Isaiah 30
30
The Futility of Reliance on Egypt
1Oh, rebellious children, says the Lord,
who carry out a plan, but not mine;
who make an alliance, but against my will,
adding sin to sin;
2who set out to go down to Egypt
without asking for my counsel,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh,
and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt;
3Therefore the protection of Pharaoh shall become your shame,
and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt your humiliation.
4For though his officials are at Zoan
and his envoys reach Hanes,
5everyone comes to shame
through a people that cannot profit them,
that brings neither help nor profit,
but shame and disgrace.
6An oracle concerning the animals of the Negeb.
Through a land of trouble and distress,
of lioness and roaring#30.6 Cn: Heb from them lion,
of viper and flying 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.
7For Egypt's help is worthless and empty,
therefore I have called her,
“Rahab who sits still.”#30.7 Meaning of Heb uncertain
A Rebellious People
8Go now, write it before them on a tablet,
and inscribe it in a book,
so that it may be for the time to come
as a witness forever.
9For they are a rebellious people,
faithless children,
children who will not hear
the instruction of the Lord;
10who say to the seers, “Do not see”;
and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;
speak to us smooth things,
prophesy illusions,
11leave the way, turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
12Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
Because you reject this word,
and put your trust in oppression and deceit,
and rely on them;
13therefore this iniquity shall become for you
like a break in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse,
whose crash comes suddenly, in an instant;
14its breaking is like that of a potter's vessel
that is smashed so ruthlessly
that among its fragments not a sherd is found
for taking fire from the hearth,
or dipping water out of the cistern.
15For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
But you refused 16and said,
“No! We will flee upon horses”—
therefore you shall flee!
and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”—
therefore your pursuers shall be swift!
17A thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
at the threat of five you shall flee,
until you are left
like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
like a signal on a hill.
God's Promise to Zion
18Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
19Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. 20Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 22Then you will defile your silver-covered idols and your gold-plated images. You will scatter them like filthy rags; you will say to them, “Away with you!”
23He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. On that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures; 24and the oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat silage, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25On every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water—on a day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26Moreover the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, on the day when the Lord binds up the injuries of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
Judgment on Assyria
27See, the name of the Lord comes from far away,
burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;#30.27 Meaning of Heb uncertain
his lips are full of indignation,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
28his breath is 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 a bridle that leads them astray.
29You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. 30And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and tempest and hailstones. 31The Assyrian will be terror-stricken at the voice of the Lord, when he strikes with his rod. 32And every stroke of the staff of punishment that the Lord lays upon him will be to the sound of timbrels and lyres; battling with brandished arm he will fight with him. 33For his burning place#30.33 Or Topheth has long been prepared; truly it is made ready for the king,#30.33 Or Molech its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.
Currently Selected:
Isaiah 30: NRSV-CI
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 30
30
Judah Should Trust the LORD, Not Egypt
1The Lord declares,
“How horrible it will be for those rebellious children.
They carry out plans, but not mine.
They make alliances against my will.
They pile sin on top of sin.
2They go to Egypt without asking me.
They look for shelter under Pharaoh’s protection
and look for refuge in Egypt’s shadow.
3But Pharaoh’s protection will be their shame,
and the refuge in Egypt’s shadow will be their disgrace.
4Although Pharaoh’s officials are in Zoan
and his messengers have reached Hanes,
5the people of Judah will be put to shame
because that nation can’t help them.
That nation can’t give aid or help to them.
It can only offer shame and disgrace.”
6This is the divine revelation about the animals in the Negev.
“My people travel through lands
where they experience distress and hardship.
Lions and lionesses live there.
Vipers and poisonous snakes live there.
They carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys
and their treasures on the humps of camels
to a nation that can’t help them.
7Egypt’s help is completely useless.
That is why I call it, ‘Rahab #30:7 Rahab is the name of a demonic creature who opposes God. who sits still.’
8Now, write this on a tablet for them, and inscribe it in a book
so that it will be there in the future as a permanent witness.
9These people are rebellious and deceitful children,
children who refuse to listen to the Lord’s teachings.
10They say to the seers,#30:10 A seer is a prophet. ‘Don’t see ⌞the future⌟.’
They say to those who have visions,
‘Don’t have visions that tell us what is right.
Tell us what we want to hear. See illusions.
11Get out of our way! Stop blocking our path!
Get the Holy One of Israel out of our sight.’ ”
12This is what the Holy One of Israel says:
You have rejected this warning,
trusted oppression and deceit,
and leaned on them.
13That is why your sin will be
like a high wall with a bulging crack, ready to fall.
All of a sudden it will fall.
14It will break like pottery.
It will be smashed, and nothing will be left of it.
No piece will be big enough to carry live coals from a fireplace
or to dip water from a reservoir.
15This is what the Almighty Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
You can be saved by returning to me.
You can have rest.
You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me.
But you don’t want that.
16You’ve said, “No, we’ll flee on horses.”
So you flee.
You’ve added, “We’ll ride on fast horses.”
So those who chase you will also be fast.
17One thousand people will flee when one person threatens them,
and you will flee when five threaten you.
Then you will be left alone
like a flagpole on top of a mountain,
like a signpost on a hill.
18The Lord is waiting to be kind to you.
He rises to have compassion on you.
The Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all those who wait for him.
The LORD Will Heal His People’s Wounds
19You will live in Zion, in Jerusalem. You won’t cry anymore. The Lord will certainly have pity on you when you cry for help. As soon as he hears you, he will answer you. 20The Lord may give you troubles and hardships. But your teacher will no longer be hidden from you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. 21You will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way. Follow it, whether it turns to the right or to the left.” 22Then you will dishonor your silver-plated idols and your gold-covered statues. You will throw them away like clothing ruined by stains. You will say to them, “Get out!”
23The Lord will give you rain for the seed that you plant in the ground, and the food that the ground provides will be rich and nourishing. When that day comes, your cattle will graze in large pastures. 24The oxen and the donkeys which work the soil will eat a mixture of food that has been winnowed #30:24 Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain. with forks and shovels. 25There will be brooks and streams on every lofty mountain and every high hill. When the day of the great slaughter comes, towers will fall. 26Then the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun. The light of the sun will be seven times as strong, like the light of seven days. When that day comes, the Lord will bandage his people’s injuries and heal the wounds he inflicted.
27The name of the Lord is going to come from far away.
His anger is burning.
His burden is heavy.
His lips are filled with fury.
His tongue is like a devouring flame.
28His breath is like an overflowing stream.
It rises neck high,
sifting the nations with a sieve of destruction,
placing a bit in the mouths of the people
to lead them astray.
29You will sing a song
like the song you sing on a festival night.
Your hearts will be happy like someone going out with a flute
on the way to the Lord’s mountain, to the rock of Israel.
30The Lord will make his majestic voice heard.
He will come down with all his might,
with furious anger,
with fire storms, windstorms, rainstorms, and hailstones.
31At the sound of the Lord, the people of Assyria will be shattered.
He will strike them with his rod.
32To the sound of tambourines and lyres, the Lord will pound on them.
He will fight them in battle, swinging his fists.
33Topheth was prepared long ago.
It was made ready for the king.
It was made deep and wide and piled high with plenty of burning logs.
The Lord’s breath will be like a flood of burning sulfur,
setting it on fire.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.