Isaiah 10

1 Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees

“Woe [to] those decreeing decrees of iniquity, And writers who have prescribed perverseness,

2 to deprive the needy of justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights, that widows may be their plunder, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

Of My people, That widows may be their prey, That they may spoil the fatherless.

3 What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

And what do you do at a day of inspection? And at desolation that comes from afar? Near whom do you flee for help? And where do you leave your glory?

4 They will only bow down under the prisoners, and will fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

It has bowed down without Me In the place of a bound one, And they fall in the place of the slain.” With all this His anger has not turned back, And His hand is still stretched out.

5 Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation!

“Woe [to] Asshur, a rod of My anger, And My indignation [is] a staff in their hand.

6 I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me I will give him a command to take the plunder and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

I send him against a profane nation, And concerning a people of My wrath I charge him, To spoil spoil, and to seize prey, And to make it a treading-place as the clay of out places.

7 However, he does not mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations.

And he does not think [it] so, And his heart does not reckon [it] so, For—to destroy [is] in his heart, And to cut off nations—not a few.

8 For he says, “Are not all of my princes kings?

For he says, Are my princes not altogether kings?

9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?”

Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?

10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria,

As my hand has gotten to the kingdoms of a worthless thing, and their carved images, [Greater] than Jerusalem and than Samaria,

11 shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

Do I not—as I have done to Samaria, And to her worthless things, So do to Jerusalem and to her grievous things?”

12 Therefore it will happen that when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his arrogant looks.

And it has come to pass, When the Lord fulfills all His work In Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I see concerning the fruit of the greatness Of the heart of the king of Asshur, And concerning the glory of the height of his eyes.

13 For he has said, “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding. I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers.

For he has said, “I have worked by the power of my hand, And by my wisdom, for I have been intelligent, And I remove borders of the peoples, And I have spoiled their chief ones, And I put down the inhabitants as a mighty one,

14 My hand has found the riches of the peoples like a nest, and like one gathers eggs that are abandoned, I have gathered all the earth. There was no one who moved their wing, or that opened their mouth, or chirped.”

And my hand gets to the wealth of the peoples as to a nest, And as a gathering of forsaken eggs I have gathered all the earth, And there has not been one moving wing, Or opening mouth, or whispering.”

15 Should an ax brag against him who chops with it? Should a saw exalt itself above him who saws with it? As if a rod should lift those who lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up someone who is not wood.

Does the axe glorify itself Against him who is hewing with it? Does the saw magnify itself Against him who is shaking it? As a rod waving those lifting it up! As a staff lifting up that which is not wood!

16 Therefore the Lord, GOD of Armies, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire.

Therefore the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, Sends leanness among his fat ones, And under his glory He kindles a burning As the burning of a fire.

17 The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.

And the light of Israel has been for a fire, And his Holy One for a flame, And it has burned, and devoured his thorn And his brier in one day.

18 He will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body. It will be as when a standard bearer faints.

And the glory of his forest, and his fruitful field, He consumes from soul even to flesh, And it has been as the fainting of a standard-bearer.

19 The remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.

And the rest of the trees of his forest [are] few, And a youth writes them.

20 It will come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and those who have escaped from the house of Jacob will no more again lean on him who struck them, but shall lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

And it has come to pass in that day, The remnant of Israel, And the escaped of the house of Jacob, Do not add anymore to lean on its striker, And have leaned on YHWH, The Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21 A remnant will return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

A remnant returns—a remnant of Jacob, To the Mighty God.

22 For though your people, Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, A remnant of it returns, A consumption determined, Overflowing [with] righteousness.

23 For the Lord, GOD of Armies, will make a full end, and that determined, throughout all the earth.

For a consumption that is determined, The Lord, YHWH of Hosts, Is making in the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore the Lord, GOD of Armies, says, “My people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did.

Therefore, thus said the Lord, YHWH of Hosts: “Do not be afraid, My people, inhabiting Zion, because of Asshur, He strikes you with a rod, And his staff lifts up against you, in the way of Egypt.

25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation against you will be accomplished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction.”

For yet a very little [while], And the indignation has been completed, And My anger by their wearing out.”

26 The LORD of Armies will stir up a scourge against him, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt.

And YHWH of Hosts is awaking for him, A scourge like the striking of Midian at the rock Oreb, And his rod [is] over the sea, And he has lifted it in the way of Egypt.

27 It will happen in that day that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

And it has come to pass in that day, His burden is turned from off your shoulder, And his yoke from off your neck, And the yoke has been destroyed, because of prosperity.

28 He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage.

He has come in against Aiath, He has passed over into Migron, At Michmash he looks after his vessels.

29 They have gone over the pass. They have taken up their lodging at Geba. Ramah trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled.

They have gone over the passage, They have made Geba a lodging place, Rama has trembled, Gibeah of Saul fled.

30 Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth!

Cry aloud [with] your voice, daughter of Gallim, Give attention, Laish! Answer her, Anathoth.

31 Madmenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.

Madmenah has fled away, The inhabitants of the high places have hardened themselves.

32 This very day he will halt at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

Yet today to remain in Nob, The mountain of the daughter of Zion waves its hand, The hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord, GOD of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

Behold, the Lord, YHWH of Hosts, Is lopping a branch with violence, And the high of stature are cut down, And the lofty have become low,

34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

And He has gone around the thickets of the forest with iron, And Lebanon falls by a mighty one!