Psalms 146:3-5

146:3 Do not trust in princes,

or in human beings, who cannot deliver! ¹ 

146:4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground;

on that day their plans die. ² 

146:5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Isaiah 30:2-3

30:2 They travel down to Egypt

without seeking my will, ³ 

seeking Pharaoh’s protection,

and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. ⁴ 

30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,

and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.

Isaiah 30:15-17

30:15 For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:

“If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; ⁵ 

if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, ⁶ 

but you are unwilling.

30:16 You say, ‘No, we will flee on horses,’

so you will indeed flee.

You say, ‘We will ride on fast horses,’

so your pursuers will be fast.

30:17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; ⁷ 

at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, ⁸ 

until the remaining few are as isolated ⁹ 

as a flagpole on a mountaintop

or a signal flag on a hill.”

Isaiah 31:1

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ¹⁰ 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ¹¹ 

and in their many, many horsemen. ¹² 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ¹³ 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

Isaiah 31:8

31:8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made; ¹⁴ 

a sword not made by humankind will destroy them. ¹⁵ 

They will run away from this sword ¹⁶ 

and their young men will be forced to do hard labor.

Isaiah 36:6-7

36:6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! 36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’

Ezekiel 29:7

29:7 when they grasped you with their hand, ¹⁷  you broke and tore ¹⁸  their shoulders,

and when they leaned on you, you splintered and caused their legs to be unsteady. ¹⁹ 

[146:3]  ¹ tn Heb “in a son of man, to whom there is no deliverance.”

[146:4]  ² tn Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in v. 3b.

[30:2]  ³ tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”

[30:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”

[30:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “in returning and in quietness you will be delivered.” Many English versions render the last phrase “shall be saved” or something similar (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[30:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “in quietness and in trust is your strength” (NASB and NRSV both similar).

[30:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “One thousand from before [or “because of”] one battle cry.” גְּעָרָה (gÿ’arah) is often defined as “threat,” but in war contexts it likely refers to a shout or battle cry. See Ps 76:6.

[30:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “from before [or “because of”] the battle cry of five you will flee.

[30:17]  ⁹ tn Heb “until you are left” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[31:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ¹² tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ¹³ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[31:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Assyria will fall by a sword, not of a man.”

[31:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and a sword not of humankind will devour him.”

[31:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he will flee for himself from before a sword.”

[29:7]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew consonantal text (Kethib) has “by your hand,” but the marginal reading (Qere) has simply “by the hand.” The LXX reads “with their hand.”

[29:7]  ¹⁸ tn Or perhaps “dislocated.”

[29:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “you caused to stand for them all their hips.” An emendation which switches two letters but is supported by the LXX yields the reading “you caused all their hips to shake.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:103. In 2 Kgs 18:21 and Isa 36:6 trusting in the Pharaoh is compared to leaning on a staff. The oracle may reflect Hophra’s attempt to aid Jerusalem (Jer 37:5-8).