
TORAH
NEVI'IM
KETUVIM
Chapter 31
Translation and Transliteration of
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1Ha! Those who go down to Egypt for help And rely upon horses! They have put their trust in abundance of chariots, In vast numbers of riders, And they have not turned to the Holy One of Yisrael, They have not sought Hashem.
HOY ha-yor-DIM mitz-RA-yim le-EZ-ra, al-su-SIM yi-SHA-e-NU, va-yiv-TE-chu al-re-KHEV ki RAV, ve-al pa-RA-shim ki-a-TZ-MU me-OD, ve-LO sha-U al-ke-DOSH yis-ra-AYL, ve-ET a-do-NAI LO da-RA-shu.
אה֣וֹי הַיֹּרְדִ֤ים מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ לְעֶזְרָ֔ה עַל־סוּסִ֖ים יִשָּׁעֵ֑נוּ וַיִּבְטְח֨וּ עַל־רֶ֜כֶב כִּ֣י רָ֗ב וְעַ֤ל פָּרָשִׁים֙ כִּֽי־עָצְמ֣וּ מְאֹ֔ד וְלֹ֤א שָׁעוּ֙ עַל־קְד֣וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה לֹ֥א דָרָֽשׁוּ׃
2But He too is wise! He has brought on misfortune, And has not canceled His word. So He shall rise against the house of evildoers, And the allies of the workers of iniquity.
v'-GAM-hu kha-KHAM va-YA-VE ra, v'-ET d'-va-RAV lo he-SEER, v'-KAM al-BAYT m'-re-EEM, v'-AL-ez-RAT po-a-LAY a-VON.
בוְגַם־ה֤וּא חָכָם֙ וַיָּ֣בֵא רָ֔ע וְאֶת־דְּבָרָ֖יו לֹ֣א הֵסִ֑יר וְקָם֙ עַל־בֵּ֣ית מְרֵעִ֔ים וְעַל־עֶזְרַ֖ת פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃
3For the Egyptians are man, not Hashem, And their horses are flesh, not spirit; And when Hashem stretches out His arm, The helper shall trip And the helped one shall fall, And both shall perish together.
u-mitz-RA-yim a-DAM v'-lo-AYL v'-su-SE-hem ba-SAR v'-lo-ROO-akh va-a-do-NAI ya-TEH ya-DO va-KHA-shal o-ZER v'-na-FAL a-ZUR v'-yakh-DAV KU-lam yikh-la-YUN.
גוּמִצְרַ֤יִם אָדָם֙ וְֽלֹא־אֵ֔ל וְסוּסֵיהֶ֥ם בָּשָׂ֖ר וְלֹא־ר֑וּחַ וַיהֹוָ֞ה יַטֶּ֣ה יָד֗וֹ וְכָשַׁ֤ל עוֹזֵר֙ וְנָפַ֣ל עָזֻ֔ר וְיַחְדָּ֖ו כֻּלָּ֥ם יִכְלָיֽוּן׃
4For thus Hashem has said to me: As a lion—a great beast— Growls over its prey And, when the shepherds gather In force against him, Is not dismayed by their cries Nor cowed by their noise— So the lord of Hosts will descend to make war Against the mount and the hill of Tzion.
ki kho a-MAR a-do-NAI e-LAI ka-a-SHER ye-HE-ge HA-ar-YAY v'-ha-ke-FEER al-tar-PO a-SHER yi-ka-RE al-AI-m'-LO ro-EEM mi-KO-lam lo ye-KHAT u-m'-ha-MO-nam lo ya-a-NEH khen ye-RED a-do-NAI t'-za-VA-OT litz-BO al ha-har-tzi-YON v'-al gi-va-TAH
דכִּ֣י כֹ֣ה אָֽמַר־יְהֹוָ֣ה ׀ אֵלַ֡י כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר יֶהְגֶּה֩ הָאַרְיֵ֨ה וְהַכְּפִ֜יר עַל־טַרְפּ֗וֹ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִקָּרֵ֤א עָלָיו֙ מְלֹ֣א רֹעִ֔ים מִקּוֹלָם֙ לֹ֣א יֵחָ֔ת וּמֵהֲמוֹנָ֖ם לֹ֣א יַעֲנֶ֑ה כֵּ֗ן יֵרֵד֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת לִצְבֹּ֥א עַל־הַר־צִיּ֖וֹן וְעַל־גִּבְעָתָֽהּ׃
5Like the birds that fly, even so will the lord of Hosts shield Yerushalayim, shielding and saving, protecting and rescuing.
