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The Warning of Judah

30 Woe to the rebellious children,
    says the Lord,
who take counsel, but not from Me,
    and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
    in order to add sin to sin;
they walk down to Egypt
    and have not asked from My mouth,
to strengthen themselves in the safety of Pharaoh
    and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
Therefore the safety of Pharaoh shall be your shame
    and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your humiliation.
For their princes were at Zoan,
    and their ambassadors came to Hanes.
They all will be ashamed
    of a people who cannot profit them,
who are not a help or profit,
    but a shame and also a reproach.

The burden of the beasts of the Negev.

Through a land of trouble and anguish,
    from which comes the lioness and lion,
    the viper and fiery flying serpent,
they will carry their riches on the shoulders of young donkeys,
    and their treasures on the humps of camels,
to a people who shall not profit them.
    For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose.
Therefore, I have called her,
    “Rahab who has been exterminated.”

Now go, write it before them on a tablet,
    and note it in a book,
that it may serve in the time to come
    as a witness forever;
for this is a rebellious people, lying children,
    children who refuse to listen to the law of the Lord;
10 they say to the seers,
    “You must not see visions,”
and to the prophets,
    “You must not prophesy to us right things;
speak to us pleasant things,
    prophesy illusions.
11 Get out of 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 oppression and perverseness,
    and rely on them,
13 therefore this iniquity shall be to you
    as a breach ready to fall, swelling up in a high wall,
    whose collapse comes suddenly, in an instant.
14 He shall break it as the breaking of the potter’s vessel
    that is broken in pieces;
He shall not spare so that there shall not be found in the breaking of it a shard
    to take fire from the hearth
    or with which to take water out of a cistern.

15 For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:

In returning and rest you shall be saved;
    in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.
    Yet you were not willing,
16 and you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”;
    therefore you shall flee.
“And we will ride on swift horses”;
    therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 One thousand shall flee
    at the threat of one man;
at the threat of five
    you shall flee
until you are left
    as a flag on the top of a mountain
    and as a banner on a hill.

God’s Promise to Zion

18 Therefore, the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
    and therefore, He waits on high to have mercy on you;
for the Lord is a God of justice;
    how blessed are all who long for Him.

19 O people in Zion, inhabitants in Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When He hears it, He will answer you. 20 Though the Lord has given you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet He, your Teacher, will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left. 22 You shall defile also your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molded images ornamented with gold. You shall scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, “Be gone!”

23 Then He shall give you rain for the seed which you shall sow in the ground and bread of the increase of the earth. And it shall be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle shall feed in large pastures. 24 The oxen likewise and the young donkeys that work the ground shall eat cured fodder, which has been winnowed with the shovel and fork. 25 There shall be on every high mountain and on every high hill rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the breach of His people and heals the wound from His blow.

Judgment on Assyria

27 See, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
    burning with His anger, and its burden is heavy;
His lips are full of indignation,
    and His tongue as a devouring fire.
28 And His breath is as an overflowing stream
    which reaches to the middle of the neck,
to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity;
    and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people,
    causing them to err.
29 You shall have songs,
    as in the night when a festival is kept,
and gladness of heart,
    as when one goes with a flute
to come into the mountain of the Lord,
    to the Mighty One of Israel.
30 The Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard,
    and shall show the descending of His arm
with the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire,
    with scattering, and cloudburst, and hailstones.
31 For through the voice of the Lord the Assyrian shall be beaten down
    when He strikes with a rod.
32 And every blow of the rod of punishment
    which the Lord shall lay on him
shall be with tambourines and harps;
    and in battles, brandishing weapons, He will fight them.
33 For Topheth has been long prepared,
    indeed, for the king it has been prepared.
He has made it deep and large,
    a pile of fire with much wood;
the breath of the Lord,
    like a stream of brimstone,
    kindles it.

30 Woe to the rebellious children, saith Jehovah, that take counsel, but not of me; and that [a]make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin, that set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to [b]strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. For their princes are at Zoan, and their ambassadors are come to Hanes. They shall all be ashamed because of a people that cannot profit them, that are not a help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.

The [c]burden of the beasts of the South.

Through the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the humps of camels, to a people that shall not profit them. For Egypt helpeth in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I [d]called her Rahab that sitteth still.

Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come [e]for ever and ever. For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the [f]law of Jehovah; 10 that say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits, 11 get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. 12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely thereon; 13 therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly in an instant. 14 And he shall break it as a potter’s vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing; so that there shall not be found among the pieces thereof a sherd wherewith to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.

15 For thus said the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. And ye would not: 16 but ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. 17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as [g]a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.

18 And therefore will Jehovah wait, that he may be gracious unto you; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for Jehovah is a God of justice; blessed are all they that wait for him. 19 For [h]the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; thou shalt weep no more; he will surely be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear, he will answer thee. 20 [i]And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy [j]teachers [k]be hidden anymore, but thine eyes shall see thy [l]teachers; 21 and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. 22 And ye shall defile the overlaying of thy graven images of silver, and the plating of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt [m]cast them away as an [n]unclean thing; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.

23 And he will give the rain for thy seed, wherewith thou shalt sow the ground; and bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures; 24 the oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground shall eat [o]savory provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork. 25 And there shall be upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

27 Behold, the name of Jehovah cometh from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire; 28 and his breath is as an overflowing stream, that reacheth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction: and a bridle that causeth to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples. 29 Ye shall have a song as in the night [p]when a holy feast is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel. 30 And Jehovah will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and will show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, with [q]a blast, and tempest, and hailstones. 31 For through the voice of Jehovah shall the Assyrian be dismayed; with his rod will he smite him. 32 And every [r]stroke of the [s]appointed staff, which Jehovah shall lay upon him, shall be with the sound of tabrets and harps; and in battles with the brandishing of his arm will he fight with them. 33 For a Topheth is prepared of old; yea, for the king it is made ready; he hath made it deep and large; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 30:1 Or, pour out a drink-offering
  2. Isaiah 30:2 Or, flee to the stronghold of Pharaoh
  3. Isaiah 30:6 Or, oracle concerning
  4. Isaiah 30:7 Or, cried concerning this, They are but arrogancy: be still
  5. Isaiah 30:8 Or, as otherwise read, for a witness for ever
  6. Isaiah 30:9 Or, teaching
  7. Isaiah 30:17 Or, a pole
  8. Isaiah 30:19 Or, O people that dwellest in Zion at Jerusalem
  9. Isaiah 30:20 Or, And then will the Lord give you bread in adversity and water in affliction; and thy teachers shall not etc.
  10. Isaiah 30:20 Or, teacher
  11. Isaiah 30:20 Or, hide themselves
  12. Isaiah 30:20 Or, teacher
  13. Isaiah 30:22 Hebrew scatter.
  14. Isaiah 30:22 Hebrew menstruous.
  15. Isaiah 30:24 Hebrew salted.
  16. Isaiah 30:29 Or, when a feast is hallowed
  17. Isaiah 30:30 Or, crashing
  18. Isaiah 30:32 Hebrew passing.
  19. Isaiah 30:32 Or, staff of doom (Hebrew foundation)