Isaiah 30
30
1Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: 2that walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! 3Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. 4For his princes are at Zoan, and his ambassadors are come to Hanes. 5They shall all be ashamed of a people that cannot profit them, that are not an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach. 6The 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 bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them. 7For Egypt helpeth in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I called her Rahab that sitteth still.
8Now 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. 9For it is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: 10which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: 11get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. 12Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon; 13therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. 14And 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 to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the cistern. 15For thus said the Lord GOD 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, 16but 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. 17One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
18And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgement; blessed are all they that wait for him. 19For 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. 20And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be hidden any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21and 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. 22And 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. 23And he shall give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; 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, 24the oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground shall eat savoury provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan. 25And there shall be upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26Moreover 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 the LORD bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27Behold, the name of the LORD 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: 28and his breath is as an overflowing stream, that reacheth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and a bridle that causeth to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples. 29Ye 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 into the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. 30And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew 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. 31For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be broken in pieces, which smote with a rod. 32And every stroke of the appointed staff, which the LORD shall lay upon him, shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with them. 33For 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 the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Isaiah 30
30
Woe to the Rebellious
1This is what Yahweh says:
“Woe to the rebellious children,
who carry out their own plans but not mine,
and who sign treaties without consulting my Spirit,
piling one sin upon another.
2You travel down to Egypt to find help
without being guided by the words of my mouth.
Instead you put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection,
seeking shelter in the shadow of Egypt.
3Therefore, Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame,
and the shelter of Egypt’s shadow will end in disaster!
4Though your officials arrive at Zoan
and your ambassadors reach as far away as Hanes,
5all will be put to shame because of such unreliable people.
They can offer you no help, only shame and disgrace!”
6This is a prophecy of the desert animals:
The burden of the caravan is to
traverse a desert land # 30:6 Or possibly a title: “A burden [oracle] of the animals of the Negev.” The caravan, with its beasts of burden, was likely carrying the resources to pay for Egypt’s aid. God had once led them through that desert, bringing them into the promised land. Now they trekked the other direction in the desert, looking for help but not from Father God. See Deut. 8:15; Jer. 2:6. of distress and trouble,
a land of the lion and lioness, the snake and the fiery flying one! # 30:6 Or “seraph.”
They carry their riches on the donkey’s back
and their treasures on the camel’s hump
to a nation that will give them nothing in return!
7Egypt’s help is utterly worthless;
that’s why I nicknamed her
Rahab, the Do-Nothing Dragon. # 30:7 Rahab is used as a poetic term both for a mythical sea monster and for Egypt. See Pss. 87:4; 89:10; Isa. 51:9.
A Message to God’s Stubborn Children
8God told me to write down in a book
words meant for the coming generation as an eternal witness.
9For they are stubborn rebels, children always telling lies,
who refuse to listen to Yahweh’s instruction.
10They say to the seers:
“Stop seeing your visions.”
They say to the prophets: # 30:10 Or “the beholders.”
“Stop prophesying to us about what is right.
Prophesy only pleasant things to us, even if they’re illusions!
11Leave this narrow way; turn aside from this harsh path.
Don’t confront us anymore with the Holy One of Israel!”
12Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel has to say:
“Because you have despised this message,
and trust in your own clever abilities to deceive,
and rely upon oppression,
13your own sin will become like a high, bulging wall
that is cracked and about to collapse.
In an instant, it will all fall down.
14It will break into pieces like shattered pottery,
smashed so ruthlessly that not even a fragment
big enough to pick up a hot coal
or to scoop water from a cistern will be found!”
15Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Come back to me! By returning and resting in me you will be saved.
In quietness and trust you will be made strong.
But you refused.
16And though you boast, ‘No! We will flee on horses,’
you will indeed flee for your lives!
You say, ‘We will ride on swift horses,’
but your pursuers will be swift to chase you!
17A thousand will flee at the threat of one, # 30:17 See Deut. 28:25.
and all will flee at the threat of five,
until nothing will be left of you—
like a lonely flagstaff on the top of a hill,
or like a signpost on a barren mountain!”
God’s Promise to His People
18For this reason the Lord is still waiting # 30:18 Or “waits until the last moment.” to show his favor to you
so he can show you his marvelous love.
He waits to be gracious to you.
He sits on his throne ready to show mercy to you. # 30:18 See Jer. 29:11–13; Heb. 4:16.
