Old/New Testament
Do Not Go Down to Egypt
30 “Ah, (A)stubborn children,” declares the Lord,
(B)“who carry out a plan, but not mine,
and who make (C)an alliance,[a] but not of my Spirit,
that they may add sin to sin;
2 (D)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 (E)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 (F)Zoan
and (G)his envoys reach (H)Hanes,
5 everyone comes to shame
through (I)a people that cannot profit them,
that brings neither help nor profit,
but shame and disgrace.”
6 An (J)oracle on (K)the beasts of (L)the Negeb.
Through a land of trouble and anguish,
from where come the lioness and the lion,
the adder and the (M)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 (N)help is worthless and empty;
therefore I have called her
(O)“Rahab who sits still.”
A Rebellious People
8 And now, go, (P)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 for ever.[b]
9 (Q)For they are a rebellious people,
lying children,
children unwilling to hear
the instruction of the Lord;
10 (R)who say to (S)the seers, “Do not see”,
and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us (T)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 (U)oppression and perverseness
and rely on them,
13 therefore this iniquity shall be to you
(V)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 (W)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 (X)returning[c] and (Y)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 (Z)horses”;
therefore you shall flee away;
and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;
therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
17 (AA)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 (AB)waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he (AC)exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
(AD)blessed are all those who wait for him.
19 For a people shall dwell (AE)in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20 And though the Lord give you the (AF)bread of adversity and the (AG)water of affliction, (AH)yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 (AI)And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is (AJ)the way, walk in it”, when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. (AK)You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”
23 (AL)And he will give (AM)rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. (AN)In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, 24 and (AO)the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 And (AP)on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, (AQ)when the towers fall. 26 (AR)Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when (AS)the Lord binds up (AT)the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
27 Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;[d]
his lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
28 (AU)his breath is (AV)like an overflowing stream
that reaches up to the neck;
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,
and to place on the jaws of the peoples (AW)a bridle that leads astray.
29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, (AX)as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to (AY)the mountain of the Lord, to (AZ)the Rock of Israel. 30 And the Lord (BA)will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger (BB)and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst (BC)and storm and hailstones. 31 The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of the Lord, (BD)when he strikes with his rod. 32 And every stroke of the appointed staff that the Lord lays on them (BE)will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. (BF)Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them. 33 For (BG)a burning place[e] has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, (BH)its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; (BI)the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulphur, kindles it.
Woe to Those Who Go Down to Egypt
31 Woe to (BJ)those who go down to Egypt for help
and rely on horses,
who (BK)trust in chariots because they are many
and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but (BL)do not look to the Holy One of Israel
or consult the Lord!
2 And (BM)yet he is wise and brings disaster;
(BN)he does not call back his words,
but (BO)will arise against the house of the evildoers
and against the helpers of (BP)those who work iniquity.
3 The Egyptians are man, and not God,
and their horses (BQ)are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall,
and they will all perish together.
4 For thus the Lord said to me,
(BR)“As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey,
and when a band of shepherds is called out against him
he is not terrified by their shouting
or daunted at their noise,
(BS)so the Lord of hosts will come down
to fight[f] on Mount Zion and on its hill.
5 (BT)Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts
will protect Jerusalem;
he will protect and deliver it;
he will spare and rescue it.”
6 (BU)Turn to him from whom people[g] have (BV)deeply revolted, O children of Israel. 7 For in that day (BW)everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you.
8 (BX)“And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man;
and a sword, not of man, shall devour him;
and he shall flee from the sword,
and his young men shall be (BY)put to forced labour.
9 (BZ)His rock shall pass away in terror,
and his officers desert the standard in panic,”
declares the Lord, whose (CA)fire is in Zion,
and whose (CB)furnace is in Jerusalem.
4 Therefore, my brothers,[a] whom I love and (A)long for, (B)my joy and (C)crown, (D)stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Exhortation, Encouragement, and Prayer
2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to (E)agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion,[b] help these women, who have laboured side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, (F)whose names are in the book of life.
4 (G)Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. (H)The Lord is at hand; 6 (I)do not be anxious about anything, (J)but in everything by prayer and supplication (K)with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And (L)the peace of God, (M)which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and (N)received and heard and seen (O)in me—practise these things, and (P)the God of peace will be with you.
God's Provision
10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length (Q)you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be (R)content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and (S)hunger, abundance and (T)need. 13 I can do all things (U)through him who strengthens me.
14 Yet it was kind of you (V)to share[c] my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that (W)in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, (X)no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 (Y)Not that I seek the gift, but I seek (Z)the fruit that increases to your credit.[d] 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, (AA)having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, (AB)a fragrant offering, (AC)a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God (AD)will supply every need of yours (AE)according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To (AF)our God and Father be (AG)glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. (AH)The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 (AI)All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.
23 (AJ)The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.