¹⁶ and you said,
“No! We will flee upon ^(A)horses”;
    therefore you shall flee away;
and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;
    therefore your pursuers shall be swift.

31 Woe^[a] to ^(A)those who go down to Egypt for help
    and rely on horses,
who ^(B)trust in chariots because they are many
    and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but ^(C)do not look to the Holy One of Israel
    or consult the Lord!

³ The Egyptians are man, and not God,
    and their horses ^(A)are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
    the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall,
    and they will all perish together.

^8 (A)Their horses are swifter than leopards,
    more fierce than ^(B)the evening wolves;
    their horsemen press proudly on.
Their horsemen come from afar;
    ^(C)they fly like an eagle swift to devour.

¹³ Harness the steeds to the chariots,
    inhabitants of ^(A)Lachish;
it was the beginning of sin
    to the daughter of Zion,
for in you were found
    ^(B)the transgressions of Israel.

^14 (A)Flight shall perish from the swift,
    ^(B)and the strong shall not retain his strength,
    ^(C)nor shall the mighty save his life;
¹⁵ he who handles the bow shall not stand,
    and he who is ^(D)swift of foot shall not save himself,
    ^(E)nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
¹⁶ and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
    shall flee away naked in that day,”
declares the Lord.