30 1 He reproveth the Jews, which in their adversity used their own counsels, 2 and sought help of the Egyptians, 10 despising the Prophets. 16 Therefore he showeth what destruction shall come upon them, 18 but offereth mercy to the repentant.
1 Woe to the [a]rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me, and [b]cover with a covering, but not by my spirit, that they may lay sin upon sin:
2 Which walk forth to go down into Egypt (and have not asked at my mouth) to strengthen themselves with the strength of Pharaoh, and trust in the shadow of Egypt.
3 But the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.
4 For his [c]princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came unto Hanes.
5 They shall be all ashamed of the people that cannot profit them, nor help, nor do them good, but shall be a shame and also a reproach.
6 ¶ The [d]burden of the beasts of the South, in a land of trouble and anguish, from whence shall come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent against them that shall bear their riches upon the shoulders of the colts, and their treasures upon the bunches of the camels, to a people that cannot profit.
7 For the Egyptians are vanity, and they shall help in vain. Therefore have I cried unto [e]her, Their strength [f]is to sit still.
8 Now go, and write [g]it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the [h]last day forever and ever:
9 That it is a rebellious people, lying children, and children that would not [i]hear the Law of the Lord.
10 Which say unto the Seers, See not: and to the Prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things: but speak flattering things unto us: prophesy [j]errors.
11 Depart out of the way: go aside out of the path: cause the Holy one of Israel to cease from us.
12 Therefore thus saith the Holy one of Israel, Because you have cast off this word, and trust in [k]violence, and wickedness, and stay thereupon,
13 Therefore this iniquity shall be unto you as a breach that falleth, or a swelling in an high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly in a moment.
14 And the breaking thereof is like the breaking of a potter’s pot, which is broken without pity, and in the breaking thereof is not found [l]a shard to take fire out of the hearth, or to take water out of the pit.
15 For thus said the [m]Lord God, the Holy one of Israel, In rest and quietness shall ye be saved: in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, but ye would not.
16 For ye have said, No, but we will flee away upon [n]horses. Therefore shall ye flee. We will ride upon the swiftest. Therefore shall your persecutors be swifter.
17 A thousand as one shall flee at the rebuke of one: at the rebuke of five shall ye flee, till ye be left as a ship mast upon the [o]top of a mountain, and as a beacon upon an hill.
18 Yet therefore will the Lord wait, that he may have [p]mercy upon you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have compassion upon you: for the Lord is the God of [q]judgment. Blessed are all they that wait for him.
19 Surely a people shall dwell in Zion, and in Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will certainly have mercy upon thee at the voice of thy cry: when he heareth thee, he will answer thee.
20 And when the Lord hath given you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, thy rain shall be no more kept back, but thine eyes shall see thy [r]rain.
21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, [s]walk ye in it, when thou turnest to the right hand, and when thou turnest to the left.
22 And ye shall [t]pollute the covering of the images of silver, and the rich ornament of thine images of gold, and cast them away as a menstruous cloth, and thou shalt say unto it, [u]Get thee hence.
23 Then shall he give rain unto thy seed, when thou shalt sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and as oil: in that day shall thy cattle be fed in large pastures.
24 The oxen also and the young asses, that till the ground, shall eat clean provender, which is winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.
25 And upon every high [v]mountain, and upon every high hill shall there be rivers, and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall.
26 Moreover, the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the [w]Sun, and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold, and like the light of seven days in the day that the Lord shall bind up the breach of his people, and heal the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, [x]the Name of the Lord cometh from far, his face is burning, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire.
28 And his spirit is as a river that overfloweth up to the neck: it divideth asunder, to fan the nations with the fan of [y]vanity, and there shall be a bridle to cause them to err in the jaws of the people.
29 But there shall be a song unto you as in the [z]night, when a solemn feast is kept; and gladness of heart, as he that cometh with a pipe to go unto the mount of the Lord, to the Mighty one of Israel.
