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Assyria Is God’s Instrument

10 Woe to those who (A)enact unjust statutes
And to those who constantly record [a]harmful decisions,
So as (B)to [b]deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor among My people of their rights,
So (C)that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the [c]orphans.
Now (D)what will you do in the (E)day of punishment,
And in the devastation which will come (F)from afar?
(G)To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your wealth?
Nothing remains but to crouch [d]among the (H)captives
Or fall [e]among those (I)killed.
(J)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.

Woe to (K)Assyria, the (L)rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is (M)My indignation,
I send it against a (N)godless nation
And commission it against the (O)people of My fury
To capture spoils and (P)to seize plunder,
And to [f]trample them down like (Q)mud in the streets.
Yet it (R)does not so intend,
Nor does [g]it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is [h]its purpose to destroy
And to eliminate [i]many nations.
For it says, “Are not my officers [j]all kings?
Is not (S)Calno like (T)Carchemish,
Or (U)Hamath like Arpad,
Or (V)Samaria like (W)Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to the (X)kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 Shall I not do the same to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and (Y)her idols?”

12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His (Z)work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will [k]punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and (AA)the arrogant pride of his eyes.” 13 For (AB)he has said,

“By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,
Because I have understanding;
And I (AC)removed the boundaries of the peoples
And plundered their treasures,
And like a powerful man I brought down [l]their inhabitants,
14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a (AD)nest,
And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth;
And there was not one that flapped its wing, opened its beak, or chirped.”

15 Is the (AE)axe to (AF)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 (AG)a [m]club wielding those who lift it,
Or like (AH)a rod lifting the one who is not wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, the [n]God of armies, will send a (AI)wasting disease among his (AJ)stout warriors;
And under his (AK)glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 And the (AL)Light of Israel will become a fire and [o]Israel’s (AM)Holy One a flame,
And it will (AN)burn and devour [p]his thorns and his briars in a single day.
18 And He will (AO)destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body,
And it will be as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the (AP)rest 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 on that day the (AQ)remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob (AR)who have escaped, will no longer rely on the one who struck them, but will truly (AS)rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

21 A (AT)remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the (AU)mighty God.
22 For (AV)though your people, Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A (AW)destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

23 For a complete destruction, one that is determined, (AX)the Lord [q]God of armies will execute in the midst of the whole land.

24 Therefore this is what the Lord [r]God of armies says: “My people, you who dwell in (AY)Zion, (AZ)do not fear the Assyrian [s]who (BA)strikes you with the rod, and lifts up his staff against you the way Egypt did. 25 For in a very (BB)little while (BC)My indignation against you will be ended and My anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 26 The Lord of armies will (BD)wield a whip against him like the defeat of (BE)Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His (BF)staff will be over the sea, and He will lift it up (BG)the way He did in Egypt. 27 So it will be on that day, that [t]his (BH)burden will be removed from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because (BI)of fatness.

28 He has come against Aiath,
He has passed through (BJ)Migron;
At (BK)Michmash he deposited his (BL)baggage.
29 They have gone through (BM)the pass, saying,
(BN)Geba will be our encampment for the night.”
(BO)Ramah is terrified, and (BP)Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of (BQ)Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah and [u]wretched (BR)Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled.
The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.
32 Yet today he will halt at (BS)Nob;
He (BT)shakes his fist at the mountain of the [v](BU)daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord, the [w]God of armies, will lop off the branches with terrifying power;
Those also who are (BV)tall in stature will be cut down,
And those who are lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And (BW)Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:1 Lit harm
  2. Isaiah 10:2 Lit turn the needy aside from
  3. Isaiah 10:2 Or fatherless
  4. Isaiah 10:4 Lit under
  5. Isaiah 10:4 Lit under
  6. Isaiah 10:6 Lit make them a trampled place
  7. Isaiah 10:7 Lit its heart so plan
  8. Isaiah 10:7 Lit in its heart
  9. Isaiah 10:7 Lit not a few
  10. Isaiah 10:8 Lit altogether
  11. Isaiah 10:12 Lit visit
  12. Isaiah 10:13 Or those who sit on thrones
  13. Isaiah 10:15 Lit staff
  14. Isaiah 10:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  15. Isaiah 10:17 Lit his
  16. Isaiah 10:17 I.e., the Assyrian king’s forces
  17. Isaiah 10:23 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  18. Isaiah 10:24 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  19. Isaiah 10:24 Lit he
  20. Isaiah 10:27 I.e., the Assyrian
  21. Isaiah 10:30 An ancient version reads Answer her, O Anathoth
  22. Isaiah 10:32 Another reading is house of
  23. Isaiah 10:33 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord

10 What sorrow awaits the unjust judges
    and those who issue unfair laws.
They deprive the poor of justice
    and deny the rights of the needy among my people.
They prey on widows
    and take advantage of orphans.
What will you do when I punish you,
    when I send disaster upon you from a distant land?
To whom will you turn for help?
    Where will your treasures be safe?
You will stumble along as prisoners
    or lie among the dead.
But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied.
    His fist is still poised to strike.

