Isaiah 31

The Egyptians are No Help

31Ah! Those who go down to Egypt for help!

They rely on horses

and trust in chariots because they are many,

and in horsemen because they are very numerous,

and they do not look to the holy one of Israel,

and they do not consult Yahweh.

²And indeed, he is wise, and he brings disaster,

and he does not remove his words,

and he will rise against the house of evildoers

and against the help of workers of iniquity.

³And the Egyptians are human and not God,

and their horses are flesh and not spirit.

And Yahweh stretches out his hand,

and the helper will stumble,

and the one being helped will fall,

and together all of them will come to an end.^a

⁴For Yahweh said this to me:

“As which a lion growls

and a young lion over its prey

when a full group^b of shepherds is called against him,

it is not terrified by their voice,

and to their noise it does not respond,

so Yahweh of hosts will come down to fight upon Mount Zion

and upon its hill.

⁵Like birds flying overhead, so Yahweh of hosts will protect Jerusalem;

he will protect and deliver it;

he will pass over and rescue it.

⁶Turn back to the one against whom the sons of Israel have made deep rebellion.

⁷For on that day, each one will reject his idols of silver

and his idols of gold which your hands have made in sin for you.

⁸And Assyria shall fall by a sword not of a man,

and a sword not of a human shall devour him;

and he shall flee from the sword,

and his young men shall be put to forced labor.

⁹And his rock will pass over because of terror,

and his officers will be terrified because of the flag,”

declares^c Yahweh,

who has a fire in Zion

and has a furnace in Jerusalem.