30 And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall declare the lighting down of his arm with the anger of his countenance, and flame of a devouring fire, with scattering and tempest, and hailstones.
31 For with the voice of the Lord shall Assyria be destroyed, which smote with the [aa]rod.
32 And in every place that the staff shall pass, it shall [ab]cleave fast, which the Lord shall lay upon him with [ac]tabrets and beards and with battles, and lifting up of hands shall he fight [ad]against it.
33 For [ae]Tophet is prepared of old; it is even prepared for the [af]King; he hath made it [ag]deep and large: the burning thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a river of brimstone, doth kindle it.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 30:1 Who contrary to their promise take not me for their protector, and contrary to my commandment seek help at strangers.
- Isaiah 30:1 They seek shifts to cloak their doings, and not godly means.
- Isaiah 30:4 The chief of Israel went into Egypt in embassy to seek help, and abode at these cities.
- Isaiah 30:6 That is, a heavy sentence or prophecy against the beasts that carried their treasures into Egypt, by the wilderness, which was south from Judah, signifying that if the beasts should not be spared, the men should be punished much more grievously.
- Isaiah 30:7 To wit, to Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 30:7 And not to come to and fro to seek help.
- Isaiah 30:8 That is, this prophecy.
- Isaiah 30:8 That it may be a witness against them for all posterity.
- Isaiah 30:9 He showeth what was the cause of their destruction, and bringeth also all misery to man: to wit, because they would not hear the word of God, but delighted to be flattered, and led in error.
- Isaiah 30:10 Threaten us not by the word of God, neither be so rigorous, nor talk unto us in the Name of the Lord, as Jer. 11:21.
- Isaiah 30:12 Meaning, in their stubbornness against God and the admonitions of his Prophets.
- Isaiah 30:14 Signifying, that the destruction of the wicked shall be without recovery.
- Isaiah 30:15 Ofttimes by his Prophets he put you in remembrance of this, that you should only depend on him.
- Isaiah 30:16 We will trust to escape by our horses.
- Isaiah 30:17 Whereas all the trees are cut down save two or three to make masts.
- Isaiah 30:18 He commendeth the great mercies of God, who with patience waiteth to call sinners to repentance.
- Isaiah 30:18 Not only in punishing, but in using moderation in the same, as Jer. 10:24 and 30:11.
- Isaiah 30:20 Or, instructor.
- Isaiah 30:21 God shall direct all thy ways, and appoint thee how to go either hither or thither.
- Isaiah 30:22 Ye shall cast away your idols, which you have made of gold, and silver, with all that belongeth unto them, as a most filthy thing, and polluted.
- Isaiah 30:22 Showing, that there can be no true repentance, except both in heart and deed we show ourselves enemies to idolatry.
- Isaiah 30:25 By these divers manners of speech he showeth that the felicity of the Church shall be so great, that none is able sufficiently to express it.
- Isaiah 30:26 When the Church shall be restored, the glory thereof shall pass seven times the brightness of the Sun: for by the Sun and Moon, which are two excellent creatures, he showeth what shall be the glory of the children of God in the kingdom of Christ.
- Isaiah 30:27 This threatening is against the Assyrians the chief enemies of the people of God.
- Isaiah 30:28 To drive thee to nothing: and thus God consumeth the wicked by that means, whereby he cleanseth his.
- Isaiah 30:29 Ye shall rejoice at the destruction of your enemies, as they that sung for joy of the solemn feast, which began in the evening.
- Isaiah 30:31 God’s plague.
- Isaiah 30:32 It shall destroy.
- Isaiah 30:32 With joy and assurance of the victory.
- Isaiah 30:32 Against Babel: meaning the Assyrians and Babylonians.
- Isaiah 30:33 Here it is taken for hell, where the wicked are tormented, read 2 Kings 23:10.
- Isaiah 30:33 So that their estate or degree cannot exempt the wicked.
- Isaiah 30:33 By these figurative speeches he declareth the condition of the wicked after this life.