Isaiah 10
1 Woe unto them that decree iniquitous decrees, and to the writers that prescribe oppression,
Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees,
2 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!
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.
3 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?
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?
4 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.
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.
5 Ah! the Assyrian! the rod of mine anger! and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath.
6 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.
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.
7 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.
But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.
8 For he saith, Are not my princes all kings?
“Are not all my commanders kings?” he says.
9 Is not Calno as Karkemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?
“Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, — and their graven images exceeded those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms whose images surpassed those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 — shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her images?
and as I have done to Samaria and its idols, will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?”
12 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.
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.
13 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];
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.
14 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.
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.’”
15 — 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!
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!
16 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:
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.
17 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,
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.
18 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.
The splendor of its forests and orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a sickness consumes a man.
19 And the remainder of the trees of his forest shall be few: yea, a child might write them.
The remaining trees of its forests will be so few that a child could count them.
20 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.
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.
21 The remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
A remnant will return —a remnant of Jacob— to the Mighty God.
22 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.
Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness.
23 For a consumption, and [one] determined, will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, accomplish in the midst of all the land.
For the Lord GOD of Hosts will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land.
24 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:
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.
25 for yet a very little while, and the indignation shall be accomplished, and mine anger, in their destruction.
For in just a little while My fury against you will subside, and My anger will turn to their destruction.”
26 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.
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.
27 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. ...
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.
28 He is come to Aiath, he hath passed through Migron; at Michmash he layeth up his baggage.
Assyria has entered Aiath and passed through Migron, storing their supplies at Michmash.
29 They are gone through the pass; they make their lodging at Geba: Ramah trembleth, Gibeah of Saul is fled.
They have crossed at the ford: “We will spend the night at Geba.” Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees.
30 Lift up thy voice, daughter of Gallim! Hearken, O Laish! — Poor Anathoth!
Cry aloud, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! O wretched Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is fugitive; the inhabitants of Gebim take to flight.
Madmenah flees; the people of Gebim take refuge.
32 Still a day of halting at Nob; he shaketh his hand [against] the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. ...
Yet today they will halt at Nob, shaking a fist at the mount of Daughter Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.
33 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;
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.
34 and he shall make clearings in the thickets of the forest with iron; and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
He will clear the forest thickets with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.
