Isaiah 31:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: His rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers desert the standard in panic," declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

NIV: Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic," declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

NASB: 'His rock will pass away because of panic, And his officers will be terrified by the flag,' Declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

CSB: His rock will pass away because of fear, and his officers will be afraid because of the signal flag. This is the Lord’s declaration—whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

NLT: Even the strongest will quake with terror, and princes will flee when they see your battle flags,' says the Lord, whose fire burns in Zion, whose flame blazes from Jerusalem.

KJV: And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.

NKJV: He shall cross over to his stronghold for fear, And his princes shall be afraid of the banner,” Says the Lord, Whose fire is in Zion And whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

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).