Esias 10

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

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

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

To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor 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 you flee for help? and where will you leave your glory,

And what will all of you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will all of you flee for help? and where will all of you leave your glory?

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

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

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

O 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 an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take 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.

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

8 And if they should say to him, You alone are ruler;

For he says, Are not my princes altogether 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 Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?

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

As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of 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 idols?

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.

Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord has performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout 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 says, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:

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 has found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathers eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

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 hews therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shakes it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.

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

Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord 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 briers 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 shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standard-bearer faints.

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

And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may 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 stay upon him that stroke them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

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

The remnant shall return, even 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 your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with 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 the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

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

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall strike you with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against you, 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 cease, 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 the LORD of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he 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 your shoulder, and his fear from you, 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 your shoulder, and his yoke from off your 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 has come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he has laid up his carriages:

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 over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.

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

Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.

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

Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.

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

As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake 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, the LORD of hosts, shall cut off the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

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

And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.