Isaiah 31
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 31
Against the Egyptian Alliance
1 Ah! Those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses;
Who put their trust in chariots because of their number,
and in horsemen because of their combined power,
But look not to the Holy One of Israel
nor seek the Lord
2 Yet he too is wise and will bring disaster;
he will not turn from his threats.
He will rise up against the house of the wicked
and against those who help evildoers.(B)
3 The Egyptians are human beings, not God,
their horses flesh, not spirit;
When the Lord stretches forth his hand,
the helper shall stumble, the one helped shall fall,
and both of them shall perish together.(C)
4 For thus says the Lord to me:
As a lion or its young
growling over the prey,
With a band of shepherds
assembled against it,
Is neither dismayed by their shouts
nor cowed by their noise,
So shall the Lord of hosts come down
to wage war upon Mount Zion, upon its height.(D)
5 Like hovering birds, so the Lord of hosts
shall shield Jerusalem,
To shield and deliver,
to spare and rescue.(E)
6 Return, O Israelites, to him whom you have utterly deserted.(F) 7 On that day each one of you shall reject his idols of silver and gold, which your hands have made.(G)
8 Assyria shall fall by a sword, not wielded by human being,
no mortal sword shall devour him;
He shall flee before the sword,
and his young men shall be impressed as laborers.(H)
9 He shall rush past his crag[b] in panic,
and his princes desert the standard in terror,
Says the Lord who has a fire in Zion
and a furnace in Jerusalem.(I)
Footnotes
- 31:1 Seek the Lord: a technical expression for seeking a prophetic or priestly oracle, similar to the expression “asking my counsel” in 30:2. The prophet complains that Judah has decided on its policy of alliance with Egypt without first consulting the Lord.
- 31:9 Crag: the king as the rallying point of the princes. Panic: terror is an element of Israel’s holy war tradition, in which defeat of the enemy is accomplished by the Lord rather than by human means (cf. v. 8).
Isaiah 31
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Lord, the Only Help
31 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help(A)
and who depend on horses!
They trust in the abundance of chariots
and in the large number of horsemen.(B)
They do not look(C) to the Holy One of Israel
and they do not seek the Lord’s help.
2 But He also is wise and brings disaster.(D)
He does not go back on what He says;(E)
He will rise up against the house of wicked men
and against the allies of evildoers.
3 Egyptians are men, not God;
their horses are flesh, not spirit.
When the Lord raises His hand to strike,
the helper will stumble
and the one who is helped will fall;
both will perish together.
4 For this is what the Lord said to me:
As a lion or young lion growls over its prey(F)
when a band of shepherds is called out against it,
and is not terrified by their shouting
or subdued by their noise,
so the Lord of Hosts will come down
to fight on Mount Zion
and on its hill.(G)
5 Like hovering birds,
so the Lord of Hosts will protect Jerusalem(H)—
by protecting it, He will rescue it,
by sparing it, He will deliver it.
6 Return to the One the Israelites have greatly rebelled against.(I) 7 For on that day, every one of you will reject the silver and gold idols that your own hands have sinfully made.(J)
8 Then Assyria will fall,
but not by human sword;
a sword will devour him,
but not one made by man.(K)
He will flee from the sword;
his young men will be put to forced labor.(L)
9 His rock[a] will pass away because of fear,(M)
and his officers will be afraid because of the signal flag.(N)
This is the Lord’s declaration—whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.(O)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 31:9 Perhaps the Assyrian king
Isaiah 31
New King James Version
The Folly of Not Trusting God
31 Woe to those (A)who go down to Egypt for help,
And (B)rely on horses,
Who trust in chariots because they are many,
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
(C)Nor seek the Lord!
2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster,
And (D)will not [a]call back His words,
But will arise against the house of evildoers,
And against the help of those who work iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God;
And their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out His hand,
Both he who helps will fall,
And he who is helped will fall down;
They all will perish (E)together.
God Will Deliver Jerusalem
4 For thus the Lord has spoken to me:
(F)“As a lion roars,
And a young lion over his prey
(When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him,
He will not be afraid of their voice
Nor be disturbed by their noise),
So the Lord of hosts will come down
To fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.
5 (G)Like birds flying about,
So will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem.
Defending, He will also deliver it;
Passing over, He will preserve it.”
6 Return to Him against whom the children of Israel have (H)deeply revolted. 7 For in that day every man shall (I)throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold—(J)sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.
8 “Then Assyria shall (K)fall by a sword not of man,
And a sword not of mankind shall (L)devour him.
But he shall flee from the sword,
And his young men shall become forced labor.
9 (M)He shall cross over to his stronghold for fear,
And his princes shall be afraid of the banner,”
Says the Lord,
Whose fire is in Zion
And whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 31:2 retract
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
