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Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30 “The rebellious[a] children are as good as dead,”[b] says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me,[c]
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit,[d]
and thereby compound their sin.[e]
They travel down to Egypt
without seeking my will,[f]
seeking Pharaoh’s protection,
and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade.[g]

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 30:1 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
  2. Isaiah 30:1 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
  3. Isaiah 30:1 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
  4. Isaiah 30:1 tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
  5. Isaiah 30:1 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
  6. Isaiah 30:2 tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”
  7. Isaiah 30:2 tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”

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)

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