Isaiah 10

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

Alas! for them who ordain iniquitous decrees, —And, busy writers, who make a business of writing mischief:

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!

Turning aside from judgment, the poor, And robbing, of justice, the oppressed of my people, —So that, widows, become, their spoil, And of the fatherless, they make prey.

3 And what will ye do in the day of punishment, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

What, then, will ye do for the day of visitation, And for the devastation, which from afar, shall come? Unto whom, will ye flee for help? And where will ye leave your gory?

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.

Without me, one hath bowed under a prisoner Yea under the slain, do they fall! For all this, hath his anger, not turned back, But still, is his hand outstretched.

5 O Assyrian, the rod of my anger, and the staff in their hand is my indignation.

Alas! for Assyria, the rod of mine anger, —Yea, the very staff in their hand, is, my displeasure:

6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I command him, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Against an irreligious nation, will I send him, Yea against the people with whom I am wroth, will I command him, —To capture spoil And lay hold on prey, And cause them to be trodden down as the mire of the lanes.

7 Yet he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

But as for him, not so, doth he deem, And in his heart, not so, doth he think, —For, to destroy, is in his heart, And to cut off nations, not a few;

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

For he saith: —Are not, my generals, all alike, kings?

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 hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images excelled them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

As my hand hath reached unto the kingdoms of idols, —whose images did excel them of Jerusalem and Samaria,

11 Shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

Shall I not as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so, do to Jerusalem and her images?

12 Therefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath 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.

Wherefore it shall come to pass—When My Lord shall finish his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will bring punishment—Upon the fruit of the greatness of heart of the king of Assyria. And upon the vainglory of his uplifted eyes,

13 For he saith, 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 hath said—By the strength of mine own hand, have I effectually wrought, And by my wisdom—for I have discernment, —That I might remove the bounds of peoples, Yea their treasures, have I plundered That I might lay prostrate as a mighty one the inhabitants;

14 And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

And my hand hath found as a nest the wealth of the peoples, And as the gathering of eggs that are forsaken, all the earth, have, I, gathered, —And there was none to flap a wing, or open a mouth or chirp.

15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth with it? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that moveth it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it, or as if the staff should lift itself, as if it were no wood.

Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Or, the saw, magnify itself, against him that wieldeth it? As if a rod, could wield, them who lift it up! As if a staff, could raise, what 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, shall the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, Send, among his fat ones, leanness, And under his glory, shall he kindle a kindling, like the kindling of fire;

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;

So shall, the Light of Israel, become, a fire, And his Holy One, a flame, Which shall burn and consume his thorns and his briars, in one day;

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 standardbearer fainteth.

And the glory of his forest and of his garden land, both soul and body, shall it bring to an end, —And it shall be like the wasting away of a consumptive.

19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.

And, the remnant of his forest-trees, few in number, shall become, —yea, a child, might describe them!

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them; but shall lean upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

And it shall come to pass in that day, That the remnant of Israel. And the escaped of the house of Jacob Shall, no more again, lean upon him that smote them, —But shall lean upon Yahweh the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

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

A remnant, shall return, The remnant of Jacob, —unto the mighty GOD;

22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the full end decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

For though thy people, O Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, A [mere] remnant, shall return of them, —A full end decreed, bringeth in, justice, like a flood;

23 For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a full end, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

For, a full end and that a decreed one, is My Lord Yahweh of hosts executing in the midst of all the earth.

24 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD 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.

Therefore, thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh of hosts, Do not fear O my people dwelling in Zion, because of Assyria, —When with his rod, he would smite thee, And when his staff, he would lift up against thee in the manner of Egypt;

25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and my anger in their destruction.

For, yet a very little while, and displeasure shall end, Yea, mine anger, over their destruction.

26 And the LORD of hosts shall raise 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 Yahweh of hosts, will brandish over him, a scourge—Like the smiting of Midian at the rock Oreb, —And his staff being over the sea, He will lift it up in the manner of 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.

And it shall come to pass, in that day, That his burden shall remove from off thy shoulder, And his yoke from off thy neck, —Yea, the yoke shall be broken because of fatness.

28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath attended to his carriages:

He hath come in unto Ayyath, Hath passed through Migron, —At Michmash, storeth his baggage:

29 They have gone over the pass: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul hath fled.

They have passed over the pass, Geba is his halting-place, —Terror-stricken is Ramah, Gibeah of Saul, hath fled!

30 Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard to Laish, O poor Anathoth.

Make shrill thy voice, O daughter of Gallim! Hearken, O Laishah, Answer, O Anathoth!

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

Madmenah, hath fled, —The inhabitants of Gebim, have gone into safety:

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.

While yet to-day, in Nob, he tarrieth, He brandisheth his hand toward The mount of the daughter of Zion, The hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

Behold! the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, is about to lop off a tree-crown, with a crash, —Then shall, they who are lifted on high, be hewn down, And, the lofty, be laid low;

34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

Then will he fell the thickets of the forest with iron, —And, Lebanon by a majestic one shall fall.