Isaiah 30

Judah Warned against Egyptian Alliance

1“Woe to the 1rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who 2execute a plan, but not Mine, And 34make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin;2Who 5proceed down to Egypt Without 6consulting 7Me, 8To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!3Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be 9your shame And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.4For 10their princes are at Zoan And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.5Everyone will be 11ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them, Who are 12not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach.”

6The 13oracle concerning the 14beasts of the 15Negev. Through a land of 16distress and anguish, From 17where come lioness and lion, viper and 18flying serpent, They 19carry their riches on the 20backs of young donkeys And their treasures on 21camels’ humps, To a people who cannot profit them;7Even Egypt, whose 22help is vain and empty. Therefore, I have called 23her “2425Rahab who has been exterminated.”8Now go, 26write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may 27serve in the time to come 28As a witness forever.9For this is a 29rebellious people, 30false sons, Sons who 31refuse to 32listen To the 33instruction of the Lord;10Who say to the 34seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not 35prophesy to us what is right, 36Speak to us 37pleasant words, Prophesy illusions.11Get out of the way, 38turn aside from the path, 3940Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” 12Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “41Since you have rejected this word And have put your trust in 42oppression and guile, and have relied on them,13Therefore this 43iniquity will be to you Like a 44breach about to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose collapse comes 45suddenly in an instant,14Whose collapse is like the smashing of a 46potter’s jar, 47So ruthlessly shattered That a sherd will not be found among its pieces To 48take fire from a hearth Or to scoop water from a cistern.” 15For thus the Lord 49God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In 50repentance and 51rest you will be saved, In 52quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing,16And you said, “No, for we will flee on 53horses,” Therefore you shall flee! “And we will ride on swift horses,” Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.1754One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left as a 55flag on a mountain top And as a signal on a hill.

God Is Gracious and Just

18Therefore the Lord 5657longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He 58waits on 59high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a 60God of justice; How blessed are all those who 6162long for Him.

1963O people in Zion, 64inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will 65weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will 66answer you. 20Although the Lord has given you 67bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer 68hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. 21Your ears will hear a word behind you, “69This is the 70way, walk in it,” whenever you 71turn to the right or to the left. 22And you will defile your graven 72images overlaid with silver, and your molten 73images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to 74them, “75Be gone!”

23Then He will 76give you rain for 77the seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be 78rich and 79plenteous; on that day 80your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture. 24Also the oxen and the donkeys which work the ground will eat salted fodder, which 81has been 82winnowed with shovel and fork. 25On every lofty mountain and on 83every high hill there will be 84streams running with water on the day of the great 85slaughter, when the towers fall. 2686The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day 87the Lord binds up the 88fracture of His people and 89heals the bruise 90He has inflicted.

27Behold, 91the name of the Lord comes from a 92remote place; 93Burning is His anger and 94dense is His 95smoke; His lips are filled with 96indignation And His tongue is like a 97consuming fire;28His 98breath is like an overflowing torrent, Which 99reaches to the neck, To 100shake the nations back and forth in a 101sieve, And to put in the jaws of the peoples 102the bridle which 103leads to ruin.29You will have 104songs as in the night when you keep the festival, And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute, To go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.30And the Lord will cause 105His voice of authority to be heard, And the 106descending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger, And in the flame of a consuming fire In cloudburst, downpour and hailstones.31For 107at the voice of the Lord 108Assyria will be terrified, When He strikes with the 109rod.32And every 110blow of the 111112rod of punishment, Which the Lord will lay on him, Will be with the music of 113tambourines and lyres; And in battles, 114brandishing weapons, He will fight them.33For 115116Topheth has long been ready, Indeed, it has been prepared for the king. He has made it deep and large, 117A pyre of fire with plenty of wood; The 118breath of the Lord, like a torrent of 119brimstone, sets it afire.