Isaiah 10

1Cursed are those who make evil decisions, and the writers who make the records of their cruel acts:

1Woe <FI>to<Fi> those decreeing decrees of iniquity, And writers who have prescribed perverseness.

2Who do wrong to the poor in their cause, and take away the right of the crushed among my people, so that they may have the property of widows, and get under their power those who have no father.

2To 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.

3And what will you do in the day of punishment, and in the destruction which is coming from far? to whom will you go for help, and what will become of your glory?

3And 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... For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

4Without 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.

5Ho! Assyrian, the rod of my wrath, the instrument of my punishment!

5Woe <FI>to<Fi> Asshur, a rod of Mine anger, And a staff in their hand <FI>is<Fi> Mine indignation.

6I will send him against a nation of wrongdoers, and against the people of my wrath I will give him orders, to take their wealth in war, crushing them down like the dust in the streets.

6Against 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.

7But this is not what is in his mind, and this is not his design; but his purpose is destruction, and the cutting off of more and more nations.

7And he--he thinketh not so, And his heart reckoneth not so, For--to destroy <FI>is<Fi> in his heart, And to cut off nations not a few.

8For he says, Are not all my captains kings?

8For he saith, `Are not my princes altogether kings?

9Will not the fate of Calno be like that of Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?

9Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?

10As my hand has come on the kingdoms of the images, whose pictured images were more in number than those of Jerusalem and Samaria;

10As my hand hath got to the kingdoms of a worthless thing, and their graven images, <FI>Greater<Fi> than Jerusalem and than Samaria,

11So, as I have done to Samaria and her images, I will do to Jerusalem and her images.

11Do I not--as I have done to Samaria, And to her worthless things, So do to Jerusalem and to her grievous things?

12For this cause it will be that, when the purpose of the Lord against Mount Zion and Jerusalem is complete, I will send punishment on the pride of the heart of the king of Assyria, and on the glory of his uplifted eyes.

12And 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.

13For he has said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my knowledge, for I am wise: and I have taken away the limits of the peoples' lands, and the stores of their wealth have become mine; and I have made towns low in the dust, sending destruction on those living in them;

13For 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,

14And I have put my hands on the wealth of the peoples, as on the place where a bird has put her eggs; and as a man may take the eggs from which a bird has gone, so I have taken all the earth for myself: and not a wing was moved, and not a mouth gave out a sound.

14And 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.'

15Will the axe say high-sounding words against him who is using it, or the blade be full of pride against him who is cutting with it? As if a rod had the power of shaking him who is using it, or as if a stick might take up him who is not wood.

15--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!

16For this cause the Lord, the Lord of armies, will make his fat become wasted; and in his inner parts a fire will be lighted like a burning flame.

16Therefore 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.

17And the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: wasting and burning up his thorns in one day.

17And 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.

18And he will put an end to the glory of his woods and of his planted fields, soul and body together; and it will be as when a man is wasted by disease.

18And 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.

19And the rest of the trees of his wood will be small in number, so that a child may put them down in writing.

19And the rest of the trees of his forest <FI>are<Fi> few, And a youth doth write them.

20And it will be in that day that the rest of Israel, and those of Jacob who have come safely through these troubles, will no longer go for help to him whose rod was on their back, but their faith will be in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

20And 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.

21The rest, even the rest of Jacob, will come back to the Strong God.

21A remnant returneth--a remnant of Jacob, Unto the Mighty God.

22For though your people, O Israel, are as the sand of the sea, only a small number will come back: for the destruction is fixed, overflowing in righteousness.

22For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, A remnant doth return of it, A consumption determined, Overflowing <FI>with<Fi> righteousness.

23For the Lord, the Lord of armies, is about to make destruction complete in all the land.

23For a consumption that is determined, The Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is making in the midst of all the land.

24For this cause the Lord, the Lord of armies, says, O my people living in Zion, have no fear of the Assyrian, even if his rod comes on your back, and his stick is lifted up as in Egypt.

24Therefore, 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.

25For in a very short time my passion will be over, and my wrath will be turned to their destruction.

25For yet a very little, And the indignation hath been completed, And Mine anger by their wearing out.

26And the Lord of armies will be shaking a whip against him, as when he overcame Midian at the rock of Oreb: and his rod will be lifted up against them as it was against the Egyptians.

26And awaking for him is Jehovah of Hosts, A scourge like the smiting of Midian at the rock Oreb, And his rod <FI>is<Fi> over the sea, And he hath lifted it in the way of Egypt.

27And in that day the weight which he put on your back will be taken away, and his yoke broken from off your neck.

27And 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.

28He has gone up from Pene-Rimmon, he has come to Aiath; he has gone past Migron, at Michmash he puts his forces in order.

28He hath come in against Aiath, He hath passed over into Migron, At Michmash he looketh after his vessels.

29They have gone across the mountain; Geba will be our resting-place tonight, they say: Ramah is shaking with fear; Gibeah of Saul has gone in flight.

29They have gone over the passage, Geba they have made a lodging place, Trembled hath Rama, Gibeah of Saul fled.

30Give a loud cry, daughter of Gallim; let Laishah give ear; let Anathoth give answer to her.

30Cry aloud <FI>with<Fi> thy voice, daughter of Gallim, Give attention, Laish! answer her, Anathoth.

31Madmenah has gone; the men of Gebim are putting their goods in a safe place.

31Fled away hath Madmenah, The inhabitants of the high places have hardened themselves.

32This very day he is stopping at Nob; he is shaking his hand against the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

32Yet to-day in Nob to remain, Wave its hand doth the mount of the daughter of Zion, The hill of Jerusalem.

33See, the Lord, the Lord of armies, is cutting off his branches with a great noise, and his strong ones are falling and his high ones are coming down.

33Lo, 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,

34And he is cutting down the thick places of the wood with an axe, and Lebanon with its tall trees is coming down.

34And He hath gone round the thickets of the forest with iron, And Lebanon by a mighty one falleth!