Isaiah 10

Thomson^{(i) 1} Woe to them who write wickedness! For writers are writing wickedness; ² turning aside the cause of the distressed; robbing the poor of my people, of their right; that the widow ³ may be their prey and the orphan, their spoil: what then shall they do in the day of visitation? For tribulation shall come upon you from afar; and to whom can you flee for succour? And where will you leave your glory, ⁴ that you may not fall into the captive band? For all this his anger is not turned away, but still his hand is lifted high. ⁵ Ho! Assyrians! The rod of my wrath, even mine anger is in their hands, ⁶ I will send this anger of mine to a lawless nation; and I will order this people of mine to gather spoil and take the prey, and to trample down cities and lay them in the dust. ⁷ But he did not harbour such thoughts; nor did he reason thus in his mind; but his mind will prompt him to destroy nations not a few. ⁸ Even though they should say to him, Thou alone art chief. ⁹ He indeed will say, "Have I not taken the whole country above Babylon and Chalene, where the tower had been builded? Nay have I not taken Arabia and Damascus and Samaria? ¹⁰ In the same manner as I have taken these; so will I take all the governments. Howl ye graven images in Jerusalem and in Samaria; ¹¹ for as I have done to Samaria and her images, so will I do to Jerusalem and her idols." ¹² But it shall come to pass, when the Lord hath accomplished his whole work on mount Sion and Jerusalem; that I will cast a look on the stout heart; on the chief ruler of the Assyrians, and on the loftiness of the glory of his eyes. ¹³ For he said, "With this power I will perform exploits; and by the wisdom of mine understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations, and make a prey of their strength, ¹⁴ and shake inhabited cities, and seize with my hand the whole World as a nest; and carry off the inhabitants like deserted eggs. There is none who can escape me or chirp against me." ¹⁵ Shall an axe boast without him who cutteth with it; or a saw lift itself up, without him who draweth it; as one could lift up a staff or a piece of wood? No; this shall not be permitted: ¹⁶ indeed the Lord of hosts will send disgrace on thy honour, and on thy glory a burning fire shall be kindled: ¹⁷ and the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and shall hallow him with a burning fire, and consume his substance like dry grass. ¹⁸ On that day there shall be an extinction of the mountains, and the hills, and the forests; and it shall consume from the soul even to the flesh: and he who fleeth shall be like one fleeing from blazing fire. ¹⁹ And those of them who are left shall be few in number, so that a child may write them down. ²⁰ And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel shall no more join, nor shall those of Jacob who have escaped, any more lean on them who have injured them; but they will place their confidence in God the Holy One of Israel, in truth ²¹ This remnant of Jacob shall indeed be for the Mighty God. ²² Yes: though the people of Israel be as the sand of the sea, this remnant of them shall be saved. ²³ He is closing an account and making a deduction with saving goodness. Because with the whole land the Lord will make a reckoning from which a deduction hath been made, ²⁴ therefore thus saith the Lord of Hosts, "O my people who dwell in Sion, be not daunted at the Assyrian, because he will smite thee with a rod; for I am bringing this stroke upon thee that thou mayst see the way of Egypt. ²⁵ For yet a little while and mine indignation shall cease; and my wrath will be against their counsel;" ²⁶ and God will raise against them a scourge similar to that of Madiam at the place of affliction. When his wrath shall be in the western road; in the high way leading to Egypt; ²⁷ it shall come to pass in that day; that his yoke shall be taken from thy shoulder, and the terror of him from thee; his yoke shall be utterly destroyed from off thy shoulders. ²⁸ For he will come to the city Aggai, and pass on to Mageddo; and at Machmas he will deposit his baggage: ²⁹ then he will pass the valley and come to Aggai. Terror will seize Rama the city of Saul; ³⁰ the daughter of Galleim will flee: he will be heard of at Laisa; he will be heard of at Anathoth. ³¹ When Madebena hath fainted; then, inhabitants of Gibbeir, ³² comfort with the news of his halting a day on his march with the hand comfort the mount, the daughter of Sion. And as for you, hills, which are in Jerusalem, ³³ behold the sovereign Lord of hosts, with majesty confoundeth the glorious. They who are elated with arrogance shall be crushed; and the lofty shall be brought low; ³⁴ yes, the lofty shall fall by the sword; and Libanus shall fall with the lofty.