Isaiah 30:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lions and lionesses, of adders and darting snakes, the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’ backs, their treasures on the humps of camels, to that unprofitable nation,

NASB: The pronouncement concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of distress and anguish, From where come lioness and lion, viper and flying serpent, They carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys, And their treasures on camels’ humps, To a people who will not benefit them;

CSB: A pronouncement concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of trouble and distress, of lioness and lion, of viper and flying serpent, they carry their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people who will not help them.

NLT: This message came to me concerning the animals in the Negev: The caravan moves slowly across the terrible desert to Egypt — donkeys weighed down with riches and camels loaded with treasure — all to pay for Egypt’s protection. They travel through the wilderness, a place of lionesses and lions, a place where vipers and poisonous snakes live. All this, and Egypt will give you nothing in return.

KJV: The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.

NKJV: The burden against the beasts of the South. Through a land of trouble and anguish, From which came the lioness and lion, The viper and fiery flying serpent, They will carry their riches on the backs of young donkeys, And their treasures on the humps of camels, To a people who shall not profit;

Isaiah 30:1–7 opens with God's official complaint against the people of Judah. He compares them to obstinate toddlers for making an alliance with Egypt without seeking His counsel. This is both sinful and foolish: Egypt will not help to protect Judah from the Assyrians. Judah's representatives will face a dangerous trip to take payments to Egypt across the Negev, but it will all be for nothing. Egypt's help will be worthless. The Lord depicts Egypt as the great and powerful beast Rahab, but says this creature is unmoving and unhelpful.

The Lord describes Judah's people as stubborn children. They think Egypt will protect them from Assyria, instead of trusting Him. But Egypt will be of no help. Judah's leaders ignore God. They demand that prophets only tell them what they want to hear. Those leaders will be surprised by the sudden consequences of faithlessness. The Lord waits for them to turn back to Him and cry for help. When they do, He will provide greatly for them after destroying the Assyrians who are threatening them. The people will sing and celebrate as the Assyrians fall.

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).