1 W o apostate sons, The affirmation of Jehovah! To do counsel, and not from Me, And to spread out a covering, and not of My spirit, So as to add sin to sin.

“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin;

2 W ho are walking to go down to Egypt, And My mouth have not asked, To be strong in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt.

Who proceed down to Egypt Without consulting Me, To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!

3 A nd the strength of Pharaoh Hath been to you for shame, And the trust in the shadow of Egypt confusion,

“Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.

4 F or in Zoan were his princes, And his messengers reach Hanes.

“For their princes are at Zoan And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.

5 A ll he made ashamed of a people that profit not, Neither for help, not for profit, But for shame, and also for reproach!

“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 T he burden of the beasts of the south. Into a land of adversity and distress, Of young lion and of old lion, Whence viper and flying saraph, They carry on the shoulder of asses their wealth, And on the hump of camels their treasures, Unto a people not profitable.

The oracle concerning the beasts of the Negev. Through a land of distress and anguish, From where come lioness and lion, viper and flying serpent, They carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys And their treasures on camels’ humps, To a people who cannot profit them;

7 Y ea, Egyptians vanity, and in vain do help, Therefore I have cried concerning this: `Their strength to sit still.'

Even Egypt, whose help is vain and empty. Therefore, I have called her “ Rahab who has been exterminated.”

8 N o, go in, write it on a tablet with them, And on a book engrave it, And it is for a latter day, for a witness unto the age,

Now go, write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may serve in the time to come As a witness forever.

9 T hat a rebellious people this, sons -- liars, Sons not willing to hear the law of Jehovah.

For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the Lord;

10 W ho have said to seers, `Ye do not see,' And to prophets, `Ye do not prophesy to us Straightforward things, Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits,

Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions ”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions.

11 T urn aside from the way, decline from the path, Cause to cease from before us the Holy One of Israel.'

“Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

12 T herefore, thus said the Holy One of Israel, Because of your kicking against this word, And ye trust in oppression, And perverseness, and rely on it,

Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “ Since you have rejected this word And have put your trust in oppression and guile, and have relied on them,

13 T herefore is this iniquity to you as a breach falling, Swelled out in a wall set on high, Whose destruction suddenly, at an instant cometh.

Therefore this iniquity will be to you Like a breach about to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose collapse comes suddenly in an instant,

14 A nd He hath broken it As the breaking of the potters' bottle, Beaten down -- He doth not spare, Nor is there found, in its beating down, A potsherd to take fire from the burning, And to draw out waters from a ditch.

Whose collapse is like the smashing of a potter’s jar, So ruthlessly shattered That a sherd will not be found among its pieces To take fire from a hearth Or to scoop water from a cistern.”

15 F or thus said the Lord Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel: `In returning and rest ye are saved, In keeping quiet and in confidence is your might, And ye have not been willing.

For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing,

16 A nd ye say, No, for on a horse we flee? Therefore ye flee, And on the swift we ride! Therefore swift are your pursuers.

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 O ne thousand because of the rebuke of one, Because of the rebuke of five ye flee, Till ye have been surely left as a pole On the top of the mountain, And as an ensign on the height.

One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left as a flag on a mountain top And as a signal on a hill. God Is Gracious and Just

18 A nd therefore doth wait Jehovah to favour you, And therefore He is exalted to pity you, For a God of judgment Jehovah, O the blessedness of all waiting for Him.

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

19 F or the people in Zion dwell in Jerusalem, Weep thou not, weeping, Pitying, He pitieth thee at the voice of thy cry, When He heareth He answereth thee.

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 A nd the Lord hath given to you bread of adversity, And water of oppression. And thy directors remove no more, And thine eyes have seen thy directors,

Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher.

21 A nd thine ear heareth a word behind thee, Saying, `This the way, go ye in it,' When ye turn to the right, And when ye turn to the left.

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

22 A nd ye have defiled the covering of Thy graven images of silver, And the ephod of thy molten image of gold, Thou scatterest them as a sickening thing, `Go out,' thou sayest to it.

And you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, “ Be gone!”

23 A nd He hath given rain thy seed, With which thou dost sow the ground, And bread, the increase of the ground, And it hath been fat and plenteous, Enjoy do thy cattle in that day an enlarged pasture.

Then He will give you rain for the seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and plenteous; on that day your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture.

24 A nd the oxen and the young asses serving the ground, Fermented provender do eat, That one is winnowing with shovel and fan.

Also the oxen and the donkeys which work the ground will eat salted fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork.

25 A nd there hath been on every high mount, And on every exalted hill, Rivulets -- streams of waters, In a day of much slaughter, in the falling of towers.

On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

26 A nd the light of the moon hath been as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun is sevenfold, As the light of seven days, In the day of Jehovah's binding up the breach of His people, When the stroke of its wound He healeth.

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 the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.

27 L o, the name of Jehovah is coming from far, Burning is His anger, and great the flame, His lips have been full of indignation, And His tongue as a devouring fire.

Behold, the name of the Lord comes from a remote place; Burning is His anger and dense is His smoke; His lips are filled with indignation And His tongue is like a consuming fire;

28 A nd His breath as an overflowing stream, Unto the neck it divideth, To sift nations with a sieve of vanity, And a bridle causing to err, on the jaws of the peoples.

His breath is like an overflowing torrent, Which reaches to the neck, To shake the nations back and forth in a sieve, And to put in the jaws of the peoples the bridle which leads to ruin.

29 S inging is to you as in a night sanctified for a festival, And joy of heart as he who is going with a pipe, To go in to the mountain of Jehovah, Unto the rock of Israel.

You will have songs as in the night when you keep the festival, And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute, To go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.

30 A nd caused to be heard hath Jehovah The honour of His voice, And the coming down of His arm He doth shew with the raging of anger, And the flame of a consuming fire, Scattering, and inundation, and hailstone.

And the Lord will cause His voice of authority to be heard, And the descending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger, And in the flame of a consuming fire In cloudburst, downpour and hailstones.

31 F or from the voice of Jehovah broken down Asshur, With a rod He smiteth.

For at the voice of the Lord Assyria will be terrified, When He strikes with the rod.

32 A nd every passage of the settled staff, That Jehovah causeth to rest on him, Hath been with tabrets, and with harps, And in battles of shaking he hath fought with it.

And every blow of the rod of punishment, Which the Lord will lay on him, Will be with the music of tambourines and lyres; And in battles, brandishing weapons, He will fight them.

33 F or, arranged from former time is Tophet, Even it for the king is prepared, He hath made deep, He hath made large, Its pile fire and much wood, The breath of Jehovah, As a stream of brim stone, is burning in it!

For Topheth has long been ready, Indeed, it has been prepared for the king. He has made it deep and large, A pyre of fire with plenty of wood; The breath of the Lord, like a torrent of brimstone, sets it afire.