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Isaiah 31
New King James Version

### The Folly of Not Trusting God

31 Woe to those (A)who go down to Egypt for help,
And (B)rely on horses,
Who trust in chariots because they are many,
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
(C)Nor seek the Lord!
2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster,
And (D)will not [a]call back His words,
But will arise against the house of evildoers,
And against the help of those who work iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God;
And their horses are flesh, and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out His hand,
Both he who helps will fall,
And he who is helped will fall down;
They all will perish (E)together.

### God Will Deliver Jerusalem

4 For thus the Lord has spoken to me:

(F)“As a lion roars,
And a young lion over his prey
(When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him,
He will not be afraid of their voice
Nor be disturbed by their noise),
So the Lord of hosts will come down
To fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.
5 (G)Like birds flying about,
So will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem.
Defending, He will also deliver it;
Passing over, He will preserve it.”

6 Return to Him against whom the children of Israel have (H)deeply revolted. 7 For in that day every man shall (I)throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold—(J)sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.

8 “Then Assyria shall (K)fall by a sword not of man,
And a sword not of mankind shall (L)devour him.
But he shall flee from the sword,
And his young men shall become forced labor.
9 (M)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.

#### Footnotes

1. Isaiah 31:2 retract

#### Cross references

1. Isaiah 31:1 : Is. 30:1, 2
2. Isaiah 31:1 : Deut. 17:16; Ps. 20:7; Is. 2:7; 30:16
3. Isaiah 31:1 : Is. 9:13; Dan. 9:13; Amos 5:4–8
4. Isaiah 31:2 : Num. 23:19; Jer. 44:29
5. Isaiah 31:3 : Is. 20:6
6. Isaiah 31:4 : Num. 24:9; Hos. 11:10; Amos 3:8
7. Isaiah 31:5 : Deut. 32:11; Ps. 91:4
8. Isaiah 31:6 : Hos. 9:9
9. Isaiah 31:7 : Is. 2:20; 30:22
10. Isaiah 31:7 : 1 Kin. 12:30
11. Isaiah 31:8 : 2 Kin. 19:35, 36
12. Isaiah 31:8 : Is. 37:36
13. Isaiah 31:9 : Is. 37:37

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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