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10 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous chukim, and that write decrees of oppression;

To turn aside the needy from their rights, and to withhold mishpat from the aniyyei Ami, that almanot may be their prey, and that they may rob the yetomim!

And what will ye do in the Yom Pekuddah (Day Of Visitation, Reckoning) and in the desolation which shall come from afar? To whom will ye flee for ezrah (help)? And where will ye leave your kavod (glory, riches)?

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 yad is upraised still.

O Ashur, the rod of Mine anger, in whose yad is the mateh of My wrath.

I will send him against a Goy Chanef, and against the people of My wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the plunder, and to tread them down like the chomer chutzot (mire of the streets).

But he intendeth not so, neither doth his mind so consider; but it is in his lev to make an end of Goyim not a few.

For he saith, Are not my sarim altogether melachim?

Is not Calno like Carkemish? Is not Chamat like Arpad? Is not Shomron like Damascus?

10 Just as my yad hath found the mamlechot haelil, whose pesilim (molten images) did excel them of Yerushalayim and of Shomron;

11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Shomron and her elilim, so do to Yerushalayim and her atzabim (images)?

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when Adonoi hath performed His whole work upon Mt Tziyon and on Yerushalayim, I will punish the fruit of the proud lev of Melech Ashur, and the tiferet of his haughty eyes.

13 For he saith, By the ko’ach of my yad I have done it, and by my chochmah; for I have binah; and I have removed the boundaries of the nations, and have plundered their treasures, and like the mighty I have subdued those on thrones;

14 And my yad hath found like a ken (nest) the riches of the nations; and like one gathereth beitzim (eggs) that are left, have I gathered kol ha’aretz; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the beak, or peeped.

15 Shall the garzen (axe) boast itself against Him that cuts therewith? Or shall the masor (saw) magnify itself against Him that useth it? As if the shevet (rod) should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the matteh (staff) should lift up itself, as if it were not etz.

16 Therefore shall HaAdon Hashem Tzva’os send among his fat ones leanness; and instead of his kavod there will be kindled a burning like the blazing of eish.

17 And the Ohr Yisroel shall become an eish, and His Kadosh a flame; and shall burn and consume its thistles and its thorns in Yom Echad;

18 And shall consume the kavod of his forest and his fertile land, even to nefesh and basar; and shall be as a sick man wasting away.

19 And the remnant of the etz of his forest shall be few, that a na’ar could record them.

20 And it shall come to pass in Yom Hahu, that the remnant of Yisroel, and such as are escaped of Bais Ya’akov, shall no longer lean upon him that smote them; but shall lean upon Hashem Kadosh Yisroel be’emes.

21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Ya’akov, unto El Gibbor [See Isaiah 9:5(6)].

22 For though thy people Yisroel be like the chol hayam, only a remnant of them shall return; destruction is decreed, overwhelming tzedakah.

23 For Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os shall carry out kalah (destruction) decreed, even upon the kol ha’aretz.

24 Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os, O My people that dwellest in Tziyon, be not afraid of Ashur; if he strike thee with the shevet, and lift his matteh against thee, in the manner of Mitzrayim.

25 For yet a very little while, and the za’am (anger, indignation) shall pass, and Mine wrath turn for their destruction.

26 And Hashem Tzva’os shall stir up a shot (whip) for him as when He struck down Midyan at the Tzur Orev; and as His matteh was over the yam, so shall He raise it after the manner of Mitzrayim.

27 And it shall come to pass in Yom Hahu, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his ol from off thy neck, and the ol shall be broken from fatness.

28 He comes to Ayat, passes through Migron; at Michmash he hath left his supplies;

29 They are crossing the pass; they have taken up their lodging at Geva; Ramah is afraid; Givat-Sha’ul has fled.

30 Lift up thy voice, O Bat-Gallim; Listen O Layish, O poor Anatot.

31 Madmenah hurries away; the inhabitants of Gevim gather themselves to flee.

32 As yet shall he remain at Nov this very day; he shall shake his fist against the Har Bat Tziyon, the Givat Yerushalayim.

33 Hinei, HaAdon Hashem Tzva’os, shall chop the bough with great power; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down; the haughty shall be humbled.

34 And He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with barzel (iron), and Levanon shall fall by Adir (the Majestic Mighty One, i.e., Hashem).

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