Woe to those who aenact
evil
statutes
And to those who constantly record
1unjust
decisions
,
So as ato 1deprive the needy
of justice
And rob
the poor
of My people
of their rights
, So bthat widows
may be their spoil
And that they may plunder
the 2orphans
.
Now awhat will you do
in the bday
of punishment
, And in the devastation
which will come
cfrom afar
? dTo whom
will you flee
for help
? And where
will you leave
your 1wealth
?
Nothing remains but to crouch
1among
the acaptives
Or fall
1among
the bslain
. cIn spite of all
this
, His anger
does not turn
away
And His hand
is still
stretched
out.
Woe to aAssyria
, the brod
of My anger
And the staff
in whose hands
is cMy indignation
,
I send it against a agodless
nation
And commission
it against
the bpeople
of My fury
To capture
booty
and cto seize
plunder
, And to 1trample
them down
like dmud
in the streets
.
Yet it adoes not so intend
, Nor
does 1it plan
so
in its heart
, But rather
it is 2its purpose
to destroy
And to cut
off
3many
nations
.
For it says, "Are not my princes
1all
kings
?
"Is not aCalno like bCarchemish
, Or
cHamath
like Arpad
, Or
dSamaria
like eDamascus
?
"As my hand has reached
to the akingdoms
of the idols
, Whose graven
images
were greater than
those of Jerusalem
and Samaria
,
Shall I not 1do to Jerusalem
and her images
Just
as I have done
to Samaria
and aher idols
?"
So it will be that when the Lord
has completed
all
His awork
on Mount
Zion
and on Jerusalem
, He will say, "I will 1punish
the fruit
of the arrogant
heart
of the king
of Assyria
and bthe pomp
of 2his haughtiness
."
For ahe has said, "By the power
of my hand
and by my wisdom
I did
this, For I have
understanding
; And I bremoved
the boundaries
of the peoples
And plundered
their treasures
, And like a mighty
man
I brought
down
1their inhabitants
,
And my hand reached
to the riches
of the peoples
like a anest
, 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
."
Is the aaxe to bboast
itself over
the one who chops
with it? Is the saw
to exalt
itself over
the one who wields
it? That would be like ca 1club
wielding
those who lift
it, Or like ca rod
lifting
him who is not wood
.
Therefore the Lord
, the 1GOD
of hosts
, will send
a awasting
disease
among his bstout
warriors
; And under
his cglory
a fire
will be kindled
like a burning
flame
.
And the alight of Israel
will become
a fire
and his bHoly
One
a flame
, And it will cburn
and devour
his thorns
and his briars
in a single
day
.
And He will adestroy 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 the arest of the trees
of his forest
will be so small in number
That a child
could write
them down
.
Now in that day the aremnant
of Israel
, and those of the house
of Jacob
bwho
have escaped
, will never
again
rely
on the one who struck
them, but will truly
crely
on the LORD
, the Holy
One
of Israel
.
A aremnant will return
, the remnant
of Jacob
, to the bmighty
God
.
For athough your people
, O Israel
, may be like the sand
of the sea
, Only a remnant
within them will return
; A bdestruction
is determined
, overflowing
with righteousness
.
For a complete destruction
, one that is decreed
, athe Lord
1GOD
of hosts
will execute
in the midst
of the whole
land
.
Therefore thus
says
the Lord
1GOD
of hosts
, "O My people
who dwell
in aZion
, bdo not fear
the Assyrian
2who cstrikes
you with the rod
and lifts
up his staff
against
you, the way
Egypt
did.
"For in a very alittle
while
bMy indignation
against you will be spent
and My anger
will be directed to their destruction
."
The LORD of hosts
will aarouse
a scourge
against
him like the slaughter
of bMidian
at the rock
of Oreb
; and His cstaff
will be over
the sea
and He will lift
it up dthe way
He did in Egypt
.
So it will be in that day, that 1his aburden
will be removed
from your shoulders
and his yoke
from your neck
, and the yoke
will be broken
because
bof fatness
.
He has come against
Aiath
, He has passed
through aMigron
; At bMichmash
he deposited
his cbaggage
.
They have gone through
athe pass
, saying, " bGeba
will be our lodging
place
." cRamah
is terrified
, and dGibeah
of Saul
has fled
away.
Cry aloud
with your voice
, O daughter
of aGallim
! Pay
attention
, Laishah
and 1wretched
bAnathoth
!
Madmenah has fled
. The inhabitants
of Gebim
have sought
refuge
.
Yet today
he will halt
at aNob
; He bshakes
his fist
at the mountain
of the 1 cdaughter
of Zion
, the hill
of Jerusalem
.
Behold, the Lord
, the 1GOD
of hosts
, will lop
off
the boughs
with a terrible
crash
; Those also who are atall
in stature
will be cut
down
And those who
are lofty
will be abased
.
He will cut down
the thickets
of the forest
with an iron
axe, And aLebanon
will fall
1by the Mighty
One
.