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Arrogant Assyria Also Judged

Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger—
    the club in their hands is my fury!(A)
Against a godless nation I send him,
    and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
    and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.(B)
But this is not what he intends,
    nor does he have this in mind,
but it is in his heart to destroy
    and to cut off nations not a few.(C)
For he says:
“Are not my commanders all kings?(D)
Is not Calno like Carchemish?
    Is not Hamath like Arpad?
    Is not Samaria like Damascus?(E)
10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols
    whose images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,(F)
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols
    what I have done to Samaria and her images?”

12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he[a] will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride.(G) 13 For he says:

“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
    and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I have removed the boundaries of peoples
    and have plundered their treasures;
    like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.(H)
14 My hand has found, like a nest,
    the wealth of the peoples,
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
    so I have gathered all the earth,
and there was none that moved a wing
    or opened its mouth or chirped.”(I)

15 Shall the ax vaunt itself over the one who wields it
    or the saw magnify itself against the one who handles it?
As if a rod should raise the one who lifts it up,
    or as if a staff should lift the one who is not wood!(J)
16 Therefore the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts,
    will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors,
and under his glory a burning will be kindled
    like the burning of fire.(K)
17 The light of Israel will become a fire
    and his Holy One a flame,
and it will burn and devour
    his thorns and briers in one day.(L)
18 The glory of his forest and his fruitful land
    the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
    and it will be as when an invalid wastes away.(M)
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
    that a child can write them down.(N)

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Footnotes

  1. 10.12 Gk: Heb I

Assyria as God’s punishing weapon

Doom to Assyria, rod of my anger,
    in whose hand is the staff of my fury!
Against a godless nation I send him;
    against an infuriating people
    I direct him to seize spoil, to steal plunder,
    and to trample them like mud in the streets.
But he has other plans;
    he schemes in secret;
    destruction is on his mind,
    extermination of nation after nation.
He says: Aren’t my commanders all kings?
    Isn’t Calno like Carchemish?
    Isn’t Hamath like Arpad?
    Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?
10 Just as I took control of idolatrous kingdoms
    with more images than Jerusalem and Samaria,
11     just as I did to Samaria and her false gods,
    won’t I also do this to Jerusalem and her idols?

12 But when the Lord has finished all this work on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will punish[a] the Assyrian king’s arrogant actions and the boasting of his haughty eyes.

13 He said, “By my own strength I have achieved it,
    and by my wisdom, since I’m so clever.
    I disregarded national boundaries; I raided their treasures;
    I knocked down their rulers like a bull.
14     My hand found the wealth of the peoples
    as if it were in a nest.
Just as one gathers abandoned eggs,
    I have gathered the entire earth;
    no creature fluttered a wing or opened a mouth to chirp.”

15 Will the ax glorify itself over the one who chops with it?
    Or will the saw magnify itself over its user?
As if a rod could wave the one who lifts it!
    As if a staff could lift up the one not made of wood!
16 Therefore, the Lord God of heavenly forces
    will make the well-fed people waste away;
    and among his officials,
    a blaze will burn like scorching fire.
17 The light of Israel will become a fire,
    its holy one a flame,
    which will burn and devour
    its thorns and thistles
    in a single day.
18 Its abundant forest and farmland
    will be finished completely,[b]
    as when a sick person wastes away;
19     its forest’s remaining trees will be no more than a child can count.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:12 Or I will punish
  2. Isaiah 10:18 Syr, Vulg body and soul (that is, completely); MT he will finish