Isaiah 30-35

New International Version

Woe to the Obstinate Nation

30 “Woe^(A) to the obstinate children,”^(B)
    declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
    forming an alliance,^(C) but not by my Spirit,
    heaping sin upon sin;
²who go down to Egypt^(D)
    without consulting^(E) me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,^(F)
    to Egypt’s shade for refuge.^(G)
³But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
    Egypt’s shade^(H) will bring you disgrace.^(I)
⁴Though they have officials in Zoan^(J)
    and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
⁵everyone will be put to shame
    because of a people^(K) useless^(L) to them,
who bring neither help^(M) nor advantage,
    but only shame and disgrace.^(N)”

⁶A prophecy^(O) concerning the animals of the Negev:^(P)

Through a land of hardship and distress,^(Q)
    of lions^(R) and lionesses,
    of adders and darting snakes,^(S)
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’^(T) backs,
    their treasures^(U) on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
⁷    to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.^(V)
Therefore I call her
    Rahab^(W) the Do-Nothing.

⁸Go now, write it on a tablet^(X) for them,
    inscribe it on a scroll,^(Y)
that for the days to come
    it may be an everlasting witness.^(Z)
⁹For these are rebellious^(AA) people, deceitful^(AB) children,
    children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.^(AC)
¹⁰They say to the seers,^(AD)
    “See no more visions^(AE)!”
and to the prophets,
    “Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,^(AF)
    prophesy illusions.^(AG)
¹¹Leave this way,^(AH)
    get off this path,
and stop confronting^(AI) us
    with the Holy One^(AJ) of Israel!”

¹²Therefore this is what the Holy One^(AK) of Israel says:

“Because you have rejected this message,^(AL)
    relied on oppression^(AM)
    and depended on deceit,
¹³this sin will become for you
    like a high wall,^(AN) cracked and bulging,
    that collapses^(AO) suddenly,^(AP) in an instant.
¹⁴It will break in pieces like pottery,^(AQ)
    shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
    for taking coals from a hearth
    or scooping water out of a cistern.”

¹⁵This is what the Sovereign^(AR) Lord, the Holy One^(AS) of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest^(AT) is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust^(AU) is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.^(AV)
¹⁶You said, ‘No, we will flee^(AW) on horses.’^(AX)
    Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
    Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
¹⁷A thousand will flee
    at the threat of one;
at the threat of five^(AY)
    you will all flee^(AZ) away,
till you are left^(BA)
    like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
    like a banner^(BB) on a hill.”

¹⁸Yet the Lord longs^(BC) to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.^(BD)
For the Lord is a God of justice.^(BE)
Blessed are all who wait for him!^(BF)

¹⁹People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.^(BG) How gracious he will be when you cry for help!^(BH) As soon as he hears, he will answer^(BI) you. ²⁰Although the Lord gives you the bread^(BJ) of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers^(BK) will be hidden^(BL) no more; with your own eyes you will see them. ²¹Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice^(BM) behind you, saying, “This is the way;^(BN) walk in it.” ²²Then you will desecrate your idols^(BO) overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold;^(BP) you will throw them away like a menstrual^(BQ) cloth and say to them, “Away with you!^(BR)”

²³He will also send you rain^(BS) for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich^(BT) and plentiful.^(BU) In that day^(BV) your cattle will graze in broad meadows.^(BW) ²⁴The oxen^(BX) and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder^(BY) and mash, spread out with fork^(BZ) and shovel. ²⁵In the day of great slaughter,^(CA) when the towers^(CB) fall, streams of water will flow^(CC) on every high mountain and every lofty hill. ²⁶The moon will shine like the sun,^(CD) and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals^(CE) the wounds he inflicted.

