵד אַל־תְּגַלִּֽי׃

’Give counsel, execute justice; Make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; Hide the outcasts; betray not the fugitive.

יָגוּרוּ בָךְ נִדָּחַי מוֹאָב הֱוִי־סֵתֶר לָמוֹ מִפְּנֵי שׁוֹדֵד כִּי־אָפֵס הַמֵּץ כָּלָה שֹׁד תַּמּוּ רֹמֵס מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Let mine outcasts dwell with thee; As for Moab, be thou a covert to him from the face of the spoiler.’ For the extortion is at an end, spoiling ceaseth, They that trampled down are consumed out of the land;

וְהוּכַן בַּחֶסֶד כִּסֵּא וְיָשַׁב עָלָיו בֶּאֱמֶת בְּאֹהֶל דָּוִד שֹׁפֵט וְדֹרֵשׁ מִשְׁפָּט וּמְהִר צֶֽדֶק׃

And a throne is established through mercy, And there sitteth thereon in truth, in the tent of David, One that judgeth, and seeketh justice, and is ready in righteousness.

שָׁמַעְנוּ גְאוֹן־מוֹאָב גֵּא מְאֹד גַּאֲוָתוֹ וּגְאוֹנוֹ וְעֶבְרָתוֹ לֹא־כֵן בַּדָּֽיו׃

We have heard of the pride of Moab; He is very proud; Even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his arrogancy, His ill-founded boastings.

לָכֵן יְיֵלִיל מוֹאָב לְמוֹאָב כֻּלֹּה יְיֵלִיל לַאֲשִׁישֵׁי קִיר־חֲרֶשֶׂת תֶּהְגּוּ אַךְ־נְכָאִֽים׃

Therefore shall Moab wail for Moab, Every one shall wail; for the sweet cakes of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn, Sorely stricken.

כִּי שַׁדְמוֹת חֶשְׁבּוֹן אֻמְלָל גֶּפֶן שִׂבְמָה בַּעֲלֵי גוֹיִם הָלְמוּ שְׂרוּקֶּיהָ עַד־יַעְזֵר נָגָעוּ תָּעוּ מִדְבָּר שְׁלֻחוֹתֶיהָ נִטְּשׁוּ עָבְרוּ יָֽם׃

For the fields of Heshbon languish, And the vine of Sibmah, Whose choice plants did overcome The lords of nations; They reached even unto Jazer, They wandered into the wilderness; Her branches were spread abroad, They passed over the sea.

עַל־כֵּן אֶבְכֶּה בִּבְכִי יַעְזֵר גֶּפֶן שִׂבְמָה אֲרַיָּוֶךְ דִּמְעָתִי חֶשְׁבּוֹן וְאֶלְעָלֵה כִּי עַל־קֵיצֵךְ וְעַל־קְצִירֵךְ הֵידָד נָפָֽל׃

Therefore I will weep with the weeping of Jazer For the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh; For upon thy summer fruits and upon thy harvest The battle shout is fallen.

וְנֶאֱסַף שִׂמְחָה וָגִיל מִן־הַכַּרְמֶל וּבַכְּרָמִים לֹא־יְרֻנָּן לֹא יְרֹעָע יַיִן בַּיְקָבִים לֹא־יִדְרֹךְ הַדֹּרֵךְ הֵידָד הִשְׁבַּֽתִּי׃

And gladness and joy are taken away Out of the fruitful field; And in the vineyards there shall be no singing, Neither shall there be shouting; No treader shall tread out wine in the presses; I have made the vintage shout to cease.

עַל־כֵּן מֵעַי לְמוֹאָב כַּכִּנּוֹר יֶהֱמוּ וְקִרְבִּי לְקִיר חָֽרֶשׂ׃

Wherefore my heart moaneth like a harp for Moab, And mine inward parts for Kir-heres.

וְהָיָה כִי־נִרְאָה כִּי־נִלְאָה מוֹאָב עַל־הַבָּמָה וּבָא אֶל־מִקְדָּשׁוֹ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל וְלֹא יוּכָֽל׃

And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab hath wearied himself upon the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail

זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהוָה אֶל־מוֹאָב מֵאָֽז׃

This is the word that the LORD spoke concerning Moab in time past.

וְעַתָּה דִּבֶּר יְהוָה לֵאמֹר בְּשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים כִּשְׁנֵי שָׂכִיר וְנִקְלָה כְּבוֹד מוֹאָב בְּכֹל הֶהָמוֹן הָרָב וּשְׁאָר מְעַט מִזְעָר לוֹא כַבִּֽיר׃

But now the LORD hath spoken, saying: ‘Within three years, as the years of a hireling, and the glory of Moab shall wax contemptible for all his great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and without strength.’

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 16 of the 66 chapters of Isaiah
  • Isaiah is one of the Latter Prophets
  • 14 verses, 192 words, about 2 minutes to read

Isaiah has 66 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Isaiah·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Isaiah chapter 16 have?

Isaiah chapter 16 has 14 verses and 192 words.

How does Isaiah chapter 16 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words שלחו־כר משל־ארץ מסלע מדברה.

Where does Isaiah chapter 16 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 16 of the 66 chapters of Isaiah, which is one of the Latter Prophets.

How long does it take to read Isaiah chapter 16?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.