Isaiah 30

1 “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.

Woe [to] apostate sons, A declaration of YHWH! To do counsel, and not from Me, And to spread out a covering, and not of My Spirit, So as to add sin to sin.

2 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.

Who are walking to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My mouth, To be strong in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt.

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

And the strength of Pharaoh Has been to you for shame, And the trust in the shadow of Egypt confusion,

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

For his princes were in Zoan, And his messengers reach Hanes.

5 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.”

He made all ashamed of a people that do not profit, Not for help, and not for profit, But for shame, and also for reproach!

6 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.

The burden of the beasts of the south. Into a land of adversity and distress, Of young lion and of old lion, From where [are] viper and flying, burning serpent, They carry their wealth on the shoulder of donkeys, And their treasures on the hump of camels, To a people not profitable.

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

Indeed, Egyptians [are] vanity, and help in vain, Therefore I have cried concerning this: “Their strength [is] to sit still.”

8 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.

No, go in, write it on a tablet with them, And inscribe it on a scroll, And it is for a latter day, for a witness for all time,

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

That this [is] a people of rebellion, sons—liars, Sons not willing to hear the Law of YHWH.

10 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.

Who have said to seers, “Do not see,” And to prophets, “Do not prophesy to us straightforward things, Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits,

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

Turn aside from the way, Decline from the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel To cease from before us.”

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

Therefore, thus said the Holy One of Israel: “Because of your kicking against this word, And you trust in oppression, And perverseness, and rely on it,

13 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.”

Therefore this iniquity is to you as a breach falling, Swelled out in a wall set on high, Whose destruction comes suddenly, in an instant.

14 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.

And He has broken it As the breaking of the potters’ bottle, Beaten down—He does not spare, Nor is there found, in its beating down, A potsherd to take fire from the burning, And to draw out waters from a ditch.”

15 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.

For thus said Lord YHWH, The Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you are saved, In keeping quiet and in confidence is your might,” And you have not been willing.

16 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.

And you say, “No, for we flee on a horse,” Therefore you flee, And, “We ride on the swift!” Therefore your pursuers are swift.

17 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.”

One thousand [flee] because of the rebuke of one, Because of the rebuke of five you flee, Until you have surely been left as a pole On the top of the mountain, And as an ensign on the height.

18 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.

And therefore YHWH waits to favor you, And therefore He is exalted to pity you, For YHWH [is] a God of judgment, O the blessedness of all waiting for Him.

19 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.

For the people in Zion dwell in Jerusalem, Do not weep—weeping, Pitying, He pities you at the voice of your cry, When He hears He answers you.

20 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.

And the Lord has given to you bread of adversity, And water of oppression. And your teachers remove no longer, And your eyes have seen your teachers,

21 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.

And your ear hears a word behind you, saying, “This [is] the way, go in it,” When you turn to the right, And when you turn to the left.

22 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.”

And you have defiled the covering of Your carved images of silver, And the ephod of your molten image of gold, You scatter them as a sickening thing, “Go out,” you say to it.

23 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.

And He has given rain [for] your seed, With which you sow the ground, And bread, the increase of the ground, And it has been fat and plentiful, Your livestock enjoy an enlarged pasture in that day.

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

And the oxen and the young donkeys serving the ground, Eat fermented provender, That one is winnowing with shovel and fan.

25 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.

And there has been on every high mountain, And on every exalted hill, Streams—conduits of waters, In a day of much slaughter, in the falling of towers.

26 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.

And the light of the moon has been as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun is sevenfold, As the light of seven days, In the day of YHWH’s binding up the breach of His people, When He heals the stroke of its wound.

27 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.

Behold, the Name of YHWH is coming from far, His anger is burning, and the flame [is] great, His lips have been full of indignation, And His tongue [is] as a devouring fire.

28 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.

And His breath [is] as an overflowing stream, It divides to the neck, To sift nations with a sieve of vanity, And a bridle causing to err, [Is] on the jaws of the peoples.

29 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.

Singing is to you as in a night sanctified for a festival, And joy of heart as he who is going with a pipe, To go to the mountain of YHWH, To the rock of Israel.

30 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.

And YHWH has caused The splendor of His voice to be heard, And the coming down of His arm He shows with the raging of anger, And the flame of a consuming fire, Scattering, and inundation, and hailstone.

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

For from the voice of YHWH Asshur [is] broken down, He strikes with a rod.

32 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.

And every passage of the settled staff, That YHWH causes to rest on him, Has been with tambourines and with harps, And in battles of shaking He has fought with it.

33 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.

For Tophet is arranged from former time, Even it is prepared for the king, He has made deep, He has made large, Its pile [is] fire and much wood, The breath of YHWH, As a stream of brimstone, is burning in it!