Isaiah 30:1-2 New English Translation
Egypt Will Prove Unreliable
30 “The rebellious[a] children are as good as dead,”[b] says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me,[c]
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit,[d]
and thereby compound their sin.[e]
2 They travel down to Egypt
without seeking my will,[f]
seeking Pharaoh’s protection,
and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade.[g]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 30:1 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
- Isaiah 30:1 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
- Isaiah 30:1 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
- Isaiah 30:1 tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
- Isaiah 30:1 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
- Isaiah 30:2 tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”
- Isaiah 30:2 tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”
New English Translation (NET)
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