Judgment against Assyria

“What sorrow awaits Assyria, the rod of my anger.
    I use it as a club to express my anger.
I am sending Assyria against a godless nation,
    against a people with whom I am angry.
Assyria will plunder them,
    trampling them like dirt beneath its feet.
But the king of Assyria will not understand that he is my tool;
    his mind does not work that way.
His plan is simply to destroy,
    to cut down nation after nation.
He will say,
    ‘Each of my princes will soon be a king.
We destroyed Calno just as we did Carchemish.
    Hamath fell before us as Arpad did.
    And we destroyed Samaria just as we did Damascus.
10 Yes, we have finished off many a kingdom
    whose gods were greater than those in Jerusalem and Samaria.
11 So we will defeat Jerusalem and her gods,
    just as we destroyed Samaria with hers.’”

12 After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purposes on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will turn against the king of Assyria and punish him—for he is proud and arrogant. 13 He boasts,

“By my own powerful arm I have done this.
    With my own shrewd wisdom I planned it.
I have broken down the defenses of nations
    and carried off their treasures.
    I have knocked down their kings like a bull.
14 I have robbed their nests of riches
    and gathered up kingdoms as a farmer gathers eggs.
No one can even flap a wing against me
    or utter a peep of protest.”

15 But can the ax boast greater power than the person who uses it?
    Is the saw greater than the person who saws?
Can a rod strike unless a hand moves it?
    Can a wooden cane walk by itself?
16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    will send a plague among Assyria’s proud troops,
    and a flaming fire will consume its glory.
17 The Lord, the Light of Israel, will be a fire;
    the Holy One will be a flame.
He will devour the thorns and briers with fire,
    burning up the enemy in a single night.
18 The Lord will consume Assyria’s glory
    like a fire consumes a forest in a fruitful land;
    it will waste away like sick people in a plague.
19 Of all that glorious forest, only a few trees will survive—
    so few that a child could count them!

Hope for the Lord’s People

20 In that day the remnant left in Israel,
    the survivors in the house of Jacob,
will no longer depend on allies
    who seek to destroy them.
But they will faithfully trust the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant will return;[a]
    yes, the remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God.
22 But though the people of Israel are as numerous
    as the sand of the seashore,
only a remnant of them will return.
    The Lord has rightly decided to destroy his people.
23 Yes, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    has already decided to destroy the entire land.[b]

24 So this is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, says: “O my people in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you with rod and club as the Egyptians did long ago. 25 In a little while my anger against you will end, and then my anger will rise up to destroy them.” 26 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will lash them with his whip, as he did when Gideon triumphed over the Midianites at the rock of Oreb, or when the Lord’s staff was raised to drown the Egyptian army in the sea.

27 In that day the Lord will end the bondage of his people.
    He will break the yoke of slavery
    and lift it from their shoulders.[c]

28 Look, the Assyrians are now at Aiath.
    They are passing through Migron
    and are storing their equipment at Micmash.
29 They are crossing the pass
    and are camping at Geba.
Fear strikes the town of Ramah.
    All the people of Gibeah, the hometown of Saul,
    are running for their lives.
30 Scream in terror,
    you people of Gallim!
Shout out a warning to Laishah.
    Oh, poor Anathoth!
31 There go the people of Madmenah, all fleeing.
    The citizens of Gebim are trying to hide.
32 The enemy stops at Nob for the rest of that day.
    He shakes his fist at beautiful Mount Zion, the mountain of Jerusalem.

33 But look! The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    will chop down the mighty tree of Assyria with great power!
He will cut down the proud.
    That lofty tree will be brought down.
34 He will cut down the forest trees with an ax.
    Lebanon will fall to the Mighty One.[d]

Footnotes

  1. 10:21 Hebrew Shear-jashub; see 7:3; 8:18.
  2. 10:22-23 Greek version reads only a remnant of them will be saved. / For he will carry out his sentence quickly and with finality and righteousness; / for God will carry out his sentence upon all the world with finality. Compare Rom 9:27-28.
  3. 10:27 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads The yoke will be broken, / for you have grown so fat.
  4. 10:34 Or with an ax / as even the mighty trees of Lebanon fall.

