Isaiah 30
English Standard Version
Do Not Go Down to Egypt
30 “Ah, (A)stubborn children,” declares the Lord,
(B)“who carry out a plan, but not mine,
and who make (C)an alliance,[a] but not of my Spirit,
that they may add sin to sin;
2 (D)who set out to go down to Egypt,
without asking for my direction,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh
and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 (E)Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame,
and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.
4 For though his officials are at (F)Zoan
and (G)his envoys reach (H)Hanes,
5 everyone comes to shame
through (I)a people that cannot profit them,
that brings neither help nor profit,
but shame and disgrace.”
6 An (J)oracle on (K)the beasts of (L)the Negeb.
Through a land of trouble and anguish,
from where come the lioness and the lion,
the adder and the (M)flying fiery serpent,
they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys,
and their treasures on the humps of camels,
to a people that cannot profit them.
7 Egypt's (N)help is worthless and empty;
therefore I have called her
(O)“Rahab who sits still.”
A Rebellious People
8 And now, go, (P)write it before them on a tablet
and inscribe it in a book,
that it may be for the time to come
as a witness forever.[b]
9 (Q)For they are a rebellious people,
lying children,
children unwilling to hear
the instruction of the Lord;
10 (R)who say to (S)the seers, “Do not see,”
and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us (T)smooth things,
prophesy illusions,
11 leave the way, turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel,
“Because you despise this word
and trust in (U)oppression and perverseness
and rely on them,
13 therefore this iniquity shall be to you
(V)like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse,
whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;
14 and its breaking is (W)like that of a potter's vessel
that is smashed so ruthlessly
that among its fragments not a shard is found
with which to take fire from the hearth,
or to dip up water out of the cistern.”
15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In (X)returning[c] and (Y)rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
But you were unwilling, 16 and you said,
“No! We will flee upon (Z)horses”;
therefore you shall flee away;
and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;
therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
17 (AA)A thousand shall flee at the threat of one;
at the threat of five you shall flee,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
like a signal on a hill.
The Lord Will Be Gracious
18 Therefore the Lord (AB)waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he (AC)exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
(AD)blessed are all those who wait for him.
19 For a people shall dwell (AE)in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20 And though the Lord give you the (AF)bread of adversity and the (AG)water of affliction, (AH)yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 (AI)And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is (AJ)the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. (AK)You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”
23 (AL)And he will give (AM)rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. (AN)In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, 24 and (AO)the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 And (AP)on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, (AQ)when the towers fall. 26 (AR)Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when (AS)the Lord binds up (AT)the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
27 Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;[d]
his lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
28 (AU)his breath is (AV)like an overflowing stream
that reaches up to the neck;
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,
and to place on the jaws of the peoples (AW)a bridle that leads astray.
29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, (AX)as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to (AY)the mountain of the Lord, to (AZ)the Rock of Israel. 30 And the Lord (BA)will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger (BB)and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst (BC)and storm and hailstones. 31 The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of the Lord, (BD)when he strikes with his rod. 32 And every stroke of the appointed staff that the Lord lays on them (BE)will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. (BF)Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them. 33 For (BG)a burning place[e] has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, (BH)its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; (BI)the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 30:1 Hebrew who weave a web
- Isaiah 30:8 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Targum, Vulgate, and Greek versions; Masoretic Text forever and ever
- Isaiah 30:15 Or repentance
- Isaiah 30:27 Hebrew in weight of uplifted clouds
- Isaiah 30:33 Or For Topheth
Isaiah 30
New American Standard Bible
Judah Warned against Egyptian Alliance
30 “Woe to the (A)rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who (B)execute a plan, but not Mine,
And [a](C)make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
2 Who (D)proceed down to Egypt
Without (E)consulting [b]Me,
(F)To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh,
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be (G)your shame,
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
4 For (H)their officials are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
5 Everyone will be (I)ashamed because of a people who do not benefit them,
Who are (J)not a help or benefit, but a source of shame and also disgrace.”
6 The pronouncement concerning the (K)animals of the (L)Negev:
Through a land of (M)distress and anguish,
From [c]where come lioness and lion, viper and (N)flying serpent,
They (O)carry their riches on the [d]backs of young donkeys,
And their treasures on (P)camels’ humps,
To a people who will not benefit them;
7 Even Egypt, whose (Q)help is vain and empty.
Therefore, I have called [e]her
“[f](R)Rahab who has been exterminated.”
8 Now go, (S)write it on a tablet in their presence
And inscribe it on a scroll,
That it may [g]serve in the time to come
[h]As a witness forever.
9 For this is a (T)rebellious people, (U)false sons,
Sons who [i]refuse to (V)listen
To the [j]instruction of the Lord;
10 Who say to the (W)seers, “You must not see visions”;
And to the prophets, “You must not (X)prophesy the truth to us.
(Y)Speak to us [k]pleasant words,
Prophesy illusions.
11 Get out of the way, (Z)turn aside from the path,
(AA)Stop speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel!”
