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Isaiah 30-31
English Standard Version
Isaiah 30-31
English Standard Version
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 forever.[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 anymore, 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 sulfur, kindles it.
Woe to Those Who Go Down to Egypt
31 Woe[f] 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[g] 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[h] 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 labor.
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.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 30:1 Hebrew who weave a web
- Isaiah 30:8 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Targum, Vulgate, and Greek versions; Masoretic Text forever and ever
- Isaiah 30:15 Or repentance
- Isaiah 30:27 Hebrew in weight of uplifted clouds
- Isaiah 30:33 Or For Topheth
- Isaiah 31:1 Or Ah,
- Isaiah 31:4 The Hebrew words for hosts and to fight sound alike
- Isaiah 31:6 Hebrew they
Isaiah 30-31
New International Version
Isaiah 30-31
New International Version
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;
2 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)
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
Egypt’s shade(H) will bring you disgrace.(I)
4 Though they have officials in Zoan(J)
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5 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)”
6 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,
7 to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.(V)
Therefore I call her
Rahab(W) the Do-Nothing.
8 Go now, write it on a tablet(X) for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,(Y)
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.(Z)
9 For these are rebellious(AA) people, deceitful(AB) children,
children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.(AC)
10 They say to the seers,(AD)
“See no more visions(AE)!”
and to the prophets,
“Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,(AF)
prophesy illusions.(AG)
11 Leave this way,(AH)
get off this path,
and stop confronting(AI) us
with the Holy One(AJ) of Israel!”
12 Therefore this is what the Holy One(AK) of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message,(AL)
relied on oppression(AM)
and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall,(AN) cracked and bulging,
that collapses(AO) suddenly,(AP) in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery,(AQ)
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern.”
15 This is what the Sovereign(AR) Lord, the Holy One(AS) of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest(AT) is your salvation,
in quietness and trust(AU) is your strength,
but you would have none of it.(AV)
16 You said, ‘No, we will flee(AW) on horses.’(AX)
Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five(AY)
you will all flee(AZ) away,
till you are left(BA)
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner(BB) on a hill.”
18 Yet the Lord longs(BC) to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.(BD)
For the Lord is a God of justice.(BE)
Blessed are all who wait for him!(BF)
19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.(BG) How gracious he will be when you cry for help!(BH) As soon as he hears, he will answer(BI) you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread(BJ) of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers(BK) will be hidden(BL) no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice(BM) behind you, saying, “This is the way;(BN) walk in it.” 22 Then you will desecrate your idols(BO) overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold;(BP) you will throw them away like a menstrual(BQ) cloth and say to them, “Away with you!(BR)”
23 He will also send you rain(BS) for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich(BT) and plentiful.(BU) In that day(BV) your cattle will graze in broad meadows.(BW) 24 The oxen(BX) and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder(BY) and mash, spread out with fork(BZ) and shovel. 25 In the day of great slaughter,(CA) when the towers(CB) fall, streams of water will flow(CC) on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun,(CD) and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals(CE) the wounds he inflicted.
27 See, the Name(CF) of the Lord comes from afar,
with burning anger(CG) and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,(CH)
and his tongue is a consuming fire.(CI)
28 His breath(CJ) is like a rushing torrent,(CK)
rising up to the neck.(CL)
He shakes the nations in the sieve(CM) of destruction;
he places in the jaws of the peoples
a bit(CN) that leads them astray.
29 And you will sing
as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;(CO)
your hearts will rejoice(CP)
as when people playing pipes(CQ) go up
to the mountain(CR) of the Lord,
to the Rock(CS) of Israel.
30 The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice(CT)
and will make them see his arm(CU) coming down
with raging anger(CV) and consuming fire,(CW)
with cloudburst, thunderstorm(CX) and hail.(CY)
31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;(CZ)
with his rod he will strike(DA) them down.
32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them
with his punishing club(DB)
will be to the music of timbrels(DC) and harps,
as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.(DD)
33 Topheth(DE) has long been prepared;
it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath(DF) of the Lord,
like a stream of burning sulfur,(DG)
sets it ablaze.(DH)
Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt
31 Woe(DI) to those who go down to Egypt(DJ) for help,
who rely on horses,(DK)
who trust in the multitude of their chariots(DL)
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One(DM) of Israel,
or seek help from the Lord.(DN)
2 Yet he too is wise(DO) and can bring disaster;(DP)
he does not take back his words.(DQ)
He will rise up against that wicked nation,(DR)
against those who help evildoers.
3 But the Egyptians(DS) are mere mortals and not God;(DT)
their horses(DU) are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,(DV)
those who help will stumble,
those who are helped(DW) will fall;
all will perish together.(DX)
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“As a lion(DY) growls,
a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds(DZ)
is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
or disturbed by their clamor(EA)—
so the Lord Almighty will come down(EB)
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
5 Like birds hovering(EC) overhead,
the Lord Almighty will shield(ED) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver(EE) it,
he will ‘pass over’(EF) it and will rescue it.”
6 Return,(EG) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted(EH) against. 7 For in that day(EI) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold(EJ) your sinful hands have made.(EK)
8 “Assyria(EL) will fall by no human sword;
a sword, not of mortals, will devour(EM) them.
They will flee before the sword
and their young men will be put to forced labor.(EN)
9 Their stronghold(EO) will fall because of terror;
at the sight of the battle standard(EP) their commanders will panic,(EQ)”
declares the Lord,
whose fire(ER) is in Zion,
whose furnace(ES) is in Jerusalem.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.