The Siege of Jerusalem
But the multitude of your foreign foes
shall be like small dust,
and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff.
And in an instant, suddenly,
you will be visited by the Lord of hosts
with thunder and with earthquake and great noise,
with the whirlwind and tempest,
and the flame of a devouring fire.
And the multitude of all the nations
that fight against Ariel,
all that fight against her and
her stronghold and distress her,
shall be like a dream, a vision of the night.
As when a hungry man dreams he is eating
and awakes with his hunger not satisfied,
or as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking
and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched,
so shall the multitude of all the nations be
that fight against Mount Zion.
-Isaiah 29:5-8
And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
-Isaiah 29:13-14
Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob shall no more be ashamed,
no more shall his face grow pale.
For when he sees his children,
the work of my hands, in his midst,
they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
and those who murmur will accept instruction.”
-Isaiah 29:22-24
Do Not Go Down to Egypt
“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord,
“who carry out a plan, but not mine,
and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit,
that they may add sin to sin;
who set out to go down to Egypt,
without asking for my direction,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh
and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!”
-Isaiah 30:1-3
A Rebellious People
For they are a rebellious people,
lying children,
children unwilling to hear
the instructions of the Lord.
-Isaiah 30:9
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel,
“Because you despise this word
and trust in oppression and perverseness
and rely on them,
therefore this iniquity shall be to you
like a breach in a high wall,
bulging out, and about to collapse,
whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;
and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel
that is smashed so ruthlessly
that among its fragments not a shard is found
with which to take fire from the hearth,
or to dip up water out of the cistern.”
For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
-Isaiah 30:12-15
The Lord Will Be Gracious
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
-Isaiah 30:18
For the people who dwelt in Zion, they were to weep no more. For the Lord would be gracious to the sounds of their cries. As soon as He heard them, he would answer them. The people would see their Teacher, and hear His words. They would tear down their idols and scatter all the unclean things.
The Lord would give rain for their crops, so they could have rich ground and be plenteous. The livestock would graze in large pastures, and there would be brooks running with water on every mountain and high hill.
“Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.”
Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;
his lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
his breath is like an overflowing stream
that reaches up to the neck;
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,
and to place on the jaws of the people
a bridle that leads astray.
-Isaiah 30:27-28
Woe to Those Who Go Down to Egypt
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help
and rely on horses,
who trust in chariots because they are many
and in horsemen because they are very strong,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel
or consult the Lord!
And yet he is wise and brings disaster;
he does not call back his words,
but will arise against the house of the evildoers
and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.
The Egyptians are man, and not God,
and their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,
the helper will stumble,
and he who is helped will fall,
and they will all perish together.
-Isaiah 31:1-3
Like birds hovering,
so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem;
he will protect and deliver it;
he will spare and rescue it.”
-Isaiah 31:5
“Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel.” For in that day everyone would cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, that their hands had sinfully made. Then their enemies would fall by the sword.