Isaiah 30

1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not from me; and that set themselves a ruler, but not by my spirit, in order that they may add sin to sin:

Woe to the apostate children, says the Lord: you have framed counsel, not by me, and covenants not by my Spirit, to add sins to sins:

2 That travel to go down into Egypt, and have not asked my will; to strengthen themselves through the strength of Pharaoh, and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!

[even] they that proceed to go down into Egypt, but they have not enquired of me, that they might be helped by Pharao, and protected by the Egyptians.

3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh become your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt your disgrace.

For the protection of Pharaoh shall be to you a disgrace, and [there shall be] a reproach to them that trust in Egypt.

4 For his princes were at Zo'an, and his ambassadors had reached Chanes.

For there are princes in Tanes, evil messengers.

5 They all are ashamed because of a people that cannot profit them, neither be a help nor give profit; but [bringeth] shame, and also a reproach.

In vain shall they labor [in seeking] to a people, which shall not profit them for help, but [shall be] for a shame and reproach.

6 The doom of the beasts of the south: Through the land of trouble and anguish, whence come the lioness and the lion, the viper and flying dragons, they will carry upon the shoulders of young asses their riches, and upon the humps of camels their treasures, to a people that cannot profit.

THE VISION OF THE QUADRUPEDS IN THE DESERT. In affliction and distress, [where are] the lion and lion's whelp, thence [come] also asps, and the young of flying asps, [there shall they be] who bore their wealth on asses and camels to a nation which shall not profit them.

7 And the Egyptians will help in vain, and to no purpose; therefore have I called this, Boasters they are in sitting still.

The Egyptians shall help you utterly in vain: tell them, This your consolation is vain.

8 Now go, write it before them on a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the latest time to come, for ever, and to eternity:

Now then sit down and write these words on a tablet, and in a book; for these things shall be for [many long] days, and even for ever.

9 For this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord:

For the people is disobedient, false children, who would not hear the law of God:

10 Who have said to the seers, Ye shall not see; and to the prophets, Reveal not unto us true things, speak unto us smooth things, reveal deceits;

who say to the prophets, Report not to us; and to them that see visions, Speak [them] not to us, but speak and report to us another error;

11 Depart you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, remove from before us the Holy One of Israel.

and turn us aside from this way; remove from us this path, and remove from us the oracle of Israel.

12 Therefore thus hath said the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and lean thereon for aid:

Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because you have refused to obey these words, and have trusted in falsehood; and because you have murmured, and been confident in this respect:

13 Therefore shall this iniquity be to you as a threatening breach, swelling out in a high-towering wall, the fall of which will come unawares, suddenly.

therefore shall this sin be to you as a wall suddenly falling when a strong city has been taken, of which the fall is very near at hand.

14 And he will break it, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, dashing it in pieces without sparing it; so that there cannot be found among its fragments a sherd to rake fire from a hearth and to draw water from a pit.

And the fall thereof shall be as the breaking of an earthen vessel, [as] small fragments of a pitcher, so that you should not find among them a sherd, with which you might take up fire, and with which you should draw a little water.

15 For thus hath said the Lord Eternal, the Holy One of Israel, In repose and rest shall ye be helped; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength; and ye would not.

Thus says the Lord, the Holy Lord of Israel; When you shall turn and mourn, then you shall be saved; and you shall know where you were, when you did trust in vanities: [then] your strength became vain, yet you would not listen:

16 And ye said, “No; for upon horses will we flee;” therefore shall ye flee: and, “Upon swift beasts will we ride;” therefore shall your pursuers be swift.

but you said, We will flee upon horses; therefore shall you flee: and, We will be aided by swift riders; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.

17 One thousand [shall flee] at the threatening of one; at the threatening of five shall ye [all] flee: till ye be left as a pole upon a mountain-top, and as an ensign on a hill.

A thousand shall flee because of the voice of one, and many shall flee on account of the voice of five; until you be left as a signal-post upon a mountain, and as one bearing an ensign upon a hill.

18 And therefore will the Lord wait, to be gracious unto you, and therefore will he exalt himself, to have mercy upon you; for a God of justice is the Lord: happy are all those that wait for him.

