Don't Expect Help from Egypt
1 This is the Lord's message for his rebellious people:
“You follow your own plans
instead of mine;
you make treaties
without asking me,
and you keep on sinning.
2 You trust Egypt for protection.
So you refuse my advice
and send messengers to Egypt
to beg their king for help.
3 “You will be disappointed,
completely disgraced
for trusting Egypt.
4 The king's power reaches
from the city of Zoan
as far south as Hanes.
5 But Egypt can't protect you,
and to trust that nation
is useless and foolish.”
6 This is a message
about the animals
of the Southern Desert:
“You people carry treasures
on donkeys and camels.
You travel to a feeble nation
through a troublesome desert
filled with lions
and flying fiery dragons.
7 Egypt can't help you!
That's why I call that nation
a helpless monster.”
Israel Refuses To Listen
8 The Lord told me to write down his message for his people, so that it would be there forever. 9 They have turned against the Lord and can't be trusted. They have refused his teaching 10 and have said to his messengers and prophets:
Don't tell us what God has shown you and don't preach the truth. Just say what we want to hear, even if it's false. 11 Stop telling us what God has said! We don't want to hear any more about the holy One of Israel.
12 Now this is the answer
of the holy One of Israel:
“You rejected my message,
and you trust in violence
and lies.
13 This sin is like a crack
that makes a high wall
quickly crumble 14 and shatter
like a crushed bowl.
There's not a piece left
big enough to carry hot coals
or to dip out water.”
Trust the Lord
15 The holy Lord God of Israel
had told all of you,
“I will keep you safe
if you turn back to me
and calm down.
I will make you strong
if you quietly trust me.”
Then you stubbornly 16 said,
“No! We will safely escape
on speedy horses.”
But those who chase you
will be even faster.
17 As few as five of them,
or even one, will be enough
to chase a thousand of you.
Finally, all that will be left
will be a few survivors
as lonely as a flag pole
on a barren hill.
The Lord Will Show Mercy
18 The Lord God is waiting
to show how kind he is
and to have pity on you.
The Lord always does right;
he blesses those who trust him.
19 People of Jerusalem, you don't need to cry anymore. The Lord is kind, and as soon as he hears your cries for help, he will come. 20 The Lord has given you trouble and sorrow as your food and drink. But now you will again see the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, “This is the road! Now follow it.” 22 Then you will treat your idols of silver and gold like garbage; you will throw them away like filthy rags.
23 The Lord will send rain to water the seeds you have planted—your fields will produce more crops than you need, and your cattle will graze in open pastures. 24 Even the oxen and donkeys that plow your fields will be fed the finest grain.
25 On that day people will be slaughtered and towers destroyed, but streams of water will flow from high hills and towering mountains. 26 Then the Lord will bandage his people's injuries and heal the wounds he has caused. The moon will shine as bright as the sun, and the sun will shine seven times brighter than usual. It will be like the light of seven days all at once.
Assyria Will Be Punished
27 The Lord is coming
from far away
with his fiery anger
and thick clouds of smoke.
His angry words flame up
like a destructive fire;
28 he breathes out a flood
that comes up to the neck.
He sifts the nations
and destroys them.
Then he puts a bridle
in every foreigner's mouth
and leads them to doom.
29 The Lord's people will sing as they do when they celebrate a religious festival at night. The Lord is Israel's mighty rock, and his people will be as happy as they are when they follow the sound of flutes to the mountain where he is worshiped.
30 The Lord will get furious. His fearsome voice will be heard, his arm will be seen ready to strike, and his anger will be like a destructive fire, followed by thunderstorms and hailstones. 31 When the Assyrians hear the Lord's voice and see him striking with his iron rod, they will be terrified. 32 He will attack them in battle, and each time he strikes them, it will be to the music of tambourines and harps.
33 Long ago the Lord got a place ready for burning the body of the dead king. The place for the fire is deep and wide, the wood is piled high, and the Lord will start the fire by breathing out flaming sulfur.
