"'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.
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.
But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated,
and by depending on him, you will
disgraced.
For though his power extends to Zoan
and his officials have arrived in Hanes,
all who trust in him will be ashamed.
He will not help you.
Instead, he will disgrace you.'
This message came to me concerning the animals in the Negev:
The caravan moves slowly
across the terrible desert to Egypt-
donkeys weighned 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.*
A Warning for Rebellious Judah
Now go and write down these words.
Write them in a book.
They will stand until the end of time
as a witness
that these people are stubborn rebels
who refuse to pay attention to the
LORD'S instructions.
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.
Forget all this gloom.
Get off your narrow path.
Stop telling us about your
'Holy One of Israel.''
This 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 upone 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 non 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
So the LORD must wait for you to come
to him
so he can show you his love and
compassion.
For the LORD is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his - help.
O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem,
you will weep no more.
He will be gracious if you ask for help.
He will surely respond to the sound of
your cries.
Though the Lord gave you adversity for
food
and suffering for drink,
he will still be with you to teach you.
You will see your teacher with your
own eyes.
Your own ears will hear him.
Right behind you a voice will say,
'This is the way you should go,'
whether to the right or to the left.
Then you will destroy all your silver
idols
and your precious gold images.
You will throw them out like filthy rags,
saying to them, 'Good riddance!'
Then the LORD will bless you with
rain at planting time. There will be
wonderful harvest and plenty of
of pastureland for your livestock. The
oxen and donkeys that till the - ground will eat good grain, its chaff blown
away by the wind. In that day, when
your enemies are slaughtered and the
towers fall, there will be streams of
water flowing down every mountain
and hill. The moon will be as bright
as the sun, and the sun will be seven
times brighter-like the light of seven
days in one! So it will be when the
LORD begins to heal his people and
cure the wounds he gave the them.
Look! The LORD is coming from far away,
burning with anger,
surrounded by thick, rising smoke.
His lips are filled with fury;
his words consume like fire.
His hot breath pours out like a flood
up to the neck of his enemies.
He will sift out the proud nations for
destruction.
He will bridle them and lead them
away to ruin.
But the people of God will sing a song
of joy,
like the songs at the holy festivals.
You will be filled with joy,
as when a flutist leads a group
of pilgrims
to Jerusalem, the mountain of the LORD-
to the Rock of Israel.
And the LORD will make his majestic
voice heard.
He will display the strength of his
mighty arm.
It will descend with devouring flames,
with cloudbursts, thunderstorms, and
huge hailstones.
At the LORD'S command, the Assyrians
will be shattered.
He will strike them down with his
royal scepter.
And as the LORD strikes them with his
rode of punishment,
his people will celebrate with
tambourines and harps.
Lifting his mighty arm, he will fight
the Assyrians.
Topheth-the place of burning-
has long been ready for the Assyrian
king;
the pyre is piled high with wood.
The breath of LORD, like fire from
a volcano,
will set it ablaze."
YOU ARE READING
ISAIAH 30:1-33
NonfiksiThis work is quoted from the book (Bible) of Isaiah 30:1-33. A time when our LORD God gave him a message concerning his people who had rebelled against him. Love, grace and compassion was shown to the adherence. What happened to the heart hardened r...
