1“Woe [to] those decreeing decrees of iniquity, || And writers who have prescribed perverseness,
2Of My people, || That widows may be their prey, || That they may spoil the fatherless.
3And what do you do at a day of inspection? And at desolation that comes from afar? Near whom do you flee for help? And where do you leave your glory?
4It has bowed down without Me || In the place of a bound one, || And they fall in the place of the slain.” With all this His anger has not turned back, || And His hand is still stretched out.
5“Woe [to] Asshur, a rod of My anger, || And My indignation [is] a staff in their hand.
6I send him against a profane nation, || And concerning a people of My wrath || I charge him, || To spoil spoil, and to seize prey, || And to make it a treading-place as the clay of out places.
7And he does not think [it] so, || And his heart does not reckon [it] so, || For—to destroy [is] in his heart, || And to cut off nations—not a few.
8For he says, Are my princes not altogether kings?
9Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?
10As my hand has gotten to the kingdoms of a worthless thing, and their carved images, || [Greater] than Jerusalem and than Samaria,
11Do I not—as I have done to Samaria, || And to her worthless things, || So do to Jerusalem and to her grievous things?”
12And it has come to pass, || When the Lord fulfills all His work || In Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, || I see concerning the fruit of the greatness || Of the heart of the king of Asshur, || And concerning the glory of the height of his eyes.
13For he has said, “I have worked by the power of my hand, || And by my wisdom, for I have been intelligent, || And I remove borders of the peoples, || And I have spoiled their chief ones, || And I put down the inhabitants as a mighty one,
14And my hand gets to the wealth of the peoples as to a nest, || And as a gathering of forsaken eggs || I have gathered all the earth, || And there has not been one moving wing, || Or opening mouth, or whispering.”
15Does the axe glorify itself || Against him who is hewing with it? Does the saw magnify itself || Against him who is shaking it? As a rod waving those lifting it up! As a staff lifting up that which is not wood!
16Therefore the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, || Sends leanness among his fat ones, || And under his glory || He kindles a burning || As the burning of a fire.
17And the light of Israel has been for a fire, || And his Holy One for a flame, || And it has burned, and devoured his thorn || And his brier in one day.
18And the glory of his forest, and his fruitful field, || He consumes from soul even to flesh, || And it has been as the fainting of a standard-bearer.
19And the rest of the trees of his forest [are] few, || And a youth writes them.
20And it has come to pass in that day, || The remnant of Israel, || And the escaped of the house of Jacob, || Do not add anymore to lean on its striker, || And have leaned on YHWH, || The Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21A remnant returns—a remnant of Jacob, || To the Mighty God.
22For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, || A remnant of it returns, || A consumption determined, || Overflowing [with] righteousness.
23For a consumption that is determined, || The Lord, YHWH of Hosts, || Is making in the midst of all the land.
24Therefore, thus said the Lord, YHWH of Hosts: “Do not be afraid, My people, inhabiting Zion, because of Asshur, || He strikes you with a rod, || And his staff lifts up against you, in the way of Egypt.
25For yet a very little [while], || And the indignation has been completed, || And My anger by their wearing out.”
26And YHWH of Hosts is awaking for him, || A scourge like the striking of Midian at the rock Oreb, || And his rod [is] over the sea, || And he has lifted it in the way of Egypt.
27And it has come to pass in that day, || His burden is turned from off your shoulder, || And his yoke from off your neck, || And the yoke has been destroyed, because of prosperity.
28He has come in against Aiath, || He has passed over into Migron, || At Michmash he looks after his vessels.
29They have gone over the passage, || They have made Geba a lodging place, || Rama has trembled, || Gibeah of Saul fled.
30Cry aloud [with] your voice, daughter of Gallim, || Give attention, Laish! Answer her, Anathoth.
31Madmenah has fled away, || The inhabitants of the high places have hardened themselves.
32Yet today to remain in Nob, || The mountain of the daughter of Zion waves its hand, || The hill of Jerusalem.
33Behold, the Lord, YHWH of Hosts, || Is lopping a branch with violence, || And the high of stature are cut down, || And the lofty have become low,
34And He has gone around the thickets of the forest with iron, || And Lebanon falls by a mighty one!