Isaiah 10

1 Woe unto them that decree iniquitous decrees, and to the writers that prescribe oppression,

Tragedy is coming to those who pass evil decrees and who write laws to harm people.

2 to turn away the poor from judgment, and to take away the right from the afflicted of my people; that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

They pervert the legal rights of the needy, and rob justice from the poor of my people. They steal from widows and cheat orphans.

3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the sudden destruction [which] shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help, and where will ye leave your glory?

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?

4 They can but crouch under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

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.

5 Ah! the Assyrian! the rod of mine anger! and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

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!

6 I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge; to take the spoil, and to seize the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

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.

7 But he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; for it is in his heart to extirpate and cut off nations not a few.

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.

8 For he saith, Are not my princes all kings?

He says: “All my commanders are kings!

9 Is not Calno as Karkemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?

We conquered Calno like we did Carchemish; Hamath like Arpad; Samaria like Damascus.

10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, — and their graven images exceeded those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

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.

11 — shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her images?

Why shouldn't I do to Jerusalem and her idols just what I did to Samaria and her idols?”

12 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stoutness of heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

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.

13 For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done [it], and by my wisdom, for I am intelligent; and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and, like a valiant man, I have brought down them that sit [on thrones];

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.

14 and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples, and as one gathereth forsaken eggs, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or chirped.

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!”

15 — Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? As if the rod should wield them that lift it up; as if the staff should lift up [him who is] not wood!

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!

16 Therefore shall the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness, and under his glory he shall kindle a burning, like the burning of a fire:

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.

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 briars in one day,

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.

18 and it shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a sick man fainteth.

It will totally destroy its splendid forests and orchards. Assyria will waste away, staggering off like someone sick.

19 And the remainder of the trees of his forest shall be few: yea, a child might write them.

The trees left in 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 rely upon him that smote them; but they shall rely upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

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.

21 The remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will come back to the Mighty God.

22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, [only] a remnant of them shall return: the consumption determined shall overflow in righteousness.

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.

23 For a consumption, and [one] determined, will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, accomplish in the midst of all the land.

The Lord God Almighty has rightly decided to bring destruction throughout the whole country.

24 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts: O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt:

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.

25 for yet a very little while, and the indignation shall be accomplished, and mine anger, in their destruction.

Very shortly I will stop being angry with you. Then I will turn my anger on them and I will destroy them.

26 And Jehovah of hosts will stir up a scourge against him, according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and his rod [shall be] upon the sea, and he will lift it up after the manner of Egypt.

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.

27 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 be destroyed because of the anointing. ...

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.

28 He is come to Aiath, he hath passed through Migron; at Michmash he layeth up his baggage.

The Assyrians came to Aiath, passed through Migron, and stored their supplies at Michmash.

29 They are gone through the pass; they make their lodging at Geba: Ramah trembleth, Gibeah of Saul is fled.

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.

30 Lift up thy voice, daughter of Gallim! Hearken, O Laish! — Poor Anathoth!

Shout out a warning, people of Gallim! Pay attention, those living in Laishah! You poor people of Anathoth!

31 Madmenah is fugitive; the inhabitants of Gebim take to flight.

The people of Madmenah, are all running away. The inhabitants of Gebim are looking for somewhere safe.

32 Still a day of halting at Nob; he shaketh his hand [against] the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. ...

Today the invaders stop at Nob, shaking their fists at the mountain of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, shall lop the boughs with violence; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be brought low;

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.

34 and he shall make clearings in the thickets of the forest with iron; and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

He will cut down the thick forest with an ax, and Lebanon will fall at the hand of the Mighty One.