Isaiah 31:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers.

NASB: Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, And does not retract His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of the workers of injustice.

CSB: But he also is wise and brings disaster. He does not go back on what he says; he will rise up against the house of the wicked and against the allies of evildoers.

NLT: In his wisdom, the Lord will send great disaster; he will not change his mind. He will rise against the wicked and against their helpers.

KJV: Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.

NKJV: Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, And will not call back His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of those who work iniquity.

Isaiah 31:1–7 briefly recounts the subjects of the previous chapter. Misery is predicted for those who rely on animals and weapons instead of seeking God. God will cause both Judah and the Egyptians to fall together. After that, though, the Lord will come down to protect Jerusalem. Like a brave lion or a protective bird, He will rescue Jerusalem from disaster.

Isaiah declares "woe" on those in Judah who don't consult the Lord for help against the Assyrians. Instead, they turn to Egypt. They trust in earthly military resources instead of their own God. The Lord will bring disaster on both His sinful people Judah and their helpers the Egyptians. Both will fall. Then the Lord will come down to protect Jerusalem like a lion easily fending off multiple shepherds. Isaiah calls for the people to turn back to the Lord and prophecies that they will cast away their false idols. The Assyrians will be devoured and their king terrified and killed.

Isaiah 30 offers a shorter, poetic retelling of the previous chapter. This begins with a declaration of woe on the people of Judah. They rely on the horses and chariots of Egypt to save them from the Assyrians instead of consulting with the Lord. God will cause His sinful people Judah and their merely mortal helpers the Egyptians to fall together. Then He will protect Jerusalem from the Assyrians as a mother bird protects her nest. The following chapter continues to prophesy, looking ahead to Messiah's reign over the earth.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).