Isaiah

Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

1"Trouble is coming to my rebellious children," says the LORD. "They make plans, but not with me. They make agreements my Spirit never led them to, piling sin on top of sin.

2That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

2They set out for Egypt without asking me. They want Pharaoh's strength to guard them, and they hide in Egypt's shade like people hiding from the sun.

3Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.

3But Pharaoh's strength will only bring you shame. Hiding in Egypt's shade will leave you disgraced.

4For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes.

4Judah's officials have gone to the city of Zoan, and its messengers have reached the city of Hanes.

5They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame, and also a reproach.

5Every one of them will be ashamed of a nation that cannot help them at all. Egypt brings no help and no gain, only shame and insults.

6The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.

6A message about the pack animals crossing the southern desert. They travel through a land of trouble and pain, where lions live, and vipers, and darting snakes. Donkeys carry Judah's riches on their backs, and camels carry its treasures on their humps, to a people who cannot help them.

Note"Burden" in the KJV means a heavy message from God about a nation, not a weight someone carries. The "beasts of the south" are the donkeys and camels hauling Judah's payment across the desert to Egypt.

7For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.

7Egypt's help is useless and empty. So this is what I say about her: she sits still and does nothing.

8Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:

8Now go and write this on a tablet where they can see it. Write it in a book, so it stands as a record for all time to come.

9That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

9These are rebellious people. They are children who lie, children who refuse to listen to the LORD's teaching.

10Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

10They tell the seers, "Stop seeing visions." They tell the prophets, "Do not tell us what is right. Say pleasant things. Tell us lies.

11Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

11Get off this road. Turn aside from this path. Stop holding the Holy One of Israel up in front of us."

12Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:

12So the Holy One of Israel says this: "You have rejected my message. You trust in cruelty and crooked dealing, and you lean on them.

13Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.

13So this sin of yours will be like a crack in a tall wall. The wall bulges out, and then it falls all at once.

14And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit.

14It will shatter like a clay jar smashed to pieces, and nothing will be spared. No piece will be big enough to carry coals from a fire or scoop water from a well."

15For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

15The Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, says this: "If you come back to me and rest, you will be saved. Quiet trust would be your strength. But you refused."

16But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.

16You said, "No. We will escape on horses." So you will run. "We will ride fast horses." So the ones chasing you will be faster.

17One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.

17A thousand of you will run when one man threatens you. When five threaten, all of you will run. You will be left like a bare pole on a mountaintop, like one flag on a hill.

18And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

18Yet the LORD waits, because he wants to be kind to you. He rises up to show you mercy, for the LORD is a God who judges fairly. Happy are all who wait for him.

19For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.

19People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will cry no more. He will be very kind to you when you call out. The moment he hears you, he will answer.

20And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:

20The Lord may give you the bread of hard times and the water of suffering. But your teachers will not be hidden away in a corner any longer. You will see them with your own eyes.

21And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

21Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way. Walk in it."

22Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.

22You will treat your idols as filthy things: the silver coating on your carved images, the gold covering on your metal ones. You will throw them out like a bloody rag and say, "Get out of here."

23Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.

23Then he will send rain for the seed you plant in the ground. The food your land grows will be rich and plentiful. That day your cattle will graze in wide pastures.

24The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

24The oxen and donkeys that plow the ground will eat good, clean feed, tossed and cleaned with a shovel and a fork.

NoteThe KJV says the animals "ear the ground." "Ear" is an old word for plow. The "fan" is a fork for tossing grain in the air so the wind blows away the chaff.

25And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

25On every high mountain and every high hill, streams of water will flow. This will happen on the day of the great killing, when the towers fall.

26Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

26The moon will shine like the sun, and the sun will shine seven times brighter, like seven days of light at once. This comes on the day the LORD bandages his people's injury and heals the wound they were given.

27Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

27Look, the name of the LORD comes from far away, burning with anger, and heavy smoke rises with him. His lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a fire that eats everything.

28And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

28His breath is like a flooding river that rises up to the neck. He comes to shake the nations in a sieve that leaves nothing behind. He puts a bridle in their jaws that pulls them off their path.

29Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel.

29But you will sing, the way people sing on the night of a holy feast. Your heart will be glad, like someone walking up to the LORD's mountain to flute music, going to the Mighty One of Israel.

30And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.

30The LORD will let his splendid voice be heard. He will show his arm coming down in burning anger, with flames, driving rain, storm, and hailstones.

31For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.

31At the voice of the LORD, Assyria will be beaten down. Assyria was the one who beat others with a rod.

32And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the LORD shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it.

32Every time the LORD brings his punishing rod down on them, tambourines and harps will play. He will fight them blow after blow.

33For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

33The burning place has been ready for a long time. It is prepared for the king. It has been dug deep and wide, piled with fire and plenty of wood. The LORD's breath, like a river of burning sulfur, sets it on fire.

NoteThe KJV keeps the Hebrew name Tophet. It was a burning place in a valley outside Jerusalem, used here as a picture of a huge fire pit.