Isaiah 30

Do Not Go Down to Egypt

1 "Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD,
a "Who take counsel, but not of Me,
And who 1 devise plans, but not of My Spirit,
b That they may add sin to sin;
2 c Who walk to go down to Egypt,
And d have not asked My advice,
To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,
And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
3 e Therefore the strength of Pharaoh
Shall be your shame,
And trust in the shadow of Egypt
Shall be your humiliation.
4 For his princes were at f Zoan,
And his ambassadors came to Hanes.
5 g They were all ashamed of a people who could not benefit them,
Or be help or benefit,
But a shame and also a reproach."

6 h The 2 burden against the beasts of the South.
Through a land of trouble and anguish,
From which came the lioness and lion,
i The viper and fiery flying serpent,
They will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys,
And their treasures on the humps of camels,
To a people who shall not profit;
7 j For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose.
Therefore I have called her
3 RahabHemShe'beth. 4

A Rebellious People

8 Now go, k write it before them on a tablet,
And note it on a scroll,
That it may be for time to come,
Forever and ever:
9 That l this is a rebellious people,
Lying children,
Children who will not hear the law of the LORD;
10 m Who say to the seers, "Do not see,"
And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things;
n Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.
11 Get out of the way,
Turn aside from the path,
Cause the Holy One of Israel
To cease from before us."
12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:
"Because you o despise this word,
And trust in oppression and perversity,
And rely on them,
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you
p Like a breach ready to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose breaking q comes suddenly, in an instant.
14 And r He shall break it like the breaking of the potter's vessel,
Which is broken in pieces;
He shall not spare.
So there shall not be found among its fragments
5 A shard to take fire from the hearth,
Or to take water from the cistern."

15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel:
s "In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength."
t But you would not,
16 And you said, "No, for we will flee on horses" -
Therefore you shall flee!
And, "We will ride on swift horses" -
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!
17 u One thousand shall flee at the threat of one,
At the threat of five you shall flee,
Till you are left as a 6 pole on top of a mountain
And as a banner on a hill.

The Lord Will Be Gracious

18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be v gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
w Blessed are all those who x wait for Him.

19 For the people y shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;
You shall z weep no more.
He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;
When He hears it, He will a answer you.
20 And though the Lord gives you
b The bread of adversity and the water of 7 affliction,
Yet c your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,
But your eyes shall see your teachers.
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
"This is the way, walk in it,"
Whenever you d turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.
22 e You will also defile the covering of your images of silver,
And the ornament of your molded images of gold.
You will throw them away as an unclean thing;
f You will say to them, "Get away!"

23 g Then He will give the rain for your seed
With which you sow the ground,
And bread of the increase of the earth;
It will be 8 fat and plentiful.
In that day your cattle will feed
In large pastures.
24 Likewise the oxen and the young donkeys that work the ground
Will eat cured fodder,
Which has been winnowed with the shovel and fan.
25 There will be h on every high mountain
And on every high hill
Rivers and streams of waters,
In the day of the i great slaughter,
When the towers fall.
26 Moreover j 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 the LORD binds up the bruise of His people
And heals the stroke of their wound.

27 Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar,
Burning with His anger,
And His burden is heavy;
His lips are full of indignation,
And His tongue like a devouring fire.
28 k His breath is like an overflowing stream,
l Which reaches up to the neck,
To sift the nations with the sieve of futility;
And there shall be m a bridle in the jaws of the people,
Causing them to err.

29 You shall have a song
As in the night when a holy festival is kept,
And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute,
To come into n the mountain of the LORD,
To 9 the Mighty One of Israel.
30 o The LORD will cause His glorious voice to be heard,
And show the descent of His arm,
With the indignation of His anger
And the flame of a devouring fire,
With scattering, tempest, p and hailstones.
31 For q through the voice of the LORD
Assyria will be 10 beaten down,
As He strikes with the r rod.
32 And in every place where the staff of punishment passes,
Which the LORD lays on him,
It will be with tambourines and harps;
And in battles of s brandishing He will fight with it.
33 t For Tophet was established of old,
Yes, for the king it is prepared.
He has made it deep and large;
Its pyre is fire with much wood;
The breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone,
Kindles it.

