Isaiah 10
1 Tragedy is coming to those who pass evil decrees and who write laws to harm people.
Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees
2 They pervert the legal rights of the needy, and rob justice from the poor of my people. They steal from widows and cheat orphans.
to deprive the needy of justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights, that widows may be their plunder, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
3 What are you going to do on the day you're punished, when disaster falls on you from far away? Who are you going to run to so you can get help? Where are you going to leave all your wealth?
What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?
4 All you'll be able to do is to bow down as prisoners, or lie among the dead! In all of this he is still angry and his hand is still raised.
They will only bow down under the prisoners, and will fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
5 Tragedy is coming to the Assyrians, even though the rod they use represents my anger and the stick they hold in their hands represents my fury!
Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation!
6 I am sending the Assyrians against a nation that has given up on its God, against a people that make me angry. I order the Assyrians to loot them, to take their possessions, and to trample them down like mud in the street.
I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me I will give him a command to take the plunder and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 But this isn't what is behind the thinking of the king of Assyria. This isn't the plan he has in mind. What he wants to do is to destroy and eliminate many nations.
However, he doesn’t mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations.
8 He says: “All my commanders are kings!
For he says, “Aren’t all of my princes kings?
9 We conquered Calno like we did Carchemish; Hamath like Arpad; Samaria like Damascus.
Isn’t Calno like Carchemish? Isn’t Hamath like Arpad? Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?”
10 I was the one who conquered these kingdoms along with the idols of their gods. These kingdoms had images of their gods that were better than those of Jerusalem and Samaria.
As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria,
11 Why shouldn't I do to Jerusalem and her idols just what I did to Samaria and her idols?”
shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?
12 Once the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will punish the king of Assyria for his terrible arrogance and for the conceited look in his eyes.
Therefore it will happen that when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his arrogant looks.
13 For the king of Assyria says: “I have done this in my own strength. It was through my wisdom, because I'm clever. I have wiped out the boundaries of nations and looted their treasures. Like a bull I knocked their rulers off their thrones.
For he has said, “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding. I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers.
14 Like robbing a bird's nest, I took the wealth of the nations. Like collecting abandoned eggs, I collected the whole the earth. There wasn't a fluttering wing or an open beak, not even a chirp!”
My hand has found the riches of the peoples like a nest, and like one gathers eggs that are abandoned, I have gathered all the earth. There was no one who moved their wing, or that opened their mouth, or chirped.”
15 Does an ax say it's more important than the person swinging it? Does a saw boast that it's greater than the person sawing with it? It would be as if a rod waved the person holding it, or a walking stick lifted up a person—who certainly wasn't wood!
Should an ax brag against him who chops with it? Should a saw exalt itself above him who saws with it? As if a rod should lift those who lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up someone who is not wood.
16 So the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will send a disease on the king of Assyria's strong warriors that will make them waste away; a flaming fire will be set under everything he's so proud of.
Therefore the Lord, GOD of Armies, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire.
17 Israel's light will become a fire, and his Holy One will become a flame. It will burn up his thorns and brambles in just one day.
The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.
18 It will totally destroy its splendid forests and orchards. Assyria will waste away, staggering off like someone sick.
He will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body. It will be as when a standard bearer faints.
19 The trees left in its forests will be so few that a child could count them.
The remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.
20 At that time those who are left in Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer trust in those who turn on them, but they will truly trust in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
It will come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and those who have escaped from the house of Jacob will no more again lean on him who struck them, but shall lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will come back to the Mighty God.
A remnant will return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
22 Israel, even though your people are as numerous as sand on the seashore, only a remnant will return. The Lord has rightly decided to destroy his people.
For though your people, Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
23 The Lord God Almighty has rightly decided to bring destruction throughout the whole country.
For the Lord, GOD of Armies, will make a full end, and that determined, throughout all the earth.
24 So this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says, My people living in Zion, don't be afraid of the Assyrians who beat you with rods and hit you with clubs, just like the Egyptians did.
Therefore the Lord, GOD of Armies, says, “My people who dwell in Zion, don’t be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did.
25 Very shortly I will stop being angry with you. Then I will turn my anger on them and I will destroy them.
For yet a very little while, and the indignation against you will be accomplished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction.”
26 The Lord Almighty will lash them with a whip, just as he did when he attacked the Midianites at the rock of Oreb. He will hold up his rod over the sea, just as he did in Egypt.
The LORD of Armies will stir up a scourge against him, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt.
27 At that time he will remove the burden from your shoulders and the yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because of the anointing with oil.
It will happen in that day that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
28 The Assyrians came to Aiath, passed through Migron, and stored their supplies at Michmash.
He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage.
29 They cross the pass, saying, “We'll stay overnight at Geba.” The people of Ramah tremble in fear; the inhabitants of Gibeah of Saul run away.
They have gone over the pass. They have taken up their lodging at Geba. Ramah trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Shout out a warning, people of Gallim! Pay attention, those living in Laishah! You poor people of Anathoth!
Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth!
31 The people of Madmenah, are all running away. The inhabitants of Gebim are looking for somewhere safe.
Madmenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32 Today the invaders stop at Nob, shaking their fists at the mountain of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.
This very day he will halt at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Look how the Lord Almighty is going to chop off the branches with great force. The tall trees will be cut down, the proud trees will be brought crashing down.
Behold, the Lord, GOD of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the thick forest with an ax, and Lebanon will fall at the hand of the Mighty One.
He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
