Isaiah 29:17-30:7

English Standard Version

¹⁷Is it not yet a very little while
    ^(A)until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
    and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?
¹⁸In that day ^(B)the deaf shall hear
    ^(C)the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
    ^(D)the eyes of the blind shall see.
¹⁹^(E)The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
    and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
²⁰For the ruthless shall come to nothing
    and ^(F)the scoffer cease,
    and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,
²¹who by a word make a man out to be an offender,
    and ^(G)lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,
    and with an empty plea ^(H)turn aside him who is in the right.

²²Therefore thus says the Lord, ^(I)who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:

“Jacob shall no more be ashamed,
    no more shall his face grow pale.
²³For when he sees his children,
    ^(J)the work of my hands, in his midst,
    they will sanctify my name;
^(K)they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
    and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
²⁴And those ^(L)who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
    and those who murmur will accept instruction.”

Do Not Go Down to Egypt

30 “Ah, ^(M)stubborn children,” declares the Lord,
^(N)“who carry out a plan, but not mine,
and who make ^(O)an alliance,^[a] but not of my Spirit,
    that they may add sin to sin;
²^(P)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^(Q)Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame,
    and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.
⁴For though his officials are at ^(R)Zoan
    and ^(S)his envoys reach ^(T)Hanes,
⁵everyone comes to shame
    through ^(U)a people that cannot profit them,
that brings neither help nor profit,
    but shame and disgrace.”

⁶An ^(V)oracle on ^(W)the beasts of ^(X)the Negeb.

Through a land of trouble and anguish,
    from where come the lioness and the lion,
    the adder and the ^(Y)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.
⁷Egypt's ^(Z)help is worthless and empty;
    therefore I have called her
    ^(AA)“Rahab who sits still.”