Isaiah 30
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Condemnation of the Egyptian Alliance
30 Woe to the rebellious children!(A)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
They carry out a plan,(B) but not Mine;
they make an alliance,
but against My will,
piling sin on top of sin.
2 They set out to go down to Egypt(C)
without asking My advice,
in order to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection
and take refuge in Egypt’s shadow.(D)
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame,
and refuge in Egypt’s shadow your disgrace.(E)
4 For though his[a] princes are at Zoan(F)
and his messengers reach as far as Hanes,
5 everyone will be ashamed
because of a people who can’t help.
They are of no benefit, they are no help;
they are good for nothing but shame and reproach.(G)
6 An oracle(H) about the animals of the Negev:[b]
Through a land of trouble and distress,
of lioness and lion,
of viper and flying serpent,(I)
they carry their wealth on the backs of donkeys
and their treasures on the humps of camels,
to a people who will not help them.
7 Egypt’s help is completely worthless;
therefore, I call her:
Rahab Who Just Sits.(J)
8 Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence
and inscribe it on a scroll;
it will be for the future,
forever and ever.
9 They are a rebellious people,
deceptive children,(K)
children who do not want to obey the Lord’s instruction.
10 They say to the seers, “Do not see,”
and to the prophets,
“Do not prophesy the truth to us.
Tell us flattering things.(L)
Prophesy illusions.
11 Get out of the way!
Leave the pathway.
Rid us of the Holy One of Israel.”(M)
12 Therefore the Holy One of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message
and have trusted in oppression and deceit,
and have depended on them,
13 this iniquity(N) of yours will be
like a spreading breach,
a bulge in a high wall
whose collapse will come in an instant—suddenly!
14 Its collapse will be like the shattering
of a potter’s jar,(O) crushed to pieces,
so that not even a fragment of pottery
will be found among its shattered remains—
no fragment large enough to take fire from a hearth
or scoop water from a cistern.”
15 For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said:
“You will be delivered by returning and resting;
your strength will lie in quiet confidence.
But you are not willing.”
16 You say, “No!
We will escape on horses”—
therefore you will escape!—
and, “We will ride on fast horses”—
but those who pursue you will be faster.(P)
17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one,(Q)
at the threat of five you will flee,
until you alone remain
like a solitary pole on a mountaintop
or a banner on a hill.
The Lord’s Mercy to Israel
18 Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy,
and is rising up to show you compassion,(R)
for the Lord is a just God.
All who wait patiently for Him are happy.
19 For you people will live on Zion in Jerusalem and will never cry again. He will show favor to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears, He will answer you. 20 The Lord will give you meager bread and water during oppression,(S) but your Teacher[c] will not hide Himself[d] any longer. Your eyes will see your Teacher,[e] 21 and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”(T) 22 Then you will defile your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away like menstrual cloths, and call them filth.
23 Then He will send rain for your seed that you have sown in the ground, and the food, the produce of the ground, will be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle will graze in open pastures.(U) 24 The oxen and donkeys that work the ground will eat salted fodder scattered with winnowing shovel(V) and fork. 25 Streams flowing with water will be on every high mountain and every raised hill on the day of great slaughter when the towers fall. 26 The moonlight will be as bright as the sunlight, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter(W)—like the light of seven days—on the day(X) that the Lord bandages His people’s injuries and heals the wounds He inflicted.(Y)
Annihilation of the Assyrians
27 Look, Yahweh[f] comes from far away,
His anger burning and heavy with smoke.[g]
His lips are full of fury,
and His tongue is like a consuming fire.
28 His breath is like an overflowing torrent(Z)
that rises to the neck.(AA)
He comes to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction
and to put a bridle on the jaws of the peoples
to lead them astray.(AB)
29 Your singing will be like that
on the night of a holy festival,
and your heart will rejoice
like one who walks to the music of a flute,
going up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Rock of Israel.(AC)
30 And the Lord will make the splendor of His voice heard
and reveal His arm(AD) striking in angry wrath
and a flame of consuming fire,
in driving rain, a torrent, and hailstones.
31 Assyria will be shattered by the voice of the Lord.
He will strike with a rod.
32 And every stroke of the appointed[h] staff
that the Lord brings down on him
will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres;
He will fight against him with brandished weapons.
33 Indeed! Topheth has been ready(AE)
for the king for a long time now.
Its funeral pyre is deep and wide,
with plenty of fire and wood.
The breath of the Lord,(AF) like a torrent of brimstone,
kindles it.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 30:4 Or Judah’s
- Isaiah 30:6 Or Southland
- Isaiah 30:20 Or teachers
- Isaiah 30:20 Or themselves
- Isaiah 30:20 Or teachers
- Isaiah 30:27 Lit the name Yahweh
- Isaiah 30:27 Hb obscure
- Isaiah 30:32 Some Hb mss read punishing
Isaiah 30
Complete Jewish Bible
30 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says Adonai.
