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 sons that leave, saith the LORD, to make counsel, but not of me; to cover themselves with a covering, and not by my spirit, adding sin unto 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.

They leave to descend into Egypt and have not asked for a word from my mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to place their hope 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.

But the strength of Pharaoh shall become your shame, and the hope in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

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

When his princes shall be in Zoan, and his ambassadors have come 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.”

all shall be ashamed of the people that shall not profit them, nor be a help, nor bring them increase, 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: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent; they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.

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 the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose; therefore I have cried out concerning this that your strength should be to sit still.

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 this vision before them on a tablet and note it in a book that it may remain unto the last day, for ever, unto all ages.

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 sons, sons that did not desire to hear the law of the LORD:

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 those that see, See not; and to the prophets, Do not prophesy right things unto us, 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 leave our presence.

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 despise this word, and trust in violence and perversity and build upon this:

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 sin shall be to you as an open wall ready to fall and as a breach in a high defence, whose breaking comes suddenly at 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 your destruction shall be as the breaking of a potter’s vessel that without mercy is broken to pieces so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it even a shard to take fire from the hearth or to take water from the well.

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 the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel has said; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and 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.

But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be even more 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 shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five ye shall all flee: until ye are left as a mast upon the top of a mountain and as a banner of example 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 the LORD wait for you, that he may have mercy on you, and therefore will he be exalted having mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all those 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, in Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he who has mercy shall show mercy unto thee; at the voice of thy cry when he shall hear 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.

But the Lord shall give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction; thy rain shall never more be taken away, but thine eyes shall see thy rain:

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.

Then thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, that ye not turn to the right hand and that ye not turn to the left hand.

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!”

Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver and the protection of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Go away from here.

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.

Then he shall give the rain unto thy planting when thou shalt sow the ground; and bread of the fruit of the earth, and it shall be fat and fertile: in that day thy cattle shall 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.

Thine oxen and thine asses that work the ground shall eat clean grain, which has 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 high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall 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

Moreover 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 the LORD binds up the breach of his people and heals the stroke of their wound.

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 the LORD comes from afar; his face is blazing and difficult to gaze upon: his lips are full of indignation and his tongue as a devouring 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 Spirit, as an overflowing stream, shall break even unto the neck to sift the Gentiles with the sieve of vanity and to put a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

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 in which the Passover 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.

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 the LORD shall cause the power of his voice to be heard and shall cause the lighting down of his arm to be seen, with the indignation of his countenance and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering and tempest 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 the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a 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 in every evil place there shall be a staff that the LORD shall cause to lay upon him with tambourines and harps: and with the strength of heaven he will fight against her.

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 Tophet is ordained of yesterday for the king of Babylon, it is also prepared; he has deepened and enlarged the pile of her fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD like a stream of brimstone kindles it.