And the Lord will again wait, that he may pity you, and will therefore be exalted that he may have mercy upon you: because the Lord your God is a judge: blessed are they that stay themselves upon him.

19 For O people of Zion that shall dwell at Jerusalem! thou shalt indeed not weep: he will be surely gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; so soon as he heareth it, he answereth thee.

For the holy people shall dwell in Sion: and [whereas] Jerusalem has wept bitterly, [saying], Pity me; he shall pity you: when he perceived the voice of your cry, he listened to you.

20 And the Lord will give you bread [in] adversity, and water [in] oppression; and thy teachers shall not have to hide themselves in a corner any more, but thy eyes shall see thy teachers:

And [though] the Lord shall give you the bread of affliction and scant water, yet they that cause you to err shall no more at all draw near to you; for your eyes shall see those that cause you to err,

21 And thy ears shall hear the 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.

and your ears shall hear the words of them that went after you to lead you astray, who say, This [is] the way, let us walk in it, whether to the right or to the left.

22 And ye will regard as unclean the covering of thy graven idols of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou wilt cast them away as a filthy thing; “Get thee hence,” wilt thou say unto them.

And you shall pollute the plated idols, and you shall grind to powder the gilt ones, and shall scatter them as the water of a removed [woman], and you shall thrust them forth as dung.

23 Then will he give the rain for thy seed, that thou mayest sow in the ground; and bread—the produce of the ground—this shall be fat and nutritious: thy cattle shall feed on that day in extensive pastures.

Then shall there be rain to the seed of your land; and the bread of the fruit of your land shall be plenteous and rich: and your cattle shall feed in that day in a fertile and spacious place.

24 The oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground shall eat salted provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

Your bulls and your oxen that till the ground, shall eat chaff mixed with winnowed barley.

25 And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every prominent hill, rivulets, streams of waters on the day of the great slaughter, when towers fall.

And there shall be upon every lofty mountain and upon every high hill, water running in that day, when many shall perish, and when the towers shall fall.

26 And 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 the seven days, on the day that the Lord bindeth up the broken [limbs] of his people, and healeth the bruise of their wound.

And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold in the day when the Lord shall heal the breach of his people, and shall heal the pain of your wound.

27 Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from afar, burning is his anger, and heavy the smoke; his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is like a devouring fire;

Behold, the name of the Lord comes after a [long] time, burning wrath: the word of his lips is with glory, a word full of anger, and the anger of his wrath shall devour as fire.

28 And his breath, like an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to toss the nations with the van of falsehood: and [to place] a deceiving bridle on the jaws of the people.

And his breath, as rushing water in a valley, shall reach as far as the neck, and be divided, to confound the nations for [their] vain error: error also shall pursue them, and overtake them.

29 [Then] shall ye have a song, as in the night when a festival is ushered in, and joy of heart, as when one goeth with the flute to come unto the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.

Must you always rejoice, and go into my holy places continually, as they that keep a feast? and must you go with a pipe, as those that rejoice, into the mountain of the Lord, to the God of Israel?

30 And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard, and will show the stretching down of his arm, in the indignation of [his] anger, and in the flame of a devouring fire, in flood, and tempest, and stones of hail.

And the Lord shall make his glorious voice to be heard, and the wrath of his arm, to make a display with wrath and anger and devouring flame: he shall lighten terribly, and [his wrath shall be] as water and violent hail.

31 For because of the voice of the Lord shall be terrified Asshur, that smote [you] with the rod.

For by the voice of the Lord the Assyrians shall be overcome, [even] by the stroke wherewith he shall strike them.

32 And at every passage of the appointed staff which the Lord will let fall on him, there shall be [music] on tambourine and harp; and in the tumult of battles will he fight with them.

And it shall happen to him from every side, [that] they from whom their hope of assistance was, in which he trusted, themselves shall war against him in turn with drums and with harp.

33 For already of old is Topheth made ready; also this is prepared for the king—deep and wide; its pile hath fire and wood in plenty, the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, will kindle it into a flame.

For you shall be required before [your] time: has it been prepared for you also to reign? nay, God has [prepared for you] a deep trench, wood piled, fire and much wood: the wrath of the Lord [shall be] as a trench kindled with sulphur.