Isaiah 30:15–22

¹⁵This is what the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, says:

“If you come back to me and trust me, you will be saved.

If you will be calm and trust me, you will be strong.”

But you don’t want to do that.

¹⁶You say, “No, we need horses to run away on.”

So you will run away on horses.

You say, “We will ride away on fast horses.”

So those who chase you will be fast.

¹⁷One enemy will make threats,

and a thousand of your men will run away.

Five enemies will make threats,

and all of you will run from them.

You will be left alone like a flagpole on a hilltop,

like a banner on a hill.

¹⁸The Lord wants to show his mercy to you.

He wants to rise and comfort you.

The Lord is a fair God,

and everyone who waits for his help will be happy.

The Lord Will Help His People

¹⁹You people who live on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will not cry anymore. The Lord will hear your crying, and he will comfort you. When he hears you, he will help you. ²⁰The Lord has given you sorrow and hurt like the bread and water you ate every day. He is your teacher; he will not continue to hide from you, but you will see your teacher with your own eyes. ²¹If you go the wrong way—to the right or to the left—you will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the right way. You should go this way.” ²²You have statues covered with silver and gold, but you will ruin them for further use. You will throw them away like filthy rags and say, “Go away!”