Futile Confidence in Egypt
1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says theLord,
# “Who take counsel, but not of Me,
And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit,
# That they may add sin to sin;
2 Who walk to go down to Egypt,
# Andhave not asked My advice,
To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,
And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore the strength of Pharaoh
Shall be your shame,
And trust in the shadow of Egypt
Shall beyourhumiliation.
4 For his princes were atZoan,
And his ambassadors came to Hanes.
5 They were all ashamed of a peoplewhocould not benefit them,
Or be help or benefit,
But a shame and also a reproach.”
6 The burden against the beasts of the South.
Through a land of trouble and anguish,
From whichcamethe lioness and lion,
# The viper and fiery flying serpent,
They will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys,
And their treasures on the humps of camels,
To a peoplewhoshall not profit;
7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose.
Therefore I have called her
Rahab-Hem-Shebeth.
A Rebellious People
8 Now go,write it before them on a tablet,
And note it on a scroll,
That it may be for time to come,
Forever and ever:
9 Thatthisisa rebellious people,
Lying children,
Childrenwhowill not hear the law of theLord;
10 Who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things;
# Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.
11 Get out of the way,
Turn aside from the path,
Cause the Holy One of Israel
To cease from before us.”
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
# “Because youdespise this word,
And trust in oppression and perversity,
And rely on them,
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you
# Like a breach ready to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
# Whose breakingcomes suddenly, in an instant.
14 AndHe shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel,
Which is broken in pieces;
He shall not spare.
So there shall not be found among its fragments
A shard to take fire from the hearth,
Or to take water from the cistern.”
15 For thus says the LordGod, the Holy One of Israel:
# “In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
# But you would not,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”—
Therefore you shall flee!
And, “We will ride on swifthorses”—
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!
17 One thousandshallfleeat the threat of one,
At the threat of five you shall flee,
Till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain
And as a banner on a hill.
God Will Be Gracious
18 Therefore theLordwill wait, that He may begracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For theLordisa God of justice;
# Blessedareall those whowait for Him.
19 For the peopleshall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;
# You shallweep no more.
He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;
# When He hears it, He willanswer you.
20 Andthoughthe Lord gives you
# The bread of adversity and the water of affliction,
# Yetyour teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,
But your eyes shall see your teachers.
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“Thisisthe way, walk in it,”
# Whenever youturn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.
22 You will also defile the covering of your images of silver,
And the ornament of your molded images of gold.
You will throw them away as an unclean thing;
# You will say to them, “Get away!”
23 Then He will give the rain for your seed
With which you sow the ground,
And bread of the increase of the earth;
It will be fat and plentiful.
In that day your cattle will feed
In large pastures.
24 Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground
Will eat cured fodder,
Which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan.
25 There will beon every high mountain
And on every high hill
Riversandstreams of waters,
# In the day of thegreat slaughter,
When the towers fall.
26 Moreoverthe 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 that theLordbinds up the bruise of His people
And heals the stroke of their wound.
Judgment on Assyria
27 Behold, the name of theLordcomes from afar,
BurningwithHis anger,
AndHisburdenisheavy;
His lips are full of indignation,
And His tongue like a devouring fire.
28 His breath is like an overflowing stream,
# Which reaches up to the neck,
To sift the nations with the sieve of futility;
# Andthereshallbea bridle in the jaws of the people,
Causingthemto err.
29 You shall have a song
As in the nightwhena holy festival is kept,
And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute,
# To come intothe mountain of theLord,
To the Mighty One of Israel.
30 TheLordwill cause His glorious voice to be heard,
And show the descent of His arm,
With the indignation ofHisanger
And the flame of a devouring fire,
# Withscattering, tempest,and hailstones.
31 Forthrough the voice of theLord
Assyria will be beaten down,
# As He strikes with therod.
32 Andinevery place where the staff of punishment passes,
Which theLordlays on him,
Itwill be with tambourines and harps;
# And in battles ofbrandishing He will fight with it.
33 For Tophetwasestablished of old,
Yes, for the king it is prepared.
He has madeitdeep and large;
Its pyreisfire with much wood;
The breath of theLord, like a stream of brimstone,
Kindles it.