1 Wo to the rebellious children, sayth the Lord, that take counsell, but not of me, and couer with a couering, but not by my spirit, that they may lay sinne vpon sinne: 2 Which walke forth to goe downe into Egypt (and haue not asked at my mouth) to strengthen them selues with the strength of Pharaoh, and trust in the shadowe of Egypt. 3 But the strength of Pharaoh shalbe your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. 4 For his princes were at Zoan, and his Ambassadours came vnto Hanes. 5 They shalbe all ashamed of the people that cannot profite them, nor helpe nor doe them good, but shalbe a shame and also a reproche. 6 The burden of the beasts of the South, in a land of trouble and anguish, from whence shall come the yong and olde lyon, the viper and fierie flying serpent against them that shall beare their riches vpon the shoulders of the coltes, and their treasures vpon the bounches of the camels, to a people that cannot profite. 7 For the Egyptians are vanitie, and they shall helpe in vaine. Therefore haue I cried vnto her, Their strength is to sit still. 8 Now go, and write it before them in a table, and note it in a booke that it may be for the last day for euer and euer: 9 That it is a rebellious people, lying children, and children that would not heare the law of the Lord. 10 Which say vnto the Seers, See not: and to the Prophets, Prophecie not vnto vs right things: but speake flattering things vnto vs: prophecie errours. 11 Depart out of the way: go aside out of the path: cause the holy one of Israel to cease from vs. 12 Therefoe thus saith the holy one of Israel, Because you haue cast off this worde, and trust in violence, and wickednes, and stay thereupon, 13 Therefore this iniquitie shalbe vnto you as a breach that falleth, or a swelling in an hie wall, whose breaking commeth suddenly in a moment. 14 And the breaking thereof is like the breaking of a potters pot, which is broken without pitie, and in the breaking thereof is not found a sheard to take fire out of the hearth, or to take water out of the pit. 15 For thus sayd the Lord God, the Holy one of Israel, In rest and quietnes shall ye be saued: in quietnes and in confidence shall be your strength, but ye would not. 16 For ye haue sayd, No, but we wil flee away vpon horses. Therefore shall ye flee. We will ride vpon the swiftest. Therefore shall your persecuters be swifter. 17 A thousand as one shall flee at the rebuke of one: at the rebuke of fiue shall ye flee, till ye be left as a ship maste vpon the top of a mountaine, and as a beaken vpon an hill. 18 Yet therefore will the Lord waite, that he may haue mercy vpon you, and therefore wil he be exalted, that hee may haue compassion vpon you: for the Lord is the God of iudgement. Blessed are all they that waite for him. 19 Surely a people shall dwell in Zion, and in Ierusalem: thou shalt weepe no more: he wil certainly haue mercy vpon thee at the voyce of thy crye: when he heareth thee, he wil answere thee. 20 And when the Lord hath giuen you the bread of aduersitie, and the water of affliction, thy raine shalbe no more kept backe, but thine eyes shall see thy raine. 21 And thine eares shall heare a worde behind thee, saying, This is the way, walke ye in it, when thou turnest to the right hand, and when thou turnest to the left. 22 And ye shall pollute the couering of the images of siluer, and the riche ornament of thine images of golde, and cast them away as a menstruous cloth, and thou shalt say vnto it, Get thee hence. 23 Then shall hee giue raine vnto thy seede, when thou shalt sowe the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shalbe fat and as oyle: in that day shall thy cattell be fed in large pastures. 24 The oxen also and the yong asses, that till the ground, shall eate cleane prouender, which is winowed with the shoouel and with the fanne. 25 And vpon euery hie mountaine, and vpon euery hie hill shall there be riuers and streames of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall. 26 Moreouer, the light of the moone shall be as the light of the sunne, and the light of the sunne shalbe seuen folde, and like the light of seuen dayes in the day that the Lord shall binde vp the breach of his people, and heale the stroke of their wound. 27 Beholde, the Name of the Lord commeth from farre, his face is burning, and the burden thereof is heauy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a deuouring fire. 28 And his spirit is as a riuer that ouerfloweth vp to the necke: it deuideth asunder, to fanne the nations with the fanne of vanitie, and there shall be a bridle to cause them to erre in the chawes of the people. 29 But there shall be a song vnto you as in the night, when solemne feast is kept: and gladnes of heart, as he that commeth with a pipe to goe vnto the mount of the Lord, to the mightie one of Israel. 30 And the Lord shall cause his glorious voyce to be heard, and shall declare the lighting downe of his arme with the anger of his countenance, and flame of a deuouring fire, with scattering and tempest, and hailestones. 31 For with the voyce of the Lord shall Asshur be destroyed, which smote with the rod. 32 And in euery place that ye staffe shall passe, it shall cleaue fast, which the Lord shall lay vpon him with tabrets and harpes: and with battels, and lifting vp of hands shall he fight against it. 33 For Tophet is prepared of olde: it is euen prepared for the King: hee hath made it deepe and large: the burning thereof is fire and much wood: the breath of the Lord, like a riuer of brimstone, doeth kindle it.