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Oy to Unjust Legislators

10 Oy to those enacting unjust decrees
and recording corrupt legislation,
to deprive the helpless of justice
and rob the rights of the poor of My people,
so that widows may be their spoil
    and orphans their prey!
What will you do in the day of visitation,
when desolation comes from afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
Where will you leave your wealth?

One can only crouch among the captives
    or collapse among the slain.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
    yet His hand is still outstretched.

Assyria, the Rod

Oy to Assyria, the rod of My anger—
    the club in their hand is My indignation!
I am sending it against an ungodly nation,
and against the people of My fury I am commissioning it,
    to take spoil and plunder,
    to trample them down
        like mud in the streets.

Yet that is not what Assyria intends,
    nor is that what he is thinking about.
Rather his heart is to destroy,
    and to cut down nations—only a few!
For he says: “Aren’t all my princes kings?
Isn’t Calno like Carchemish?
Isn’t Hamath like Arpad?
Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached the kingdoms of the idols—
    with more graven images than Jerusalem and Samaria—
11 as I’ve done to Samaria and her idols,
    won’t I also do to Jerusalem and her idols?”

12 Therefore it will come to pass, when Adonai finishes all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glorying of his haughty eyes.” 13 For he said:

“By the strength of my own hand I’ve done it,
    and my own wisdom,
    for I am shrewd!
I abolished the borders of peoples,
    and plundered their treasures.
As a mighty one I cast down inhabitants.
14 My hand found the riches of the peoples as a nest—
like gathering forsaken eggs,
I have gathered the entire earth.
Not a wing fluttered,
    not a beak opened or chirped!”

15 Should the axe boast against the One who chops with it?
Should the saw magnify itself against the One who wields it?
It would be like a rod waving the One who lifts it,
or like a staff hoisting up the One who is not wood!

16 Therefore will the Lord Adonai-Tzva’ot,
    send leanness among his fat ones.
Under its glory He will kindle a burning
    like a blazing fire.
17 So the light of Israel will become a fire,
    and its Holy One a flame.
He will burn and consume
    its thorns and briers in one day.
18 Both the glory of his forest
and his fruitful field,
    he will consume, both soul and body.
It will be like a sick man wasting away.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few,
a child could record them.

A Remnant Will Return

20 Yet it will come about in that day
that the remnant of Israel—
those of the house of Jacob who escaped—
will never again depend on the one
    who struck them down,
but will depend upon Adonai,
    the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 A remnant will return,
even the remnant of Jacob,[a]
to the Mighty God.

22 For though your people, O Israel,
    be as the sand of the sea,
only a remnant of them will return.[b]
Destruction has been decreed.
Justice overflows.
23 For a complete destruction, as decreed,
will Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot make throughout the whole land.[c]

24 Therefore thus says Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot:
“O My people dwelling in Zion,
    do not be afraid of Assyria,
though he strike you with the war-club,
    and lift up his rod against you, as Egypt did.

25 “For in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent, and My anger will turn to their destruction.” 26 Adonai-Tzva’ot will stir up against him a scourge, as in the slaughter of Midian at the Rock of Oreb. As His staff was over the sea, so will He lift it up, as He did in Egypt.

27 In that day his burden will be taken off your shoulders,
    and his yoke off your neck.
Indeed, the yoke will be broken
    because of fatness.

Assyria Advancing

28 He has come to Aiath,
    and passed through Migron.
At Michmas he deposited his supplies.
29 They have crossed over the pass.
They have taken up lodging at Geba.
Ramah is terrified;
Gibeath-shaul has fled.
30 Shriek your cry, daughter of Gallim!
Listen, O Laish! O poor Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled.
The inhabitants of Gebim take cover.
32 This very day he will halt at Nob.
He shakes his fist at the mountain
    of the Daughter of Zion,
    the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, Adonai-Tzva’ot
will lop off the branches with terror!
So the tall ones will be cut down
    and the lofty ones laid low.
34 Yes, He will hack down the thickets of the forest with iron,
and Lebanon with its majesty will fall.

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