10 Those who enact unjust policies are as good as dead, 1
those who are always instituting unfair regulations, 2
2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,
and to deprive 3 the oppressed among my people of justice,
so they can steal what widows own,
and loot what belongs to orphans. 4
3 What will you do on judgment day, 5
when destruction arrives from a distant place?
To whom will you run for help?
Where will you leave your wealth?
4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners,
or to fall among those who have been killed. 6
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 7
5 Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, 8
a cudgel with which I angrily punish. 9
6 I sent him 10 against a godless 11 nation,
I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, 12
to take plunder and to carry away loot,
to trample them down 13 like dirt in the streets.
7 But he does not agree with this,
his mind does not reason this way, 14
for his goal is to destroy,
and to eliminate many nations. 15
8 Indeed, 16 he says:
“Are not my officials all kings?
9 Is not Calneh like Carchemish?
Hamath like Arpad?
Samaria like Damascus? 17
10 I overpowered kingdoms ruled by idols, 18
whose carved images were more impressive than Jerusalem’s 19 or Samaria’s.
11 As I have done to Samaria and its idols,
so I will do to Jerusalem and its idols.” 20
12 But when 21 the sovereign master 22 finishes judging 23 Mount Zion and Jerusalem, then I 24 will punish the king of Assyria for what he has proudly planned and for the arrogant attitude he displays. 25 13 For he says:
“By my strong hand I have accomplished this,
by my strategy that I devised.
I invaded the territory of nations, 26
and looted their storehouses.
Like a mighty conqueror, 27 I brought down rulers. 28
14 My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest,
as one gathers up abandoned eggs,
I gathered up the whole earth.
There was no wing flapping,
or open mouth chirping.” 29
15 Does an ax exalt itself over the one who wields it,
or a saw magnify itself over the one who cuts with it? 30
As if a scepter should brandish the one who raises it,
or a staff should lift up what is not made of wood!
16 For this reason 31 the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, will make his healthy ones emaciated. 32 His majestic glory will go up in smoke. 33
17 The light of Israel 34 will become a fire,
their Holy One 35 will become a flame;
it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s 36 briers
and his thorns in one day.
18 The splendor of his forest and his orchard
will be completely destroyed, 37
as when a sick man’s life ebbs away. 38
19 There will be so few trees left in his forest,
a child will be able to count them. 39
20 At that time 40 those left in Israel, those who remain of the family 41 of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them. 42 Instead they will truly 43 rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 44 21 A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 45 22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as 46 the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. 47 Destruction has been decreed; 48 just punishment 49 is about to engulf you. 50 23 The sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, is certainly ready to carry out the decreed destruction throughout the land. 51
24 So 52 here is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of Assyria, even though they beat you with a club and lift their cudgel against you as Egypt did. 53 25 For very soon my fury 54 will subside, and my anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 26 The Lord who commands armies is about to beat them 55 with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. 56 He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt. 57
27 At that time 58
the Lord will remove their burden from your shoulders, 59
and their yoke from your neck;
the yoke will be taken off because your neck will be too large. 60
28 61 They 62 attacked 63 Aiath,
moved through Migron,
depositing their supplies at Micmash.
29 They went through the pass,
spent the night at Geba.
Ramah trembled,
Gibeah of Saul ran away.
30 Shout out, daughter of Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah!
Answer her, Anathoth! 64
31 Madmenah flees,
the residents of Gebim have hidden.
32 This very day, standing in Nob,
they shake their fist at Daughter Zion’s mountain 65 –
at the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Look, the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies,
is ready to cut off the branches with terrifying power. 66
The tallest trees 67 will be cut down,
the loftiest ones will be brought low.
34 The thickets of the forest will be chopped down with an ax,
and mighty Lebanon will fall. 68
11 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s 1 root stock,
a bud will sprout 2 from his roots.
2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him 3 –
a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, 4
a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, 5
a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. 6
3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord. 7
He will not judge by mere appearances, 8
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. 9
4 He will treat the poor fairly, 10
and make right decisions 11 for the downtrodden of the earth. 12
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, 13
and order the wicked to be executed. 14
5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,
integrity will be like a belt around his hips. 15
6 A wolf will reside 16 with a lamb,
and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;
an ox and a young lion will graze together, 17
as a small child leads them along.
7 A cow and a bear will graze together,
their young will lie down together. 18
A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.
8 A baby 19 will play
over the hole of a snake; 20
over the nest 21 of a serpent
an infant 22 will put his hand. 23
9 They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain. 24
For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,
just as the waters completely cover the sea. 25
10 At that time 26 a root from Jesse 27 will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, 28 and his residence will be majestic. 11 At that time 29 the sovereign master 30 will again lift his hand 31 to reclaim 32 the remnant of his people 33 from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, 34 Cush, 35 Elam, Shinar, 36 Hamath, and the seacoasts. 37
12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations;
he will gather Israel’s dispersed people 38
and assemble Judah’s scattered people
from the four corners of the earth.
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end, 39
and Judah’s hostility 40 will be eliminated.
Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah,
and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim.
14 They will swoop down 41 on the Philistine hills to the west; 42
together they will loot the people of the east.
They will take over Edom and Moab, 43
and the Ammonites will be their subjects.
15 The Lord will divide 44 the gulf 45 of the Egyptian Sea; 46
he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River 47 and send a strong wind, 48
he will turn it into seven dried-up streams, 49
and enable them to walk across in their sandals.
16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria
for the remnant of his people, 50
just as there was for Israel,
when 51 they went up from the land of Egypt.
12 At that time 1 you will say:
“I praise you, O Lord,
for even though you were angry with me,
your anger subsided, and you consoled me.
2 Look, God is my deliverer! 2
I will trust in him 3 and not fear.
For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; 4
he has become my deliverer.” 5
3 Joyfully you will draw water
from the springs of deliverance. 6
4 At that time 7 you will say:
“Praise the Lord!
Ask him for help! 8
Publicize his mighty acts among the nations!
Make it known that he is unique! 9
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things,
let this be known 10 throughout the earth!
6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel 11 acts mightily 12 among you!”
