Isaiah 10

1Woe to those who ^adecree iniquitous decrees,
and the writers who ^bkeep writing oppression,
2to turn aside the needy from justice
and ^cto rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
3What will you do on ^dthe day of punishment,
in the ruin that will come ^efrom afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
and where will you leave your wealth?
4Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
or fall among the slain.
^fFor all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.

Judgment on Arrogant Assyria

5 Woe to Assyria, ^gthe rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
6Against a ^hgodless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take ⁱspoil and seize plunder,
and to ^jtread them down like the mire of the streets.
7But he ^kdoes not so intend,
and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
and to cut off nations not a few;
8for he says:
^l“Are not my commanders all kings?
9 ^mIs not ⁿCalno like ^oCarchemish?
Is not ^pHamath like ^qArpad?
^rIs not ^sSamaria like Damascus?
10As my hand has reached to ^tthe kingdoms of the idols,
whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11shall I not do to Jerusalem and ^uher idols
^vas I have done to Samaria and her images?”
12 ^wWhen the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, ^xhe ▼

▼Hebrew I

will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. 13 ^zFor he says:

“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
and plunder their treasures;
like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
14My hand has found like a nest
the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
or opened the mouth or chirped.”
15 Shall ^aathe axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
16Therefore the Lord God of hosts
will send wasting sickness among his ^abstout warriors,
and under his glory ^aca burning will be kindled,
like the burning of fire.
17 ^adThe light of Israel will become a fire,
and ^aehis Holy One a flame,
and ^afit will burn and devour
his thorns and briers ^agin one day.
18The glory of ^ahhis forest and of his ^aifruitful land
the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
that a child can write them down.

The Remnant of Israel Will Return

20 ^ajIn that day ^akthe remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more ^allean on him who struck them, but ^amwill lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, ^anto the mighty God. 22 ^aoFor though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, ^aponly a remnant of them will return. ^aqDestruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.

24Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, ^arwho dwell in Zion, ^asbe not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as ^atthe Egyptians did. 25For ^auin a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 26And ^avthe Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck ^awMidian ^axat the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it ^ayas he did in Egypt. 27And in that day ^azhis burden will depart from your shoulder, and ^bahis yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.” ▼

▼The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

28 He has come to Aiath;
he has passed through ^bcMigron;
at Michmash he stores ^bdhis baggage;
29they have crossed over ^bethe pass;
at ^bfGeba they lodge for the night;
^bgRamah trembles;
^bhGibeah of Saul has fled.
30Cry aloud, O daughter of ^biGallim!
Give attention, O Laishah!
O poor ^bjAnathoth!
31Madmenah is in flight;
the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32This very day he will halt at ^bkNob;
he will shake his fist
at the mount of ^blthe daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord God of hosts
^bmwill lop ^bnthe boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
and the lofty will be brought low.
34He will cut down ^bothe thickets of the forest with an axe,
and ^bpLebanon will fall by the Majestic One.