Isaiah 10

1 Woe to those who make unfair laws, and who, when writing, write injustice:

Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees;

2 in order to oppress the poor in judgment, and to do violence to the case of the humble of my people, in order that widows may be their prey, and that they might plunder the orphan.

to deprive the needy from justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey.

3 What will you do on the day of visitation and calamity which is approaching from afar? To whom will you flee for assistance? And where will you leave behind your own glory,

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 so that you may not be bowed down under the chains, and fall with the slain? Concerning all this, his fury was not turned away; instead, his hand was still extended.

so as not to kneel with the prisoners, or fall among the slain? For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

5 Woe to Assur! He is the rod and the staff of my fury, and my indignation is in their hands.

Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation.

6 I will send him to a deceitful nation, and I will order him against the people of my fury, so that he may take away the plunder, and tear apart the prey, and place it to be trampled like the mud of the streets.

I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me will I give him a command to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

7 But he will not consider it to be so, and his heart will not suppose it to be this way. Instead, his heart will be set to crush and to exterminate more than a few 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 For he will say:

For he says, "Aren't all of my officials kings?

9 “Are not my princes like many kings? Is not Calno like Carchemish, and Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?

Isn't Calno like Carchemish? Isn't Hamath like Arpad? Isn't Samaria like Damascus?

10 In the same manner as my hand reached the kingdoms of the idol, so also will it reach their false images, those of Jerusalem and of Samaria.

As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

11 Should I not do to Jerusalem and her false images, just as I have done 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 And this shall be: when the Lord will have completed each of his works on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will act against the fruit of the exalted heart of king Assur, and against the glory of the haughtiness of his eyes.

Therefore it will happen that, when the LORD has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his haughty looks.

13 For he has said: “I have acted with the strength of my own hand, and I have understood with my own wisdom, and I have removed the limits of the people, and I have plundered their leaders, and, like one with power, I have pulled down those residing on high.

For he has said, "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers.

14 And my hand has reached to the strength of the people, as to a nest. And, just as the eggs which have been left behind are gathered, so have I gathered the entire earth. And there was no one who moved a wing, or opened a mouth, or uttered a snarl.”

My hand has found the riches of the peoples like a nest, and like one gathers eggs that are abandoned, have I gathered all the earth. There was no one who moved their wing, or that opened their mouth, or chirped."

15 Should the axe glorify itself over him who wields it? Or can the saw exalt itself over him who pulls it? How can a rod lift itself up against him who wields it, or a staff exalt itself, though it is only wood?

Should an axe 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 Because of this, the sovereign Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send leanness among his fat ones. And under the influence of his glory, a burning ardor will rage, like a consuming fire.

Therefore the LORD of hosts, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire.

17 And the light of Israel will be like a fire, and the Holy One of Israel will be like a flame. And his thorns and briers will be set ablaze and devoured, in 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 And the glory of his forest and of his beautiful hill will be consumed, from the soul even to the flesh. And he will flee away in terror.

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 And what remains of the trees of his forest will be so few, and so easily numbered, that even a child could write them down.

The remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.

20 And this shall be in that day: those not added to the remnant of Israel, and those who escape of the house of Jacob, will not lean upon him who strikes them. Instead, they will lean upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

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 The remnant of Jacob, again I say the remnant, will be converted to the mighty God.

A remnant will return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

22 For though your people, O Israel, will be like the sand of the sea, yet only a remnant of them will be converted. The consummation, having been shortened, will be inundated with justice.

For though your people, Israel, are as the sand of the sea, a remnant will be kept safe. For he will fulfill the word and decisively, overflowing in righteousness;

23 For the Lord, the God of hosts, will accomplish an abbreviation and a consummation, in the midst of all the earth.

because the Lord will carry out the word decisively in the midst of the earth.

24 For this reason, the Lord, the God of hosts, says this: “My people, who inhabit Zion: do not be afraid of Assur. He will strike you with his rod, and he will lift up his staff over you, on the way of Egypt.

Therefore the LORD of hosts says: "My people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did.

25 But after a little while and a brief time, my indignation will be consumed, and my fury will turn to their wickedness.”

For yet a very little while, and the indignation against you will be accomplished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction."

26 And the Lord of hosts will raise up a scourge over him, like the scourge of Midian at the rock of Oreb, and he will raise up his rod over the sea, and he will lift it up against the way of Egypt.

The LORD of hosts 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 And this shall be in that day: his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke will be taken away from your neck, and the yoke will decay at the appearance of the 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.

28 He will approach Aiath; he will cross into Migron; he will entrust his vessels to Michmash.

He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage.

29 They have passed through in haste; Geba is our seat; Ramah was stupefied; Gibeah of Saul fled.

He went through the pass. He has lodged at Geba. Ramah trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled.

30 Neigh with your voice, daughter of Gallim; pay attention, Laishah, impoverished woman of Anathoth.

Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim. Listen, Laishah. You poor Anathoth.

31 Madmenah has moved away; be strengthened, you inhabitants of Gebim.

Madmenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.

32 It is still daylight, so stand at Nob. He will shake his hand against the mountain of the daughter of Zion, 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 Behold, the sovereign Lord of hosts will crush the little bottle of wine with terror, and the exalted in stature will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

Look, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

34 And the dense forest will be overturned with iron. And Lebanon, with its exalted ones, will fall.

He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.