Isaiah 31
1 Woe [to] those going down to Egypt for help, And on horses lean, And trust on chariots, because many, And on horsemen, because very strong, And have not looked on the Holy One of Israel, And Jehovah have not sought.
Tragedy is coming to those who appeal to Egypt for help, depending on their horses and trusting in all their chariots and charioteers! They don't look to the Holy One of Israel for help; they don't ask the Lord for advice.
2 And He also [is] wise, and bringeth in evil, And His words He hath not turned aside, And He hath risen against a house of evil doers, And against the help of workers of iniquity.
Yet he's also wise! He will bring disaster and won't withdraw his orders. He will take action against this wicked nation and the evil people who help them.
3 And the Egyptians [are men], and not God, And their horses [are] flesh, and not spirit, And Jehovah stretcheth out His hand, And stumbled hath the helper, And fallen hath the helped one, And together all of them are consumed.
The Egyptians are only human beings—they're not God! Their horses are only physical, not spiritual. When the Lord lifts up his hand to attack, those who came to help will stumble, and those who are helped will fall. They will all die together.
4 For thus said Jehovah unto me: 'As growl doth the lion and the young lion over his prey, Called against whom is a multitude of shepherds, From their voice he is not affrighted, And from their noise he is not humbled; So come down doth Jehovah of Hosts To war on mount Zion, and on her height.
This is what the Lord told me: It's like a young lion growling as it stands over its prey. Even though a lot of shepherds come to protest, it's not frightened off by their shouting or intimidated by all their noise. In the same way the Lord Almighty will come down to fight on Mount Zion.
5 As birds flying, so doth Jehovah of Hosts Cover over Jerusalem, covering and delivering, Passing over, and causing to escape.'
Like birds that hover above, so the Lord Almighty will take care of Jerusalem. He will protect it and save it; he will pass over it and rescue it.
6 Turn back to Him from whom sons of Israel Have deepened apostasy.
Come back, Israelites, to the one you so blatantly rebelled against.
7 For in that day despise doth each His idols of silver, and his idols of gold, That your hands made to you — a sin.
For at that time every one of you will throw away all the idols of silver and gold made by your own sinful hands.
8 And fallen hath Asshur by sword, not of the high, Yea, a sword — not of the low, doth consume him, And he hath fled for himself from the face of a sword, And his young men become tributary.
The Assyrians will be killed by the sword of one who is not a man. They will destroyed by the sword of one who is not mortal. They will run away at the sight of the sword, and the young Assyrian men will be taken away as slave laborers.
9 And [to] his rock from fear he passeth on, And affrighted by the ensign have been his princes — an affirmation of Jehovah, Who hath a light in Zion, And who hath a furnace in Jerusalem!
Their “rock” will be scared to death, and their officers will be terrified and in panic at the sight of the battle flag, declares the Lord, who has his fire in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.
