Isa 10 | NASB1995 | STEP | Woe to those who enact evil statutes And to those who constantly record unjust decisions ,

‏ Isaiah 10

Assyria Is God’s Instrument

1 Woe to those who ^aenact evil statutes
And to those who constantly record ^{▼▼ Lit mischief or misfortune}unjust decisions,
2 So as ^cto ^{▼▼ Lit turn aside from}deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor of My people of their rights,
So ^ethat widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the ^{▼▼ Or fatherless}orphans.
3 Now ^gwhat will you do in the ^hday of punishment,
And in the devastation which will come ⁱfrom afar?
^jTo whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your ^{▼▼ Lit glory}wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch ^{▼▼ Lit under}among the ^mcaptives
Or fall ^{▼▼ Lit under}among the ^oslain.
^pIn spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.

5 Woe to ^qAssyria, the ^rrod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is ^sMy indignation,
6 I send it against a ^tgodless nation
And commission it against the ^upeople of My fury
To capture booty and ^vto seize plunder,
And to ^{▼▼ Lit make them a trampled place}trample them down like ^xmud in the streets.
7 Yet it ^ydoes not so intend,
Nor does ^{▼▼ Lit its heart so plan}it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is ^{▼▼ Lit in its heart}its purpose to destroy
And to cut off ^{▼▼ Lit not a few}many nations.
8 For it says, “Are not my princes ^{▼▼ Lit altogether}all kings?
9 “Is not ^adCalno like ^aeCarchemish,
Or ^afHamath like Arpad,
Or ^agSamaria like ^ahDamascus?
10 “As my hand has reached to the ^aikingdoms of the idols,
Whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 Shall I not ^{▼▼ Lit do thus}do to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and ^akher idols?”

12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His ^alwork on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will ^{▼▼ Lit visit}punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and ^anthe pomp of ^{▼▼ Lit haughtiness of his eyes}his haughtiness.” 13 For ^aphe has said, “By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,
For I have understanding;
And I ^aqremoved the boundaries of the peoples
And plundered their treasures,
And like a mighty man I brought down ^{▼▼ Or those who sit on thrones} their inhabitants,
14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a ^asnest,
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.”

15 Is the ^ataxe to ^auboast itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like ^ava ^{▼▼ Lit staff}club wielding those who lift it,
Or like ^axa rod lifting him who is not wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, the ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God of hosts, will send a ^azwasting disease among his ^bastout warriors;
And under his ^bbglory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 And the ^bclight of Israel will become a fire and his ^bdHoly One a flame,
And it will ^beburn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.
18 And He will ^bfdestroy 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.
19 And the ^bgrest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number
That a child could write them down.

A Remnant Will Return

20 Now in that day the ^bhremnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob ^biwho have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly ^bjrely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 21 A ^bkremnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the ^blmighty God.
22 For ^bmthough your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A ^bndestruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

23 For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, ^bothe Lord ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.

24 Therefore thus says the Lord ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God of hosts, “O My people who dwell in ^brZion, ^bsdo not fear the Assyrian ^{▼▼ Lit he}who ^bustrikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. 25 “For in a very ^bvlittle while ^bwMy indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction.” 26 The Lord of hosts will ^bxarouse a scourge against him like the slaughter of ^byMidian at the rock of Oreb; and His ^bzstaff will be over the sea and He will lift it up ^cathe way He did in Egypt. 27 So it will be in that day, that ^{▼▼ I.e. the Assyrian}his ^ccburden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because ^cdof fatness. 28 He has come against Aiath,
He has passed through ^ceMigron;
At ^cfMichmash he deposited his ^cgbaggage.
29 They have gone through ^chthe pass, saying,
^ci“Geba will be our lodging place.”
^cjRamah is terrified, and ^ckGibeah of Saul has fled away.
30 Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of ^clGallim!
Pay attention, Laishah and ^{▼▼ An ancient version reads Answer her, O Anathoth}wretched ^cnAnathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled.
The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.
32 Yet today he will halt at ^coNob;
He ^cpshakes his fist at the mountain of the ^{▼▼ Another reading is house of
,} ^crdaughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord, the ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God of hosts, will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash;
Those also who are ^cttall in stature will be cut down
And those who are lofty will be abased.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And ^cuLebanon will fall ^{▼▼ Or as a mighty one}by the Mighty One.