1 “ 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.

Woe to the rebellious children, saith Jehovah, who take counsel, but not of me, and who make leagues, but not by my Spirit, that they may heap sin upon sin;

2 T hey 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.

who walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked of my mouth,—to take refuge under the protection of Pharaoh, and trust in the shadow of Egypt!

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

For to you the protection of Pharaoh shall be a shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt a confusion.

4 F or their rulers are at Zoan, and leaders come to Hanes.

For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.

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

They were all ashamed of a people did not profit them, nor were a help or profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.

6 T he 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.

—The burden of the beasts of the south: Through a land of trouble and anguish, whence come the lioness and lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to the people that shall not profit.

7 E gypt’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

For Egypt shall help in vain, and to no purpose; therefore have I named her, Arrogance, that doeth nothing.

8 N ow 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.

Now go, write it before them on a tablet, and record it in a book, that it may be for the time to come, as a witness for ever,

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

that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of Jehovah;

10 T hey 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.

who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things; speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits;

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

get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us!

12 S o 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,

Therefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel: Because ye reject this word, and confide in oppression and wilfulness, and depend thereon,

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

therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a towering wall, whose breaking shall come suddenly in an instant.

14 I ts 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.”

And he shall break it as the breaking of a potter's vessel, that is broken in pieces unsparingly; and in the pieces of it there shall not be found a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to scoop water out of the cistern.

15 T he 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.

For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be your strength; but ye would not.

16 Y ou 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.

And ye said, No, but 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 O ne 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

One thousand 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 a banner on a hill.

18 S o 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.

And therefore will Jehovah wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he lift himself up, that he may have mercy upon you; for Jehovah is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

19 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.

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; as he heareth it, he will answer thee.

20 T he 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.

And the Lord will give you the bread of adversity, and the water of oppression; yet thy teachers shall not be hidden any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers.

21 Y our 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.

And when ye turn to the right hand or when ye turn to the left, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it.

22 Y ou 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!”

And ye shall defile the silver covering of your graven images, and the gold overlaying of your molten images; thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth: Out! shalt thou say unto it.

23 T hen 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.

And he will give the rain of thy seed with which thou shalt sow the ground; and bread, the produce of the ground, and it shall be fat and rich. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures;

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

and the oxen and the asses that till the ground shall eat salted provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

25 O n 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.

And there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every hill that is lifted up, brooks water-courses, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

26 T he 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

And 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 Jehovah bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the wound of their stroke.

27 S ee, 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.

Behold, the name of Jehovah cometh from far, burning his anger—a grievous conflagration; his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a consuming fire;

28 H is 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.

and his breath as an overflowing torrent, which reacheth even to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and a bridle into the jaws of the peoples, that causeth them to go astray.

29 Y ou 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.

Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a feast is sanctified; and joy of heart, as of one who goeth with a pipe to come unto the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel.

30 T he 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.

And Jehovah will cause the majesty of his voice to be heard, and will shew the lighting down of his arm with indignation of anger, and a flame of consuming fire, with waterflood and storm and hailstones.

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

For through the voice of Jehovah shall the Assyrian be broken down: he will smite with the rod.

32 E very 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.

And wherever shall pass the appointed staff, which Jehovah shall lay upon him, it shall be with tambours and harps; and with tumultuous battles will he fight with it.

33 F or 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.

For Topheth is prepared of old; for the king also it is prepared: he hath made it deep and large; its pile is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.