²⁷See, the Name^(CF) of the Lord comes from afar,
    with burning anger^(CG) and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,^(CH)
    and his tongue is a consuming fire.^(CI)
²⁸His breath^(CJ) is like a rushing torrent,^(CK)
    rising up to the neck.^(CL)
He shakes the nations in the sieve^(CM) of destruction;
    he places in the jaws of the peoples
    a bit^(CN) that leads them astray.
²⁹And you will sing
    as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;^(CO)
your hearts will rejoice^(CP)
    as when people playing pipes^(CQ) go up
to the mountain^(CR) of the Lord,
    to the Rock^(CS) of Israel.
³⁰The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice^(CT)
    and will make them see his arm^(CU) coming down
with raging anger^(CV) and consuming fire,^(CW)
    with cloudburst, thunderstorm^(CX) and hail.^(CY)
³¹The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;^(CZ)
    with his rod he will strike^(DA) them down.
³²Every stroke the Lord lays on them
    with his punishing club^(DB)
will be to the music of timbrels^(DC) and harps,
    as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.^(DD)
³³Topheth^(DE) has long been prepared;
    it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
    with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath^(DF) of the Lord,
    like a stream of burning sulfur,^(DG)
    sets it ablaze.^(DH)

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

31 Woe^(DI) to those who go down to Egypt^(DJ) for help,
    who rely on horses,^(DK)
who trust in the multitude of their chariots^(DL)
    and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One^(DM) of Israel,
    or seek help from the Lord.^(DN)
²Yet he too is wise^(DO) and can bring disaster;^(DP)
    he does not take back his words.^(DQ)
He will rise up against that wicked nation,^(DR)
    against those who help evildoers.
³But the Egyptians^(DS) are mere mortals and not God;^(DT)
    their horses^(DU) are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,^(DV)
    those who help will stumble,
    those who are helped^(DW) will fall;
    all will perish together.^(DX)

⁴This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion^(DY) growls,
    a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds^(DZ)
    is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
    or disturbed by their clamor^(EA)—
so the Lord Almighty will come down^(EB)
    to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
⁵Like birds hovering^(EC) overhead,
    the Lord Almighty will shield^(ED) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver^(EE) it,
    he will ‘pass over’^(EF) it and will rescue it.”

⁶Return,^(EG) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted^(EH) against. ⁷For in that day^(EI) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold^(EJ) your sinful hands have made.^(EK)

⁸“Assyria^(EL) will fall by no human sword;
    a sword, not of mortals, will devour^(EM) them.
They will flee before the sword
    and their young men will be put to forced labor.^(EN)
⁹Their stronghold^(EO) will fall because of terror;
    at the sight of the battle standard^(EP) their commanders will panic,^(EQ)”
declares the Lord,
    whose fire^(ER) is in Zion,
    whose furnace^(ES) is in Jerusalem.

The Kingdom of Righteousness

32 See, a king^(ET) will reign in righteousness
    and rulers will rule with justice.^(EU)
²Each one will be like a shelter^(EV) from the wind
    and a refuge from the storm,^(EW)
like streams of water^(EX) in the desert^(EY)
    and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

³Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,^(EZ)
    and the ears^(FA) of those who hear will listen.
⁴The fearful heart will know and understand,^(FB)
    and the stammering tongue^(FC) will be fluent and clear.
⁵No longer will the fool^(FD) be called noble
    nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
⁶For fools speak folly,^(FE)
    their hearts are bent on evil:^(FF)
They practice ungodliness^(FG)
    and spread error^(FH) concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty^(FI)
    and from the thirsty they withhold water.
⁷Scoundrels use wicked methods,^(FJ)
    they make up evil schemes^(FK)
to destroy the poor with lies,
    even when the plea of the needy^(FL) is just.^(FM)
⁸But the noble make noble plans,
    and by noble deeds^(FN) they stand.^(FO)

