10 Woe(A) to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,(B)
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)
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?
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.

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10 Woe to those who (A)decree iniquitous decrees,
    and the writers who (B)keep writing oppression,
to turn aside the needy from justice
    and (C)to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
    and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
What will you do on (D)the day of punishment,
    in the ruin that will come (E)from afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
    and where will you leave your wealth?
Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
    or fall among the slain.
(F)For all this his anger has not turned away,
    and his hand is stretched out still.

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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.

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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

Wicked laws

10 Doom to those who pronounce wicked decrees,
    and keep writing harmful laws
    to deprive the needy of their rights
    and to rob the poor among my people of justice;
    to make widows their loot;
    to steal from orphans!
What will you do on the day of punishment
    when disaster comes from far away?
To whom will you flee for help;
    where will you stash your wealth?
How will you avoid crouching among the prisoners
    and falling among the slain?
Even so, God’s anger hasn’t turned away;
    God’s hand is still extended.

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10 You people are in for trouble! You have made cruel and unfair laws that let you cheat the poor and needy and rob widows and orphans. But what will you do when you are fiercely attacked and punished by foreigners? Where will you run for help? Where will you hide your valuables? How will you escape being captured[a] or killed? The Lord is still angry, and he isn't through with you yet![b]

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Footnotes

  1. 10.4 escape being captured: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  2. 10.4 and he … yet: Or “but he hasn't given up on you yet!”