Isaiah 10

1 Cursed are those who make evil decisions, and the writers who make the records of their cruel acts:

Woe to those who enact unjust laws and write unfair decrees.

2 Who do wrong to the poor in their cause, and take away the right of the crushed among my people, so that they may have the property of widows, and get under their power those who have no father.

They deprive the needy of justice, rob the poor of my people of their rights, plunder widows, and make the fatherless their prey!

3 And what will you do in the day of punishment, and in the destruction which is coming from far? to whom will you go for help, and what will become of your glory?

What will you do on judgment day when the destruction comes from far away? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?

4 ... For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Nothing remains, and you crouch among the prisoners or fall among the killed. In all these things, his anger does not subside; instead, his hand is still stretched out.

5 Ho! Assyrian, the rod of my wrath, the instrument of my punishment!

Woe to the Assyrian, the club of my anger, the rod by whom I wield my fury!

6 I will send him against a nation of wrongdoers, and against the people of my wrath I will give him orders, to take their wealth in war, crushing them down like the dust in the streets.

I send him against an arrogant nation and against the people who bear my overflowing wrath. I order him to take the spoil, to take the prey, and to trample them like mud in the streets.

7 But this is not what is in his mind, and this is not his design; but his purpose is destruction, and the cutting off of more and more nations.

But this is not what he intends, nor does he think this way. It is in his heart to destroy and eliminate many nations.

8 For he says, Are not all my captains kings?

For he says, “Are not all my princes kings?

9 Will not the fate of Calno be like that of Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?

Is not Kalno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?

10 As my hand has come on the kingdoms of the images, whose pictured images were more in number than those of Jerusalem and Samaria;

As my hand has overcome idolatrous kingdoms, whose carved figures were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

11 So, as I have done to Samaria and her images, I will do to Jerusalem and her images.

just as I did to Samaria and her worthless idols, will I not also do the same to Jerusalem and to her idols?”

12 For this cause it will be that, when the purpose of the Lord against Mount Zion and Jerusalem is complete, I will send punishment on the pride of the heart of the king of Assyria, and on the glory of his uplifted eyes.

When the Lord has finished his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and his prideful looks.

13 For he has said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my knowledge, for I am wise: and I have taken away the limits of the peoples' lands, and the stores of their wealth have become mine; and I have made towns low in the dust, sending destruction on those living in them;

For he says, “By my strength and by my wisdom I acted. I have understanding, and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples. I have stolen their treasures, and like a bull I have brought down the inhabitants.

14 And I have put my hands on the wealth of the peoples, as on the place where a bird has put her eggs; and as a man may take the eggs from which a bird has gone, so I have taken all the earth for myself: and not a wing was moved, and not a mouth gave out a sound.

My hand has seized, as from a nest, the wealth of nations, and as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. None fluttered their wings or opened their mouth or chirped.”

15 Will the axe say high-sounding words against him who is using it, or the blade be full of pride against him who is cutting with it? As if a rod had the power of shaking him who is using it, or as if a stick might take up him who is not wood.

Will the ax boast about itself against the one who wields it? Will the saw praise itself more than the one who cuts with it? It is as if a rod could lift up those who raise it, or as if a wooden club could lift up a person.

16 For this cause the Lord, the Lord of armies, will make his fat become wasted; and in his inner parts a fire will be lighted like a burning flame.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh of hosts will send emaciation among his elite warriors; and under his glory there will be kindled a burning like fire.

17 And the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: wasting and burning up his thorns in one day.

The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame; it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day.

18 And he will put an end to the glory of his woods and of his planted fields, soul and body together; and it will be as when a man is wasted by disease.

Yahweh will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful land, both soul and body; it will be like when a sick man's life wastes away.

19 And the rest of the trees of his wood will be small in number, so that a child may put them down in writing.

The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few, that a child could count them.

20 And it will be in that day that the rest of Israel, and those of Jacob who have come safely through these troubles, will no longer go for help to him whose rod was on their back, but their faith will be in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

On that day, the remnant of Israel, the family of Jacob that has escaped, will no longer rely on the one who defeated them, but will indeed depend on Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel.

21 The rest, even the rest of Jacob, will come back to the Strong God.

A remnant of Jacob will return to the mighty God.

22 For though your people, O Israel, are as the sand of the sea, only a small number will come back: for the destruction is fixed, overflowing in righteousness.

For though your people, Israel, are like the sand of the seashore, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, as overflowing righteousness demands.

23 For the Lord, the Lord of armies, is about to make destruction complete in all the land.

For the Lord Yahweh of hosts, is about to carry out the destruction determined throughout the land.

24 For this cause the Lord, the Lord of armies, says, O my people living in Zion, have no fear of the Assyrian, even if his rod comes on your back, and his stick is lifted up as in Egypt.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh of hosts says, “My people who live in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian. He will strike you with the rod and raise his staff against you, as the Egyptians did.

25 For in a very short time my passion will be over, and my wrath will be turned to their destruction.

Do not fear him, for in a very short time my anger against you will end, and my anger will lead to his destruction.”

26 And the Lord of armies will be shaking a whip against him, as when he overcame Midian at the rock of Oreb: and his rod will be lifted up against them as it was against the Egyptians.

Then Yahweh of hosts will wield a whip against them, as when he defeated Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise his rod over the sea and lift it up as he did in Egypt.

27 And in that day the weight which he put on your back will be taken away, and his yoke broken from off your neck.

On that day, his burden is lifted from your shoulder and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of fatness.

28 He has gone up from Pene-Rimmon, he has come to Aiath; he has gone past Migron, at Michmash he puts his forces in order.

The enemy has come to Aiath and has passed through Migron; at Michmash he has stored his provisions.

29 They have gone across the mountain; Geba will be our resting-place tonight, they say: Ramah is shaking with fear; Gibeah of Saul has gone in flight.

They have crossed over the pass and they lodge at Geba. Ramah trembles and Gibeah of Saul has fled.

30 Give a loud cry, daughter of Gallim; let Laishah give ear; let Anathoth give answer to her.

Cry aloud, daughter of Gallim! Give attention, Laishah! You poor Anathoth!

31 Madmenah has gone; the men of Gebim are putting their goods in a safe place.

Madmenah is fleeing, and the inhabitants of Gebim run for safety.

32 This very day he is stopping at Nob; he is shaking his hand against the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

This very day he will halt at Nob and shake his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 See, the Lord, the Lord of armies, is cutting off his branches with a great noise, and his strong ones are falling and his high ones are coming down.

Behold, the Lord Yahweh of hosts will lop off the boughs with a terrifying crash; the tallest trees will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

34 And he is cutting down the thick places of the wood with an axe, and Lebanon with its tall trees is coming down.

He will chop down the thickets of the forest with an ax, and Lebanon in his majesty will fall.