Assyria Is God’s Instrument

10 Woe (judgment is coming) to those [judges] who issue evil statutes,
And to those [magistrates] who constantly record unjust and oppressive decisions,

So as to deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor of My people of rightful claims,
So that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the fatherless.

Now what will you do in the day of [God’s] punishment,
And in the storm of devastation which will come from far away?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your wealth [for safekeeping]?

Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives
Or fall [dead] among the slain [on the battlefield].
In spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn away,
But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].


Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger [against Israel],
The staff in whose hand is My indignation and fury [against Israel’s disobedience]!

I send Assyria against a godless nation
And commission it against the people of My wrath
To take the spoil and to seize the plunder,
And to trample them down like mud in the streets.

Yet it is not Assyria’s intention [to do My will],
Nor does it plan so in its heart,
But instead it is its purpose to destroy
And to cut off many nations.

For Assyria says, “Are not my princes all kings?

“Is not Calno [conquered] like Carchemish [on the Euphrates]?
Is not Hamath [subdued] like Arpad [her neighbor]?
Is not Samaria [in Israel] like Damascus [in Aram]?
10 
“As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images were greater and more feared than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 
Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?” [declares Assyria].

12 So when the Lord has completed all His work [of judgment] on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit [the thoughts, the declarations, and the actions] of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the haughtiness of his pride.” 13 For the Assyrian king has said,

“I have done this by the power of my [own] hand and by my wisdom,
For I have understanding and skill.
I have removed the boundaries of the peoples
And have plundered their treasures;
Like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.
14 
“My hand has found the wealth of the people like a nest,
And as one gathers eggs that are abandoned, so I have gathered all the earth;
And there was not one that flapped its wing, or that opened its beak and chirped.”

15 
Is the axe able to lift itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw able to magnify itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like a club moving those who lift it,
Or like a staff raising him who is not [made of] wood [like itself]!
16 
Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, will send a wasting disease among the stout warriors of Assyria;
And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 
And the Light of Israel will become a fire and His Holy One a flame,
And it will [a]burn and devour Assyria’s thorns and briars in a single day.(A)
18 
The Lord will consume the glory of Assyria’s forest and of its fruitful garden, both soul and body,
And it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 
And the remaining trees of Assyria’s forest will be so few in number
That a child could write them down.

A Remnant Will Return

20 Now 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.

21 
A [b]remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
22 
For though your people, O Israel, may be as the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
The destruction is determined [it is decided and destined for completion], overflowing with justice (righteous punishment).(B)

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

24 Therefore, the Lord God of hosts says this, “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian who strikes you with a rod and lifts up his staff against you, as [the king of] Egypt did.(C) 25 For yet a very little while and My indignation [against you] will be fulfilled and My anger will be directed toward the destruction of the Assyrian.” 26 The Lord of hosts will brandish a whip against them like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be over the [Red] Sea and He will lift it up the way He did in [the flight from] Egypt.(D) 27 So it will be in that day, that the burden of the Assyrian will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because of the fat.(E)

28 
The Assyrian has come against Aiath [in Judah],
He has passed through Migron [with his army];
At Michmash he stored his equipment.
29 
They have gone through the pass, saying,
“Geba will be our lodging place for the night.”
Ramah trembles, and Gibeah [the city] of Saul has fled.
30 
Cry aloud with your voice [in consternation], O Daughter of Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah! Answer her, Anathoth!
31 
Madmenah has fled;
The inhabitants of Gebim have fled [with their belongings] to safety.
32 
Yet today the Assyrian will halt at Nob [the city of priests];
He shakes his fist at the mountain of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 
Listen carefully, the Lord, the God of hosts, will lop off the [beautiful] boughs with terrifying force;
The tall in stature will be cut down
And the lofty will be abased and humiliated.
34 
He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And Lebanon (the Assyrian) will fall by the Mighty One.(F)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:17 During a single night this prophecy was fulfilled (2 Kin 19:35).
  2. Isaiah 10:21 See note 7:3.

10 Just look at those lawmakers who write evil laws and make life hard for the people. They are not fair to the poor. They take away the rights of the poor and allow people to steal from widows and orphans.

Lawmakers, you will have to explain what you have done. What will you do then? Your destruction is coming from a faraway country. Where will you run for help? Your money and your riches will not help you. You will have to bow down like a prisoner. You will fall down like a dead man, but that will not help you. God will still be angry and ready to punish you.

