Isaiah 10

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

²in 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.

³What 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,

⁴so 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.

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

⁶I 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.

⁷But 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.

⁸For he will say:

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

¹⁰In 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.

¹¹Should I not do to Jerusalem and her false images, just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?”

¹²And 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.

¹³For 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.

¹⁴And 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.”

¹⁵Should 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?

¹⁶Because 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.

¹⁷And 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.

¹⁸And 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.

¹⁹And what remains of the trees of his forest will be so few, and so easily numbered, that even a child could write them down.

²⁰And 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.

²¹The remnant of Jacob, again I say the remnant, will be converted to the mighty God.

²²For 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.

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

²⁴For 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.

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

²⁶And 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.

²⁷And 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.

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

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

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

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

³²It is still daylight, so stand at Nob. He will shake his hand against the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

³³Behold, 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.

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

Isaiah 10

¹Woe to them that make wicked laws: and when they write, write injustice:

²To 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.

³What 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?

⁴That 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.

⁵Woe to the Assyrian, he is the rod and the staff of my anger, and my indignation is in their hands.

⁶I 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.

⁷But 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.

⁸For he shall say:

⁹Are not my princes as so many kings? is not Calano as Charcamis: and Emath as Arphad? is not Samaria as Damascus?

¹⁰As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idol, so also their idols of Jerusalem, and of Samaria.

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

¹²And 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.

¹³For 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.

¹⁴And 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.

¹⁵Shall 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.

¹⁶Therefore 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.

¹⁷And 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.

¹⁸And 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.

¹⁹And 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.

²⁰And 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.

²¹The remnant shall be converted, the remnant, I say, of Jacob, to the mighty God.

²²For 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.

²³For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, and an abridgment in the midst of all the land.

²⁴Therefore, 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.

²⁵For yet a little and a very little while, and my indignation shall cease, and my wrath shall be upon their wickedness.

²⁶And 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.

²⁷And 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 putrefy at the presence of the oil.

²⁸He shall come into Aiath, he shall pass into Magron: at Machmas he shall lay up his carriages.

²⁹They have passed in haste, Gaba is our lodging: Rama was astonished, Gabaath of Saul fled away.

³⁰Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim, attend, O Laisa, poor Anathoth.

³¹Medemena is removed: ye inhabitants of Gabim, take courage.

³²It 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.

³³Behold 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.

³⁴And the thickets of the forest shall be cut down with iron, and Libanus with its high ones shall fall.