The Women of Jerusalem

⁹You women^(FP) who are so complacent,
    rise up and listen^(FQ) to me;
you daughters who feel secure,^(FR)
    hear what I have to say!
¹⁰In little more than a year^(FS)
    you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,^(FT)
    and the harvest of fruit will not come.
¹¹Tremble,^(FU) you complacent women;
    shudder, you daughters who feel secure!^(FV)
Strip off your fine clothes^(FW)
    and wrap yourselves in rags.^(FX)
¹²Beat your breasts^(FY) for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vines^(FZ)
¹³and for the land of my people,
    a land overgrown with thorns and briers^(GA)—
yes, mourn^(GB) for all houses of merriment
    and for this city of revelry.^(GC)
¹⁴The fortress^(GD) will be abandoned,
    the noisy city deserted;^(GE)
citadel and watchtower^(GF) will become a wasteland forever,
    the delight of donkeys,^(GG) a pasture for flocks,^(GH)
¹⁵till the Spirit^(GI) is poured on us from on high,
    and the desert becomes a fertile field,^(GJ)
    and the fertile field seems like a forest.^(GK)
¹⁶The Lord’s justice^(GL) will dwell in the desert,^(GM)
    his righteousness^(GN) live in the fertile field.
¹⁷The fruit of that righteousness^(GO) will be peace;^(GP)
    its effect will be quietness and confidence^(GQ) forever.
¹⁸My people will live in peaceful^(GR) dwelling places,
    in secure homes,^(GS)
    in undisturbed places of rest.^(GT)
¹⁹Though hail^(GU) flattens the forest^(GV)
    and the city is leveled^(GW) completely,
²⁰how blessed you will be,
    sowing^(GX) your seed by every stream,^(GY)
    and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.^(GZ)

Distress and Help

33 Woe^(HA) to you, destroyer,
    you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
    you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
    you will be destroyed;^(HB)
when you stop betraying,
    you will be betrayed.^(HC)

²Lord, be gracious^(HD) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength^(HE) every morning,
    our salvation^(HF) in time of distress.^(HG)
³At the uproar of your army,^(HH) the peoples flee;^(HI)
    when you rise up,^(HJ) the nations scatter.
⁴Your plunder,^(HK) O nations, is harvested^(HL) as by young locusts;^(HM)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

⁵The Lord is exalted,^(HN) for he dwells on high;^(HO)
    he will fill Zion with his justice^(HP) and righteousness.^(HQ)
⁶He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation^(HR) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear^(HS) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.^[a]^(HT)

⁷Look, their brave men^(HU) cry aloud in the streets;
    the envoys^(HV) of peace weep bitterly.
⁸The highways are deserted,
    no travelers^(HW) are on the roads.^(HX)
The treaty is broken,^(HY)
    its witnesses^[b] are despised,
    no one is respected.
⁹The land dries up^(HZ) and wastes away,
    Lebanon^(IA) is ashamed and withers;^(IB)
Sharon^(IC) is like the Arabah,
    and Bashan^(ID) and Carmel^(IE) drop their leaves.

¹⁰“Now will I arise,^(IF)” says the Lord.
    “Now will I be exalted;^(IG)
    now will I be lifted up.
¹¹You conceive^(IH) chaff,
    you give birth^(II) to straw;
    your breath is a fire^(IJ) that consumes you.
¹²The peoples will be burned to ashes;^(IK)
    like cut thornbushes^(IL) they will be set ablaze.^(IM)”

¹³You who are far away,^(IN) hear^(IO) what I have done;
    you who are near, acknowledge my power!
¹⁴The sinners^(IP) in Zion are terrified;
    trembling^(IQ) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?^(IR)
    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
¹⁵Those who walk righteously^(IS)
    and speak what is right,^(IT)
who reject gain from extortion^(IU)
    and keep their hands from accepting bribes,^(IV)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
    and shut their eyes^(IW) against contemplating evil—
¹⁶they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,^(IX)
    whose refuge^(IY) will be the mountain fortress.^(IZ)
Their bread will be supplied,
    and water will not fail^(JA) them.

¹⁷Your eyes will see the king^(JB) in his beauty^(JC)
    and view a land that stretches afar.^(JD)
¹⁸In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:^(JE)
    “Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
    Where is the officer in charge of the towers?^(JF)”
¹⁹You will see those arrogant people^(JG) no more,
    people whose speech is obscure,
    whose language is strange and incomprehensible.^(JH)

²⁰Look on Zion,^(JI) the city of our festivals;
    your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    a peaceful abode,^(JJ) a tent^(JK) that will not be moved;^(JL)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
    nor any of its ropes broken.
²¹There the Lord will be our Mighty^(JM) One.
    It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.^(JN)
No galley with oars will ride them,
    no mighty ship^(JO) will sail them.
²²For the Lord is our judge,^(JP)
    the Lord is our lawgiver,^(JQ)
the Lord is our king;^(JR)
    it is he who will save^(JS) us.

