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.
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Isaiah 30: NRSV
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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
Warning against Alliance with Egypt
1“Oh rebellious children!” declares#Literally “declaration of” Yahweh,
“to make a plan, but#Or “and” not from me,
and pour out a libation, but#Or “and” not from my spirit,
so as to add#Literally “for the sake of adding” sin to sin.
2Who go to go down to Egypt,
but#Or “and” they do not ask of my mouth,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh
and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt.
3And the protection of Pharaoh shall be shame to you,
and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt, humiliation.
4For his officials are at Zoan,
and his envoys reach to Hanes.
5Everyone will start to stink because of a people that cannot profit them,
not for help and not for profiting,
but for shame and also for disgrace.”
Oracle regarding the Negev
6An oracle of the animals of the Negev:
Through a land of trouble and distress,
of lioness and lion,
among#Literally “from” them are snake and flying serpent;
they carry their wealth on the backs#Literally “shoulder” of male donkeys
and their treasures on the humps#Hebrew “hump” of camels,
to a people that cannot profit them.
7For#Or “And” Egyptians#Literally “Egypt” help with vanity and emptiness,
therefore I have called this one “Rahab, they are sitting.”
8Now go, write it on a tablet with them,
and inscribe it on a scroll,
that#Or “and” it may be for the time to come,#Literally “for last day”
forever, forever.
9For it is a people of rebellion, deceitful children,
children who are not willing to hear the instruction of Yahweh,
10who say to those who do see, “You must not see!”
and to the seers, “You must not see truth for us;
speak smooth things to us,
see illusions,
11turn aside from the way,
turn aside from the path,
put an end to the holy one of Israel from our face.”
12Therefore the holy one of Israel says this:
“Because you are rejecting this word
and you trust in oppression and cunning#Literally “going wrong”
and you rely on it,
13therefore this iniquity shall come for you like a breach about to fall,
bulging out on a high wall that breaks#Literally “whose breaking comes” suddenly, in an instant.
14And he breaks it like a vessel of a potter#Literally “someone who forms” breaks,
that is crushed; he has no compassion,
and no potsherd is found among its fragments#Hebrew “fragment” to take fire#Literally “for the taking away of fire” from the hearth,
or to skim#Literally “for the skimming off of” water from the cistern.”
15For the Lord Yahweh, the holy one of Israel, said this:
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
your strength shall be in quietness and in trust.”
But#Or “And” you were not willing, 16and you said,
“No! For we will flee on horses!”#Hebrew “horse” Therefore you shall flee!
And, “We will ride on swift horses!”#Hebrew “horse” Therefore your pursuers shall be swift!
17One thousand because of#Literally “from the face of” a threat of one,
because#Literally “from the face” of a threat of five you shall flee,
until you are left like a flagstaff on top#Literally “head” of a mountain,
and like a signal on a hill.
Yahweh Will Show Mercy
18Therefore Yahweh waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he will rise up to show you mercy,
for Yahweh is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
19For people will live in Zion;
in Jerusalem, you will surely not weep.
Surely he will be gracious to you;
when he hears the sound of your cry, he will answer you.
20And the Lord will give you the bread of distress
and the water of oppression,
but#Or “and” your teachers will not hide themselves#Hebrew “himself” any longer.
And your eyes shall see#Literally “be seeing” your teachers.
21And your ears shall hear a word from behind you, saying,
“this is the way; walk in it,”
when you go to your right
and when you go to your left.
22And you will defile the plating of your silver idols
and the covering of your gold image.
You will scatter them like contaminated things;#Hebrew “contaminated thing”
you will say to it, “Filth!”#Or “Get out!”
23And he will give rain for your seed with which you sow the ground,
and grain, the produce of the ground, and it will be rich and fertile.#Literally “fat”
On that day, your cattle will graze in broad pastures;#Hebrew “pasture”
24and the oxen and the donkeys that till#Or “tilling” the ground will eat fodder, sorrel
that has been winnowed with shovel and pitchfork.
25And there will be streams on every high mountain and elevated hill,
watercourses of water, on a day of great slaughter, when towers fall.
26And the light of the full 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 Yahweh binds up the breakage of his people,
and he heals the wound of his blow.
Judgment against Assyria
27Look! The name of Yahweh comes from afar,
burning with his anger and heaviness of cloud.
His lips are full of indignation,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire.
28And his breath is like an overflowing river;
it reaches up to the neck
to shake the nations with the sieve of worthlessness;
and a bridle that leads astray is on the jawbones of the peoples.
29You shall have a song#Literally “There shall be a song for you” as in the night when a holy festival is kept,
and a gladness of heart like one who goes with the flute,
to go to the mountain of Yahweh, to the rock of Israel.
30And Yahweh will cause the majesty of his voice to be heard,
and he will cause the descent of his arm to be seen,
in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire,
with a cloudburst and a rainstorm and stones#Hebrew “stone” of hail.
31Indeed, Assyria will be shattered by the voice of Yahweh;
he strikes with the rod.
32And every stroke of the staff of foundation#Some translations emend this to “discipline” that Yahweh lays will be on it with timbrels and lyres,
and he will fight against it#The reading tradition (Qere) has “them” with battles of brandishing.
33For Topheth has been prepared from yesterday;
indeed, it is made ready for the king.
He makes its pile of wood deep and wide;
he makes fire and wood abundant.#Literally “numerous”
The breath of Yahweh burns in it like a stream of sulfur.
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