Isaiah 30

1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith Jehovah, that take counsel, but not of me; and that make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin,2 that set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt!3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.4 For their princes are at Zoan, and their ambassadors are come to Hanes.5 They shall all be ashamed because of a people that cannot profit them, that are not a help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.6 The burden of the beasts of the South. Through the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the humps of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.7 For Egypt helpeth in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I called her Rahab that sitteth still.8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.9 For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of Jehovah;10 that say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits,11 get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely thereon;13 therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly in an instant.14 And he shall break it as a potter’s vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing; so that there shall not be found among the pieces thereof a sherd wherewith to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.15 For thus said the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. And ye would not:16 but ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.18 And therefore will Jehovah wait, that he may be gracious unto you; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for Jehovah is a God of justice; blessed are all they that wait for him.19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; thou shalt weep no more; he will surely be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear, he will answer thee.20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be hidden anymore, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers;21 and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.22 And ye shall defile the overlaying of thy graven images of silver, and the plating of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as an unclean thing; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.23 And he will give the rain for thy seed, wherewith thou shalt sow the ground; and bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures;24 the oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground shall eat savory provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork.25 And there shall be upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.27 Behold, the name of Jehovah cometh from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire;28 and his breath is as an overflowing stream, that reacheth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction: and a bridle that causeth to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples.29 Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel.30 And Jehovah will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and will show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, with a blast, and tempest, and hailstones.31 For through the voice of Jehovah shall the Assyrian be dismayed; with his rod will he smite him.32 And every stroke of the appointed staff, which Jehovah shall lay upon him, shall be with the sound of tabrets and harps; and in battles with the brandishing of his arm will he fight with them.33 For a Topheth is prepared of old; yea, for the king it is made ready; he hath made it deep and large; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

ISAIAH 30

Don't Expect Help //from Egypt

1 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.

2 You trust Egypt for protection.
So you refuse my advice
and send messengers to Egypt
to beg their king for help.

3 “You will be disappointed,
completely disgraced
for trusting Egypt.

4 The king's power reaches
from the city of Zoan
as far south as Hanes.t

5 But Egypt can't protect you,
and to trust that nation
is useless and foolish.”

6 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.

7 Egypt can't help you!
That's why I call that nation
a helpless monster.”t

Israel Refuses To Listen

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.t
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.t
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 festivalt at night. The [Lord] is Israel's mighty rock, t 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.t 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.