Isaiah 31

Modern

Literal

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

¹Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,

who rely on horses,

who trust in their abundance of chariots

and in their multitude of horsemen.

They do not look to the Holy One of Israel;

they do not seek the LORD.

¹Woe to those going down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses and trust in chariots that are many, and in horsemen that they are very numerous, and they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, and YHWH they do not seek.

²Yet He too is wise and brings disaster;

He does not call back His words.

He will rise up against the house of the wicked

and against the allies of evildoers.

²He is also wise, and He brings disaster; and His words He does not turn aside, and He will rise up against a house of evildoers, and against the help of the workers of iniquity.

³But the Egyptians are men, not God;

their horses are flesh, not spirit.

When the LORD stretches out His hand,

the helper will stumble,

and the one he helps will fall;

both will perish together.

³For Egypt is is man and not God, and their horses are flesh and not Spirit. And YHWH stretches out His hand, and the helper will stumble, and the one being helped will fall, and together all of them will perish.

⁴For this is what the LORD has said to me:

“Like a lion roaring

or a young lion over its prey—

and though a band of shepherds is called out against it,

it is not terrified by their shouting

or subdued by their clamor—

so the LORD of Hosts will come down

to do battle on Mount Zion and its heights.

⁴For thus has said YHWH to me: “As the lion roars or the young lion over his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called against him—at their voice he is not afraid and at their clamor he is not alarmed—so YHWH of Hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion, and on her hill.

⁵Like birds hovering overhead,

so the LORD of Hosts will protect Jerusalem.

He will shield it and deliver it;

He will pass over it and preserve it.”

⁵Like birds flying about, so YHWH of hosts will give cover over Jerusalem, covering and delivering it, passing over and preserving it.”

⁶Return to the One against whom you have so blatantly rebelled, O children of Israel.

⁶Return to the one against whom you have deeply rebelled, O sons of Israel,

⁷For on that day, every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold that your own hands have sinfully made.

⁷for in that day, a man will reject the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which your own hands have made for you as sin.

⁸“Then Assyria will fall,

but not by the sword of man;

a sword will devour them,

but not one made by mortals.

They will flee before the sword,

and their young men will be put to forced labor.

⁸And Assyria Will fall by a sword not of man, and a sword not of man will devour him; and he will flee from from the face of the sword, and his young men will be for forced labor.

⁹Their rock will pass away for fear,

and their princes will panic at the sight of the battle standard,”

declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion,

whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

⁹And his stronghold will pass away at the terror, and his princes will be frightened at the banner,” says YHWH, whose fire unto Him is in Zion, and a furnace unto Him is in Jerusalem.