k'-tzi-po-REEM a-FOT k'-YEN ya-GEN a-do-NAI t'-va-OT al y'-ru-sha-LA-yim ga-NON v'-hit-TZIL pa-SO-akh v'-him-LEET
הכְּצִפֳּרִ֣ים עָפ֔וֹת כֵּ֗ן יָגֵ֛ן יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם גָּנ֥וֹן וְהִצִּ֖יל פָּסֹ֥חַ וְהִמְלִֽיט׃
6Return, O children of Yisrael, to Him to whom they have been so shamefully false;
SHU-vu la-a-SHER he-e-MI-khu sa-RAH b'-nay yis-ra-AYL
ושׁ֗וּבוּ לַאֲשֶׁ֛ר הֶעְמִ֥יקוּ סָרָ֖ה בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
7for in that day everyone will reject his idols of silver and idols of gold, which your hands have made for your guilt.
ki ba-YOM ha-HU yim-a-SUN eesh e-lee-LEI khas-PO ve-e-lee-LEI ze-HA-vo a-SHER a-SU la-KHEM ye-DAY-khem khe-TA
זכִּ֚י בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא יִמְאָס֗וּן אִ֚ישׁ אֱלִילֵ֣י כַסְפּ֔וֹ וֶאֱלִילֵ֖י זְהָב֑וֹ אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשׂ֥וּ לָכֶ֛ם יְדֵיכֶ֖ם חֵֽטְא׃
8Then Assyria shall fall, Not by the sword of man; A sword not of humans shall devour him. He shall shrivel before the sword, And his young men pine away.
v'-NA-fal a-SHUR b'-khe-REV lo EEsh v'-khe-REV lo a-DAM to-kh'-LE-nu, v'-NAS lo mi-p'-NAY khe-REV u-va-khu-RAV la-MAS yi-h'-YU
חוְנָפַ֤ל אַשּׁוּר֙ בְּחֶ֣רֶב לֹא־אִ֔ישׁ וְחֶ֥רֶב לֹֽא־אָדָ֖ם תֹּאכְלֶ֑נּוּ וְנָ֥ס לוֹ֙ מִפְּנֵי־חֶ֔רֶב וּבַחוּרָ֖יו לָמַ֥ס יִהְיֽוּ׃
9His rock shall melt with terror, And his officers shall collapse from weakness— Declares Hashem, who has a fire in Tzion, Who has an oven in Yerushalayim.
v'-sal-O mi-ma-GOR ya-a-VOR v'-kha-TU mi-NAYS sa-RAV n'-um a-do-NAI a-sher UR LO b'-tzi-YON v'-ta-NUR LO bee-ru-sha-LA-im
טוְסַלְעוֹ֙ מִמָּג֣וֹר יַעֲב֔וֹר וְחַתּ֥וּ מִנֵּ֖ס שָׂרָ֑יו נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁר־א֥וּר לוֹ֙ בְּצִיּ֔וֹן וְתַנּ֥וּר ל֖וֹ בִּירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃
31:9 Who has a fire in Tzion, who has an oven in Yerushalayim
In Hebrew, the word shuv (שׁוב) means both ‘repent,’ and ‘return.’ Yeshayahu begs the people to repent and return to Hashem. If they do so, he promises, Assyria will fall before God, whom the prophet describes as both a ‘fire,’ in Hebrew ur (אור), and an ‘oven,’ tanur (תנור). While both metaphors involve fire, there is an importance difference between a fire and an oven. The metaphor of fire describes Hashem burning and destroying the Assyrian enemy. But in the metaphor of the oven, the same fire is a source of heat and comfort, thus reminding us that our actions determine whether Hashem relates to us as fire of destruction or a helpful oven.