1. “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;
2. who set out to go down to Egypt,without asking for my direction,to take refuge in the protection of Pharaohand to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3. Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame,and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.
4. For though his officials are at Zoanand his envoys reach Hanes,
5. everyone comes to shamethrough a people that cannot profit them,that brings neither help nor profit,but shame and disgrace.”
6. An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb.Through a land of trouble and anguish,from where come the lioness and the lion,the adder and the flying fiery serpent,they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys,and their treasures on the humps of camels,to a people that cannot profit them.
7. Egypt’s help is worthless and empty;therefore I have called her “Rahab who sits still.”
8. And now, go, write it before them on a tabletand inscribe it in a book,that it may be for the time to comeas a witness forever.
9. For they are a rebellious people,lying children,children unwilling to hearthe instruction of the Lord;
10. who say to the seers, “Do not see,”and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right;speak to us smooth things,prophesy illusions,
11. leave the way, turn aside from the path,let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
12. Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel,“Because you despise this wordand trust in oppression and perversenessand rely on them,
13. 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;
14. and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vesselthat is smashed so ruthlesslythat among its fragments not a shard is foundwith which to take fire from the hearth,or to dip up water out of the cistern.”
15. 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.”But you were unwilling,
16. and you said,“No! We will flee upon horses”;therefore you shall flee away;and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;therefore your pursuers shall be swift.