Isaiah 31
Expanded Bible
Warnings About Relying on Egypt
31 ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] those people who go down to Egypt for help.
·They think horses will save them [L …who rely on horses].
·They think [L …who trust in] their many chariots
and strong horsemen will save them [Ps. 20:7].
But they don’t trust God, the Holy One of Israel [1:4],
or ask the Lord for help.
2 But he is wise and can bring them disaster.
He does not ·change his warnings [take back his words].
He will rise up and fight against the ·evil people [L house of evildoers]
and against those who try to help ·evil people [sinners; workers of iniquity].
3 The Egyptians are only people and are not God.
Their horses are ·only animals [L flesh] and are not spirit.
The Lord will stretch out his arm,
and the one who helps will stumble,
and the people who wanted help will fall.
All of them will ·be destroyed [perish] together.
4 The Lord says this to me:
“When a lion or a ·lion’s cub [young lion],
stands over ·the dead animal it has killed [its prey] and roars.
A band of shepherds
may be assembled against it,
but the lion will not be afraid of their yelling
or upset by their noise.
So the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] will come down
to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.
5 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] will ·defend [protect] Jerusalem
like birds flying over their nests.
He will ·defend [protect] and save it;
he will ‘pass over’ and save Jerusalem.”
6 You children of Israel, come back to the God you ·fought [rebelled; revolted] against. 7 ·The time is coming when [L For in that day] each of you will ·stop worshiping [throw/cast away] idols of gold and silver, which ·you sinned by making [your sinful hands have made].
8 “Assyria will ·be defeated [fall] by a sword, but not ·the sword of a person [of man];
Assyria will be ·destroyed [devoured], but not by a person’s sword.
Assyria will run away from the ·sword of God [L sword],
but its young men will be caught and made slaves.
9 ·They will panic, and [From terror] their ·protection [or strong ones; rock] will be destroyed.
Their ·commanders [officers; princes] will be terrified when they see ·God’s battle flag [L the standard/flag],”
says the Lord,
whose fire is in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; 1:27]
and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 31
New American Standard Bible
Help Not in Egypt but in God
31 Woe to those who go down to (A)Egypt for help
And (B)rely on horses,
And trust in chariots because they are many
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But they do not (C)look to the (D)Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!
2 Yet He also is (E)wise and will (F)bring disaster,
And does (G)not retract His words,
But will arise against the house of (H)evildoers,
And against the help of the (I)workers of injustice.
3 Now the Egyptians are (J)human and not God,
And their (K)horses are flesh and not spirit;
So the Lord will (L)stretch out His hand,
And any (M)helper will stumble,
And one who is helped will fall.
And all of them will come to an end together.
4 For this is what the Lord says to me:
“As the (N)lion or the young lion growls over his prey,
Against which a band of shepherds is called out,
And he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise,
So will the Lord of armies come down to wage (O)war on Mount Zion and on its hill.”
5 Like [a]flying (P)birds so the Lord of armies will protect Jerusalem.
He will (Q)protect and save it;
He will pass over and rescue it.
6 (R)Return to Him against whom [b]you have been (S)profoundly obstinate, you sons of Israel. 7 For on that day every person will (T)reject his silver idols and his gold idols, which your hands have made for you as (U)a sin.
8 And the (V)Assyrian will fall by a sword not wielded by a man,
And a (W)sword not of man will devour him.
So he will [c](X)not escape the sword,
And his young men will become (Y)forced laborers.
9 “His (Z)rock will pass away because of panic,
And his officers will be terrified by the (AA)flag,”
Declares the Lord, whose (AB)fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 31:5 Or hovering
- Isaiah 31:6 Lit they
- Isaiah 31:8 Lit flee
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
