Isaiah Chapter 25 - A Feast for All Nations, Death Swallowed Up

A hymn of praise anticipating God's victory over death itself.

Isaiah 25: Death Swallowed Up in Victory

Where Isaiah 24 ends in judgment, Isaiah 25 turns to worship, opening with praise for a God whose ancient counsels are faithfulness and truth and who has been a refuge for the poor and needy.


O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

For thou hast made of a city a heap; of a fortified city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.

Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.

For thou hast been a defense to the poor, a defense to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

Thou wilt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shade of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

And on this mountain will the LORD of hosts make to all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

And he will destroy on this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people will he remove from all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

For on this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.

And he will spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he will bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.

And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls will he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.

The chapter's high point promises that the LORD will swallow up death in victory and wipe away tears from every face, a hope later quoted in <a href="/bible/wbt/revelation/chapter-21/4">Revelation 21:4</a>. The vision of Zion's restoration continues in <a href="/bible/wbt/isaiah/chapter-26">Isaiah 26</a>.