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.
A Useless Treaty with Egypt
1 The Lord has spoken: “Those who rule Judah are doomed because they rebel against me. They follow plans that I did not make, and sign treaties against my will, piling one sin on another. 2 They go to Egypt for help without asking for my advice. They want Egypt to protect them, so they put their trust in Egypt's king. 3 But the king will be powerless to help them, and Egypt's protection will end in disaster. 4 Although their ambassadors have already arrived at the Egyptian cities of Zoan and Hanes, 5 the people of Judah will regret that they ever trusted that unreliable nation, a nation that fails them when they expect help.”
6 This is God's message about the animals of the southern desert: “The ambassadors travel through dangerous country, where lions live and where there are poisonous snakes and flying dragons. They load their donkeys and camels with expensive gifts for a nation that cannot give them any help. 7 The help that Egypt gives is useless. So I have nicknamed Egypt, ‘The Harmless Dragon.’”
The Disobedient People
8 God told me to write down in a book what the people are like, so that there would be a permanent record of how evil they are. 9 They are always rebelling against God, always lying, always refusing to listen to the Lord's teachings. 10 They tell the prophets to keep quiet. They say, “Don't talk to us about what's right. Tell us what we want to hear. Let us keep our illusions. 11 Get out of our way and stop blocking our path. We don't want to hear about your holy God of Israel.”
12 But this is what the holy God of Israel says: “You ignore what I tell you and rely on violence and deceit. 13 You are guilty. You are like a high wall with a crack running down it; suddenly you will collapse. 14 You will be shattered like a clay pot, so badly broken that there is no piece big enough to pick up hot coals with or to dip water from a cistern.”
15 The Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says to the people, “Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure.” But you refuse to do it. 16 Instead, you plan to escape from your enemies by riding fast horses. And you are right—escape is what you will have to do! You think your horses are fast enough, but those who pursue you will be faster! 17 A thousand of you will run away when you see one enemy soldier, and five soldiers will be enough to make you all run away. Nothing will be left of your army except a lonely flagpole on the top of a hill. 18 And yet the Lord is waiting to be merciful to you. He is ready to take pity on you because he always does what is right. Happy are those who put their trust in the Lord.
God Will Bless His People
19 You people who live in Jerusalem will not weep any more. The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you. 20 The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to teach you, and you will not have to search for him any more. 21 If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.” 22 You will take your idols plated with silver and your idols covered with gold, and will throw them away like filth, shouting, “Out of my sight!” 23 Whenever you plant your crops, the Lord will send rain to make them grow and will give you a rich harvest, and your livestock will have plenty of pasture. 24 The oxen and donkeys that plow your fields will eat the finest and best fodder. 25 On the day when the forts of your enemies are captured and their people are killed, streams of water will flow from every mountain and every hill. 26 The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter than usual, like the light of seven days in one. This will all happen when the Lord bandages and heals the wounds he has given his people.
God Will Punish Assyria
27 The Lord's power and glory can be seen in the distance. Fire and smoke show his anger. He speaks, and his words burn like fire. 28 He sends the wind in front of him like a flood that carries everything away. It sweeps nations to destruction and puts an end to their evil plans. 29 But you, God's people, will be happy and sing as you do on the night of a sacred festival. You will be as happy as those who walk to the music of flutes on their way to the Temple of the Lord, the defender of Israel.
30 The Lord will let everyone hear his majestic voice and feel the force of his anger. There will be flames, cloudbursts, hailstones, and torrents of rain. 31 The Assyrians will be terrified when they hear the Lord's voice and feel the force of his punishment. 32 As the Lord strikes them again and again, his people will keep time with the music of drums and harps. God himself will fight against the Assyrians. 33 Long ago a place was prepared where a huge fire will burn the emperor of Assyria. It is deep and wide, and piled high with wood. The Lord will breathe out a stream of flame to set it on fire.