Esias 30

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

Woe to the rebellious sons, says Jehovah, who take counsel, but not of me, and who make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin,

2 [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.

who set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt!

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

Therefore the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

4 For there are princes in Tanes, evil messengers.

For their rulers are at Zoan, and their ambassadors have come to Hanes.

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

They shall all be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them, who are not a help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.

6 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.

The burden of the beasts of the South. Through the land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of young donkeys, and their treasures upon the humps of camels, to a people who shall not profit them.

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

For Egypt helps in vain, and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab who sits still.

8 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.

Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may be for the time to come forever and ever.

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

For it is a rebellious people, lying sons, sons who will not hear the law of Jehovah,

10 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;

who say to the seers, Do not see, and to the prophets, Do not prophesy to us right things. Speak to us smooth things. Prophesy deceits.

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

Get you out of the way. Turn aside out of the path. Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

12 Therefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye have refused to obey these words, and have trusted in falsehood; and because thou hast murmured, and been confident in this respect:

Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely on it,

13 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.

therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant.

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

And he shall break it as a potter's vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing, so that there shall not be found among the pieces of it a shard with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.

15 Thus saith the Lord, the Holy Lord of Israel; When thou shalt turn and mourn, then thou shalt be saved; and thou shalt know where thou wast, when thou didst trust in vanities: [then] your strength became vain, yet ye would not hearken:

For thus said the lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, Ye shall be saved in returning and rest. Your strength shall be in quietness and in confidence. And ye would not,

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

but ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses. Therefore ye shall flee. And ye said, We will ride upon the swift. Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.

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

One thousand shall flee at the threat of one. Ye shall flee at the threat of five, till ye are left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.

18 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.

And therefore Jehovah will wait, that he may be gracious to you. And therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you, for Jehovah is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him.

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

For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem. Thou shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to thee at the voice of thy cry. When he shall hear, he will answer thee.

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

And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet thy teachers shall not be hidden anymore, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers.

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

And thine ears shall hear a 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.

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

And ye shall defile the overlaying of thy graven images of silver, and the plating of thy molten images of gold. Thou shall cast them away as an unclean thing. Thou shall say to it, Get thee away.

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

And he will give the rain for thy seed, with which thou shall sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be fat and plenteous. In that day thy cattle shall feed in large pastures.

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

Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that till the ground shall eat savory provender, which has been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork.

25 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.

And there shall be upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers 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 in the day when the Lord shall heal the breach of his people, and shall heal the pain of thy wound.

Moreover 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 seven days, in the day that Jehovah binds up the hurt of his people, and heals the stroke of their wound.

27 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.

Behold, the name of Jehovah comes from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke. His lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire,

28 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.

and his breath is as an overflowing stream that reaches even to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction. And a bridle that causes to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples.

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

Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as he who goes with a pipe to come to the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel.

30 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.

And Jehovah will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and will show the coming down of his arm with the indignation of his anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, with a blast and tempest and hailstones.

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

For through the voice of Jehovah the Assyrian shall be dismayed. With his rod he will smite him.

32 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.

And every stroke of the appointed staff, which Jehovah shall lay upon him, shall be with the sound of tambourine and harps. And he will fight with them in battles with the brandishing of his arm.

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

For a Topheth is prepared of old, yea, it is made ready for the king. He has made it deep and large. The pile of it is fire and much wood. The breath of Jehovah kindles it, like a stream of brimstone.