Isaiah 31-32
Christian Standard Bible
The Lord, the Only Help
31 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help(A)
and who depend on horses!
They trust in the abundance of chariots
and in the large number of horsemen.(B)
They do not look(C) to the Holy One of Israel,
and they do not seek the Lord.
2 But he also is wise and brings disaster.(D)
He does not go back on what he says;(E)
he will rise up against the house of the wicked
and against the allies of evildoers.
3 Egyptians are men, not God;
their horses are flesh, not spirit.
When the Lord raises his hand to strike,
the helper will stumble
and the one who is helped will fall;
both will perish together.
4 For this is what the Lord said to me:
As a lion or young lion growls over its prey(F)
when a band of shepherds is called out against it,
and it is not terrified by their shouting
or subdued by their noise,
so the Lord of Armies will come down
to fight on Mount Zion
and on its hill.(G)
5 Like hovering birds,
so the Lord of Armies will protect Jerusalem;(H)
by protecting it, he will rescue it;
by passing over it, he will deliver it.
6 Return to the one the Israelites have greatly rebelled against.(I) 7 For on that day, every one of you will reject the worthless idols of silver and gold that your own hands have sinfully made.(J)
8 Then Assyria will fall,
but not by human sword;
a sword will devour him,
but not one made by man.(K)
He will flee from the sword;
his young men will be put to forced labor.(L)
9 His rock[a] will pass away because of fear,(M)
and his officers will be afraid because of the signal flag.(N)
This is the Lord’s declaration—whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.(O)
The Righteous Kingdom Announced
32 Indeed, a king will reign righteously,
and rulers will rule justly.(P)
2 Each will be like a shelter from the wind,
a refuge from the rain,(Q)
like flowing streams(R) in a dry land
and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.(S)
4 The reckless mind will gain knowledge,
and the stammering tongue(T) will speak clearly and fluently.
5 A fool will no longer be called a noble,(U)
nor a scoundrel said to be important.
6 For a fool speaks foolishness
and his mind plots iniquity.
He lives in a godless way
and speaks falsely about the Lord.
He leaves the hungry empty
and deprives the thirsty of drink.(V)
7 The scoundrel’s weapons are destructive;
he hatches plots to destroy the needy with lies,
even when the poor person says what is right.
8 But a noble person plans noble things;
he stands up for noble causes.
9 Stand up, you complacent women;(W)
listen to me.
Pay attention to what I say,
you overconfident daughters.
10 In a little more than a year
you overconfident ones will shudder,
for the grapes will fail
and the harvest will not come.
11 Shudder, you complacent ones;
tremble, you overconfident ones!
Strip yourselves bare(X)
and put sackcloth around your waists.
12 Beat your breasts in mourning(Y)
for the delightful fields and the fruitful vines,(Z)
13 for the ground of my people
growing thorns and briers,(AA)
indeed, for every joyous house in the jubilant city.
14 For the palace will be deserted,
the busy city abandoned.
The hill and the watchtower will become
barren places forever,
the joy of wild donkeys,
and a pasture for flocks,
15 until the Spirit[b] from on high is poured out on us.(AB)
Then the desert will become an orchard,
and the orchard will seem like a forest.(AC)
16 Then justice will inhabit the wilderness,
and righteousness will dwell in the orchard.
17 The result of righteousness will be peace;(AD)
the effect of righteousness
will be quiet confidence forever.
18 Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place,
in safe and secure dwellings.
19 But hail will level the forest,[c](AE)
and the city will sink into the depths.(AF)
20 You will be happy as you sow seed
beside abundant water,(AG)
and as you let oxen and donkeys range freely.(AH)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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