For Yahweh is the Lord of justice,
faithful to keep his promises.
Overwhelmed with bliss are all
who will entwine their hearts in him,
waiting for him to help them.
19Yes, the people of Zion who live in Jerusalem
will weep no more.
How compassionate he will be
when he hears your cries for help!
He will answer you when he hears your voice!
20Even though the Lord may allow you
to go through a season of hardship and difficulty, # 30:20 Or “though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction.”
he himself will be there with you.
He will not hide himself from you,
for your eyes will constantly see him as your Teacher. # 30:20 The Hebrew word for “teacher” (mowreh) is a homonym for “rain.” The gift of a teacher is to water our hearts with the rain of the Spirit and the rain of Truth. When God teaches our hearts, it is like spring rain falling, refreshing and renewing our spirits. See 1 Cor. 3:6.
21When you turn to the right or turn to the left,
you will hear his voice behind you to guide you, saying,
“This is the right path; follow it.” # 30:21 This verse and the preceding verse teach us several lessons: (1) God will be with us in our troubles. (2) God will not hide himself from us when we pass through hard times. (3) God himself will teach us lessons in our trials. (4) We can set our eyes on him no matter what is happening around us. (5) His voice will lead us into making good decisions. (6) We have his promise of constant guidance as we listen to his voice. The voice of the Lord and the Word of God are our faithful guides throughout our lives.
22Then you will see your idols as they are—unclean!
Your silver-overlaid idols and gold-plated images are defiled.
You will discard them like a filthy menstrual cloth,
saying to them, “Good riddance!”
23Then God will supply you with abundant rain
for the seeds you sow.
He will bless you with an incredible, plentiful harvest. # 30:23 Or “Bread and the produce of the ground will be rich and plentiful.”
And in that day he will give you lush, broad pastures for your cattle.
24Even your oxen and donkeys that work the soil
will feed on good grain, separated from its chaff. # 30:24 Or “The oxen and donkey that till the ground will feed on silage that has been winnowed with pitchfork and shovel.”
25On the day of great slaughter,
when all their towers tumble,
God will bless you with sparkling streams and bubbling brooks
flowing down every high hill and every lofty mountain.
26Moonlight will shine as bright as sunlight,
and the sun’s glare will become seven times brighter,
like the light of seven days rolled into one.
That will be the day when the Lord Yahweh
heals the bruises and wounds that he has inflicted.
God Will Judge the Nations
27Look! Here comes Yahweh with his mighty power and glory! # 30:27 Or “The name of Yahweh comes from far away.”
He comes in his awesome splendor with thick clouds!
Consumed with anger, his lips are filled with fury,
and his words # 30:27 Or “his tongue.” are a devouring fire!
28His breath is as overwhelming as a flooding river
reaching up to the neck.
He sifts the nations in his sieve of destruction
and places a bridle in their jaws that causes them to wander.
29But you will have a joyous song throughout the night,
as one celebrating a holy, consecrated feast.
You will have gladness of heart,
as one celebrating to the sound of a flute
and dancing up the mountain of Yahweh,
the Rock who shelters Israel!
30And Yahweh will cause everyone
to hear his awe-inspiring, majestic voice. # 30:30 See Ps. 29.
He will open their eyes to see his mighty power # 30:30 Or “arm,” a metaphor for his power.
coming down with raging anger and consuming fire!
His power will descend in cloudburst, thunderstorm, and hail.
31And when his rod strikes the Assyrians,
they will be terror-stricken by the mighty voice of Lord Yahweh.
32Every stroke of Yahweh’s punishing rod # 30:32 Or “established [destined for punishment] rod.”
will be to the sound of cymbals and strumming harps.
God himself fights them in battle with dancing! # 30:32 As translated by some scholars. The Hebrew word uvémilkhamot (“with battles of”) is emended by some to read uvimkholot (“with dancing”). The majority view of the Hebrew text is “battles of brandishing [uplifted weapons/arms].” This “punishing rod” will fall on the spiritual forces of darkness as we celebrate and dance in the victory of the risen Christ.
33From long ago, the king’s fiery burial place has been prepared,
stacked high with plenty of firewood to fuel the flame. # 30:33 Although the Hebrew of this verse is uncertain, the implication is that the king of Assyria will be thrown into fire. There is also the hint of our eternal foe, Satan, the king of darkness, being cast into the lake of fire. See Rev. 20:10.
Yahweh’s breath, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.
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