Isaiah 30

1 “Woe to the sons of apostasy!” says the Lord. For you would take advice, but not from me. And you would begin to weave, but not by my spirit. Thus do you add sin upon sin!

“Woe to the rebellious children,” this is Yahweh's declaration. “They make plans, but not from me; they make alliances with other nations, but they were not directed by my Spirit, so they add sin to sin.

2 You are walking so as to descend into Egypt, and you have not sought answers from my mouth, instead hoping for assistance from the strength of Pharaoh and placing trust in the shadow of Egypt.

They set out to go down into Egypt, but have not asked for my direction. They seek protection from Pharaoh and take refuge in the shadow of Egypt.

3 And so, the strength of Pharaoh will be your confusion, and trust in the shadow of Egypt will be your disgrace.

Therefore Pharaoh's protection will be your shame, and the refuge in Egypt's shade, your humiliation,

4 For your leaders were at Tanis, and your messengers have traveled even as far as Hanes.

although their princes are at Zoan, and their messengers have come to Hanes.

5 They have all been confounded because of a people who were not able to offer profit to them, who were not of assistance, nor of other usefulness, except to offer confusion and reproach.

They will all be ashamed because of a people who cannot help them, who are neither help nor aid, but a shame, and even a disgrace.”

6 The burden of the beasts in the south. In a land of tribulation and anguish, from which go forth the lioness and the lion, the viper and the flying king snake, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of beasts of burden, and their valuables upon the humps of camels, to a people who are not able to offer profit to them.

A declaration about the beasts of the Negev: Through the land of trouble and danger, of the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the camels' humps, to a people who cannot help them.

7 For Egypt will offer assistance, but without purpose or success. Therefore, concerning this, I cried out: “It is only arrogance! Remain calm.”

For Egypt's help is worthless; therefore I have called her Rahab, who sits still.

8 Now, therefore, enter and write for them upon a tablet, and note it diligently in a book, and this shall be a testimony in the last days, and even unto eternity.

Now go, write it in their presence on a tablet, and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may be preserved for the time to come as a testimony.

9 For they are a people who provoke to wrath, and they are lying sons, sons unwilling to listen to the law of God.

For these are a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the instruction of Yahweh.

10 They say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to those who behold: “Do not behold for us the things that are right. Speak to us of pleasing things. See errors for us.

They say to the seers, “Do not see;” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy the truth to us; speak flattering words to us, prophesy illusions.

11 Take me from the way. Avert me from the path. Let the Holy One of Israel cease from before our face.”

Turn aside from the way, stray off the path; cause the Holy One of Israel to cease speaking before our face.”

12 Because of this, thus says the Holy One of Israel: Since you have rejected this word, and you have hoped in calumny and rebellion, and since you have depended upon these things,

Therefore the Holy One of Israel says, “Because you reject this word and trust in oppression and deceit and lean on it,

13 for this reason, this iniquity will be to you like a breach that has fallen, and like a gap in a high wall. For its destruction will happen suddenly, when it is not expected.

so this sin will be to you like a broken part ready to fall, like a bulge in a high wall whose fall will happen suddenly, in an instant.”

14 And it will be crushed, just as the earthen vessel of a potter is destroyed by a sharp blow. And not even a fragment of its earthenware will be found, which might carry a little fire from the hearth, or which might draw a little water from a hollow.

He will break it as a potter's vessel is broken; he will not spare it, so that there will not be found among its pieces a shard with which to scrape fire from the hearth, or to scoop up water out of the cistern.

15 For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: If you return and are quiet, you shall be saved. Your strength will be found in silence and in hope. But you are not willing!

For this is what the Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel says, “In returning and resting you will be saved; in quietness and in trust will be your strength. But you were not willing.

16 And you have said: “Never! Instead, we will flee by horseback.” For this reason, you will be put to flight. And you have said, “We will climb upon swift ones.” For this reason, those who pursue you will be even swifter.

You said, 'No, for we will flee on horses,' so you will flee; and, 'We will ride upon swift horses,' so those who pursue you will be swift.

17 A thousand men will flee in terror from the face of one, and you will flee in terror from the face of five, until you who have been left behind are like the mast of a ship at the top of a mountain, or like a sign on a hill.

One thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will flee until your remnant will be like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, or like a flag on a hill.”

