Isaiah 10

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

Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees,

2 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!

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 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?

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 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.

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 O 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 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.

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 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.

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 says, Are not my princes altogether kings?

“Are not all my commanders kings?” he says.

9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? 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 has found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of 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 idols?

and as I have done to Samaria and its idols, will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?”

12 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.

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 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:

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 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.

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 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.

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, 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.

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 briers 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 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.

The splendor of its forests and orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a sickness consumes a man.

19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may 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 stay upon him that stroke them; but shall stay upon the LORD, 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, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

A remnant will return —a remnant of Jacob— to the Mighty God.

22 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.

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 the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, 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 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.

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 cease, 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 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.

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 your shoulder, and his yoke from off your 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 has come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he has laid up his carriages:

Assyria has entered Aiath and passed through Migron, storing their supplies at Michmash.

29 They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; 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 your voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.

Cry aloud, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! O wretched Anathoth!

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

Madmenah flees; the people of Gebim take refuge.

32 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.

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, 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.

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 cut down 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.