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 29:15
    Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?
  2. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 29:19
    And so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, 'I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart' - as though the drunkard could be included with the sober.
  3. Cross References
    Isaiah 31:1
    Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD!
    Jeremiah 43:7
    So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the LORD. And they went as far as Tahpanhes.
  4. Cross References
    Numbers 27:21
    "He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who ...
    Joshua 9:14
    Then the men of Israel took some of their provi...
    1 Kings 22:7
    And Jehoshaphat said, " Is there not still a pr...
    Jeremiah 21:2
    "Please inquire of the LORD for us, for Nebucha...
    Jeremiah 42:2
    And said to Jeremiah the prophet, "Please, let ...
    Jeremiah 42:20
    "For you were hypocrites in your hearts when yo...
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 20:5
    Then they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation and Egypt their glory.
    Jeremiah 37:5
    Then Pharaoh's army came up from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they departed from Jerusalem.
    Jeremiah 37:7
    Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Thus you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: "Behold, Pharaoh's army which has come up to help you will return to Egypt, to their own land.
  6. Cross References
    Isaiah 19:11
    Surely the princes of Zoan are fools; Pharaoh's wise counselors give foolish counsel. How do you say to Pharaoh, "I am the son of the wise, The son of ancient kings?
  7. Cross References
    Jeremiah 2:36
    Why do you gad about so much to change your way? Also you shall be ashamed of Egypt as you were ashamed of Assyria.
  8. Cross References
    Isaiah 57:9
    You went to the king with ointment, And increased your perfumes; You sent your messengers far off, And even descended to Sheol.
    Hosea 8:9
    For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey alone by itself; Ephraim has hired lovers.
    Hosea 12:1
    Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues the east wind; He daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians, And oil is carried to Egypt.
  9. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 8:15
    Who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock.
    Isaiah 14:29
    Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, Because the rod that struck you is broken; For out of the serpent's roots will come forth a viper, And its offspring will be a fiery flying serpent.
  10. Cross References
    Jeremiah 37:7
    Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Thus you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: "Behold, Pharaoh's army which has come up to help you will return to Egypt, to their own land.
  11. Cross References
    Habakkuk 2:2
    Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.
  12. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:20
    And He said: 'I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be, For they are a perverse generation, Children in whom is no faith.
    Isaiah 1:2
    Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me.
    Isaiah 1:4
    Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.
    Isaiah 65:2
    I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way that is not good, According to their own thoughts.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 5:20
    Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
    Jeremiah 11:21
    Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, 'Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, lest you die by our hand' -
    Amos 2:12
    "But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, And commanded the prophets saying, 'Do not prophesy!'
    Micah 2:6
    Do not prattle," you say to those who prophesy. So they shall not prophesy to you; They shall not return insult for insult.
  14. Cross References
    1 Kings 22:8
    So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, " Th...
    1 Kings 22:13
    Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah...
    Jeremiah 6:14
    They have also healed the hurt of My people sli...
    Jeremiah 23:17
    They continually say to those who despise Me, '...
    Jeremiah 23:26
    How long will this be in the heart of the proph...
    Ezekiel 13:7
    "Have you not seen a futile vision, and have yo...
    Micah 2:11
    If a man should walk in a false spirit And spea...
    Romans 16:18
    For those who are such do not serve our Lord Je...
    2 Timothy 4:3
    For the time will come when they will not endur...
    2 Timothy 4:4
    And they will turn their ears away from the tru...
  15. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:43
    The land also shall be left empty by them, and ...
    Numbers 15:31
    'Because he has despised the word of the LORD, ...
    Proverbs 1:30
    They would have none of my counsel And despised...
    Proverbs 13:13
    He who despises the word will be destroyed, But...
    Isaiah 5:24
    Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And...
    Ezekiel 20:13
    Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in ...
    Ezekiel 20:16
    Because they despised My judgments and did not ...
    Ezekiel 20:24
    Because they had not executed My judgments, but...
    Amos 2:4
    Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions o...
  16. Cross References
    1 Kings 20:30
    But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left. And BenHadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber.
    Psalms 62:3
    How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
    Psalms 62:4
    They only consult to cast him down from his high position; They delight in lies; They bless with their mouth, But they curse inwardly. Selah
    Isaiah 58:12
    Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
  17. Cross References
    Isaiah 29:5
    Moreover the multitude of your foes Shall be like fine dust, And the multitude of the terrible ones Like chaff that passes away; Yes, it shall be in an instant, suddenly.
  18. Cross References
    Psalms 2:9
    You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'
    Jeremiah 19:11
    And say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Even so I will break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel, which cannot be made whole again; and they shall bury them in Tophet till there is no place to bury.
  19. Cross References
