Isaiah 31
1 Woe [to] those going down to Egypt for help, And [who] lean on horses, And trust on chariots, because [they are] many, And on horsemen, because [they are] very strong, And have not looked on the Holy One of Israel, And have not sought YHWH.
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and lean on horses, and trust in chariots (for they are many) and in horsemen (for they are countless). But they are not concerned about the Holy One of Israel, nor do they seek Yahweh!
2 And He [is] also wise, and brings in evil, And He has not turned aside His words, And He has risen against a house of evildoers, And against the help of workers of iniquity.
Yet he is wise, and he will bring disaster and will not retract his words. He will arise against the evil house and against the helpers of those who commit sin.
3 And the Egyptians [are men], and not God, And their horses [are] flesh, and not spirit, And YHWH stretches out His hand, And the helper has stumbled, And the helped one has fallen, And together all of them are consumed.
Egypt is a man and not God, their horses flesh and not spirit. When Yahweh reaches out with his hand, both the one who helps will stumble, and the one who is helped will fall; both will perish together.
4 For thus said YHWH to me: “As the lion and the young lion growl over his prey, Against whom a multitude of shepherds is called, He is not frightened from their voice, And he is not humbled from their noise; So YHWH of Hosts comes down To war on Mount Zion, and on her height.
This is what Yahweh says to me, “As a lion, even a young lion, growls over its torn prey, when a group of shepherds is called out against it, but it does not tremble at their voices, nor creep away from their sound; thus Yahweh of hosts will descend to fight on Mount Zion, on that hill.
5 As birds flying, so does YHWH of Hosts Cover over Jerusalem, covering and delivering, Passing over, and causing to escape.”
Like birds in flight, so Yahweh of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and rescue as he passes over it and preserves it.
6 Turn back to Him from whom sons of Israel Have deepened apostasy.
Return to him from whom you have deeply turned away, people of Israel.
7 For in that day each despises His idols of silver, and his idols of gold, That your hands made to you—a sin.
For in that day each one will get rid of his idols of silver and his idols of gold that your own hands have sinfully made.
8 And Asshur has fallen by sword, not of the high, Indeed, a sword—not of the low, consumes him, And he has fled for himself from the face of a sword, And his young men become tributary.
Assyria will fall by the sword; a sword not wielded by man will consume him. He will flee from the sword, and his young men will be forced to do hard labor.
9 And he passes on [to] his rock from fear, And his princes have been frightened by the ensign—a declaration of YHWH, Who has a light in Zion, And who has a furnace in Jerusalem!
They will lose all confidence because of terror, and his princes will be afraid at the sight of Yahweh's battle flag— this is Yahweh's declaration—whose fire is in Zion and whose firepot is in Jerusalem.”
