Isaiah 31–33

THE LORD, THE ONLY HELP

31Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help^a

and who depend on horses!

They trust in the abundance of chariots

and in the large number of horsemen.^b

They do not look^c to the Holy One of Israel,

and they do not seek the Lord.

²But he also is wise and brings disaster.^d

He does not go back on what he says;^e

he will rise up against the house of the wicked

and against the allies of evildoers.

³Egyptians are men, not God;

their horses are flesh, not spirit.

When the Lord raises his hand to strike,

the helper will stumble

and the one who is helped will fall;

both will perish together.

⁴For this is what the Lord said to me:

As a lion or young lion growls over its prey^f

when a band of shepherds is called out against it,

and it is not terrified by their shouting

or subdued by their noise,

so the Lord of Armies will come down

to fight on Mount Zion

and on its hill.^g

⁵Like hovering birds,

so the Lord of Armies will protect Jerusalem^h;

by protecting it, he will rescue it;

by passing over it, he will deliver it.

⁶Return to the one the Israelites have greatly rebelled against.^{i 7}For on that day, every one of you will reject the worthless idols of silver and gold that your own hands have sinfully made.^j

⁸Then Assyria will fall,

but not by human sword;

a sword will devour him,

but not one made by man.^k

He will flee from the sword;

his young men will be put to forced labor.^l

⁹His rock^A will pass away because of fear,^m

and his officers will be afraid because of the signal flag.ⁿ

This is the Lord’s declaration—whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.^o

THE RIGHTEOUS KINGDOM ANNOUNCED

32Indeed, a king will reign righteously,

and rulers will rule justly.^p

²Each will be like a shelter from the wind,

a refuge from the rain,^q

like flowing streams^r in a dry land

and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land.

³Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,

and the ears of those who hear will listen.^s

⁴The reckless mind will gain knowledge,

and the stammering tongue^t will speak clearly and fluently.

⁵A fool will no longer be called a noble,^u

nor a scoundrel said to be important.

⁶For a fool speaks foolishness

and his mind plots iniquity.

He lives in a godless way

and speaks falsely about the Lord.

He leaves the hungry empty

and deprives the thirsty of drink.^v

⁷The scoundrel’s weapons are destructive;

he hatches plots to destroy the needy with lies,

even when the poor person says what is right.

⁸But a noble person plans noble things;

he stands up for noble causes.

⁹Stand up, you complacent women;^w

listen to me.

Pay attention to what I say,

you overconfident daughters.

¹⁰In a little more than a year

you overconfident ones will shudder,

for the grapes will fail

and the harvest will not come.

¹¹Shudder, you complacent ones;

tremble, you overconfident ones!

Strip yourselves bare^a

and put sackcloth around your waists.

¹²Beat your breasts in mourning^b

for the delightful fields and the fruitful vines,^c

¹³for the ground of my people

growing thorns and briers,^d

indeed, for every joyous house in the jubilant city.

¹⁴For the palace will be deserted,

the busy city abandoned.

The hill and the watchtower will become

barren places forever,

the joy of wild donkeys,

and a pasture for flocks,

¹⁵until the Spirit^A from on high is poured out on us.^e

Then the desert will become an orchard,

and the orchard will seem like a forest.^f

¹⁶Then justice will inhabit the wilderness,

and righteousness will dwell in the orchard.

¹⁷The result of righteousness will be peace;^g

the effect of righteousness

will be quiet confidence forever.

¹⁸Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place,

in safe and secure dwellings.

¹⁹But hail will level the forest,^Bh

and the city will sink into the depths.ⁱ

²⁰You will be happy as you sow seed

beside abundant water,^j

and as you let oxen and donkeys range freely.^k

THE LORD RISES UP

33Woe, you destroyer never destroyed,

you traitor never betrayed!

When you have finished destroying,

you will be destroyed.

When you have finished betraying,

they will betray you.^l

²Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for you.^m

Be our strength every morning

and our salvation in time of trouble.ⁿ

³The peoples flee at the thunderous noise;^o

the nations scatter when you rise in your majesty.

⁴Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered;

people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts.

⁵The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;

he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

⁶There will be times of security for you—

a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.

The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.^p

⁷Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets;

the messengers of peace weep bitterly.^q

⁸The highways are deserted;

travel has ceased.

An agreement has been broken,^r

cities^A despised,

and human life disregarded.

⁹The land mourns and withers;^s

Lebanon is ashamed and wilted.

Sharon is like a desert;

Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

¹⁰“Now I will rise up,”^t says the Lord.

“Now I will lift myself up.

Now I will be exalted.

¹¹You will conceive chaff;^u

you will give birth to stubble.

Your breath is fire that will consume you.

¹²The peoples will be burned to ashes,

like thorns cut down and burned in a fire.

¹³You who are far off, hear what I have done;

you who are near,^v know my strength.”

¹⁴The sinners in Zion are afraid;

trembling seizes the ungodly:

“Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire?^w

Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?”^*

¹⁵The one who lives righteously

and speaks rightly,^x

who refuses profit from extortion,

whose hand never takes a bribe,

who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots

and shuts his eyes against evil schemes^a —

¹⁶he will dwell on the heights;

his refuge will be the rocky fortresses,

his food provided, his water assured.

¹⁷Your eyes will see the King in his beauty;^b

you will see a vast land.^c

¹⁸Your mind will meditate on the past terror:

“Where is the accountant?^B

Where is the tribute collector?^C

Where is the one who spied out our defenses?”^D

¹⁹You will no longer see the barbarians,

a people whose speech is difficult to comprehend—

who stammer in a language that is not understood.^d

²⁰Look at Zion, the city of our festival times.

Your eyes will see Jerusalem,

a peaceful pasture,^e a tent that does not wander;

its tent pegs will not be pulled up

nor will any of its cords be loosened.^f

²¹For the majestic one, our Lord, will be there,^g

a place of rivers and broad streams

where ships that are rowed will not go,

and majestic vessels will not pass.^h

²²For the Lord is our Judge,

the Lord is our Lawgiver,ⁱ

the Lord is our King.

He will save us.^j

²³Your ropes are slack;

they cannot hold the base of the mast

or spread out the flag.

Then abundant spoil will be divided,

the lame will plunder it,

²⁴and none there will say, “I am sick.”

The people who dwell there

will be forgiven^k their iniquity.^l