God Will Punish Assyria’s Pride

The Lord says, “I will use Assyria like a stick. In my anger I will use Assyria to punish Israel. I will send Assyria to fight against the people who do evil. I am angry with them, and I will command Assyria to fight against them. Assyria will defeat them and take their wealth. Israel will be like dirt for Assyria to walk on in the streets.

“But Assyria does not understand that I will use him. He does not think of himself as my tool. He only wants to destroy other people. He only plans to destroy many nations. Assyria says to himself, ‘All of my officers are like kings! The city of Calno is no better than the city of Carchemish. Arpad is like Hamath, and Samaria is like Damascus. 10 I defeated those evil kingdoms and now I control them. The idols those people worship are better than the idols of Jerusalem and Samaria. 11 I defeated Samaria and her gods. I will also defeat Jerusalem and the idols her people have made.’”

12 When the Lord finishes doing what he planned to Jerusalem and Mount Zion, he will punish Assyria. The king of Assyria is very proud. His pride made him do many bad things, so God will punish him.

13 The king of Assyria said, “I am very wise. By my own wisdom and power I have done many great things. I have defeated many nations. I have taken their wealth and their people as slaves. I am a very powerful man. 14 With my own hands I have taken the riches of all these people—like someone taking eggs from a bird’s nest. A bird often leaves its nest and eggs, and there is nothing to protect the nest. There is no bird to chirp and fight with its wings and beak, so anyone can come take the eggs. And there is no one to stop me from taking all the people on earth.”

15 An ax is not better than the one who cuts with it. A saw is not better than the one who uses it. Is a stick stronger than the one who picks it up? It can’t do anything to the person who is using it to punish someone! 16 But Assyria doesn’t understand this. So the Lord God All-Powerful will send a terrible disease against him. He will lose his wealth and power like a sick man losing weight. Then Assyria’s glory will be destroyed. It will be like a fire burning until everything is gone. 17 The Light of Israel[a] will be like a fire. The Holy One will be like a flame. He will be like a fire that first begins to burn the weeds and thorns 18 and then spreads to burn up the tall trees and vineyards. Finally, everything will be destroyed—even the people. Assyria will be like a rotting log. 19 There will be a few trees left standing in the forest—so few that even a child could count them.

20 Then the people from Jacob’s family who are left living in Israel will stop depending on the one who beat them. They will learn to depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 21 Those who are left in Jacob’s family will again follow the Powerful God.[b]

22 Israel, your people are as many as the sands of the sea, but only a few of them will be left to come back to God. But before that happens, your country will be destroyed. God has announced that he will destroy the land. And then justice will come into the land like a river flowing full. 23 The Lord God All-Powerful really will destroy this land.

24 The Lord God All-Powerful says, “My people living in Zion, don’t be afraid of Assyria! Yes, he will beat you, and it will be just as the time when Egypt beat you with a stick. 25 But after a short time my anger will stop. I will be satisfied that Assyria has punished you enough.”

26 Then the Lord All-Powerful will beat Assyria with a whip, just as he defeated Midian at Raven Rock.[c] He will punish his enemies, as he did when he raised his stick over the sea[d] and led his people from Egypt.

27 He will take away the troubles Assyria brought you—troubles that are like heavy weights carried with a yoke on your neck. But that yoke will be taken off your neck. The burden will be lifted from your shoulders.

The Army of Assyria Invades Israel

28 [e] The army of Assyria will enter near the “Ruins” (Aiath). The army will walk on the “Threshing Floor” (Migron). It will keep its food in the “Storehouse” (Micmash). 29 The army will cross the river at the “Crossing” (Maabarah) and sleep at Geba. Ramah will be afraid. The people at Gibeah of Saul[f] will run away.

30 Cry out, Bath Gallim[g]! Laishah, listen! Anathoth, answer me! 31 The people of Madmenah are running away. The people of Gebim[h] are hiding. 32 This day the army will stop at Nob and prepare to fight against Mount Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Look, the Lord God All-Powerful will use his great power and chop down that great tree. Their highest officials will be brought down. Their most important leaders will be humbled. 34 God will cut down his enemies. Like the tall trees of Lebanon he will cut them down with an ax.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:17 The Light of Israel This is a name for God, like “The Holy One” in the next sentence. See “Israel” in the Word List.
  2. Isaiah 10:21 Powerful God See Isa. 9:6.
  3. Isaiah 10:26 Midian at Raven Rock Or “Midian at the Rock of Oreb.” See Judges 7:25.
  4. Isaiah 10:26 he raised … sea See Ex. 14:1-15:21.
  5. Isaiah 10:28 Isaiah uses names with double meanings to describe the different ways the Assyrian army would fight against Judah.
  6. Isaiah 10:29 Geba, Ramah, Gibeah of Saul Towns north of Jerusalem.
  7. Isaiah 10:30 Bath Gallim Gallim, a city south of Jerusalem. This name means “daughter of the waves,” and might refer to birds that make loud noises by the shore.
  8. Isaiah 10:31 Gebim An unknown city. This name is like the Hebrew word for “pit” or “cistern,” a hole in the ground for storing water.

