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Don't Expect Help from Egypt

30 This is the Lord's message for his rebellious people:

“You follow your own plans
    instead of mine;
you make treaties
without asking me,
    and you keep on sinning.
You trust Egypt for protection.
    So you refuse my advice
and send messengers to Egypt
    to beg their king for help.

“You will be disappointed,
completely disgraced
    for trusting Egypt.
The king's power reaches
from the city of Zoan
    as far south as Hanes.[a]
But Egypt can't protect you,
and to trust that nation
    is useless and foolish.”

This is a message
about the animals
    of the Southern Desert:
“You people carry treasures
    on donkeys and camels.
You travel to a feeble nation
through a troublesome desert
    filled with lions
    and flying fiery dragons.
Egypt can't help you!
That's why I call that nation
    a helpless monster.”[b]

Israel Refuses To Listen

The Lord told me to write down his message for his people, so that it would be there forever. They have turned against the Lord and can't be trusted. They have refused his teaching 10 and have said to his messengers and prophets:

Don't tell us what God has shown you and don't preach the truth. Just say what we want to hear, even if it's false. 11 Stop telling us what God has said! We don't want to hear any more about the holy One of Israel.

12 Now this is the answer
    of the holy One of Israel:
“You rejected my message,
and you trust in violence
    and lies.
13 This sin is like a crack
    that makes a high wall
quickly crumble 14 and shatter
    like a crushed bowl.
There's not a piece left
big enough to carry hot coals
    or to dip out water.”

Trust the Lord

15 The holy Lord God of Israel
    had told all of you,
“I will keep you safe
if you turn back to me
    and calm down.
I will make you strong
    if you quietly trust me.”

Then you stubbornly 16 said,
“No! We will safely escape
    on speedy horses.”

But those who chase you
    will be even faster.
17 As few as five of them,
or even one, will be enough
    to chase a thousand of you.
Finally, all that will be left
    will be a few survivors
as lonely as a flag pole
    on a barren hill.

The Lord Will Show Mercy

18 The Lord God is waiting
to show how kind he is
    and to have pity on you.
The Lord always does right;
he blesses those who trust him.

19 People of Jerusalem, you don't need to cry anymore. The Lord is kind, and as soon as he hears your cries for help, he will come. 20 The Lord has given you trouble and sorrow as your food and drink. But now you will again see the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, “This is the road! Now follow it.” 22 Then you will treat your idols of silver and gold like garbage; you will throw them away like filthy rags.

23 The Lord will send rain to water the seeds you have planted—your fields will produce more crops than you need, and your cattle will graze in open pastures. 24 Even the oxen and donkeys that plow your fields will be fed the finest grain.[c]

25 On that day people will be slaughtered and towers destroyed, but streams of water will flow from high hills and towering mountains. 26 Then the Lord will bandage his people's injuries and heal the wounds he has caused. The moon will shine as bright as the sun, and the sun will shine seven times brighter than usual. It will be like the light of seven days all at once.

Assyria Will Be Punished

27 The Lord is coming
    from far away
with his fiery anger
    and thick clouds of smoke.[d]
His angry words flame up
    like a destructive fire;
28 he breathes out a flood
    that comes up to the neck.
He sifts the nations
    and destroys them.
Then he puts a bridle
in every foreigner's mouth
    and leads them to doom.

29 The Lord's people will sing as they do when they celebrate a religious festival[e] at night. The Lord is Israel's mighty rock,[f] and his people will be as happy as they are when they follow the sound of flutes to the mountain where he is worshiped.

30 The Lord will get furious. His fearsome voice will be heard, his arm will be seen ready to strike, and his anger will be like a destructive fire, followed by thunderstorms and hailstones. 31 When the Assyrians hear the Lord's voice and see him striking with his iron rod, they will be terrified. 32 He will attack them in battle, and each time he strikes them, it will be to the music of tambourines and harps.

33 Long ago the Lord got a place ready for burning the body of the dead king.[g] The place for the fire is deep and wide, the wood is piled high, and the Lord will start the fire by breathing out flaming sulfur.

Don't Trust the Power of Egypt

31 You are in for trouble
    if you go to Egypt for help,
or if you depend on
an army of chariots
    or a powerful cavalry.
Instead you should depend on
and trust the holy Lord God
    of Israel.
The Lord isn't stupid!
He does what he promises,
    and he can bring doom.
If you are cruel yourself,
or help those who are evil,
    you will be destroyed.

The Egyptians are mere humans.
    They aren't God.
Their horses are made of flesh;
    they can't live forever.
When the Lord shows his power,
he will destroy the Egyptians
    and all who depend on them.
Together they will fall.

The Lord All-Powerful
    said to me,
“I will roar and attack
    like a fearless lion
not frightened by the shouts
of shepherds trying to protect
    their sheep.
That's how I will come down
    and fight on Mount Zion.
I, the Lord All-Powerful,
    will protect Jerusalem
like a mother bird circling
    over her nest.”

Come Back to the Lord

People of Israel, come back!
You have completely turned
    from the Lord.
The time is coming
    when you will throw away
your idols of silver and gold,
    made by your sinful hands.

The Assyrians will be killed,
but not by the swords
    of humans.
Their young men will try
    to escape,
but they will be captured
    and forced into slavery.
Their fortress[h] will fall
    when terror strikes;
their army officers
will be frightened
    and run from the battle.
This is what the Lord has said,
the Lord whose fiery furnace
    is built on Mount Zion.

Footnotes

  1. 30.4 Zoan … Hanes: Or “Your messengers have reached the city of Zoan and gone as far as Hanes.” Zoan was in northeast Egypt; Hanes was to the south.
  2. 30.7 a helpless monster: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 30.24 the finest grain: The Hebrew text refers to grain with the husks removed.
  4. 30.27 with … smoke: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  5. 30.29 a religious festival: Probably Passover.
  6. 30.29 mighty rock: See the note at 17.10.
  7. 30.33 burning … king: Or “sacrificing the king” or “sacrificing to Molech.” Human sacrifices were sometimes offered to Molech, a god whose name sounds like the Hebrew word for “king” (see 2 Kings 23.10; Jeremiah 32.35).
  8. 31.9 fortress: The Hebrew text has “rock,” which may refer to the Assyrian god or king, or to their army.

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