MLV(i)
1 Woe to the rebellious sons, says Jehovah, who take counsel, but not of me and who make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin,
2 who set out to go down into Egypt and have not asked at my mouth, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore the strength of Pharaoh will be your* shame and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt your* confusion. 4 For their rulers are at Zoan and their ambassadors have come to Hanes. 5 They will all be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them, who are not a help nor profit, but a shame and also a reproach.
6 The burden of the beasts of the South.
Through the land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of young donkeys and their treasures upon the humps of camels, to a people who will not profit them. 7 For Egypt helps in vain and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab who sits still.
8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may be for the time to come until everlasting. 9 For it is a rebellious people, lying sons, sons who will not hear the law of Jehovah, 10 who say to the seers, Do not see and to the prophets, Do not prophesy to us right things. Speak to us smooth things. Prophesy deceits. 11 You* get out of the way. Turn aside out of the path. Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because you* despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on it, 13 therefore this iniquity will be to you* as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant. 14 And he will break it as a potter's vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing, so that there will not be found among the pieces of it a shard with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.
15 For thus said the lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, You* will be saved in returning and rest. Your* strength will be in quietness and in confidence. And you* would not, 16 but you* said, No, for we will flee upon horses. Therefore you* will flee. And you * said, We will ride upon the swift. Therefore those who pursue you* will be swift. 17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one. You* will flee at the threat of five, till you* are left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain and as an ensign on a hill
18 And therefore Jehovah will wait, that he may be gracious to you*. And therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you*, for Jehovah is a God of justice. All those who wait for him are fortunate. 19 For the people will dwell in Zion at Jerusalem. You will weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the voice of your cry. When he will hear, he will answer you.
20 And though the Lord give you* the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be hidden anymore, but your eyes will see your teachers. 21 And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you* in it when you* turn to the right hand and when you* turn to the left.
22 And you* will defile the overlaying of your graven images of silver and the plating of your molten images of gold. You will cast them away as an unclean thing. You will say to it, You get away.
23 And he will give the rain for your seed, with which you will sow the ground and bread of the increase of the ground and it will be fat and plenteous. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures. 24 Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that till the ground will eat savory fodder, which has been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork. 25 And there will be upon every lofty mountain and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
26 Moreover 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 that Jehovah binds up the hurt of his people and heals the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of Jehovah comes from far, burning with his anger and in thick rising smoke. His lips are full of indignation and his tongue is as a devouring fire, 28 and his breath is as an overflowing stream that reaches even to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction. And a bridle that makes them go-astray will be in the jaws of the peoples.
29 You* will have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept and gladness of heart, as he who goes with a pipe to come to the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel. 30 And Jehovah will cause his glorious voice to be heard and will show the coming down of his arm with the indignation of his anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with a blast and tempest and hailstones.
31 For through the voice of Jehovah the Assyrian will be dismayed. He will kill* him with his rod. 32 And every stroke of the appointed staff, which Jehovah will lay upon him, will be with the sound of tambourine and harps. And he will fight with them in battles with the brandishing of his arm. 33 For a Topheth is prepared of old, yes, it is made ready for the king. He has made it deep and large. The pile of it is fire and much wood. The breath of Jehovah kindles it, like a stream of brimstone.
3 Therefore the strength of Pharaoh will be your* shame and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt your* confusion. 4 For their rulers are at Zoan and their ambassadors have come to Hanes. 5 They will all be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them, who are not a help nor profit, but a shame and also a reproach.
6 The burden of the beasts of the South.
Through the land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of young donkeys and their treasures upon the humps of camels, to a people who will not profit them. 7 For Egypt helps in vain and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab who sits still.
8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may be for the time to come until everlasting. 9 For it is a rebellious people, lying sons, sons who will not hear the law of Jehovah, 10 who say to the seers, Do not see and to the prophets, Do not prophesy to us right things. Speak to us smooth things. Prophesy deceits. 11 You* get out of the way. Turn aside out of the path. Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because you* despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on it, 13 therefore this iniquity will be to you* as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant. 14 And he will break it as a potter's vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing, so that there will not be found among the pieces of it a shard with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.
15 For thus said the lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, You* will be saved in returning and rest. Your* strength will be in quietness and in confidence. And you* would not, 16 but you* said, No, for we will flee upon horses. Therefore you* will flee. And you * said, We will ride upon the swift. Therefore those who pursue you* will be swift. 17 One thousand will flee at the threat of one. You* will flee at the threat of five, till you* are left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain and as an ensign on a hill
18 And therefore Jehovah will wait, that he may be gracious to you*. And therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you*, for Jehovah is a God of justice. All those who wait for him are fortunate. 19 For the people will dwell in Zion at Jerusalem. You will weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the voice of your cry. When he will hear, he will answer you.
20 And though the Lord give you* the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be hidden anymore, but your eyes will see your teachers. 21 And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you* in it when you* turn to the right hand and when you* turn to the left.
22 And you* will defile the overlaying of your graven images of silver and the plating of your molten images of gold. You will cast them away as an unclean thing. You will say to it, You get away.
23 And he will give the rain for your seed, with which you will sow the ground and bread of the increase of the ground and it will be fat and plenteous. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures. 24 Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that till the ground will eat savory fodder, which has been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork. 25 And there will be upon every lofty mountain and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
26 Moreover 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 that Jehovah binds up the hurt of his people and heals the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of Jehovah comes from far, burning with his anger and in thick rising smoke. His lips are full of indignation and his tongue is as a devouring fire, 28 and his breath is as an overflowing stream that reaches even to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction. And a bridle that makes them go-astray will be in the jaws of the peoples.
29 You* will have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept and gladness of heart, as he who goes with a pipe to come to the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel. 30 And Jehovah will cause his glorious voice to be heard and will show the coming down of his arm with the indignation of his anger and the flame of a devouring fire, with a blast and tempest and hailstones.
31 For through the voice of Jehovah the Assyrian will be dismayed. He will kill* him with his rod. 32 And every stroke of the appointed staff, which Jehovah will lay upon him, will be with the sound of tambourine and harps. And he will fight with them in battles with the brandishing of his arm. 33 For a Topheth is prepared of old, yes, it is made ready for the king. He has made it deep and large. The pile of it is fire and much wood. The breath of Jehovah kindles it, like a stream of brimstone.