Doom to Assyria!

5-11 “Doom to Assyria, weapon of my anger.
    My wrath is a club in his hands!
I send him against a godless nation,
    against the people I’m angry with.
I command him to strip them clean, rob them blind,
    and then push their faces in the mud and leave them.
But Assyria has another agenda;
    he has something else in mind.
He’s out to destroy utterly,
    to stamp out as many nations as he can.
Assyria says, ‘Aren’t my commanders all kings?
    Can’t they do whatever they like?
Didn’t I destroy Calno as well as Carchemish?
    Hamath as well as Arpad? Level Samaria as I did Damascus?
I’ve eliminated kingdoms full of gods
    far more impressive than anything in Jerusalem and Samaria.
So what’s to keep me from destroying Jerusalem
    in the same way I destroyed Samaria and all her god-idols?’”

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

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

Howbeit 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.

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God’s Judgment on Assyria

“Woe(A) to the Assyrian,(B) the rod(C) of my anger,
    in whose hand is the club(D) of my wrath!(E)
I send him against a godless(F) nation,
    I dispatch(G) him against a people who anger me,(H)
to seize loot and snatch plunder,(I)
    and to trample(J) them down like mud in the streets.
But this is not what he intends,(K)
    this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
    to put an end to many nations.

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