“They make plans, but the plans are not mine;
they develop alliances, but not from my Spirit,
in order to pile sin upon sin.
2 They go down to Egypt but don’t consult me,
seeking refuge in Pharaoh’s protection,
seeking shelter in Egypt’s shadow.
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you shame,
shelter in Egypt’s shadow will lead to disgrace.
4 Though his princes are at Tzo‘an,
and his envoys have reached Hannes,
5 they all are disappointed
with a people that doesn’t help them,
who give no assistance and no advantage,
only disappointment and disgrace.”
6 A prophecy about the animals in the Negev:
In a land of trouble and anguish,
of lionesses and roaring lions,
of vipers and poisonous flying serpents,
they carry their riches on donkeys’ backs
and their treasures on camels’ humps
to a people who will not help them.
7 For Egypt’s help is worthless, pointless;
so I call her “Arrogance Doing Nothing.”
8 Now go, inscribe it on a tablet,
write it for them in a scroll,
so that on the final day it will be
a witness forever and ever.
9 For this is a rebellious people;
they are lying children,
children who refuse to hear
the Torah of Adonai.
10 They say to the seers, “Do not see!”
to those who have visions, “Do not tell us
the visions you have as they really are;
but flatter us, fabricate illusions!
11 Get out of the way! Leave the path!
Rid us of the Holy One of Isra’el!”
12 Therefore here is what the Holy One of Isra’el says:
“Because you reject this word,
trust in extortion and rely on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
a crack bulging out high on a wall,
showing signs it is ready to fall;
then suddenly, all at once, it breaks.”
14 He will break it like a clay pot,
ruthlessly shattering it into pieces
so tiny not even a potsherd remains
for taking fire from the fireplace
or scooping water from the cistern.
15 For this is what Adonai Elohim,
the Holy One of Isra’el, says:
“Returning and resting is what will save you;
calmness and confidence will make you strong —
but you want none of this!
16 ‘No!’ you say, ‘We will flee on horseback!’
Therefore you will surely flee.
And, ‘We will ride on swift ones!’
So your pursuers will be swift.
17 A thousand will flee at the threat of one,
you all will flee at the threat of five,
until you are left isolated,
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.”
18 Yet Adonai is just waiting to show you favor,
he will have pity on you from on high;
for Adonai is a God of justice;
happy are all who wait for him!
19 People in Tziyon, who live in Yerushalayim,
you will weep no more.
At the sound of your cry, he will show you his grace;
on hearing it, he will answer you.
20 Though Adonai may give you but bread and water,
and not very much of that;
your teacher will no longer hide himself,
but with your own eyes you will see your teacher.
21 With your ears you will hear a word from behind you:
“This is the way; stay on it,
whether you go to the right or the left.”
22 You will treat as unclean your silver-covered idols
and your cast metal images plated with gold;
you will throw them away, like menstrual cloths;
you will say to them, “Get out of here!”
23 Then he will give you rain for the seed
you use to sow your land;
and the food that comes from the ground
will be rich and abundant.
When that day comes, your cattle
will graze in spacious pastures.
24 The oxen and donkeys that work the land
will eat a tasty mixture,
winnowed free of chaff,
spread by pitchfork and shovel.
25 On every high mountain and lofty hill
will be streams and flowing brooks,
on a day of great slaughter,
when the towers fall.
26 Moreover, the light of the moon will be
as bright as the light of the sun;
and the light of the sun will be seven times stronger,
like the light of seven days [in one],
on the day Adonai binds up the wounds of his people
and heals the bruise caused by the blow.
27 Here comes the name of Adonai from afar,
his anger burning, in thick rising smoke.
His lips are full to the brim with fury,
his tongue a consuming fire.
28 His breath is like a racing torrent
that rises up to the neck,
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,
and put a bridle in the peoples’ mouths to lead them astray.
29 Your song will be like one that is sung
on a night when a holy feast is kept,
and your hearts will be happy,
as if walking to the sound of the flute,
to the mountain of Adonai,
to the Rock of Isra’el.
30 Adonai will make his glorious voice heard,
and he will reveal his arm descending
with furious anger in a flaming firestorm,
with cloudbursts, tempests and hailstones.
31 For Adonai’s voice will terrify Ashur,
as with his scepter he strikes them down.
32 Every sweep of the punishing rod
that Adonai imposes on him
will be to tambourines and lyres,
as he brandishes his arm against them in battle.
33 For the Tofet fire pit has long been ready,
prepared for the king, made large and deep,
with plenty of wood and blazing with fire;
like a stream of sulfur, Adonai’s breath sets it aflame.
Isaiah 30
King James Version
30 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
2 That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.
4 For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.
5 They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.
6 The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.
7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.
8 Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:
9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord:
10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
14 And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.
15 For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
16 But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
17 One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
18 And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.
20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
21 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 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.
