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The Egyptians are No Help

31 Ah! Those who go down to Egypt for help!

They rely on horses

and trust in chariots because they are many,
    and in horsemen because they are very numerous,
and they do not look to the holy one of Israel,
    and they do not consult Yahweh.
And indeed, he is wise, and he brings disaster,
    and he does not remove his words,
and he will rise against the house of evildoers
    and against the help of workers of iniquity.
And the Egyptians are human and not God,
    and their horses are flesh and not spirit.
And Yahweh stretches out his hand,
    and the helper will stumble,
and the one being helped will fall,
    and together all of them will come to an end.[a]

For Yahweh said this to me:

“As which a lion growls
    and a young lion over its prey

when a full group[b] of shepherds is called against him,

it is not terrified by their voice,
    and to their noise it does not respond,
so Yahweh of hosts will come down to fight upon Mount Zion
    and upon its hill.

Like birds flying overhead, so Yahweh of hosts will protect Jerusalem;

he will protect and deliver it;
    he will pass over and rescue it.

Turn back to the one against whom the sons of Israel have made deep rebellion.

For on that day, each one will reject his idols of silver
    and his idols of gold which your hands have made in sin for you.
And Assyria shall fall by a sword not of a man,
    and a sword not of a human shall devour him;
and he shall flee from the sword,
    and his young men shall be put to forced labor.
And his rock will pass over because of terror,
    and his officers will be terrified because of the flag,”
    declares[c] Yahweh,
who has a fire in Zion
    and has a furnace in Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 31:3 Or “perish”
  2. Isaiah 31:4 Literally “fullness”
  3. Isaiah 31:9 Literally “declaration of”

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

31 Woe(A) to those who go down to Egypt(B) for help,
    who rely on horses,(C)
who trust in the multitude of their chariots(D)
    and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One(E) of Israel,
    or seek help from the Lord.(F)
Yet he too is wise(G) and can bring disaster;(H)
    he does not take back his words.(I)
He will rise up against that wicked nation,(J)
    against those who help evildoers.
But the Egyptians(K) are mere mortals and not God;(L)
    their horses(M) are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,(N)
    those who help will stumble,
    those who are helped(O) will fall;
    all will perish together.(P)

This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion(Q) growls,
    a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds(R)
    is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
    or disturbed by their clamor(S)
so the Lord Almighty will come down(T)
    to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
Like birds hovering(U) overhead,
    the Lord Almighty will shield(V) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver(W) it,
    he will ‘pass over’(X) it and will rescue it.”

Return,(Y) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted(Z) against. For in that day(AA) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold(AB) your sinful hands have made.(AC)

“Assyria(AD) will fall by no human sword;
    a sword, not of mortals, will devour(AE) them.
They will flee before the sword
    and their young men will be put to forced labor.(AF)
Their stronghold(AG) will fall because of terror;
    at the sight of the battle standard(AH) their commanders will panic,(AI)
declares the Lord,
    whose fire(AJ) is in Zion,
    whose furnace(AK) is in Jerusalem.