    Psalms 116:7
    Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
    Isaiah 7:4
    And say to him: 'Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah.
    Isaiah 28:12
    To whom He said, "This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest," And, "This is the refreshing"; Yet they would not hear.
  20. Cross References
    Matthew 23:37
    O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
  21. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:36
    And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee; they shall flee as though fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall when no one pursues.
    Deuteronomy 28:25
    The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth.
    Deuteronomy 32:30
    How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the LORD had surrendered them?
    Joshua 23:10
    One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.
    Proverbs 28:1
    The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.
  22. Cross References
    Isaiah 33:2
    O LORD, be gracious to us; We have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, Our salvation also in the time of trouble.
  23. Cross References
    Psalms 2:12
    Kiss the Son, lestHe be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
    Psalms 34:8
    Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
    Proverbs 16:20
    He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.
    Jeremiah 17:7
    Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.
  24. Cross References
    Isaiah 26:8
    Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You.
  25. Cross References
    Isaiah 65:9
    I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, And from Judah an heir of My mountains; My elect shall inherit it, And My servants shall dwell there.
    Ezekiel 37:25
    Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children's children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.
    Ezekiel 37:28
    "The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore." '"
  26. Cross References
    Isaiah 25:8
    He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.
  27. Cross References
    Psalms 50:15
    Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.
    Isaiah 65:24
    It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.
    Matthew 7:7 - 11
    Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
  28. Cross References
    1 Kings 22:27
    "and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace." '"
    Psalms 127:2
    It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.
  29. Cross References
    Psalms 74:9
    We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet; Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
    Amos 8:11
    Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD.
  30. Cross References
    Joshua 1:7
    Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
  31. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 31:1
    Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces, cut down the wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars - from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh - until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, every man to his possession.
    Isaiah 2:20
    In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver And his idols of gold, Which they made, each for himself to worship, To the moles and bats.
    Isaiah 31:7
    For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold - sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.
  32. Cross References
    Hosea 14:8
    " Ephraim shall say, 'What have I to do anymore with idols?' I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me."
  33. Cross References
    Matthew 6:33
    But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
    1 Timothy 6:8
    And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
  34. Cross References
    Isaiah 2:14
    Upon all the high mountains, And upon all the hills that are lifted up.
    Isaiah 2:15
    Upon every high tower, And upon every fortified wall.
  35. Cross References
    Isaiah 2:10 - 21
    Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty.
    Isaiah 34:2
    For the indignation of the LORD is against all nations, And His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter.
  36. Cross References
    Isaiah 60:19
    The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory.
    Isaiah 60:20
    Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
    Revelation 21:23
    The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
    Revelation 22:5
    There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
  37. Cross References
    Isaiah 11:4
    But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
    2 Thessalonians 2:8
    And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
  38. Cross References
    Isaiah 8:8
    He will pass through Judah, He will overflow and pass over, He will reach up to the neck; And the stretching out of his wings Will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel.
  39. Cross References
    2 Kings 19:28
    Because your rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back By the way which you came.
    Isaiah 37:29
    Because your rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back By the way which you came."
  40. Cross References
    Isaiah 2:3
    Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
  41. Cross References
    Isaiah 29:6
    You will be punished by the LORD of hosts With thunder and earthquake and great noise, With storm and tempest And the flame of devouring fire.
  42. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:2
    Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.
  43. Cross References
    Isaiah 14:25
    That I will break the Assyrian in My land, And on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, And his burden removed from their shoulders.
    Isaiah 37:36
    Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses - all dead.
  44. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:5
    Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
    Isaiah 10:24
    Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: "O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt.
  45. Cross References
    Isaiah 11:15
    The LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River, And strike it in the seven streams, And make men cross over dry-shod.
  46. Cross References
    2 Kings 23:10
    And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech.
    Jeremiah 7:31
    And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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