Isaiah 10

1 Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees,

Woe unto those that decree decrees of unrighteousness, and the writers who write down wrongful things;

2 to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder.

To turn aside from judgment the needy, and to rob the just due of the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and [that] they may plunder the fatherless!

3 What will you do on the day of reckoning when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

And what will ye do on the day of the visitation, and at the desolation which will come from afar? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

4 Nothing will remain but to crouch among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

Without me they shall kneel down under the prisoners, and under the slain shall they fall. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand still remaineth stretched out.

5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath.

Woe over Asshur, the rod of my anger; and a staff is in their hand my indignation.

6 I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.

Against a hypocritical nation will I send him, and against the people of my fury will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to carry off the prey, and to render them trodden down like the mire of the streets.

7 But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.

But he deemeth it not so, and his heart doth not think so; but to destroy is in his heart, and to cut off nations not a few.

8 “Are not all my commanders kings?” he says.

For he saith, “Are not my princes altogether kings?

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

Is not Calno like Karkemish? is not Chamath like Arpad? is not Samaria like Damascus?

10 As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms whose images surpassed those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

As my hand hath reached the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images exceeded in number those of Jerusalem and of Samaria:

11 and as I have done to Samaria and its idols, will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?”

Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, do so unto Jerusalem and unto her idols?”

12 So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.

Wherefore shall it come to pass, that when the Lord hath completed all his work on mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the haughtiness of the king of Asshur, and the vain-glory of his proud looks.

13 For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers.

For he hath said, “By the strength of my hand have I done it, and by my wisdom, for I have intelligence; and I have removed the boundaries of nations, and their laid-up treasures have I plundered, and brought down low those that were powerfully seated.

14 My hand reached as into a nest to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened or chirped.’”

And my hand hath reached, as a bird's nest, the wealth of the people: and as one gathereth up eggs that are forsaken, have I myself gathered up all the earth: and there was not one that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or chirped.”

15 Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood!

Shall the axe boast itself over him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that swingeth it? as if the rod should swing about those that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up him who is no wood.

16 Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s stout warriors, and under his pomp will be kindled a fire like a burning flame.

Therefore will the Lord, the Eternal of hosts, send forth among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory shall be kindled a burning like the burning of a fire.

17 And the Light of Israel will become a fire, and its Holy One a flame. In a single day it will burn and devour Assyria’s thorns and thistles.

And the light of Israel shall become a fire, and his Holy One a flame; and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers on one day.

18 The splendor of its forests and orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a sickness consumes a man.

And the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body, will he destroy: and he shall be as [a tree] eaten to powder by the worms.

19 The remaining trees of its forests will be so few that a child could count them.

And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few in number, so that a boy may write them down.

20 On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

And it shall come to pass on that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall not farther lean for support upon him that smiteth them; but they shall lean upon the Lord, the Holy one of Israel, in truth.

21 A remnant will return —a remnant of Jacob— to the Mighty God.

The remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

22 Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness.

For though thy people Israel should be as the sand of the sea, [yet] a remnant [only] of them shall return: destruction is decreed, it overfloweth with righteousness.

23 For the Lord GOD of Hosts will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land.

For it is completed and decreed: the Lord, the Eternal of hosts will do it in the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear Assyria, who strikes you with a rod and lifts his staff against you as the Egyptians did.

Therefore thus hath said the Lord the Eternal of hosts, Be not afraid, O my people that dwellest in Zion, of Asshur, who will smite thee with the rod, and lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.

25 For in just a little while My fury against you will subside, and My anger will turn to their destruction.”

For yet but a very little while more, and the indignation shall cease, and my anger shall be for their destruction.

26 And the LORD of Hosts will brandish a whip against them, as when He struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise His staff over the sea, as He did in Egypt.

And the Lord shall lift up a scourge over him like [at] the smiting of Midian at the rock of 'Oreb: and as his staff was lifted over the sea, so will he carry him off after the manner of Egypt.

27 On that day the burden will be lifted from your shoulders, and the yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be removed from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be broken because of the fatness.

28 Assyria has entered Aiath and passed through Migron, storing their supplies at Michmash.

He cometh to 'Ayath, he passeth on to Migron; at Michmash he layeth up his baggage;

29 They have crossed at the ford: “We will spend the night at Geba.” Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees.

They go through the pass; they take up their lodging at Geba'; Ramah trembleth; Gib'ah of Saul fleeth.

30 Cry aloud, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! O wretched Anathoth!

Let thy voice resound, O daughter of Gallim; listen Layshah; O poor 'Anathoth!

31 Madmenah flees; the people of Gebim take refuge.

Madmenah is in motion; the inhabitants of Gebim are assembled to flee.

32 Yet today they will halt at Nob, shaking a fist at the mount of Daughter Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.

As yet today will he remain at Nob: then will he swing his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled.

Behold, the Lord, the Eternal of hosts, will lop off the fruitful bough with terrific might: and those of towering growth shall be hewn down, and the high shall be laid low.

34 He will clear the forest thickets with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.

And he will cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and the Lebanon shall fall by [means of] a mighty one.