Christian Standard Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Woe to those enacting crooked statutes and writing oppressive laws

1Woe to those who enact evil statutes And to those who constantly record unjust decisions,

2to keep the poor from getting a fair trial and to deprive the needy among my people of justice, so that widows can be their spoil and they can plunder the fatherless.

2So as to deprive the needy of justice And rob the poor of My people of their rights, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans.

3What will you do on the day of punishment when devastation comes from far away? Who will you run to for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

3Now what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth?

4There will be nothing to do except crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. In all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is still raised to strike.

4Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives Or fall among the slain. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.

5Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger--the staff in their hands is my wrath.

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

6I will send him against a godless nation; I will command him to go against a people destined for my rage, to take spoils, to plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.

6I send it against a godless nation And commission it against the people of My fury To capture booty and to seize plunder, And to trample them down like mud in the streets.

7But this is not what he intends; this is not what he plans. It is his intent to destroy and to cut off many nations.

7Yet it does not so intend, Nor does it plan so in its heart, But rather it is its purpose to destroy And to cut off many nations.

8For he says, "Aren't all my commanders kings?

8For it says, "Are not my princes all kings?

9Isn't Calno like Carchemish? Isn't Hamath like Arpad? Isn't Samaria like Damascus?

9"Is not Calno like Carchemish, Or Hamath like Arpad, Or Samaria like Damascus?

10As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms, whose idols exceeded those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

10"As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, Whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

11and as I did to Samaria and its worthless images will I not also do to Jerusalem and its idols?"

11Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her images Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?"

12But when the Lord finishes all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, "I will punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant acts and the proud look in his eyes."

12So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness."

13For he said: I have done this by my own strength and wisdom, for I am clever. I abolished the borders of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty warrior, I subjugated the inhabitants.

13For he has said, "By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, For I have understanding; And I removed the boundaries of the peoples And plundered their treasures, And like a mighty man I brought down their inhabitants,

14My hand has reached out, as if into a nest, to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered the whole earth. No wing fluttered; no beak opened or chirped.

14And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, 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."

15Does an ax exalt itself above the one who chops with it? Does a saw magnify itself above the one who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it! It would be like a staff lifting the one who isn't wood!

15Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it? That would be like a club wielding those who lift it, Or like a rod lifting him who is not wood.

16Therefore the Lord GOD of Armies will inflict an emaciating disease on the well-fed of Assyria, and he will kindle a burning fire under its glory.

16Therefore the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors; And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.

17Israel's Light will become a fire, and its Holy One, a flame. In one day it will burn and consume Assyria's thorns and thistles.

17And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.

18He will completely destroy the glory of its forests and orchards as a sickness consumes a person.

18And He will destroy 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.

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

19And the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number That a child could write them down.

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

20Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

21The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.

21A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

22Israel, even if your people were as numerous as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction has been decreed; justice overflows.

22For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

23For throughout the land the Lord GOD of Armies is carrying out a destruction that was decreed.

23For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord GOD of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.

24Therefore, the Lord GOD of Armies says this: "My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear Assyria, though they strike you with a rod and raise their staff over you as the Egyptians did.

24Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, "O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did.

25In just a little while my wrath will be spent and my anger will turn to their destruction."

25"For in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction."

26And the LORD of Armies will brandish a whip against him as he did when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the sea as he did in Egypt.

26The LORD of hosts will arouse a scourge against him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be over the sea and He will lift it up the way He did in Egypt.

27On that day his burden will fall from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large.

27So it will be in that day, that his burden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because of fatness.

28Assyria has come to Aiath and has gone through Migron, storing their equipment at Michmash.

28He has come against Aiath, He has passed through Migron; At Michmash he deposited his baggage.

29They crossed over at the ford, saying, "We will spend the night at Geba." The people of Ramah are trembling; those at Gibeah of Saul have fled.

29They have gone through the pass, saying, "Geba will be our lodging place." Ramah is terrified, and Gibeah of Saul has fled away.

30Cry aloud, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! Anathoth is miserable.

30Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of Gallim! Pay attention, Laishah and wretched Anathoth!

31Madmenah has fled. The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.

31Madmenah has fled. The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.

32Today the Assyrians will stand at Nob, shaking their fists at the mountain of Daughter Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

32Yet today he will halt at Nob; He shakes his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33Look, the Lord GOD of Armies will chop off the branches with terrifying power, and the tall trees will be cut down, the high trees felled.

33Behold, the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash; Those also who are tall in stature will be cut down And those who are lofty will be abased.

34He is clearing the thickets of the forest with an ax, and Lebanon with its majesty will fall.

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

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org