The Book of the Prophet Isaiah

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 10 -

Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees,

to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder.

What will you do on the day of reckoning when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

Nothing will remain but to crouch among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

Judgment on Assyria

Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath.

I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.

But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.

“Are not all my commanders kings?” he says.

“Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?

As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms whose images surpassed those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

and as I have done to Samaria and its idols, will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?”

So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.

For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers.

My hand reached as into a nest to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened or chirped.’”

Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood!

Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s stout warriors, and under his pomp will be kindled a fire like a burning flame.

And the Light of Israel will become a fire, and its Holy One a flame. In a single day it will burn and devour Assyria’s thorns and thistles.

The splendor of its forests and orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a sickness consumes a man.

The remaining trees of its forests will be so few that a child could count them.

A Remnant Shall Return

On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

A remnant will return (a)—a remnant of Jacob— to the Mighty God.

Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return.(b) Destruction has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness.

For the Lord GOD of Hosts will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land.(c)

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear Assyria, who strikes you with a rod and lifts his staff against you as the Egyptians did.

For in just a little while My fury against you will subside, and My anger will turn to their destruction.”

And the LORD of Hosts will brandish a whip against them, as when He struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise His staff over the sea, as He did in Egypt.

On that day the burden will be lifted from your shoulders, and the yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large.(d)

Assyria has entered Aiath and passed through Migron, storing their supplies at Michmash.

They have crossed at the ford: “We will spend the night at Geba.” Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees.

Cry aloud, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! O wretched Anathoth!

Madmenah flees; the people of Gebim take refuge.

Yet today they will halt at Nob, shaking a fist at the mount of Daughter Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.

Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled.

He will clear the forest thickets with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.

Footnotes

(a)10:21 Hebrew Shear-jashub; also in verse 22; see Isaiah 7:3.

(b)10:22 LXX Though the people of Israel be like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will be saved. Cited in Romans 9:27

(c)10:23 LXX He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work in all the world. Cited in Romans 9:28

(d)10:27 Literally broken because of fatness; LXX broken from your shoulders

Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees

to deprive the needy of 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!

What 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?

They 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.

Judgment on Assyria

Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation!

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

However, 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.

For he says, “Aren’t all of my princes kings?

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

As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria,

shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

Therefore 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 arrogant looks.

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

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

Should 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.

Therefore the Lord, the LORD of Armies, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire.

The 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.

He 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.

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

A Remnant Shall Return

It 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 the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

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

For 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 the Lord, the LORD of Armies, will make a full end, and that determined, throughout all the earth.

Therefore the Lord, the LORD 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.

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

The LORD 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.

It 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.

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

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

Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth!

Madmenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.

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

Behold, the Lord, the LORD of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

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