Add parallel Print Page Options

Thus says the Lord:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
    and make mere flesh their strength,
    whose hearts turn away from the Lord.(A)

Read full chapter

This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,(A)
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.(B)

Read full chapter

It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to put confidence in mortals.(A)
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to put confidence in princes.(B)

Read full chapter

It is better to take refuge in the Lord(A)
    than to trust in humans.(B)
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.(C)

Read full chapter

Do not put your trust in princes,
    in mortals, in whom there is no help.(A)
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
    on that very day their plans perish.(B)

Read full chapter

Do not put your trust in princes,(A)
    in human beings,(B) who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;(C)
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.(D)

Read full chapter

22 [[Turn away from mortals,
    who have only breath in their nostrils,
    for of what account are they?]][a](A)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2.22 Gk OL lack 2.22

22 Stop trusting in mere humans,(A)
    who have but a breath(B) in their nostrils.
    Why hold them in esteem?(C)

Read full chapter

With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” The people were encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.(A)

Read full chapter

With him is only the arm of flesh,(A) but with us(B) is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.”(C) And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

Read full chapter

Alliance with Egypt Is Futile

31 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
    and who rely on horses,
who trust in chariots because they are many
    and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel
    or consult the Lord!(A)
Yet he is wise and can bring disaster;
    he does not depart from his words
but will rise against the house of the evildoers
    and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.(B)
The Egyptians are human and not God;
    their horses are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
    the helper will stumble, and the one helped will fall,
    and they will all perish together.(C)

For thus the Lord said to me,
“As a lion or a young lion growls over its prey
    and, when a band of shepherds is called out against it,
is not terrified by their shouting
    or daunted at their noise,
so the Lord of hosts will come down
    to fight upon Mount Zion and upon its hill.(D)
Like birds hovering overhead, so the Lord of hosts
    will protect Jerusalem;
he will protect and deliver it;
    he will spare and rescue it.”(E)

Turn back to him whom you[a] have deeply betrayed, O people of Israel.(F) For on that day all of you shall throw away your idols of silver and idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you.(G)

“Then the Assyrian shall fall by a sword not of mortals,
    and a sword not of humans shall devour him;
he shall flee from the sword,
    and his young men shall be put to forced labor.(H)
His rock shall pass away in terror,
    and his officers desert the standard in panic,”
says the Lord, whose fire is in Zion
    and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.(I)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 31.6 Heb they

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

31 Woe(A) to those who go down to Egypt(B) for help,
    who rely on horses,(C)
who trust in the multitude of their chariots(D)
    and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One(E) of Israel,
    or seek help from the Lord.(F)
Yet he too is wise(G) and can bring disaster;(H)
    he does not take back his words.(I)
He will rise up against that wicked nation,(J)
    against those who help evildoers.
But the Egyptians(K) are mere mortals and not God;(L)
    their horses(M) are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,(N)
    those who help will stumble,
    those who are helped(O) will fall;
    all will perish together.(P)

This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion(Q) growls,
    a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds(R)
    is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
    or disturbed by their clamor(S)
so the Lord Almighty will come down(T)
    to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
Like birds hovering(U) overhead,
    the Lord Almighty will shield(V) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver(W) it,
    he will ‘pass over’(X) it and will rescue it.”

Return,(Y) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted(Z) against. For in that day(AA) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold(AB) your sinful hands have made.(AC)

“Assyria(AD) will fall by no human sword;
    a sword, not of mortals, will devour(AE) them.
They will flee before the sword
    and their young men will be put to forced labor.(AF)
Their stronghold(AG) will fall because of terror;
    at the sight of the battle standard(AH) their commanders will panic,(AI)
declares the Lord,
    whose fire(AJ) is in Zion,
    whose furnace(AK) is in Jerusalem.

Read full chapter

The Futility of Reliance on Egypt

30 Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord,
who carry out a plan but not mine;
who make an alliance but against my will,
    adding sin to sin;(A)
who set out to go down to Egypt
    without asking for my counsel,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh
    and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt.(B)
Therefore the protection of Pharaoh shall become your shame,
    and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt your humiliation.(C)
For though his officials are at Zoan
    and his envoys reach Hanes,(D)
everyone comes to shame
    through a people that cannot profit them,
that brings neither help nor profit,
    only shame and disgrace.(E)

An oracle concerning the animals of the Negeb.

Through a land of trouble and distress,
    of lioness and roaring[a] lion,
    of viper and flying 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.(F)
For Egypt’s help is worthless and empty;
    therefore I have called her,
    “Rahab who sits still.”[b](G)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 30.6 Cn: Heb from them
  2. 30.7 Meaning of Heb uncertain

Woe to the Obstinate Nation

30 “Woe(A) to the obstinate children,”(B)
    declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
    forming an alliance,(C) but not by my Spirit,
    heaping sin upon sin;
who go down to Egypt(D)
    without consulting(E) me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,(F)
    to Egypt’s shade for refuge.(G)
But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
    Egypt’s shade(H) will bring you disgrace.(I)
Though they have officials in Zoan(J)
    and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
everyone will be put to shame
    because of a people(K) useless(L) to them,
who bring neither help(M) nor advantage,
    but only shame and disgrace.(N)

A prophecy(O) concerning the animals of the Negev:(P)

Through a land of hardship and distress,(Q)
    of lions(R) and lionesses,
    of adders and darting snakes,(S)
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’(T) backs,
    their treasures(U) on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
    to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.(V)
Therefore I call her
    Rahab(W) the Do-Nothing.

Read full chapter

See, you are relying on Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.(A)

Read full chapter

Look, I know you are depending(A) on Egypt,(B) that splintered reed(C) of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him.

Read full chapter

Those of low estate are but a breath;
    those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
    they are together lighter than a breath.(A)

Read full chapter

Surely the lowborn(A) are but a breath,(B)
    the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance,(C) they are nothing;
    together they are only a breath.

Read full chapter

Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know
    that I am the Lord,
because you[a] were a staff of reed
    to the house of Israel;(A)
when they grasped you with the hand, you broke
    and tore all their shoulders,
and when they leaned on you, you broke
    and made all their legs give way.[b](B)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 29.6 Gk Syr Vg: Heb they
  2. 29.7 Syr: Heb stand

Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.

“‘You have been a staff of reed(A) for the people of Israel. When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered(B) and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.[a](C)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint and Vulgate); Hebrew and you caused their backs to stand

Your survivors shall remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I was crushed by their wanton heart that turned away from me and their wanton eyes that turned after their idols. Then they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations.(A)

Read full chapter

Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember(A) me—how I have been grieved(B) by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols.(C) They will loathe themselves for the evil(D) they have done and for all their detestable practices.(E)

Read full chapter

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.(A)

Read full chapter

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;(A)
    I am not guilty of turning(B) from my God.

Read full chapter

15 Truth is lacking,
    and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
    that there was no justice.(A)

Read full chapter

15 Truth(A) is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.(B)

Read full chapter