1 W oe to those who enact evil statutes And to those who constantly record unjust decisions,

¶ Woe unto those that establish unrighteous laws and that wilfully prescribe tyranny

2 S o as to deprive the needy of justice And rob the poor of My people of their rights, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans.

to turn aside the poor from right judgment and to take away the right from the afflicted of my people that widows may be their prey and that they may rob the fatherless!

3 N ow what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth?

And what will ye do in the day of visitation and in the desolation which shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help and where will ye leave your glory?

4 N othing remains but to crouch among the captives Or fall among the slain. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.

They shall bow down among the prisoners, and they shall fall among the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

5 W oe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,

¶ O Assyrian, rod and staff of my anger, in thy hand have I placed my indignation.

6 I send it against a godless nation And commission it against the people of My fury To capture booty and to seize plunder, And to trample them down like mud in the streets.

I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and upon the people of my wrath will I send him to take spoil and to take prey and to ready them that they might be tread down like the mire of the streets.

7 Y et it does not so intend, Nor does it plan so in its heart, But rather it is its purpose to destroy And to cut off many nations.

Howbeit he shall not think like this; not even in his heart shall he imagine this way of doing things, but his thought shall be to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

8 F or it says, “Are not my princes all kings?

For he shall say, Are not my princes altogether kings?

9 “ Is not Calno like Carchemish, Or Hamath like Arpad, Or Samaria like Damascus?

Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?

10 “ As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, Whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel those of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

11 S hall I not do to Jerusalem and her images Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?”

shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

12 S o it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness.”

Therefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord has performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will come upon the fruit of the pride of the heart of the king of Assyria, and upon the glory of his high looks.

13 F or he has said, “By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, For I have understanding; And I removed the boundaries of the peoples And plundered their treasures, And like a mighty man I brought down their inhabitants,

For he said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have been prudent: and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and I have cast down as valiant ones those who were seated:

14 A nd my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; And there was not one that flapped its wing or opened its beak or chirped.”

And my hand has found as a nest the riches of the peoples: and as one gathers eggs that are left, I have taken control over all the earth; and there was no one that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

15 I s the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it? That would be like a club wielding those who lift it, Or like a rod lifting him who is not wood.

Shall the axe boast itself against him that hews with it? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that moves it? as if the rod should rise up against those that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift itself up. Is it not wood?

16 T herefore the Lord, the God of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors; And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.

Therefore shall the Lord, the LORD of the hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

17 A nd the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.

And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

18 A nd He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body, And it will be as when a sick man wastes away.

and shall consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, from the soul unto the flesh; and they shall come to be as a standard-bearer in defeat.

19 A nd the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number That a child could write them down. A Remnant Will Return

And the trees that shall remain in his forest shall be in number such that a child may count them.

20 N ow in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

¶ And it shall come to pass in that day that those who shall be left of Israel and those who shall be left of the house of Jacob shall no more again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

The remnant shall become converted, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

22 F or though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet the remnant of them shall become converted; when the consumption comes to an end, righteousness shall overflow.

23 F or a complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord God of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.

For the Lord GOD of the hosts shall make a consumption and an end in the midst of all the land.

24 T herefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did.

¶ Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of the hosts, O my people, dweller of Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with a rod and shall lift up his stick against thee by the way of Egypt;

25 F or in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction.”

yet from now until a very little while the indignation and my anger shall cease, to make an end of them.

26 T he Lord of hosts will arouse a scourge against him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be over the sea and He will lift it up the way He did in Egypt.

And the LORD of the hosts shall raise up a scourge against him as the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb and shall raise up his rod upon the sea, by the way of Egypt.

27 S o it will be in that day, that his burden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because of fatness.

And 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 be consumed in the presence of the anointing.

28 H e has come against Aiath, He has passed through Migron; At Michmash he deposited his baggage.

He is come to Aiath; he is passed unto Migron; in Michmash he shall number his army:

29 T hey have gone through the pass, saying, “ Geba will be our lodging place.” Ramah is terrified, and Gibeah of Saul has fled away.

They are gone over the fords; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.

30 C ry aloud with your voice, O daughter of Gallim! Pay attention, Laishah and wretched Anathoth!

Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim; Laish cause poor Anathoth to hear thee.

31 M admenah has fled. The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.

Madmenah is in upheaval; the inhabitants of Gebim shall gather themselves together.

32 Y et today he will halt at Nob; He shakes his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

Even yet shall come a day when he shall rest at Nob; he shall raise his hand unto the mountain of the daughter of Zion unto the hill of Jerusalem.

33 B ehold, the Lord, the God of hosts, will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash; Those also who are tall in stature will be cut down And those who are lofty will be abased.

Behold, the Lord, the LORD of the hosts, shall lop the bough with force, and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

34 H e will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe, And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

And he shall cut down the thickness of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by force.