Warnings About Relying on Egypt
31 How terrible it will be for those people who go down to Egypt for help.
They think horses will save them.
They think their many chariots
and strong horsemen will save them.
They don’t trust God, the Holy One of Israel.
They don’t ask the Lord for help.
2 But it is the Lord who is wise and who can bring them trouble.
He does not change his warnings.
He will rise up and fight against the evil people.
And he will fight against those who try to help evil people.
3 The Egyptians are only people and are not God.
Their horses are only animals and are not spirit.
The Lord will stretch out his arm,
and the one who helps will stumble.
The people who wanted help will fall.
All of them will be destroyed together.
4 The Lord says this to me:
“When a lion or a lion’s cub kills an animal to eat,
it stands over the dead animal and roars.
A band of shepherds
may be assembled against it.
But the lion will not be afraid of their yelling.
It will not be upset by their noise.
So the Lord of heaven’s armies will come down
to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.
5 The Lord of heaven’s armies will defend Jerusalem.
He will defend it like birds flying over their nests.
He will defend and save it.
He will ‘pass over’ and save Jerusalem.”
6 You children of Israel, come back to the God that you fought against. 7 The time is coming when each of you will stop worshiping the idols of gold and silver that you made. You truly sinned when you made them.
8 “Assyria will be defeated by a sword, but not the sword of a man.
Assyria will be destroyed, but not by a man’s sword.
Assyria will run away from the sword of God.
But their young men will be caught and made slaves.
9 They will panic, and their place of safety will be destroyed.
Their commanders will be terrified when they see God’s battle flag.”
The Lord said all these things.
The Lord’s fire is in Jerusalem.
His furnace is in Jerusalem.