Isaiah 10

1 Woe to those who make unfair laws, and who, when writing, write injustice:

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

2 in order to oppress the poor in judgment, and to do violence to the case of the humble of my people, in order that widows may be their prey, and that they might plunder the orphan.

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 What will you do on the day of visitation and calamity which is approaching from afar? To whom will you flee for assistance? And where will you leave behind your own 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 so that you may not be bowed down under the chains, and fall with the slain? Concerning all this, his fury was not turned away; instead, his hand was still extended.

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 Assur! He is the rod and the staff of my fury, and my indignation is in their hands.

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

6 I will send him to a deceitful nation, and I will order him against the people of my fury, so that he may take away the plunder, and tear apart the prey, and place it to be trampled like the mud of the streets.

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 will not consider it to be so, and his heart will not suppose it to be this way. Instead, his heart will be set to crush and to exterminate more than a few nations.

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 For he will say:

For he saith, Are not my princes all kings?

9 “Are not my princes like many kings? Is not Calno like Carchemish, and Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?

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

10 In the same manner as my hand reached the kingdoms of the idol, so also will it reach their false images, those of Jerusalem and of Samaria.

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

11 Should I not do to Jerusalem and her false images, just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?”

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

12 And this shall be: when the Lord will have completed each of his works on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will act against the fruit of the exalted heart of king Assur, and against the glory of the 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 has said: “I have acted with the strength of my own hand, and I have understood with my own wisdom, and I have removed the limits of the people, and I have plundered their leaders, and, like one with power, I have pulled down those residing on high.

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 my hand has reached to the strength of the people, as to a nest. And, just as the eggs which have been left behind are gathered, so have I gathered the entire earth. And there was no one who moved a wing, or opened a mouth, or uttered a snarl.”

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 Should the axe glorify itself over him who wields it? Or can the saw exalt itself over him who pulls it? How can a rod lift itself up against him who wields it, or a staff exalt itself, though it is only wood?

— 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 Because of this, the sovereign Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send leanness among his fat ones. And under the influence of his glory, a burning ardor will rage, like a consuming fire.

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 will be like a fire, and the Holy One of Israel will be like a flame. And his thorns and briers will be set ablaze and devoured, in one day.

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 And the glory of his forest and of his beautiful hill will be consumed, from the soul even to the flesh. And he will flee away in terror.

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 what remains of the trees of his forest will be so few, and so easily numbered, that even a child could write them down.

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

20 And this shall be in that day: those not added to the remnant of Israel, and those who escape of the house of Jacob, will not lean upon him who strikes them. Instead, they will lean upon the Lord, the Holy One 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 The remnant of Jacob, again I say the remnant, will be converted to the mighty God.

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

22 For though your people, O Israel, will be like the sand of the sea, yet only a remnant of them will be converted. The consummation, having been shortened, will be inundated with justice.

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 For the Lord, the God of hosts, will accomplish an abbreviation and a consummation, in the midst of all the earth.

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

24 For this reason, the Lord, the God of hosts, says this: “My people, who inhabit Zion: do not be afraid of Assur. He will strike you with his rod, and he will lift up his staff over you, on 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 But after a little while and a brief time, my indignation will be consumed, and my fury will turn to their wickedness.”

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

26 And the Lord of hosts will raise up a scourge over him, like the scourge of Midian at the rock of Oreb, and he will raise up his rod over the sea, and he will lift it up against the way of 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 this shall be in that day: his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke will be taken away from your neck, and the yoke will decay at the appearance of the oil.

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 He will approach Aiath; he will cross into Migron; he will entrust his vessels to Michmash.

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

29 They have passed through in haste; Geba is our seat; Ramah was stupefied; Gibeah of Saul fled.

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

30 Neigh with your voice, daughter of Gallim; pay attention, Laishah, impoverished woman of Anathoth.

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

31 Madmenah has moved away; be strengthened, you inhabitants of Gebim.

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

32 It is still daylight, so stand at Nob. He will shake his hand against the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of 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 sovereign Lord of hosts will crush the little bottle of wine with terror, and the exalted in stature will be cut down, and the lofty will 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 dense forest will be overturned with iron. And Lebanon, with its exalted ones, will fall.

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