Christian Standard Bible | New International Version |
1Woe to the rebellious children! This is the LORD's declaration. They carry out a plan, but not mine; they make an alliance, but against my will, piling sin on top of sin. | 1"Woe to the obstinate children," declares the LORD, "to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; |
2Without asking my advice they set out to go down to Egypt in order to seek shelter under Pharaoh's protection and take refuge in Egypt's shadow. | 2who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh's protection, to Egypt's shade for refuge. |
3But Pharaoh's protection will become your shame, and refuge in Egypt's shadow your humiliation. | 3But Pharaoh's protection will be to your shame, Egypt's shade will bring you disgrace. |
4For though his princes are at Zoan and his messengers reach as far as Hanes, | 4Though they have officials in Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes, |
5everyone will be ashamed because of a people who can't help. They are of no benefit, they are no help; they are good for nothing but shame and disgrace. | 5everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them, who bring neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace." |
6A pronouncement concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of trouble and distress, of lioness and lion, of viper and flying serpent, they carry their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people who will not help them. | 6A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lions and lionesses, of adders and darting snakes, the envoys carry their riches on donkeys' backs, their treasures on the humps of camels, to that unprofitable nation, |
7Egypt's help is completely worthless; therefore, I call her: Rahab Who Just Sits. | 7to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless. Therefore I call her Rahab the Do-Nothing. |
8Go now, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the future, forever and ever. | 8Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness. |
9They are a rebellious people, deceptive children, children who do not want to listen to the LORD's instruction. | 9For these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction. |
10They say to the seers, "Do not see," and to the prophets, "Do not prophesy the truth to us. Tell us flattering things. Prophesy illusions. | 10They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. |
11Get out of the way! Leave the pathway. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel." | 11Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!" |
12Therefore the Holy One of Israel says: "Because you have rejected this message and have trusted in oppression and deceit, and have depended on them, | 12Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says: "Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, |
13this iniquity of yours will be like a crumbling gap, a bulge in a high wall whose collapse will come in an instant--suddenly! | 13this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. |
14Its collapse will be like the shattering of a potter's jar, crushed to pieces, so that not even a fragment of pottery will be found among its shattered remains--no fragment large enough to take fire from a hearth or scoop water from a cistern." | 14It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern." |
15For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: "You will be delivered by returning and resting; your strength will lie in quiet confidence. But you are not willing." | 15This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. |
16You say, "No! We will escape on horses"--therefore you will escape!--and, "We will ride on fast horses"--but those who pursue you will be faster. | 16You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift! |
17One thousand will flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you will flee, until you remain like a solitary pole on a mountaintop or a banner on a hill. | 17A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill." |
18Therefore the LORD is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. All who wait patiently for him are happy. | 18Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! |
19For people will live on Zion in Jerusalem. You will never weep again; he will show favor to you at the sound of your outcry; as soon as he hears, he will answer you. | 19People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. |
20The Lord will give you meager bread and water during oppression, but your Teacher will not hide any longer. Your eyes will see your Teacher, | 20Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. |
21and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: "This is the way. Walk in it." | 21Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." |
22Then you will defile your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away like menstrual cloths, and call them filth. | 22Then you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, "Away with you!" |
23Then he will send rain for your seed that you have sown in the ground, and the food, the produce of the ground, will be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle will graze in open pastures. | 23He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. |
24The oxen and donkeys that work the ground will eat salted fodder scattered with winnowing shovel and fork. | 24The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel. |
25Streams flowing with water will be on every high mountain and every raised hill on the day of great slaughter when the towers fall. | 25In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill. |
26The moonlight will be as bright as the sunlight, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter--like the light of seven days--on the day that the LORD bandages his people's injuries and heals the wounds he inflicted. | 26The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted. |
27Look there! The LORD is coming from far away, his anger burning and heavy with smoke. His lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a consuming fire. | 27See, the Name of the LORD comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire. |
28His breath is like an overflowing torrent that rises to the neck. He comes to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction and to put a bridle on the jaws of the peoples to lead them astray. | 28His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray. |
29Your singing will be like that on the night of a holy festival, and your heart will rejoice like one who walks to the music of a flute, going up to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. | 29And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing pipes go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. |
30And the LORD will make the splendor of his voice heard and reveal his arm striking in angry wrath and a flame of consuming fire, in driving rain, a torrent, and hailstones. | 30The LORD will cause people to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail. |
31Assyria will be shattered by the voice of the LORD. He will strike with a rod. | 31The voice of the LORD will shatter Assyria; with his rod he will strike them down. |
32And every stroke of the appointed staff that the LORD brings down on him will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres; he will fight against him with brandished weapons. | 32Every stroke the LORD lays on them with his punishing club will be to the music of timbrels and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm. |
33Indeed! Topheth has been ready for the king for a long time. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of burning sulfur, kindles it. | 33Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze. |
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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