English Standard Version

Christian Standard Bible

1“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the LORD, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;

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.

2who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!

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.

3Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.

3But Pharaoh's protection will become your shame, and refuge in Egypt's shadow your humiliation.

4For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes,

4For though his princes are at Zoan and his messengers reach as far as Hanes,

5everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace.”

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.

6An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent, they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them.

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.

7Egypt’s help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her “Rahab who sits still.”

7Egypt's help is completely worthless; therefore, I call her: Rahab Who Just Sits.

8And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever.

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.

9For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD;

9They are a rebellious people, deceptive children, children who do not want to listen to the LORD's instruction.

10who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions,

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.

11leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

11Get out of the way! Leave the pathway. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel."

12Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them,

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,

13therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;

13this iniquity of yours will be like a crumbling gap, a bulge in a high wall whose collapse will come in an instant--suddenly!

14and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.”

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."

15For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling,

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."

16and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift.

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.

17A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill.

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.

18Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

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.

19For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.

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.

20And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.

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,

21And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

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."

22Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”

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.

23And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures,

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.

24and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork.

24The oxen and donkeys that work the ground will eat salted fodder scattered with winnowing shovel and fork.

25And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

25Streams flowing with water will be on every high mountain and every raised hill on the day of great slaughter when the towers fall.

26Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

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.

27Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke; his lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a devouring fire;

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.

28his breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches up to the neck; to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray.

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.

29You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.

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.

30And the LORD will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones.

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.

31The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of the LORD, when he strikes with his rod.

31Assyria will be shattered by the voice of the LORD. He will strike with a rod.

32And every stroke of the appointed staff that the LORD lays on them will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them.

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.

33For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.

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.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.