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¹ Woe to those who ^(a)decree iniquitous decrees,
    and the writers who ^(b)keep writing oppression,
² 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!
³ 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?
⁴ 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.

⁵ Woe to Assyria, ^(g)the rod of my anger;
    the staff in their hands is my fury!
⁶ Against a ^(h)godless nation I send him,
    and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take ⁽ⁱ⁾spoil and seize plunder,
    and to ^(j)tread them down like the mire of the streets.
⁷ But he ^(k)does not so intend,
    and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
    and to cut off nations not a few;
⁸ for he says:
^(l)"Are not my commanders all kings?
^9 (m)Is not ⁽ⁿ⁾Calno like ^(o)Carchemish?
    Is not ^(p)Hamath like ^(q)Arpad?
    ^(r)Is not ^(s)Samaria like Damascus?
¹⁰ As my hand has reached to ^(t)the kingdoms of the idols,
    whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
¹¹ shall I not do to Jerusalem and ^(u)her idols
    ^(v)as I have done to Samaria and her images?"

"By the strength of my hand I have done it,
    and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
    and plunder their treasures;
    like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
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 the mouth or chirped."

¹⁵ Shall ^(z)the axe boast over him who hews with it,
    or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
    or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
¹⁶ Therefore the Lord God of hosts
    will send wasting sickness among his ^(aa)stout warriors,
and under his glory ^(ab)a burning will be kindled,
    like the burning of fire.
^17 (ac)The light of Israel will become a fire,
    and ^(ad)his Holy One a flame,
and ^(ae)it will burn and devour
    his thorns and briers ^(af)in one day.
¹⁸ The glory of ^(ag)his forest and of his ^(ah)fruitful land
    the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
    and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
¹⁹ The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
    that a child can write them down.

²⁸ He has come to Aiath;
he has passed through ^(ba)Migron;
    at Michmash he stores ^(bb)his baggage;
²⁹ they have crossed over ^(bc)the pass;
    at ^(bd)Geba they lodge for the night;
^(be)Ramah trembles;
    ^(bf)Gibeah of Saul has fled.
³⁰ Cry aloud, O daughter of ^(bg)Gallim!
    Give attention, O Laishah!
    O poor ^(bh)Anathoth!
³¹ Madmenah is in flight;
    the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
³² This very day he will halt at ^(bi)Nob;
    he will shake his fist
    at the mount of ^(bj)the daughter of Zion,
    the hill of Jerusalem.

³³ Behold, the Lord God of hosts
    ^(bk)will lop ^(bl)the boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
    and the lofty will be brought low.
³⁴ He will cut down ^(bm)the thickets of the forest with an axe,
    and ^(bn)Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.