1 W oe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, who take counsel and carry out a plan, but not Mine, and who make a league and pour out a drink offering, but not of My Spirit, thus adding sin to sin;

“It is bad for the children who will not obey!” says the Lord, “They act on a plan that is not Mine, and make an agreement that is not of My Spirit, and so add sin to sin.

2 W ho set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked Me—to flee to the stronghold of Pharaoh and to strengthen themselves in his strength and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

They go down to Egypt without asking Me. They want Pharaoh to keep them safe and they look for a safe place in the shadow of Egypt.

3 T herefore shall the strength and protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt be to your humiliation and confusion.

So the safe place of Pharaoh will be your shame. You will be brought low in the safe place in the shadow of Egypt.

4 F or though officials are at Zoan and his ambassadors arrive at Hanes,

For their rulers are at Zoan, and leaders come to Hanes.

5 Y et will all be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them, who are not a help or benefit, but a shame and disgrace.

Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot be of help to them. They do not bring help or riches, but only shame.”

6 A mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning the beasts of the South (the Negeb): Oh, the heavy burden, the load of treasures going to Egypt! Through a land of trouble and anguish, in which are lioness and lion, viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of young donkeys, and their treasures upon the humps of camels, to a people that will not and cannot profit them.

The special word about the wild animals of the Negev: They go through a land of trouble and suffering, where there are male and female lions, deadly snakes and flying snakes. They carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys and camels, to a people who cannot be of help to them.

7 F or Egypt’s help is worthless and toward no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab Who Sits Still.

Egypt’s help is of no worth and is empty. So I have called her Rahab who has done nothing. The People Who Do Not Obey

8 N ow, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be as a witness for the time to come forevermore.

Now go and write it down in front of them. And write it in a book, that it may be seen for all time to come.

9 F or this is a rebellious people, faithless and lying sons, children who will not hear the law and instruction of the Lord;

For these people will not obey. They are not true sons. They will not listen to the teaching of the Lord.

10 W ho say to the seers, See not! and to the prophets, Prophesy not to us what is right! Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceitful illusions.

They say to the men who tell what will happen in the future, “Do not see special dreams.” They say to those who speak for God, “You must not tell to us what is right. Speak pleasing things to us, tell us what we like to hear.

11 G et out of the true way, turn aside out of the path, cease holding up before us the Holy One of Israel.

Get out of the way. Turn aside from the path. We do not want to hear any more about the Holy One of Israel.”

12 T herefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because you despise and spurn this word and trust in cunning and oppression, in crookedness and perverseness, and rely on them,

So the Holy One of Israel says, “Because you have turned away from this Word, and have put your trust in a power that makes it hard for others and fools them,

13 T herefore this iniquity and guilt will be to you like a broken section of a high wall, bulging out and ready to fall, whose crash will come suddenly and swiftly, in an instant.

this sin will be to you like a high wall, ready to break and fall apart. It will fall all at once.

14 A nd he shall break it as a potter’s vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing so that there cannot be found among its pieces one large enough to carry coals of fire from the hearth or to dip water out of the cistern.

Its fall is like the breaking of a pot-maker’s jar. It is broken in so many pieces that a piece will not be found big enough to pick up hot coals from the fire or to get water from the well.”

15 F or thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and resting you shall be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,

The Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In turning away from sin and in rest, you will be saved. Your strength will come by being quiet and by trusting.” But you would not.

16 A nd you said, No! We will speed on horses! Therefore you will speed! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift,

You said, “No, we will go away fast on horses.” So you will go away in a hurry! You say, “We will go on fast horses.” So those who come to take you will be fast.

17 O ne thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.

One thousand will run away as one man stands up against them. You will all run away when five stand up against them, until you are like flags lifted up on a mountain top, like something special to see on a hill. Good Will Come to God’s People

18 A nd therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him!

So the Lord wants to show you kindness. He waits on high to have loving-pity on you. For the Lord is a God of what is right and fair. And good will come to all those who hope in Him.

19 O people who dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.

O people in Zion who live in Jerusalem, you will cry no more. For sure He will show loving-kindness to you at the sound of your cry. When He hears it, He will answer you.

20 A nd though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes will constantly behold your Teacher.

The Lord has given you the bread of trouble and water of suffering. But He, your Teacher, will not hide Himself any more. Your eyes will see your Teacher.

21 A nd your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.

Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

22 T hen you will defile your carved images overlaid with silver and your molten images plated with gold; you will cast them away as a filthy bloodstained cloth, and you will say to them, Be gone!

You will take your sinful objects of worship, covered with silver and gold and will throw them away as an unclean cloth, and say to them, “Be gone!”

23 T hen will He give you rain for the seed with which you sow the soil, and bread grain from the produce of the ground, and it will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures.

Then He will give you rain for the seed you will plant in the ground. And He will give you bread from the grain from the ground. It will be good, and more than you need. In that day your cattle will eat in a large field.

24 T he oxen likewise and the young donkeys that till the ground will eat savory and salted fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and with fork.

The oxen and the donkeys which work the ground will eat salted grain, which has been spread out with certain tools.

25 A nd upon every high mountain and upon every high hill there will be brooks and streams of water in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

On every high mountain and on every high hill there will be rivers flowing with water in the day when many will be killed, when the towers fall.

26 M oreover, the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the hurt of His people, and heals their wound.

The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord takes care of the hurts of His people and heals the sores He has given them. God Will Punish Assyria

27 B ehold, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, burning with His anger, and in thick, rising smoke. His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue is like a consuming fire.

See, the name of the Lord comes from a far away place, with His anger burning, and with dark smoke rising. His lips are full of anger and His tongue is like a destroying fire.

28 A nd His breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches even to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction; and a bridle that causes them to err will be in the jaws of the people.

His breath is like a river flowing over, that comes up to the neck. It shakes the nations back and forth putting them through a test of pride. And it puts a piece of iron in the mouths of the people to lead them the wrong way.

29 Y ou shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart as when one marches in procession with a flute to go to the temple on the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.

You will have a song as in the night when you have a special holy supper. You will be glad in your heart as when one steps to the sound of the horn going to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.

30 A nd the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard and the descending blow of His arm to be seen, coming down with indignant anger and with the flame of a devouring fire, amid crashing blast and cloudburst, tempest, and hailstones.

The Lord will make His voice of great power heard. And He will let His arm be seen coming down in the destroying fire, hard rain, storm, and hailstones.

31 A t the voice of the Lord the Assyrians will be stricken with dismay and terror, when He smites them with His rod.

The Assyrians will be filled with fear at the voice of the Lord, when He punishes them with His power.

32 A nd every passing stroke of the staff of punishment and doom which the Lord lays upon them shall be to the sound of timbrels and lyres, when in battle He attacks with swinging and menacing arms.

Every beat from the special stick of punishment which the Lord will give them will be to the sound of timbrels and of harps. He will fight them in battle with a strong arm.

33 F or Topheth has already been laid out and long ago prepared; yes, for the king and Molech it has been made ready, its pyre made deep and large, with fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it.

For a place of fire has long been ready. Yes, it has been made ready for the king. It has been made deep and wide, with fire and much wood. The breath of the Lord starts the fire and it is like a river of sulphur.