HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 998
IS A IA H 3 0
24
page 628
They will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
Then the wayward will gain understanding,
and complainers will accept instruction.
— promises —
from God
“Only in returning
to me and resting in
me will you be saved.
In quietness and
confidence is your
strength.”
I SA I A H 30:1 5
Judah’s Worthless Treaty with Egypt
1 “What sorrow awaits my rebellious
children,”
says the Lord.
“You make plans that are contrary
to mine.
You make alliances not directed
by my Spirit,
thus piling up your sins.
2 For without consulting me,
you have gone down to Egypt for help.
You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s
protection.
You have tried to hide in his shade.
3 But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be
humiliated,
and by depending on him, you will
be disgraced.
4 For though his power extends to Zoan
and his officials have arrived in
Hanes,
5 all who trust in him will be ashamed.
He will not help you.
Instead, he will disgrace you.”
30
A Warning for Rebellious Judah
8 Now go and write down these words.
Write them in a book.
They will stand until the end of time
as a witness
9 that these people are stubborn rebels
who refuse to pay attention to the
Lord’s instructions.
10 They tell the seers,
“Stop seeing visions!”
They tell the prophets,
“Don’t tell us what is right.
Tell us nice things.
Tell us lies.
11 Forget all this gloom.
Get off your narrow path.
Stop telling us about your
‘Holy One of Israel.’”
12 This
13
14
15
16
6 This
message came to me concerning the animals in the Negev:
17
7
The caravan moves slowly
across the terrible desert to Egypt—
donkeys weighed down with riches
and camels loaded with treasure—
all to pay for Egypt’s protection.
They travel through the wilderness,
a place of lionesses and lions,
a place where vipers and poisonous
snakes live.
All this, and Egypt will give you nothing
in return.
Egypt’s promises are worthless!
Therefore, I call her Rahab—
the Harmless Dragon.*
is the reply of the Holy One of Israel:
“Because you despise what I tell you
and trust instead in oppression and lies,
calamity will come upon you suddenly—
like a bulging wall that bursts and falls.
In an instant it will collapse
and come crashing down.
You will be smashed like a piece of pottery—
shattered so completely that
there won’t be a piece big enough
to carry coals from a fireplace
or a little water from the well.”
This is what the Sovereign Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Only in returning to me
and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your
strength.
But you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will get our help from
Egypt.
They will give us swift horses for riding
into battle.’
But the only swiftness you are going to see
is the swiftness of your enemies
chasing you!
One of them will chase a thousand of you.
Five of them will make all of you flee.
You will be left like a lonely flagpole on
a hill
or a tattered banner on a distant
mountaintop.”
Blessings for the LORD’s People
18 So the Lord must wait for you to come
to him
so he can show you his love and
compassion.
30:7 Hebrew Rahab who sits still. Rahab is the name of
a mythical sea monster that represents chaos in ancient
literature. The name is used here as a poetic name
for Egypt.