18 Therefore, the Lord waits, so that he may take pity on you. And therefore, he will be exalted for sparing you. For the Lord is the God of judgment. Blessed are all those who wait for him.

Yet Yahweh is waiting to be gracious to you, therefore he is ready to show you mercy. For Yahweh is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

19 For the people of Zion will live in Jerusalem. Bitterly, you will not weep. Mercifully, he will take pity on you. At the voice of your outcry, as soon as he hears, he will respond to you.

For a people will live in Zion, in Jerusalem, and you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When he hears it, he will answer you.

20 And the Lord will give you thick bread and accessible water. And he will not cause your teacher to fly away from you anymore. And your eyes will behold your instructor.

Though Yahweh gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, even so, your teacher will not hide himself anymore, but you will see your teacher with your own eyes.

21 And your ears will listen to the word of one admonishing you behind your back: “This is the way! Walk in it! And do not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left.”

Your ears will hear a word behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

22 And you will defile the plates of your silver graven images and the vestment of your gold molten idols. And you will throw these things away like the uncleanness of a menstruating woman. You will say to it, “Go away!”

You will desecrate your carved figures overlaid with silver and your gold cast figures. You will throw them away like a menstrual rag. You will say to them, “Get out of here.”

23 And wherever you sow seed upon the earth, rain will be given to the seed. And bread from the grain of the earth will be very plentiful and full. In that day, the lamb will pasture in the spacious land of your possession.

He will give the rain for your seed when you sow the ground, and bread with abundance from the ground, and the crops will be abundant. In that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures.

24 And your bulls, and the colts of the donkeys that work the ground, will eat a mix of grains like that winnowed on the threshing floor.

The oxen and the donkeys, who plow the ground, will eat seasoned feed that has been winnowed with a shovel and a fork.

25 And there will be, on every lofty mountain, and on every elevated hill, rivers of running water, in the day of the slaughter of many, when the tower will fall.

On every high mountain and on every high hill, there will be flowing brooks and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter when the towers fall.

26 And 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, in the day when the Lord will bind the wound of his people, and when he will heal the stroke of their scourge.

The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the sunlight of seven days. Yahweh will bind up the breaking of his people and heal the bruises of his wounding them.

27 Behold, the name of the Lord arrives from far away. His fury is burning and heavy to bear. His lips have been filled with indignation, and his tongue is like a devouring fire.

Look, the name of Yahweh comes from a distant place, burning with his anger and in dense smoke. His lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a devouring fire.

28 His Spirit is like a torrent, inundating, even as high as the middle of the neck, in order to reduce the nations to nothing, along with the bridle of error that was in the jaws of the people.

His breath is like an overflowing torrent that reaches up to the middle of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction. His breath is a bridle in the jaws of the peoples to cause them to wander away.

29 There will be a song for you, as in the night of a sanctified solemnity, and a joy of heart, as when one travels with music to arrive at the mountain of the Lord, to the Strong One of Israel.

You will have a song as in the night when a holy feast is observed, and gladness of heart, as when one goes with a flute to the mountain of Yahweh, to the Rock of Israel.

30 And the Lord will cause the glory of his voice to be heard, and, with a threatening fury and a devouring flame of fire, he will reveal the terror of his arm. He will crush with the whirlwind and with hailstones.

Yahweh will make the splendor of his voice heard and show the motion of his arm in storming anger and flames of fire, with windstorm, rainstorm, and hailstones.

31 For at the voice of the Lord, Assur will dread being struck with the staff.

For at the voice of Yahweh, Assyria will be shattered; he will strike them with a staff.

32 And when the passage of the staff has been begun, the Lord will cause it to rest upon him, with timbrels and harps. And with special battles, he will fight against them.

Every stroke of the appointed rod that Yahweh will lay on them will be accompanied with the music of tambourines and harps as he battles and fights with them.

33 For a burning place, deep and wide, has been prepared from yesterday, prepared by the King. Its nourishment is fire and much wood. The breath of the Lord, like a torrent of brimstone, kindles it.

For a place of burning was prepared long ago. Indeed, it is prepared for the king, and God has made it deep and wide. The pile is ready with a fire and much wood. The breath of Yahweh, like a stream of brimstone, will set it on fire.