Isaiah 30

1 Woe [to] apostate sons, The affirmation of Jehovah! 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.

Woe to the rebellious children, saith Jehovah, Who form plans, and not from me, And make covenants without my spirit, That they may add sin to sin!

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

Who go down into Egypt, Without inquiring at my mouth, To seek refuge in Pharaoh's protection, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

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

The protection of Pharaoh shall be your shame; Your trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

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

For their princes are at Zoan, Their ambassadors have arrived at Hanes.

5 All he made ashamed of a people that profit not, Neither for help, not for profit, But for shame, and also for reproach!

But they are all ashamed of a people that do not profit them; That are no help and no profit, But only a shame and a reproach.

6 The burden of the beasts of the south. Into a land of adversity and distress, Of young lion and of old lion, Whence [are] viper and flying saraph, They carry on the shoulder of asses their wealth, And on the hump of camels their treasures, Unto a people not profitable.

The loaded beasts go southward. Through a land of anguish and distress, Whence come forth the lioness, and the fierce lion, The viper, and the flying fiery serpent; On the shoulders of young asses they carry their wealth, And on the bunches of camels their treasures, To a people that will not profit them!

7 Yea, Egyptians [are] vanity, and in vain do help, Therefore I have cried concerning this: 'Their strength [is] to sit still.'

Vain and empty is the help of Egypt; Wherefore I call her, The Blusterer that sitteth still.

8 No, go in, write it on a tablet with them, And on a book engrave it, And it is for a latter day, for a witness unto the age,

Go now, write this on a tablet before them; Note it down upon a book, That it may remain for future times, A testimony forever!

9 That a rebellious people [is] this, sons — liars, Sons not willing to hear the law of Jehovah.

For this is a rebellious people, false children; Children who will not hear the law of Jehovah;

10 Who have said to seers, 'Ye do not see,' And to prophets, 'Ye do not prophesy to us Straightforward things, Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits,

Who say to the seers, “See not!” And to the prophets, “Prophesy not right things; Speak to us smooth things, Prophesy falsehood!

11 Turn aside from the way, decline from the path, Cause to cease from before us the Holy One of Israel.'

Turn aside from the way, Depart from the path, Remove from our sight the Holy One of Israel!”

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

Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel: Since ye despise this word, And trust in oppression and perverseness, And lean thereon,

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

Therefore shall this iniquity be to you Like a breach ready to give way, That swelleth out in a high wall, Whose fall cometh suddenly, in an instant.

14 And He hath broken it As the breaking of the potters' bottle, Beaten down — He doth 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.

It is broken like a potter's vessel, Which is dashed in pieces and not spared, So that among its fragments not a sherd is found to take up fire from the hearth, Or to dip water from the cistern.

15 For thus said the Lord Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel: 'In returning and rest ye are saved, In keeping quiet and in confidence is your might, And ye have not been willing.

For thus said the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel: By a return and by rest shall ye be saved; In quietness and confidence is your strength;

16 And ye say, No, for on a horse we flee? Therefore ye flee, And on the swift we ride! Therefore swift are your pursuers.

But ye would not. Ye said, “No! we will bound along upon horses”; Truly ye shall bound along in flight. “We will ride upon swift coursers”; But they shall be swift that pursue you.

17 One thousand because of the rebuke of one, Because of the rebuke of five ye flee, Till ye have been surely left as a pole On the top of the mountain, And as an ensign on the height.

A thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one, And ten thousand at the rebuke of five, Till what remains of you shall be as a beacon on the top of a mountain, As a banner upon a hill.

18 And therefore doth wait Jehovah to favour you, And therefore He is exalted to pity you, For a God of judgment [is] Jehovah, O the blessedness of all waiting for Him.

And yet will Jehovah wait to be gracious to you, And yet will he arise to have mercy upon you; For Jehovah is a righteous God; Happy are all they who wait for him!

19 For the people in Zion dwell in Jerusalem, Weep thou not, weeping, Pitying, He pitieth thee at the voice of thy cry, When He heareth He answereth thee.

