62:9 Men are nothing but a mere breath;
human beings are unreliable.
When they are weighed in the scales,
all of them together are lighter than air.
118:8 It is better to take shelter
than to trust in people.
118:9 It is better to take shelter in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
146:3 Do not trust in princes,
or in human beings, who cannot deliver!
146:4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground;
on that day their plans die.
2:22 Stop trusting in human beings,
whose life’s breath is in their nostrils.
For why should they be given special consideration?
30:1 “The rebellious
“those who make plans without consulting me,
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit,
and thereby compound their sin.
30:2 They travel down to Egypt
without seeking my will,
seeking Pharaoh’s protection,
and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade.
30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,
and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.
30:4 Though his
and his messengers arrive at Hanes,
30:5 all will be put to shame
because of a nation that cannot help them,
who cannot give them aid or help,
but only shame and disgrace.”
30:6 This is a message
Through a land of distress and danger,
inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions,
by snakes and darting adders,
they transport
their riches on the humps of camels,
to a nation that cannot help them.
30:7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping.
For this reason I call her
‘Proud one
31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead,
those who rely on war horses,
and trust in Egypt’s many chariots
and in their many, many horsemen.
But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel
and do not seek help from the Lord.
31:2 Yet he too is wise
he does not retract his decree.
He will attack the wicked nation,
and the nation that helps
31:3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God;
their horses are made of flesh, not spirit.
The Lord will strike with
the one who helps will stumble
and the one being helped will fall.
Together they will perish.
31:4 Indeed, this is what the Lord says to me:
“The Lord will be like a growling lion,
like a young lion growling over its prey.
Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it,
it is not afraid of their shouts
or intimidated by their yelling.
In this same way the Lord who commands armies will descend
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill.
31:5 Just as birds hover over a nest,
so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem.
He will protect and deliver it;
as he passes over
31:6 You Israelites! Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled!
31:8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made;
a sword not made by humankind will destroy them.
They will run away from this sword
and their young men will be forced to do hard labor.
31:9 They will surrender their stronghold
their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.”
This is what the Lord says –
the one whose fire is in Zion,
whose firepot is in Jerusalem.
29:6 Then all those living in Egypt will know that I am the Lord
because they were a reed staff
29:7 when they grasped you with their hand,
and when they leaned on you, you splintered and caused their legs to be unsteady.