Esias 10

1 Woe to them that write wickedness; for when they write they do write wickedness,

Woe unto them that decree iniquitous decrees, and to the writers that prescribe oppression,

2 perverting the cause of the poor, violently wresting the judgment of the needy ones of my people, that the widow may be a prey to them, and the orphan a spoil.

to turn away the poor from judgment, and to take away the right from the afflicted of my people; that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

3 And what will they do in the day of visitation? for affliction shall come to you from afar: and to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory,

And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the sudden destruction [which] shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help, and where will ye leave your glory?

4 that ye may not fall into captivity? For all this [his] wrath is not turned away, but [his] hand is yet exalted.

They can but crouch under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

5 Woe to the Assyrians; the rod of my wrath, and anger are in their hands.

Ah! the Assyrian! the rod of mine anger! and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

6 I will send my wrath against a sinful nation, and I will charge my people to take plunder and spoil, and to trample the cities, and to make them dust.

I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge; to take the spoil, and to seize the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

7 But he meant not thus, neither did he devise thus in his soul: but his mind shall change, and [that] to destroy nations not a few.

But he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; for it is in his heart to extirpate and cut off nations not a few.

8 And if they should say to him, Thou alone art ruler;

For he saith, Are not my princes all kings?

9 then shall he say, Have I not taken the country above Babylon and Chalanes, where the tower was built? and have I [not] taken Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria?

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

10 As I have taken them, I will also take all the kingdoms: howl, ye idols in Jerusalem, and in Samaria.

As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, — and their graven images exceeded those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

11 For as I did to Samaria and her idols, so will I do also to Jerusalem and her idols.

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

12 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have finished doing all things on Mount Sion and Jerusalem, [that] I will visit upon the proud heart, [even] upon the ruler of the Assyrians, and upon the boastful haughtiness of his eyes.

And it shall come to pass, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stoutness of heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

13 For he said, I will act in strength, and in the wisdom of [my] understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations, and will spoil their strength.

For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done [it], and by my wisdom, for I am intelligent; and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and, like a valiant man, I have brought down them that sit [on thrones];

14 And I will shake the inhabited cities: and I will take with my hand all the world as a nest: and I will even take them as eggs that have been left; and there is none that shall escape me, or contradict me.

and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples, and as one gathereth forsaken eggs, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or chirped.

15 Shall the axe glorify itself without him that hews with it? or shall the saw lift up itself without him that uses it, as if one should lift a rod or staff? but it shall not be so;

— Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? As if the rod should wield them that lift it up; as if the staff should lift up [him who is] not wood!

16 but the Lord of hosts shall send dishonour upon thine honour, and burning fire shall be kindled upon thy glory.

Therefore shall the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness, and under his glory he shall kindle a burning, like the burning of a fire:

17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and he shall sanctify him with burning fire, and it shall devour the wood as grass.

and the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briars in one day,

18 In that day the mountains shall be consumed, and the hills, and the forests, and [fire] shall devour [both] soul and body: and he that flees shall be as one fleeing from burning flame.

and it shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a sick man fainteth.

19 And they that are left of them shall be a [small] number, and a child shall write them.

And the remainder of the trees of his forest shall be few: yea, a child might write them.

20 And it shall come to pass in that day [that] the remnant of Israel shall no more join themselves with, and the saved of Jacob shall no more trust in, them that injured them; but they shall trust in the Holy God of Israel, in truth.

And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the remnant of Israel and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob shall no more again rely upon him that smote them; but they shall rely upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21 And the remnant of Jacob shall [trust] on the mighty God.

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

22 And though the people of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them shall be saved.

For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, [only] a remnant of them shall return: the consumption determined shall overflow in righteousness.

23 He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because the Lord will make a short work in all the world.

For a consumption, and [one] determined, will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, accomplish in the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Be not afraid, my people who dwell in Sion, of the Assyrians, because he shall smite thee with a rod: for I am bringing a stroke upon thee, that [thou] mayest see the way of Egypt.

Therefore thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts: O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt:

25 For yet a little while, and the indignation shall cease: but my wrath shall be against their council.

for yet a very little while, and the indignation shall be accomplished, and mine anger, in their destruction.

26 And God will stir up [enemies] against them, according to the stroke of Madiam in the place of affliction: and his wrath shall be by the way of the sea, [even] to the way that leads to Egypt.

And Jehovah of hosts will stir up a scourge against him, according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and his rod [shall be] upon the sea, and he will lift it up after the manner of Egypt.

27 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] his yoke shall be taken away from thy shoulder, and his fear from thee, and the yoke shall be destroyed from off your shoulders.

And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck; and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. ...

28 For he shall arrive at the city of Angai, and shall pass on to Maggedo, and shall lay up his stores in Machmas.

He is come to Aiath, he hath passed through Migron; at Michmash he layeth up his baggage.

29 And he shall pass by the valley, and shall arrive at Angai: fear shall seize upon Rama, the city of Saul.

They are gone through the pass; they make their lodging at Geba: Ramah trembleth, Gibeah of Saul is fled.

30 The daughter of Gallim shall flee; Laisa shall hear; one shall hear in Anathoth.

Lift up thy voice, daughter of Gallim! Hearken, O Laish! — Poor Anathoth!

31 Madebena also is amazed, and the inhabitants of Gibbir.

Madmenah is fugitive; the inhabitants of Gebim take to flight.

32 Exhort ye [them] to-day to remain in the way: exhort ye [beckoning] with the hand the mountain, the daughter of Sion, even ye hills that are in Jerusalem.

Still a day of halting at Nob; he shaketh his hand [against] the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. ...

33 Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will mightily confound the glorious ones; and the haughty in pride shall be crushed, and the lofty shall be brought low:

Behold the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, shall lop the boughs with violence; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be brought low;

34 and the lofty ones shall fall by the sword, and the Libanus shall fall with his lofty ones.

and he shall make clearings in the thickets of the forest with iron; and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.