23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
24 The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.
25 And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
26 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 the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
28 And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.
29 Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of Israel.
30 And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.
31 For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.
32 And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the Lord shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it.
33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.
Isaiah 30
New King James Version
Futile Confidence in Egypt
30 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord,
(A)“Who take counsel, but not of Me,
And who [a]devise plans, but not of My Spirit,
(B)That they may add sin to sin;
2 (C)Who walk to go down to Egypt,
And (D)have not asked My advice,
To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,
And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
3 (E)Therefore the strength of Pharaoh
Shall be your shame,
And trust in the shadow of Egypt
Shall be your humiliation.
4 For his princes were at (F)Zoan,
And his ambassadors came to Hanes.
5 (G)They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them,
Or be help or benefit,
But a shame and also a reproach.”
6 (H)The [b]burden against the beasts of the South.
Through a land of trouble and anguish,
From which came the lioness and lion,
(I)The viper and fiery flying serpent,
They will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys,
And their treasures on the humps of camels,
To a people who shall not profit;
7 (J)For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose.
Therefore I have called her
[c]Rahab-Hem-Shebeth.
A Rebellious People
8 Now go, (K)write it before them on a tablet,
And note it on a scroll,
That it may be for time to come,
Forever and ever:
9 That (L)this is a rebellious people,
Lying children,
Children who will not hear the law of the Lord;
10 (M)Who say to the seers, “Do not see,”
And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things;
(N)Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.
11 Get out of the way,
Turn aside from the path,
Cause the Holy One of Israel
To cease from before us.”
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
“Because you (O)despise this word,
And trust in oppression and perversity,
And rely on them,
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you
(P)Like a breach ready to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose breaking (Q)comes suddenly, in an instant.
14 And (R)He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel,
Which is broken in pieces;
He shall not spare.
So there shall not be found among its fragments
[d]A shard to take fire from the hearth,
Or to take water from the cistern.”
15 For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
(S)“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
(T)But you would not,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”—
Therefore you shall flee!
And, “We will ride on swift horses”—
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!
17 (U)One thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
At the threat of five you shall flee,
Till you are left as a [e]pole on top of a mountain
And as a banner on a hill.
God Will Be Gracious
18 Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be (V)gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
(W)Blessed are all those who (X)wait for Him.
19 For the people (Y)shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;
You shall (Z)weep no more.
He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;
When He hears it, He will (AA)answer you.
20 And though the Lord gives you
(AB)The bread of adversity and the water of [f]affliction,
Yet (AC)your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,
But your eyes shall see your teachers.
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you (AD)turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.
22 (AE)You will also defile the covering of your images of silver,
And the ornament of your molded images of gold.
You will throw them away as an unclean thing;
(AF)You will say to them, “Get away!”
23 (AG)Then He will give the rain for your seed
With which you sow the ground,
And bread of the increase of the earth;
It will be [g]fat and plentiful.
In that day your cattle will feed
In large pastures.
24 Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground
Will eat cured fodder,
Which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan.
25 There will be (AH)on every high mountain
And on every high hill
Rivers and streams of waters,
In the day of the (AI)great slaughter,
When the towers fall.
26 Moreover (AJ)the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun,
And the light of the sun will be sevenfold,
As the light of seven days,
In the day that the Lord binds up the bruise of His people
And heals the stroke of their wound.
Judgment on Assyria
27 Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
Burning with His anger,
And His burden is heavy;
His lips are full of indignation,
And His tongue like a devouring fire.
28 (AK)His breath is like an overflowing stream,
(AL)Which reaches up to the neck,
To sift the nations with the sieve of futility;
And there shall be (AM)a bridle in the jaws of the people,
Causing them to err.
29 You shall have a song
As in the night when a holy festival is kept,
And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute,
To come into (AN)the mountain of the Lord,
To [h]the Mighty One of Israel.
30 (AO)The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard,
And show the descent of His arm,
With the indignation of His anger
And the flame of a devouring fire,
With scattering, tempest, (AP)and hailstones.
31 For (AQ)through the voice of the Lord
Assyria will be [i]beaten down,
As He strikes with the (AR)rod.
32 And in every place where the staff of punishment passes,
Which the Lord lays on him,
It will be with tambourines and harps;
And in battles of (AS)brandishing He will fight with it.
33 (AT)For Tophet was established of old,
Yes, for the king it is prepared.
He has made it deep and large;
Its pyre is fire with much wood;
The breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone,
Kindles it.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 30:1 Lit. weave a web
- Isaiah 30:6 oracle, prophecy
- Isaiah 30:7 Lit. Rahab Sits Idle
- Isaiah 30:14 A piece of broken pottery
- Isaiah 30:17 A tree stripped of branches
- Isaiah 30:20 oppression
- Isaiah 30:23 rich
- Isaiah 30:29 Lit. the Rock
- Isaiah 30:31 Lit. shattered
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
