1 Woe to those who enact unjust decrees and to those who write oppressive laws.

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

2 They deprive the poor of justice and rob the rights of the needy among my people, making widows their spoil and leaving orphans to be plundered.

To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

3 What will you do on the day of punishment, when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?

And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

4 There will be nothing left but to bow down among prisoners or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, His anger has not turned away, and His hand is still stretched out.

Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger, in whose hands is the staff of My indignation!

O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

6 I send him against a godless nation; I dispatch him against a people at My wrath, to seize plunder, to take spoil, and to trample them down like mud in the streets.

I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

7 But this is not what he intends, nor does he plan it in his heart. Instead, his purpose is to destroy and to cut off many nations.

Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

8 For he says, 'Are not all my princes kings?

For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?

9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? And is not Samaria like Damascus?

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

10 Just as my hand seized the kingdoms of idols, whose carved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols as I have done to Samaria and her images?

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

12 When the Lord has finished all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will punish the pride of the king of Assyria's heart and the glory of his haughty eyes.

Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

13 For he says, 'By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, plundered their treasures, and brought down their mighty ones like a bull.'

For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:

14 My hand seized the wealth of nations like one finds a nest. As one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; no wing fluttered, no beak opened to chirp.

And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

15 Does the axe exalt itself above the one who wields it? Or does the saw boast against the one who moves it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff acting as though it were not made of wood.

Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.

16 Therefore, the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, will send leanness among his robust ones, and under his glory, a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.

Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

17 The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; it will burn and devour his thorns and briars in a single day.

And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

18 The glory of his forest and his fruitful fields will be consumed, both soul and body. It will be as when a sick man wastes away.

And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.

19 The remaining trees of his forest will be so few that a child could count them.

And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.

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

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

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

The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

22 Even though your people, O Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous.

For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

23 For the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, will execute the decreed destruction throughout the whole land.

For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, says: 'My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear Assyria, though they strike you with a rod and lift up their staff against you as Egypt did.'

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.

25 For in just a little while, my indignation against you will end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.

For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.

26 The LORD of Hosts will stir up a scourge against them as He did at the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and He will raise His staff over the sea as He did in Egypt.

And the LORD of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.

27 On that day, their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because of your strength.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

28 He has come against Aiath, passed through Migron; at Michmash, he stores his supplies.

He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:

29 They have crossed the pass; at Geba, they make camp. Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees.

They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.

30 Cry out, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! Answer her, Anathoth!

Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.

31 Madmenah flees; the inhabitants of Gebim take refuge.

Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.

32 Today, they will halt at Nob; they shake their fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, and the lofty ones will be humbled.

Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

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

And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.