Isa 30 | LSB | STEP | “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares Yahweh, “Who execute counsel, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin,

Isaiah 30

Alliance with Egypt Condemned

1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares Yahweh,
“Who execute counsel, but not Mine,
And ^{▼▼Lit pour out a drink offering}make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin,
2 Who go down to Egypt—
But did not ask ^{▼▼Lit My mouth}Me—
To find strength in the strong defense of Pharaoh
And to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt!
3 “Therefore the strong defense of Pharaoh will be your shame
And the refuge in the shadow of Egypt, your dishonor.
4 “For their princes are at Zoan
And their messengers reach Hanes.
5 “Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them,
Who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach.”

6 The ^{▼▼Or burden of}oracle concerning the beasts of the Negev.

Through a land of distress and anguish,
From ^{▼▼Lit them}where come lioness and lion, viper and flying fiery serpent,
They carry their wealth on the ^{▼▼Lit shoulders}backs of young donkeys
And their treasures on camels’ humps,
To a people who cannot profit them;
7 Even Egypt, whose help is vain and empty.
Therefore, I have called ^{▼▼Lit this one}her
“ ^{▼▼M.T. They are Rahab (or arrogance), to sit still}Rahab who has ceased.”
8 Now go, write it on a tablet before them
And inscribe it on a scroll,
That it may be in the time to come
^{▼▼ As in the versions; Heb Forever and ever}As a witness forever.
9 For this is a rebellious people, false sons,
Sons who are not willing to listen
To the law of Yahweh,
10 Who say to the seers, “You must not see,”
And to those who have visions, “You must not behold visions for us of what is right,
Speak to us ^{▼▼Lit smooth things}pleasant words,
Behold visions of illusions.
11 “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path,
^{▼▼ Lit Cause to cease from our presence}Cease speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel.”
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel,

“Since you have rejected this word
And have put your trust in oppression and deviousness and have relied on them,
13 Therefore this iniquity will be to you
Like a breach about to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant,
14 Whose breaking is like the breaking of a potter’s jar,
^{▼▼ Lit Crushed, it will not be spared}So ruthlessly shattered
That a potsherd will not be found among its pieces
To ^{▼▼Lit snatch up}take fire from a hearth
Or to scoop water from a cistern.”
15 For thus Lord Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, has said,

“In ^{▼▼Lit returning}repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your might.”
But you were not willing,
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 One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left as a ^{▼▼Lit pole}flag on a mountain top
And as a ^{▼▼Or signal}standard on a hill.

Yahweh Is Gracious and Just

18 Therefore Yahweh waits with longing to be gracious to you,
And therefore He is on high to have compassion on you.
For Yahweh is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who wait for Him.
19 ^{▼▼ M.T. A people will inhabit Zion, Jerusalem}O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. 20 The Lord has given you bread of distress and water of oppression; He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher. 21 And your ears will hear a word behind you, “ ^{▼▼Lit saying, “This}This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. 22 And you will defile your graven images overlaid with your silver, and your molten images plated with your gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing and say to ^{▼▼Lit it, “Go out”}them, “Be gone!”

23 Then He will give you rain for ^{▼▼Lit your}the seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the produce of the ground, and it will be ^{▼▼Lit fatness}rich and fat; on that day your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture. 24 Also the oxen and the donkeys which work the ground will eat salted fodder, which ^{▼▼Lit one winnows}has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 And it will be that on every lofty mountain and on every lifted up hill there will be ^{▼▼Lit canals, streams of water}streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 And the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day Yahweh binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise ^{▼▼Lit of His blow}He has inflicted.

27 Behold, the name of Yahweh comes from afar;
Burning is His anger and heavy is His ^{▼▼Lit uplifting}smoke;
His lips are filled with indignation
And His tongue is like a consuming fire;
28 His breath is like an overflowing torrent,
Which reaches to the neck,
To shake the nations back and forth in a ^{▼▼Lit sifting of the worthless}sieve of worthlessness,
And to put in the jaws of the peoples the bridle which staggers one to ruin.
29 You will have ^{▼▼Lit the song}songs as in the night when you set yourself apart as holy for the festival,
And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute,
To go to the mountain of Yahweh, to the Rock of Israel.
30 And Yahweh will cause ^{▼▼Lit the majesty of His voice}His splendid voice to be heard,
And the ^{▼▼Lit descent}descending of His arm to be seen in raging anger,
And in the flame of a consuming fire
In cloudburst, downpour, and hailstones.
31 For at the voice of Yahweh Assyria will be dismayed,
When He strikes with the rod.
32 And every ^{▼▼Lit passing}blow of the ^{▼▼Lit staff of foundation}appointed staff,
Which Yahweh will cause to rest upon him,
Will be with the music of tambourines and lyres;
And in battles, waving weapons He will fight them.
33 For ^{▼▼The place of human sacrifice to Molech}Topheth has long been ready,
Indeed, it has been prepared for the king.
He has made it deep and large,
^{▼▼ Lit Its pile}A pyre of fire with plenty of wood;
The breath of Yahweh, like a torrent of brimstone, sets it afire.