CHAPTER 31

1 Wo to them that go down into Egypt for help,
And who rely on horses,
And who trust to chariots, because they are numerous,
And to horses, because they are very strong,
And have not looked to the Holy One of Israel,
Nor have sought Jehovah.

2 Yet he also is wise:
Therefore he will bring evil,
And will not make void his words;
He will rise up against the house of the evil-doers,
And against the aid of the workers of vanity.

3 And verily the Egyptian is a man, and not God;
And his horses are flesh, and not spirit.
Therefore, as soon as Jehovah shall stretch out his arm,
The helper shall fall,
And he who is helped shall fall down,
And all shall fail together.

4 For thus hath Jehovah said to me:
As the lion roareth,
And the young lion for his prey,
Against whom, if a multitude of shepherds be gathered together,
He shall not be alarmed by their cry,
And shall not humble himself on account of their noise;
Thus will Jehovah of hosts come down
To fight for Mount Zion,
And for its hill.

5 As birds which fly,
So will Jehovah of hosts defend Jerusalem;
Defending, he will deliver it,
And passing over, he will preserve it.

6 Return ye,
As ye have made a deep revolt,
O children of Israel!

7 For in that day shall a man cast away
The idols of his silver,
And the idols of his gold,
Which your hands have made for you, a sin.

8 Then shall the Assyrian fall by the sword, not of a mighty man;
And the sword, not of a man, shall devour him;
And by flight shall he seek safety from the face of the sword,
And his young men shall melt away.

9 He shall pass to his stronghold through fear,
And his princes shall tremble at the banner, saith Jehovah,
Who hath a fire ³⁹⁶³⁹⁶     Or, Who is to him a fire. in Zion,
And who hath a furnace in Jerusalem.