Esias 10

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

Woe to them that make wicked laws: and when they write, write injustice:

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

To oppress the poor in judgment, and do violence to the cause of the humble of my people: that widows might be their prey, and that they might 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,

What will you do in the day of visitation, and of the calamity which cometh from afar? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye 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.

That you be not bowed down under the bond, and fall with the slain? In all these things 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.

Woe to the Assyrian, he is the rod and the staff of my anger, and my indignation is in their hands.

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 to a deceitful nation, and I will give him a charge against the people of my wrath, to take away the spoils, and to lay hold on 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.

But he shall not take it so, and his heart shall not think so: but his heart shall be set to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few.

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

For he shall say:

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?

Are not my princes as so many kings? is not Calano as Charcamis: and Emath as Arphad? 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 hath found the kingdoms of the idol, so also their idols 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 to 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.

And it shall come to pass, that when the Lord shall have performed all his works in mount Sion, and in Jerusalem, I will visit the fruit of the proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of the haughtiness of his eyes.

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 hath said: By the strength of my own hand I have done it, and by my own wisdom I have understood: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have taken the spoils of the princes, and as a mighty man hath pulled down them that sat on high.

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 hath found the strength of the people as a nest; and as eggs are gathered, that are left, so have I gathered all the earth: and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or made the least noise.

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 cutteth with it? or shall the saw exalt itself against him by whom it is drawn? as if a rod should lift itself up against him that lifteth it up, and a staff exalt itself, which is but wood.

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

Therefore the sovereign Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall send leanness among his fat ones: and under his glory shall be kindled a burning, as it were 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 as a fire, and the Holy One thereof as a flame: and his thorns and his briers shall be set on fire, and shall be devoured 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 the glory of his forest, and of his beautiful hill, shall be consumed from the soul even to the flesh, and he shall run away through fear.

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

And they that remain of the trees of his forest shall be so few, that they shall easily be numbered, and a child shall write them down.

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 they that shall escape of the house of Jacob, shall lean no more upon him that striketh them: but they shall lean 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 be converted, the remnant, I say, of Jacob, to 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 if thy people, O Israel, shall be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them shall be converted, the consumption abridged shall overflow with justice.

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, and an abridgment 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 saith the Lord the God of hosts: O my people that dwellest in Sion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall strike thee with his rod, and he shall lift up his staff over thee in the way of Egypt.

25 For yet a little while, and the indignation shall cease: but my wrath shall be against their council.

For yet a little and a very little while, and my indignation shall cease, and my wrath shall be upon their wickedness.

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 raise up a scourge against him, according to the slaughter of Madian in the rock of Oreb, and his rod over the sea, and he shall lift it up in the way 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 thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall putrify at the presence of the oil.

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 shall come into Aiath, he shall pass into Magron: at Machmas he shall lay 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 have passed in haste, Gaba is our lodging: Rama was astonished, Gabaath of Saul fled away.

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

Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim, attend, O Laisa, poor Anathoth.

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

Medemena is removed: ye inhabitants of Gabim, take courage.

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.

It is yet day enough, to remain in Nobe: he shall shake his hand against the mountain of the daughter of Sion, 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 sovereign Lord of hosts shall break the earthen vessel with terror, and the tall of stature shall be cut down, and the lofty shall be humbled.

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

And the thickets of the forest shall be cut down with iron, and Libanus with its high ones shall fall.