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[a]Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation! I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and [b]to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few. For he saith, Are not my princes all of them kings? Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? 10 As my hand hath [c]found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11 shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will [d]punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. 13 For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and like a valiant man I have brought down [e]them that sit on thrones: 14 and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples; and as one gathereth eggs that are forsaken, have I gathered all the earth: and there was none that moved the wing, or that opened the mouth, or chirped.

15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? as if a rod should wield them that lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up him that is not wood. 16 Therefore will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and [f]under his glory there shall be kindled a burning like the burning of fire. 17 And the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day. 18 And he will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and it shall be [g]as when a standard-bearer fainteth. 19 And the remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child may write them.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:5 Or, Woe to Asshur
  2. Isaiah 10:6 Hebrew to make them a treading down.
  3. Isaiah 10:10 Or, reached
  4. Isaiah 10:12 Hebrew visit upon.
  5. Isaiah 10:13 Or, the inhabitants
  6. Isaiah 10:16 Or, instead of
  7. Isaiah 10:18 Or, as when a sick man pineth away

Judgment on Assyria’s Arrogance

Ah! Assyria, the rod of my anger,
    and a staff is in their hand: my wrath!
I send him against a godless nation,
    and I command him against the people of my wrath,
to capture spoil
    and to carry off plunder,
and to make them[a] a trampling place,
    like the clay of the streets.
But he does not think this,[b]
    and his heart does not plan this.
For it is in his heart to destroy
    and to cut off not a few nations.
For he says, “Are not my commanders altogether kings?
    Is not Calno like Carchemish?
    Is not Hamath like Arpad?
    Is not Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols[c]
    —and their images were greater than those of[d] Jerusalem and Samaria—
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and its idols
    what I have done to Samaria and her idols?”

12 And this shall happen: when the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion[e] and Jerusalem, “I will punish the arrogance[f] of the king of Assyria and his haughtiness.”[g]

13 For he says,

“I have done it by the strength of my hand
    and by my wisdom, for I have understanding,
and I have removed the boundaries of peoples,
    and I have plundered their stores,
    and like a bull I have brought down the inhabitants.[h]
14 And my hand has found, like a nest, the wealth of the peoples,
    and like the gathering of forsaken eggs, I myself have gathered all the earth.
        And there was no fluttering wing or open mouth or chirp.”
15 Does the ax boast against the one who cuts with it,
    or the saw magnify itself against the one who moves it to and fro?
As if a rod should move the one who lifts it![i]
    As if a staff should lift up that which is not wood![j]
16 Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, will send leanness among his sturdy warriors,
    and a burning like the burning of fire will burn under his glory.
17 And the light of Israel will become like a fire,
    and his holy one like a flame,
and it will burn and devour his thorns[k] and briers[l] in one day.
18 And he will destroy the glory of his forest and orchard completely,[m]
    and it will be like the wasting away of one who is sick.
19 And the rest of the trees[n] of his forest will be a small number,
    and a boy can write them down.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:6 Hebrew “him”
  2. Isaiah 10:7 Or “so”
  3. Isaiah 10:10 Hebrew “idol”
  4. Isaiah 10:10 Literally “from”
  5. Isaiah 10:12 Literally “the mountain of Zion”
  6. Isaiah 10:12 Literally “fruit of the greatness of the heart”
  7. Isaiah 10:12 Literally “the pride of the height of his eyes”
  8. Isaiah 10:13 Or, “those sitting,” that is, rulers sitting on thrones
  9. Isaiah 10:15 Literally “As a rod waving even the one who lifts it up”
  10. Isaiah 10:15 Literally “As a staff lifting up not wood”
  11. Isaiah 10:17 Hebrew “thorn”
  12. Isaiah 10:17 Hebrew “brier”
  13. Isaiah 10:18 Literally “from soul and to body”
  14. Isaiah 10:19 Hebrew “tree”