1 “ Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;

Woe 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;

2 W ho walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

Who 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!

3 T herefore the strength of Pharaoh Shall be your shame, And trust in the shadow of Egypt Shall be your humiliation.

Therefore 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.

4 F or his princes were at Zoan, And his ambassadors came to Hanes.

For though officials are at Zoan and his ambassadors arrive at Hanes,

5 T hey were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them, Or be help or benefit, But a shame and also a reproach.”

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

6 T he burden against the beasts of the South. Through a land of trouble and anguish, From which came the lioness and lion, 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;

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.

7 F or the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab-Hem-Shebeth. A Rebellious People

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

8 N ow go, write it before them on a tablet, And note it on a scroll, That it may be for time to come, Forever and ever:

Now, 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.

9 T hat this is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the Lord;

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

10 W ho say to the seers, “Do not see,” And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.

Who 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.

11 G et out of the way, Turn aside from the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel To cease from before us.”

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

12 T herefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: “Because you despise this word, And trust in oppression and perversity, And rely on them,

Therefore 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,

13 T herefore this iniquity shall be to you Like a breach ready to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant.

Therefore 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.

14 A nd 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 A shard to take fire from the hearth, Or to take water from the cistern.”

And 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.

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

For 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,

16 A nd 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!

And 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,

17 O ne thousand shall flee at the threat of one, At the threat of five you shall flee, Till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain And as a banner on a hill. God Will Be Gracious

One 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.

18 T herefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

And 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!

19 F or the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears it, He will answer you.

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.

20 A nd though the Lord gives you The bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, But your eyes shall see your teachers.

And 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.

21 Y our ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.

And 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.

22 Y ou 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; You will say to them, “Get away!”

Then 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!

23 T hen 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 fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed In large pastures.

Then 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.

24 L ikewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground Will eat cured fodder, Which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan.

The 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.

25 T here will be on every high mountain And on every high hill Rivers and streams of waters, In the day of the great slaughter, When the towers fall.

And 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.

26 M oreover 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

Moreover, 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.

27 B ehold, 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.

Behold, 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.

28 H is breath is like an overflowing stream, Which reaches up to the neck, To sift the nations with the sieve of futility; And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, Causing them to err.

And 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.

29 Y ou 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 the mountain of the Lord, To the Mighty One of Israel.

You 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.

30 T he 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, and hailstones.

And 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.

31 F or through the voice of the Lord Assyria will be beaten down, As He strikes with the rod.

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

32 A nd 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 brandishing He will fight with it.

And 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.

33 F or 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.

For 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.