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10 Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees
    and who write unjust judgments which they have prescribed
to turn aside the needy from justice
    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!
And what will you do in the day of punishment
    and in the desolation which shall come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
    and where will you leave your wealth?
Nothing remains but to bow down among the prisoners,
    and they shall fall among the slain.

For all this His anger is not turned away,
    and His hand is stretched out still.

Judgment on Assyria

Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
    and the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
I will send him against an ungodly nation,
    and against the people of My wrath I will give him a command,
to seize the plunder, to take the prey,
    and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
However he does not so intend,
    nor does he plan so in his heart;
but his purpose is to destroy
    and to cut off many nations.
For he says, “Are not my princes altogether kings?
    Is not Kalno as Carchemish?
Is not Hamath as Arpad?
    Is not Samaria as Damascus?
10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols
    whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols,
    so do to Jerusalem and her idols?”

12 When the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high looks.” 13 For he says:

“By the strength of my hand and by my wisdom,
    I have done it, 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.
14 And my hand has found as a nest
    the riches of the people,
and as one gathers eggs that are left,
    I have gathered all the earth
and there was no one who moved the wing
    or opened the mouth or peeped.”

15 Shall the axe boast itself against him who hews with it?
    Or shall the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
That is as if the rod wields itself against those who lift it up,
    or as if the staff should lift itself up as if it were not wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, God of Hosts,
    shall send leanness among his stout ones,
and under his glory he shall kindle a burning
    like the burning of a fire.
17 The light of Israel shall be a fire,
    and his Holy One a flame,
and it shall burn and devour
    his thorns and his briers in one day,
18 and shall consume the glory of his forest,
    and of his fruitful field, both soul and body;
    and it shall be as when a sick man faints.
19 The rest of the trees of his forest shall be so few
    that a child may write them down.

The Returning Remnant of Israel

20 In that day the remnant of Israel
    and those who have escaped of the house of Jacob
shall never again depend on him
    who struck them,
but shall depend on the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob,
    to the mighty God.
22 For though your people, O Israel, are as the sand of the sea,
    yet a remnant of them shall return;
the destruction is decreed,
    overflowing with righteousness.
23 For the Lord God of Hosts shall make a complete destruction,
    as decreed, in the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore, thus says the Lord God of Hosts:

O My people who dwell in Zion,
    do not be afraid of the Assyrian.
He shall strike you with a rod
    and shall lift up his staff against you, after the manner of Egypt.
25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease,
    and My anger will be directed to their destruction.

26 The Lord of Hosts shall stir up a scourge for him
    according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb;
and as His rod was over the sea, so shall He lift it up
    after the manner of Egypt.
27 In that day his burden shall be taken away from off your shoulder,
    and his yoke from off your neck;
and the yoke shall be destroyed
    because of the anointing oil.

28 He has come against Aiath,
    he has passed through Migron;
    at Mikmash he has laid up his carriages.
29 They are gone over the pass,
    they have taken up their lodging at Geba.
Ramah is afraid,
    Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gallim.
    Listen, Laishah
    and poor Anathoth.
31 Madmenah has fled,
    the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.
32 Yet today he shall remain at Nob;
    he shakes his fist
against the mount of the daughter of Zion,
    the hill of Jerusalem.

33 See, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts,
    shall lop the bough with terror;
and the tall ones of stature shall be hewn down,
    and the haughty shall be humbled.
34 He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
    and Lebanon shall fall by the Mighty One.

10 Woe(A) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,(B)
to deprive(C) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,(D)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.(E)
What will you do on the day of reckoning,(F)
    when disaster(G) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?(H)
    Where will you leave your riches?
Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives(I)
    or fall among the slain.(J)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,(K)
    his hand is still upraised.

God’s Judgment on Assyria

“Woe(L) to the Assyrian,(M) the rod(N) of my anger,
    in whose hand is the club(O) of my wrath!(P)
I send him against a godless(Q) nation,
    I dispatch(R) him against a people who anger me,(S)
to seize loot and snatch plunder,(T)
    and to trample(U) them down like mud in the streets.
But this is not what he intends,(V)
    this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
    to put an end to many nations.
‘Are not my commanders(W) all kings?’ he says.
    ‘Has not Kalno(X) fared like Carchemish?(Y)
Is not Hamath(Z) like Arpad,(AA)
    and Samaria(AB) like Damascus?(AC)
10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,(AD)
    kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
11 shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
    as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?(AE)’”

12 When the Lord has finished all his work(AF) against Mount Zion(AG) and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria(AH) for the willful pride(AI) of his heart and the haughty look(AJ) in his eyes. 13 For he says:

“‘By the strength of my hand(AK) I have done this,(AL)
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;(AM)
    like a mighty one I subdued[a] their kings.(AN)
14 As one reaches into a nest,(AO)
    so my hand reached for the wealth(AP) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;(AQ)
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.(AR)’”

15 Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
    or the saw boast against the one who uses it?(AS)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
    or a club(AT) brandish the one who is not wood!
16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will send a wasting disease(AU) upon his sturdy warriors;(AV)
under his pomp(AW) a fire(AX) will be kindled
    like a blazing flame.
17 The Light of Israel will become a fire,(AY)
    their Holy One(AZ) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
    his thorns(BA) and his briers.(BB)
18 The splendor of his forests(BC) and fertile fields
    it will completely destroy,(BD)
    as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the remaining trees of his forests(BE) will be so few(BF)
    that a child could write them down.

The Remnant of Israel

20 In that day(BG) the remnant of Israel,
    the survivors(BH) of Jacob,
will no longer rely(BI) on him
    who struck them down(BJ)
but will truly rely(BK) on the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel.(BL)
21 A remnant(BM) will return,[b](BN) a remnant of Jacob
    will return to the Mighty God.(BO)
22 Though your people be like the sand(BP) by the sea, Israel,
    only a remnant will return.(BQ)
Destruction has been decreed,(BR)
    overwhelming and righteous.
23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
    the destruction decreed(BS) upon the whole land.(BT)

24 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“My people who live in Zion,(BU)
    do not be afraid(BV) of the Assyrians,
who beat(BW) you with a rod(BX)
    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
25 Very soon(BY) my anger against you will end
    and my wrath(BZ) will be directed to their destruction.(CA)

26 The Lord Almighty will lash(CB) them with a whip,
    as when he struck down Midian(CC) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff(CD) over the waters,(CE)
    as he did in Egypt.
27 In that day(CF) their burden(CG) will be lifted from your shoulders,
    their yoke(CH) from your neck;(CI)
the yoke(CJ) will be broken
    because you have grown so fat.[c]

28 They enter Aiath;
    they pass through Migron;(CK)
    they store supplies(CL) at Mikmash.(CM)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
    “We will camp overnight at Geba.(CN)
Ramah(CO) trembles;
    Gibeah(CP) of Saul flees.(CQ)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!(CR)
    Listen, Laishah!
    Poor Anathoth!(CS)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
    the people of Gebim take cover.
32 This day they will halt at Nob;(CT)
    they will shake their fist(CU)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,(CV)
    at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will lop off(CW) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,(CX)
    the tall(CY) ones will be brought low.(CZ)
34 He will cut down(DA) the forest thickets with an ax;
    Lebanon(DB) will fall before the Mighty One.(DC)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:13 Or treasures; / I subdued the mighty,
  2. Isaiah 10:21 Hebrew shear-jashub (see 7:3 and note); also in verse 22
  3. Isaiah 10:27 Hebrew; Septuagint broken / from your shoulders