For, O people of Zion, that dwellest in Jerusalem, Thou shalt not always weep! He will be very gracious to thee at the voice of thy cry; No sooner shall he hear it, than he will answer thee.

20 And the Lord hath given to you bread of adversity, And water of oppression. And thy directors remove no more, And thine eyes have seen thy directors,

Though Jehovah hath given thee the bread of distress, and the water of affliction, Yet shall thy teachers be hidden from thee no more; But thine eyes shall see thy teachers.

21 And thine ear heareth a word behind thee, Saying, 'This [is] the way, go ye in it,' When ye turn to the right, And when ye turn to the left.

And thine ears shall hear a voice behind thee, Saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it!” When ye turn aside to the right hand, or to the left.

22 And ye have defiled the covering of Thy graven images of silver, And the ephod of thy molten image of gold, Thou scatterest them as a sickening thing, 'Go out,' thou sayest to it.

Ye shall treat as defiled the silver coverings of your graven images, And the golden clothing of your molten images, Ye shall cast them away as an unclean thing; Away! shall ye say to them.

23 And He hath given rain [for] thy seed, With which thou dost sow the ground, And bread, the increase of the ground, And it hath been fat and plenteous, Enjoy do thy cattle in that day an enlarged pasture.

Then will he give rain for thy seed, With which thou shalt sow the ground, And the bread-corn, the produce of the land, shall be rich and nourishing; Then shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.

24 And the oxen and the young asses serving the ground, Fermented provender do eat, That one is winnowing with shovel and fan.

The oxen also, and the young asses, that till the ground, Shall eat well-seasoned provender, Which hath been winnowed with the shovel and the fan.

25 And there hath been on every high mount, And on every exalted hill, Rivulets — streams of waters, In a day of much slaughter, in the falling of towers.

And on every lofty mountain, And on every high hill, Shall be brooks and streams of water, In the day of the great slaughter, When the towers fall.

26 And the light of the moon hath 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 Jehovah's binding up the breach of His people, When the stroke of its wound He healeth.

Then shall the light of the moon be as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, [[As the light of seven days, ]] When Jehovah bindeth up the bruises of his people, And healeth the wound which they have received.

27 Lo, the name of Jehovah is coming from far, Burning is His anger, and great the flame, His lips have been full of indignation, And His tongue [is] as a devouring fire.

Behold, the name of Jehovah cometh from afar, His anger burneth, and violent is the flame, His lips are full of indignation, And his tongue like a devouring fire.

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

His breath is like an overflowing torrent, That reacheth even to the neck; He will toss the nation with the winnowing-fan of destruction; He will put a bridle upon the jaws of the people, that shall lead them astray.

29 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 in to the mountain of Jehovah, Unto the rock of Israel.

But ye shall then sing as in the night of a solemn festival; Your heart shall be glad, like his who marcheth with the sound of the pipe To the mountain of Jehovah, to the rock of Israel.

30 And caused to be heard hath Jehovah The honour of His voice, And the coming down of His arm He doth shew with the raging of anger, And the flame of a consuming fire, Scattering, and inundation, and hailstone.

Jehovah will cause his glorious voice to be heard, And the blow of his arm to be seen, With furious anger, and flames of devouring fire; With flood, and storm, and hailstones.

31 For from the voice of Jehovah broken down [is] Asshur, With a rod He smiteth.

For by the voice of Jehovah shall the Assyrian be beaten down; He will smite him with the rod.

32 And every passage of the settled staff, That Jehovah causeth to rest on him, Hath been with tabrets, and with harps, And in battles of shaking he hath fought with it.

And as often as the appointed rod shall strike, Which Jehovah shall lay heavily upon him, It shall be accompanied with tabrets and harps; And with fierce battles will he fight against him.

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

For long hath the burning place been prepared; Yea, for the king hath it been made ready; The pile is made deep and broad; There is fire and wood in abundance; The breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, kindle it.