10 Woe to unjust judges and to those who issue unfair laws, says the Lord, so that there is no justice for the poor, the widows, and orphans. Yes, it is true that they even rob the widows and fatherless children.

Oh, what will you do when I visit you in that day when I send desolation upon you from a distant land? To whom will you turn then for your help? Where will your treasures be safe? I will not help you; you will stumble along as prisoners or lie among the slain. And even then my anger will not be satisfied, but my fist will still be poised to strike you. 5-6 Assyria is the whip of my anger; his military strength is my weapon upon this godless nation, doomed and damned; he will enslave them and plunder them and trample them like dirt beneath his feet. But the king of Assyria will not know that it is I who sent him. He will merely think he is attacking my people as part of his plan to conquer the world. He will declare that every one of his princes will soon be a king, ruling a conquered land.

“We will destroy Calno just as we did Carchemish,” he will say, “and Hamath will go down before us as Arpad did; and we will destroy Samaria just as we did Damascus. 10 Yes, we have finished off many a kingdom whose idols were far greater than those in Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 so when we have defeated Samaria and her idols, we will destroy Jerusalem with hers.”

12 After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purpose, then he will turn upon the Assyrians and punish them too—for they are proud and haughty men.

13 They boast, “We in our own power and wisdom have won these wars. We are great and wise. By our own strength we broke down the walls and destroyed the people and carried off their treasures. 14 In our greatness we have robbed their nests of riches and gathered up kingdoms as a farmer gathers eggs, and no one can move a finger or open his mouth to peep against us!”

15 But the Lord says, “Shall the ax boast greater power than the man who uses it? Is the saw greater than the man who saws? Can a rod strike unless a hand is moving it? Can a cane walk by itself?”

16 Because of all your evil boasting, O king of Assyria, the Lord of Hosts will send a plague among your proud troops and strike them down. 17 God, the Light and Holy One of Israel, will be the fire and flame that will destroy them. In a single night he will burn those thorns and briars, the Assyrians who destroyed the land of Israel.[a] 18 Assyria’s vast army is like a glorious forest, yet it will be destroyed. The Lord will destroy them, soul and body, as when a sick man wastes away. 19 Only a few from all that mighty army will be left; so few a child could count them!

20 Then at last those left in Israel and in Judah will trust the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, instead of fearing the Assyrians. 21 A remnant of them will return to the mighty God. 22 But though Israel be now as many as the sands along the shore, yet only a few of them will be left to return at that time; God has rightly decided to destroy his people. 23 Yes, it has already been decided by the Lord God to consume them.

24 Therefore the Lord God says, “O my people in Jerusalem, don’t be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you just as the Egyptians did long ago. 25 It will not last very long; in a little while my anger against you will end, and then it will rise against them to destroy them.”

26 The Lord Almighty will send his angel to slay them in a mighty slaughter like the time when Gideon triumphed over Midian at the rock of Oreb or the time God drowned the Egyptian armies in the sea. 27 On that day God will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery off their necks and destroy it as decreed.[b]

28-29 Look, the mighty armies of Assyria are coming! Now they are at Aiath, now at Migron; they are storing some of their equipment at Michmash and crossing over the pass; they are staying overnight at Geba. Fear strikes the city of Ramah; all the people of Gibeah—the city of Saul—are running for their lives. 30 Well may you scream in terror, O people of Gallim. Shout out a warning to Laish, for the mighty army comes. O poor Anathoth, what a fate is yours! 31 There go the people of Madmenah, all fleeing, and the citizens of Gebim are preparing to run. 32 But the enemy stops at Nob for the remainder of that day. He shakes his fist at Jerusalem on Mount Zion.

33 Then, look, look! The Lord, the Lord of the armies of heaven, is chopping down the mighty tree! He is destroying all of that vast army, great and small alike, both officers and men. 34 He, the Mighty One, will cut down the enemy as a woodsman’s ax cuts down the forest trees in Lebanon.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:17 land of Israel, see 2 Kings 19:35 and Isaiah 37:36.
  2. Isaiah 10:27 as decreed, literally, “because of ointment.” Some see here a reference to the Messiah, the Anointed One.