Isaiah 30 (New American Standard)

Judah Warned against Egyptian Alliance

1 "Woe to the ¹rebellious children," declares the LORD, "Who ²execute a plan, but not Mine, And ^a3make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin ; 2 Who ⁴proceed down to Egypt Without ⁵consulting ^bMe, ⁶To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt ! 3 "Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be ⁷your shame And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation. 4 "For ⁸their princes are at Zoan And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes. 5 "Everyone will be ⁹ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them, Who are ¹⁰not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach." 6 The ^coracle concerning the ¹¹beasts of the ¹²Negev. Through a land of ¹³distress and anguish, From ^dwhere come lioness and lion, viper and ¹⁴flying serpent, They ¹⁵carry their riches on the ^ebacks of young donkeys And their treasures on ¹⁶camels' humps, To a people who cannot profit them; 7 Even Egypt, whose ¹⁷help is vain and empty. Therefore, I have called ^fher "^g18Rahab who has been exterminated." 8 Now go, ¹⁹write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may ^hserve in the time to come ⁱAs a witness forever . 9 For this is a ²⁰rebellious people, ²¹false sons, Sons who ^jrefuse to ²²listen To the ^kinstruction of the LORD ; 10 Who say to the ²³seers, "You must not see visions"; And to the prophets, "You must not ²⁴prophesy to us what is right, ²⁵Speak to us ^lpleasant words, Prophesy illusions. 11 "Get out of the way, ²⁶turn aside from the path, ^m27Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel." 12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, "²⁸Since you have rejected this word And have put your trust in ²⁹oppression and guile, and have relied on them, 13 Therefore this ³⁰iniquity will be to you Like a ³¹breach about to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose collapse comes ³²suddenly in an instant, 14 Whose collapse is like the smashing of a ³³potter's jar, ⁿSo ruthlessly shattered That a sherd will not be found among its pieces To ^otake fire from a hearth Or to scoop water from a cistern." 15 For thus the Lord ^pGOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, "In ^qrepentance and ³⁴rest you will be saved, In ³⁵quietness and trust is your strength." But you were not willing, 16 And you said, "No, for we will flee on ³⁶horses," Therefore you shall flee ! "And we will ride on swift horses," Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift. 17 ³⁷One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left as a ^rflag on a mountain top And as a signal on a hill.

God Is Gracious and Just

18 Therefore the LORD ^s38longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He ^twaits on ³⁹high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a ⁴⁰God of justice ; How blessed are all those who ^u41long for Him. 19 ^vO people in Zion, ⁴²inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will ⁴³weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry ; when He hears it, He will ⁴⁴answer you. 20 Although the Lord has given you ⁴⁵bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer ⁴⁶hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. 21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, "^wThis is the ⁴⁷way, walk in it," whenever you ⁴⁸turn to the right or to the left. 22 And you will defile your graven ⁴⁹images overlaid with silver, and your molten ⁵⁰images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to ^xthem, "⁵¹Be gone !" 23 Then He will ⁵²give you rain for ^ythe seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be ^zrich and ^aaplenteous ; on that day ⁵³your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture. 24 Also the oxen and the donkeys which work the ground will eat salted fodder, which ^bbhas been ⁵⁴winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 On every lofty mountain and on ⁵⁵every high hill there will be ^ccstreams running with water on the day of the great ⁵⁶slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 ⁵⁷The 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 ⁵⁸the LORD binds up the ⁵⁹fracture of His people and ⁶⁰heals the bruise ^ddHe has inflicted. 27 Behold, ⁶¹the name of the LORD comes from a ^eeremote place ; ⁶²Burning is His anger and ^ffdense is His ^ggsmoke ; His lips are filled with ⁶³indignation And His tongue is like a ⁶⁴consuming fire ; 28 His ⁶⁵breath is like an overflowing torrent, Which ⁶⁶reaches to the neck, To ⁶⁷shake the nations back and forth in a ^hhsieve, And to put in the jaws of the peoples ⁶⁸the bridle which ⁱⁱleads to ruin. 29 You will have ^jjsongs 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. 30 And the LORD will cause ^kkHis voice of authority to be heard, And the ^lldescending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger, And in the flame of a consuming fire In cloudburst, downpour and hailstones. 31 For ⁶⁹at the voice of the LORD ⁷⁰Assyria will be terrified, When He strikes with the ⁷¹rod. 32 And every ^mmblow of the ⁿⁿ⁷²rod of punishment, Which the LORD will lay on him, Will be with the music of ⁷³tambourines and lyres ; And in battles, ⁷⁴brandishing weapons, He will fight them. 33 For ^oo75Topheth has long been ready, Indeed, it has been prepared for the king. He has made it deep and large, ^ppA pyre of fire with plenty of wood ; The ⁷⁶breath of the LORD, like a torrent of ⁷⁷brimstone, sets it afire.