1 W oe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees;

Wo those decreeing decrees of iniquity, And writers who have prescribed perverseness.

2 t o deprive the needy from justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights, that widows may be their plunder, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

To turn aside from judgment the poor, And to take violently away the judgment Of the afflicted of My people, That widows may be their prey, That the fatherless they may spoil.

3 W hat will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

And what do ye at a day of inspection? And at desolation? -- from afar it cometh. Near whom do ye flee for help? And where do ye leave your honour?

4 T hey will only bow down under the prisoners, and will fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Without Me it hath bowed down In the place of a bound one, And in the place of the slain they fall. With all this not turned back hath His anger, And still His hand is stretched out.

5 A las Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation!

Wo Asshur, a rod of Mine anger, And a staff in their hand Mine indignation.

6 I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me will I give him a command to take the plunder and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Against a profane nation I send him, And concerning a people of My wrath I charge him, To spoil spoil, and to seize prey, And to make it a treading-place as the clay of out places.

7 H owever he doesn’t mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations.

And he -- he thinketh not so, And his heart reckoneth not so, For -- to destroy in his heart, And to cut off nations not a few.

8 F or he says, “Aren’t all of my princes kings?

For he saith, `Are not my princes altogether kings?

9 I sn’t Calno like Carchemish? Isn’t Hamath like Arpad? Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?”

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

10 A s my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

As my hand hath got to the kingdoms of a worthless thing, and their graven images, than Jerusalem and than Samaria,

11 s hall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

Do I not -- as I have done to Samaria, And to her worthless things, So do to Jerusalem and to her grievous things?

12 T herefore it will happen that, when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his haughty looks.

And it hath come to pass, When the Lord doth fulfil all His work In mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I see concerning the fruit of the greatness Of the heart of the king of Asshur. And concerning the glory of the height of his eyes.

13 F or he has said, “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers.

For he hath said, `By the power of my hand I have wrought, And by my wisdom, for I have been intelligent, And I remove borders of the peoples, And their chief ones I have spoiled, And I put down as a mighty one the inhabitants,

14 M y hand has found the riches of the peoples like a nest, and like one gathers eggs that are abandoned, have I gathered all the earth. There was no one who moved their wing, or that opened their mouth, or chirped.”

And my hand as to a nest Getteth to the wealth of the peoples, And as a gathering of forsaken eggs All the earth I -- I have gathered, And there hath not been one moving wing, Or opening mouth, or whispering.'

15 S hould an ax brag against him who chops with it? Should a saw exalt itself above him who saws with it? As if a rod should lift those who lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up someone who is not wood.

-- Doth the axe glorify itself Against him who is hewing with it? Doth the saw magnify itself Against him who is shaking it? As a rod waving those lifting it up! As a staff lifting up that which is not wood!

16 T herefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire.

Therefore doth the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, Send among his fat ones leanness, And under his honour He kindleth a burning As the burning of a fire.

17 T he light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.

And the light of Israel hath been for a fire, And his Holy One for a flame, And it hath burned, and devoured his thorn And his brier in one day.

18 H e will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body. It will be as when a standard bearer faints.

And the honour of his forest, and his fruitful field, From soul even unto flesh He doth consume, And it hath been as the fainting of a standard-bearer.

19 T he remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.

And the rest of the trees of his forest few, And a youth doth write them.

20 I t will come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and those who have escaped from the house of Jacob will no more again lean on him who struck them, but shall lean on Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

And it hath come to pass, in that day, The remnant of Israel, And the escaped of the house of Jacob, Do not add any more to lean on its smiter, And have leant on Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel, in truth.

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

A remnant returneth -- a remnant of Jacob, Unto the Mighty God.

22 F or though your people, Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, A remnant doth return of it, A consumption determined, Overflowing righteousness.

23 F or the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will make a full end, and that determined, throughout all the earth.

For a consumption that is determined, The Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is making in the midst of all the land.

24 T herefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, says “My people who dwell in Zion, don’t be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did.

Therefore, thus said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, `Be not afraid, my people, inhabiting Zion, because of Asshur, With a rod he doth smite thee, And his staff lifteth up against thee, in the way of Egypt.

25 F or yet a very little while, and the indignation against you will be accomplished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction.”

For yet a very little, And the indignation hath been completed, And Mine anger by their wearing out.

26 Y ahweh of Armies will stir up a scourge against him, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt.

And awaking for him is Jehovah of Hosts, A scourge like the smiting of Midian at the rock Oreb, And his rod over the sea, And he hath lifted it in the way of Egypt.

27 I t will happen in that day, that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

And it hath come to pass, in that day, Turned is his burden from off thy shoulder, And his yoke from off thy neck, And destroyed hath been the yoke, because of prosperity.

28 H e has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage.

He hath come in against Aiath, He hath passed over into Migron, At Michmash he looketh after his vessels.

29 T hey have gone over the pass. They have taken up their lodging at Geba. Ramah trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled.

They have gone over the passage, Geba they have made a lodging place, Trembled hath Rama, Gibeah of Saul fled.

30 C ry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth!

Cry aloud thy voice, daughter of Gallim, Give attention, Laish! answer her, Anathoth.

31 M admenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.

Fled away hath Madmenah, The inhabitants of the high places have hardened themselves.

32 T his very day he will halt at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

Yet to-day in Nob to remain, Wave its hand doth the mount of the daughter of Zion, The hill of Jerusalem.

33 B ehold, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

Lo, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is lopping a branch with violence, And the high of stature are cut down, And the lofty are become low,

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

And He hath gone round the thickets of the forest with iron, And Lebanon by a mighty one falleth!