12 Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“(AB)Since you have rejected this word
And have put your trust in (AC)oppression and crookedness, and have relied on them,
13 Therefore this (AD)wrongdoing will be to you
Like a (AE)breach about to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose collapse comes (AF)suddenly in an instant,
14 Whose collapse is like the smashing of a (AG)potter’s jar,
[l]So ruthlessly shattered
That a shard will not be found among its pieces
To [m]take fire from a hearth
Or to scoop water from a cistern.”
15 For this is what the Lord [n]God, the Holy One of Israel, has said:
“In [o]repentance and (AH)rest you will be saved,
In (AI)quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on (AJ)horses!”
Therefore you shall flee!
“And we will ride on swift horses!”
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 (AK)One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left like a signal post on a mountain top,
And like a flag on a hill.
God Is Gracious and Just
18 Therefore the Lord [p](AL)longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He [q]waits on (AM)high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a (AN)God of justice;
How blessed are all those who [r](AO)long for Him.
19 [s]For, you people in Zion, (AP)inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will (AQ)weep no longer. He will certainly be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will (AR)answer you. 20 Although the Lord has given you (AS)bread of deprivation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher, will no longer (AT)hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher. 21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the (AU)way, walk in it,” whenever you (AV)turn to the right or to the left. 22 And you will desecrate your carved (AW)images plated with silver, and your cast metal (AX)images plated with gold. You will scatter them as a filthy thing, and say to [t]them, “(AY)Be gone!”
23 Then He will (AZ)give you rain for your seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be [u]rich and [v]plentiful; on that day (BA)your livestock will graze in a wide pasture. 24 Also the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat [w]seasoned feed, which [x]has been (BB)winnowed with shovel and pitchfork. 25 And on every lofty mountain and (BC)every high hill there will be [y]streams running with water on the day of the great (BD)slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 (BE)And the light of the full moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day (BF)the Lord binds up the (BG)fracture of His people and (BH)heals the wound [z]He has inflicted.
27 Behold, (BI)the name of the Lord comes from a [aa]remote place;
(BJ)His anger is burning and [ab]dense with [ac]smoke;
His lips are filled with (BK)indignation,
And His tongue is like a (BL)consuming fire;
28 His (BM)breath is like an overflowing river,
Which (BN)reaches to the neck,
To (BO)shake the nations back and forth in a [ad]sieve,
And to put in the jaws of the peoples (BP)the bridle which leads astray.
29 You will have [ae]songs as in the night when you keep the festival,
And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute,
To go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.
30 And the Lord will cause [af]His voice of authority to be heard,
And the [ag]descending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger,
And in the flame of a consuming fire
In cloudburst, downpour, and hailstones.
31 For (BQ)at the voice of the Lord (BR)Assyria will be terrified,
When He strikes with the (BS)rod.
32 And every [ah]blow of the [ai](BT)rod of punishment,
Which the Lord will lay on him,
Will be with the music of (BU)tambourines and lyres;
And in battles, (BV)brandishing weapons, He will fight them.
33 For [aj](BW)Topheth has long been ready,
Indeed, it has been prepared for the king.
He has made it deep and large,
[ak]A pyre of fire with plenty of wood;
The (BX)breath of the Lord, like a torrent of (BY)brimstone, sets it afire.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 30:1 Lit pour out a drink offering
- Isaiah 30:2 Lit My mouth
- Isaiah 30:6 Lit them
- Isaiah 30:6 Lit shoulders
- Isaiah 30:7 Lit this one
- Isaiah 30:7 MT They are Rahab or arrogance, to remain; i.e., Egypt, as a sea monster; see note Job 26:12
- Isaiah 30:8 Lit be
- Isaiah 30:8 As in most ancient versions; MT Forever and ever
- Isaiah 30:9 Lit are not willing
- Isaiah 30:9 Or Law
- Isaiah 30:10 Lit smooth things
- Isaiah 30:14 Lit Crushed, it will not be spared
- Isaiah 30:14 Lit snatch up
- Isaiah 30:15 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 30:15 Lit returning
- Isaiah 30:18 Lit waits
- Isaiah 30:18 Lit is on high
- Isaiah 30:18 Lit wait
- Isaiah 30:19 MT For a people will inhabit Zion, Jerusalem
- Isaiah 30:22 Lit it “Go out”
- Isaiah 30:23 Lit fatness
- Isaiah 30:23 Lit fat
- Isaiah 30:24 Lit sorrel-seasoned
- Isaiah 30:24 Lit one winnows
- Isaiah 30:25 Lit canals, streams of water
- Isaiah 30:26 Lit of His blow
- Isaiah 30:27 Lit distance
- Isaiah 30:27 Lit heaviness
- Isaiah 30:27 Lit uplifting
- Isaiah 30:28 Lit sifting of the worthless
- Isaiah 30:29 Lit the song
- Isaiah 30:30 Lit the majesty of His voice
- Isaiah 30:30 Lit descent
- Isaiah 30:32 Lit passing
- Isaiah 30:32 Lit staff of foundation
- Isaiah 30:33 I.e., the place of human sacrifice to Molech
- Isaiah 30:33 Lit Its pile
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