²³Your rigging hangs loose:
    The mast is not held secure,
    the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
    and even the lame^(JT) will carry off plunder.^(JU)
²⁴No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;^(JV)
    and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.^(JW)

Judgment Against the Nations

34 Come near, you nations, and listen;^(JX)
    pay attention, you peoples!^(JY)
Let the earth^(JZ) hear, and all that is in it,
    the world, and all that comes out of it!^(KA)
²The Lord is angry with all nations;
    his wrath^(KB) is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy^[c]^(KC) them,
    he will give them over to slaughter.^(KD)
³Their slain^(KE) will be thrown out,
    their dead bodies^(KF) will stink;^(KG)
    the mountains will be soaked with their blood.^(KH)
⁴All the stars in the sky will be dissolved^(KI)
    and the heavens rolled up^(KJ) like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall^(KK)
    like withered^(KL) leaves from the vine,
    like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

⁵My sword^(KM) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
    see, it descends in judgment on Edom,^(KN)
    the people I have totally destroyed.^(KO)
⁶The sword^(KP) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
    it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
    fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice^(KQ) in Bozrah^(KR)
    and a great slaughter^(KS) in the land of Edom.
⁷And the wild oxen^(KT) will fall with them,
    the bull calves and the great bulls.^(KU)
Their land will be drenched with blood,^(KV)
    and the dust will be soaked with fat.

⁸For the Lord has a day^(KW) of vengeance,^(KX)
    a year of retribution,^(KY) to uphold Zion’s cause.
⁹Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
    her dust into burning sulfur;^(KZ)
    her land will become blazing pitch!
¹⁰It will not be quenched^(LA) night or day;
    its smoke will rise forever.^(LB)
From generation to generation^(LC) it will lie desolate;^(LD)
    no one will ever pass through it again.
¹¹The desert owl^[d]^(LE) and screech owl^[e] will possess it;
    the great owl^[f] and the raven^(LF) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom^(LG)
    the measuring line of chaos^(LH)
    and the plumb line^(LI) of desolation.
¹²Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
    all her princes^(LJ) will vanish^(LK) away.
¹³Thorns^(LL) will overrun her citadels,
    nettles and brambles her strongholds.^(LM)
She will become a haunt for jackals,^(LN)
    a home for owls.^(LO)
¹⁴Desert creatures^(LP) will meet with hyenas,^(LQ)
    and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures^(LR) will also lie down
    and find for themselves places of rest.
¹⁵The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
    she will hatch them, and care for her young
    under the shadow of her wings;^(LS)
there also the falcons^(LT) will gather,
    each with its mate.

¹⁶Look in the scroll^(LU) of the Lord and read:

None of these will be missing,^(LV)
    not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth^(LW) that has given the order,^(LX)
    and his Spirit will gather them together.
¹⁷He allots their portions;^(LY)
    his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
    and dwell there from generation to generation.^(LZ)

Joy of the Redeemed

35 The desert^(MA) and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.^(MB)
Like the crocus,^(MC) ²it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.^(MD)
The glory of Lebanon^(ME) will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel^(MF) and Sharon;^(MG)
they will see the glory^(MH) of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.^(MI)

³Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees^(MJ) that give way;
⁴say^(MK) to those with fearful hearts,^(ML)
    “Be strong, do not fear;^(MM)
your God will come,^(MN)
    he will come with vengeance;^(MO)
with divine retribution
    he will come to save^(MP) you.”

⁵Then will the eyes of the blind be opened^(MQ)
    and the ears of the deaf^(MR) unstopped.
⁶Then will the lame^(MS) leap like a deer,^(MT)
    and the mute tongue^(MU) shout for joy.^(MV)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams^(MW) in the desert.
⁷The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground^(MX) bubbling springs.^(MY)
In the haunts where jackals^(MZ) once lay,
    grass and reeds^(NA) and papyrus will grow.

⁸And a highway^(NB) will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;^(NC)
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean^(ND) will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹No lion^(NE) will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;^(NF)
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed^(NG) will walk there,
¹⁰    and those the Lord has rescued^(NH) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;^(NI)
    everlasting joy^(NJ) will crown their heads.
Gladness^(NK) and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.^(NL)

Footnotes

Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities
Isaiah 34:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 5.
Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.