Font Size
Isaiah 29:15-30:18
English Standard Version
Isaiah 29:15-30:18
English Standard Version
15 Ah, (A)you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
whose deeds are (B)in the dark,
and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
16 (C)You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?
17 Is it not yet a very little while
(D)until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?
18 In that day (E)the deaf shall hear
(F)the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
(G)the eyes of the blind shall see.
19 (H)The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless shall come to nothing
and (I)the scoffer cease,
and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,
21 who by a word make a man out to be an offender,
and (J)lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,
and with an empty plea (K)turn aside him who is in the right.
22 Therefore thus says the Lord, (L)who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob shall no more be ashamed,
no more shall his face grow pale.
23 For when he sees his children,
(M)the work of my hands, in his midst,
they will sanctify my name;
(N)they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 And those (O)who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
and those who murmur will accept instruction.”
Do Not Go Down to Egypt
30 “Ah, (P)stubborn children,” declares the Lord,
(Q)“who carry out a plan, but not mine,
and who make (R)an alliance,[a] but not of my Spirit,
that they may add sin to sin;
2 (S)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 (T)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 (U)Zoan
and (V)his envoys reach (W)Hanes,
5 everyone comes to shame
through (X)a people that cannot profit them,
that brings neither help nor profit,
but shame and disgrace.”
6 An (Y)oracle on (Z)the beasts of (AA)the Negeb.
Through a land of trouble and anguish,
from where come the lioness and the lion,
the adder and the (AB)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 (AC)help is worthless and empty;
therefore I have called her
(AD)“Rahab who sits still.”
A Rebellious People
8 And now, go, (AE)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 (AF)For they are a rebellious people,
lying children,
children unwilling to hear
the instruction of the Lord;
10 (AG)who say to (AH)the seers, “Do not see,”
and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us (AI)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 (AJ)oppression and perverseness
and rely on them,
13 therefore this iniquity shall be to you
(AK)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 (AL)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 (AM)returning[c] and (AN)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 (AO)horses”;
therefore you shall flee away;
and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;
therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
17 (AP)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 (AQ)waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he (AR)exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
(AS)blessed are all those who wait for him.
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 29:15-30:18
New International Version
Isaiah 29:15-30:18
New International Version
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide(A) their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us?(B) Who will know?”(C)
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!(D)
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed(E) it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,(F)
“You know nothing”?(G)
17 In a very short time,(H) will not Lebanon(I) be turned into a fertile field(J)
and the fertile field seem like a forest?(K)
18 In that day(L) the deaf(M) will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness(N)
the eyes of the blind will see.(O)
19 Once more the humble(P) will rejoice in the Lord;
the needy(Q) will rejoice in the Holy One(R) of Israel.
20 The ruthless(S) will vanish,(T)
the mockers(U) will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil(V) will be cut down—
21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court(W)
and with false testimony(X) deprive the innocent of justice.(Y)
22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed(Z) Abraham,(AA) says to the descendants of Jacob:
“No longer will Jacob be ashamed;(AB)
no longer will their faces grow pale.(AC)
23 When they see among them their children,(AD)
the work of my hands,(AE)
they will keep my name holy;(AF)
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One(AG) of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who are wayward(AH) in spirit will gain understanding;(AI)
those who complain will accept instruction.”(AJ)
Woe to the Obstinate Nation
30 “Woe(AK) to the obstinate children,”(AL)
declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance,(AM) but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
2 who go down to Egypt(AN)
without consulting(AO) me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,(AP)
to Egypt’s shade for refuge.(AQ)
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
Egypt’s shade(AR) will bring you disgrace.(AS)
4 Though they have officials in Zoan(AT)
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5 everyone will be put to shame
because of a people(AU) useless(AV) to them,
who bring neither help(AW) nor advantage,
but only shame and disgrace.(AX)”
6 A prophecy(AY) concerning the animals of the Negev:(AZ)
Through a land of hardship and distress,(BA)
of lions(BB) and lionesses,
of adders and darting snakes,(BC)
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’(BD) backs,
their treasures(BE) on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
7 to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.(BF)
Therefore I call her
Rahab(BG) the Do-Nothing.
8 Go now, write it on a tablet(BH) for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,(BI)
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.(BJ)
9 For these are rebellious(BK) people, deceitful(BL) children,
children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.(BM)
10 They say to the seers,(BN)
“See no more visions(BO)!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,(BP)
prophesy illusions.(BQ)
11 Leave this way,(BR)
get off this path,
and stop confronting(BS) us
with the Holy One(BT) of Israel!”
12 Therefore this is what the Holy One(BU) of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message,(BV)
relied on oppression(BW)
and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall,(BX) cracked and bulging,
that collapses(BY) suddenly,(BZ) in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery,(CA)
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.”
15 This is what the Sovereign(CB) Lord, the Holy One(CC) of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest(CD) is your salvation,
in quietness and trust(CE) is your strength,
but you would have none of it.(CF)
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee(CG) on horses.’(CH)
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five(CI)
you will all flee(CJ) away,
till you are left(CK)
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner(CL) on a hill.”
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.