10 Woe^(A) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,^(B)
2 to deprive^(C) the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,^(D)
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless.^(E)
3 What will you do on the day of reckoning,^(F)
    when disaster^(G) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?^(H)
    Where will you leave your riches?
⁴ Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives^(I)
    or fall among the slain.^(J)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,^(K)
    his hand is still upraised.

“‘By the strength of my hand^(AK) I have done this,^(AL)
    and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
    I plundered their treasures;^(AM)
    like a mighty one I subdued^[a] their kings.^(AN)
14 As one reaches into a nest,^(AO)
    so my hand reached for the wealth^(AP) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
    so I gathered all the countries;^(AQ)
not one flapped a wing,
    or opened its mouth to chirp.^(AR)’”

¹⁵ Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
    or the saw boast against the one who uses it?^(AS)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
    or a club^(AT) brandish the one who is not wood!
¹⁶ Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will send a wasting disease^(AU) upon his sturdy warriors;^(AV)
under his pomp^(AW) a fire^(AX) will be kindled
    like a blazing flame.
¹⁷ The Light of Israel will become a fire,^(AY)
    their Holy One^(AZ) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
    his thorns^(BA) and his briers.^(BB)
18 The splendor of his forests^(BC) and fertile fields
    it will completely destroy,^(BD)
    as when a sick person wastes away.
¹⁹ And the remaining trees of his forests^(BE) will be so few^(BF)
    that a child could write them down.

“My people who live in Zion,^(BU)
    do not be afraid^(BV) of the Assyrians,
who beat^(BW) you with a rod^(BX)
    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
²⁵ Very soon^(BY) my anger against you will end
    and my wrath^(BZ) will be directed to their destruction.^(CA)”

²⁶ The Lord Almighty will lash^(CB) them with a whip,
    as when he struck down Midian^(CC) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff^(CD) over the waters,^(CE)
    as he did in Egypt.
²⁷ In that day^(CF) their burden^(CG) will be lifted from your shoulders,
    their yoke^(CH) from your neck;^(CI)
the yoke^(CJ) will be broken
    because you have grown so fat.^[c]

²⁸ They enter Aiath;
    they pass through Migron;^(CK)
    they store supplies^(CL) at Mikmash.^(CM)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
    “We will camp overnight at Geba.^(CN)”
Ramah^(CO) trembles;
    Gibeah^(CP) of Saul flees.^(CQ)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!^(CR)
    Listen, Laishah!
    Poor Anathoth!^(CS)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
    the people of Gebim take cover.
³² This day they will halt at Nob;^(CT)
    they will shake their fist^(CU)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,^(CV)
    at the hill of Jerusalem.

³³ See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    will lop off^(CW) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,^(CX)
    the tall^(CY) ones will be brought low.^(CZ)
34 He will cut down^(DA) the forest thickets with an ax;
    Lebanon^(DB) will fall before the Mighty One.^(DC)

14 The Lord will have compassion^(A) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(B) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(C)
Foreigners^(D) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
² Nations will take them
    and bring^(E) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(F)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(G) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(H)

How the oppressor^(N) has come to an end!
    How his fury^[a] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(O) of the wicked,^(P)
    the scepter^(Q) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(R)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(S) nations
    with relentless aggression.^(T)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(U)
    they break into singing.^(V)
8 Even the junipers^(W) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”^(X)

⁹ The realm of the dead^(Y) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed^(Z) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders^(AA) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.^(AB)
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”^(AC)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^(AD)
    along with the noise of your harps;^(AE)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms^(AF) cover you.^(AG)

¹² How you have fallen^(AH) from heaven,
    morning star,^(AI) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!^(AJ)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend^(AK) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(AL)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(AM)
    on the utmost heights^(AN) of Mount Zaphon.^[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(AO)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”^(AP)
15 But you are brought down^(AQ) to the realm of the dead,^(AR)
    to the depths^(AS) of the pit.^(AT)

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:^(AU)
“Is this the man who shook^(AV) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,^(AW)
    who overthrew^(AX) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”^(AY)

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.^(AZ)
19 But you are cast out^(BA) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,^(BB)
    with those pierced by the sword,^(BC)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.^(BD)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
²⁰     you will not join them in burial,^(BE)
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring^(BF) of the wicked^(BG)
    never be mentioned^(BH) again.
²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(BI)
    for the sins of their ancestors;^(BJ)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up^(BK) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(BL) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,^(BM)”
declares the Lord.
²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(BN)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(BO)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(BP)

“Surely, as I have planned,^(BR) so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.^(BS)
25 I will crush the Assyrian^(BT) in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke^(BU) will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.^(BV)”

²⁶ This is the plan^(BW) determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand^(BX) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(BY) and who can thwart him?
    His hand^(BZ) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(CA)

²⁹ Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(CE)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(CF)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(CG)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy^(CH) will lie down in safety.^(CI)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(CJ)
    it will slay^(CK) your survivors.^(CL)

³¹ Wail,^(CM) you gate!^(CN) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!^(CO)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(CP)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(CQ)
32 What answer shall be given
    to the envoys^(CR) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,^(CS)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(CT)”

² “But you, Bethlehem^(B) Ephrathah,^(C)
    though you are small among the clans^[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler^(D) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,^(E)
    from ancient times.”^(F)

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned^(G)
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock^(H)
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness^(I)
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace^(J)
    when the Assyrians invade^(K) our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,^(L)
6 who will rule^[c] the land of Assyria with the sword,
    the land of Nimrod^(M) with drawn sword.^[d](N)
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
    when they invade our land
    and march across our borders.^(O)

⁷ The remnant^(P) of Jacob will be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew^(Q) from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,^(R)
which do not wait for anyone
    or depend on man.
⁸ The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,^(S)
    like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles^(T) as it goes,
    and no one can rescue.^(U)
9 Your hand will be lifted up^(V) in triumph over your enemies,
    and all your foes will be destroyed.

“I will destroy your horses from among you
    and demolish your chariots.^(W)
11 I will destroy the cities^(X) of your land
    and tear down all your strongholds.^(Y)
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
    and you will no longer cast spells.^(Z)
13 I will destroy your idols^(AA)
    and your sacred stones from among you;^(AB)
you will no longer bow down
    to the work of your hands.^(AC)
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles^[e](AD)
    when I demolish your cities.
¹⁵ I will take vengeance^(AE) in anger and wrath
    on the nations that have not obeyed me.”