Isa 10:5-6 | NET2full | STEP | “ Beware , Assyria , the club I use to vent my anger , a cudgel with which I angrily punish .

‏ Isaiah 10:5-6

The Lord Turns on Arrogant Assyria

5 “Beware, Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, ^{▼▼tn Heb “Woe [to] Assyria, the club of my anger.”}
a cudgel with which I angrily punish. ^{▼▼tn Heb “a cudgel is he, in their hand is my anger.” It seems likely that the final mem (ם) on בְיָדָם (beyadam) is not a pronominal suffix (“in their hand”), but an enclitic mem. If so, one can translate literally, “a cudgel is he in the hand of my anger.”}
6 I sent him ^{▼▼sn Throughout this section singular forms are used to refer to Assyria; perhaps the king of Assyria is in view (see v. 12).} against a godless ^{▼▼tn Or “defiled”; cf. ASV “profane”; NAB “impious”; NCV “separated from God.”} nation,
I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, ^{▼▼tn Heb “and against the people of my anger I ordered him.”}
to take plunder and to carry away loot,
to trample them down ^{▼▼tn Heb “to make it [i.e., the people] a trampled place.”} like dirt in the streets.