1Woe to the apostate children, says the Lord: you⌃ have framed counsel, not by me, and covenants not by my Spirit, to add sins to sins: 2 even they that proceed to go down into Egypt, but they have not enquired of me, that they might be helped by Pharao, and protected by the Egyptians. 3For the protection of Pharaoh shall be to you a disgrace, and there shall be a reproach to them that trust in Egypt. 4For there are princes in Tanes, evil messengers. 5In vain shall they labor in seeking to a people, which shall not profit them for help, but shall be for a shame and reproach. 6THE VISION OF THE QUADRUPEDS IN THE DESERT. In affliction and distress, where are the lion and lion's whelp, thence come also asps, and the young of flying asps, there shall they be who bore their wealth on asses and camels to a nation which shall not profit them. 7The Egyptians shall help you utterly in vain: tell them, This your consolation is vain. 8Now then sit down and write these words on a tablet, and in a book; for these things shall be Gr. for days in time. Alex. seasons for many long days, and even for ever. 9For the people is disobedient, false children, who would not hear the law of God: 10who say to the prophets, Report not to us; and to them that see visions, Speak them not to us, but speak and report to us another error; 11and turn us aside from this way; remove from us this path, and remove from us the oracle of Israel. 12Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, Because you⌃ have refused to obey these words, and have trusted in falsehood; and because you have murmured, and been confident in this respect: 13therefore shall this sin be to you as a wall suddenly falling when a strong city has been taken, of which the fall is very near at hand. 14And the fall thereof shall be as the breaking of an earthen vessel, as small fragments of a pitcher, so that you should not find among them a sherd, with which you might take up fire, and with which you should draw a little water. 15Thus says the Lord, the Holy Lord of Israel; When you shall turn and mourn, then you shall be saved; and you shall know where you were, when you did trust in vanities: then your strength became vain, yet you⌃ would not listen: 16but you⌃ said, We will flee upon horses; therefore shall you⌃ flee: and, We will be aided by swift riders; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. 17A thousand shall flee because of the voice of one, and many shall flee on account of the voice of five; until you⌃ be left as a signal-post upon a mountain, and as one bearing an ensign upon a hill. 18And the Lord will again wait, that he may pity you, and will therefore be exalted that he may have mercy upon you: because the Lord your God is a judge: blessed are they that Or, wait for stay themselves upon him. 19For the holy people shall dwell in Sion: and whereas Jerusalem has Gr. with weeping wept bitterly, saying, Pity me; he shall pity you: when he perceived the voice of your cry, he listened to you. 20And though the Lord shall give you the bread of affliction and scant water, yet they that cause you to err shall no more at all draw near to you; for your eyes shall see those that cause you to err, 21and your ears shall hear the words of them that went after you to lead you astray, who say, This is the way, let us walk in it, whether to the right or to the left. 22And you shall pollute the plated idols, and you shall grind to powder the gilt ones, and shall scatter them as the water of a removed woman, and you shall thrust them forth as dung. 23Then shall there be rain to the seed of your land; and the bread of the fruit of your land shall be plenteous and rich: and your cattle shall feed in that day in a fertile and spacious place. 24Your bulls and your oxen that till the ground, shall eat chaff mixed with winnowed barley. 25And there shall be upon every lofty mountain and upon every high hill, water running in that day, when many shall perish, and when the towers shall fall. 26And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold in the day when the Lord shall heal the breach of his people, and shall heal the pain of your wound. 27Behold, the name of the Lord comes after a long time, burning wrath: the word of his lips is with glory, a word full of anger, and the anger of his wrath shall devour as fire. 28And his breath, as rushing water in a valley, shall reach as far as the neck, and be divided, to confound the nations for their vain error: error also shall pursue them, and Gr. take them to their face overtake them. 29Must you⌃ always rejoice, and go into my holy places continually, as they that keep a feast? and must you⌃ go with a pipe, as those that rejoice, into the mountain of the Lord, to the God of Israel? 30And the Lord shall make his glorious voice to be heard, and the wrath of his arm, to make a display with wrath and anger and devouring flame: he shall lighten terribly, and his wrath shall be as water and violent hail. 31For by the voice of the Lord the Assyrians shall be overcome, even by the stroke wherewith he shall strike them. 32And it shall happen to him from every side, that they from whom their hope of assistance was, in which he trusted, themselves shall war against him in turn with drums and with harp. 33For you shall be required before your time: has it been prepared for you also to reign? nay, God has prepared for you a deep trench, wood piled, fire and much wood: the wrath of the Lord shall be as a trench kindled with sulphur.