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¹ Woe vnto them that decree vnrighteous decrees, and that write grieuousnesse which they haue prescribed: ² To turne aside the needy from iudgement, and to take away the right from the poore of my people, that widdowes may be their pray, and that they may robbe the fatherles. ³ And what wil ye doe in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from farre? To whom wil ye flee for helpe? And where will yee leaue your glory? ⁴ Without mee they shall bowe downe vnder the prisoners, and they shall fall vnder the slaine: for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

⁵ O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staffe in their hand is mine indignation. ⁶ I will send him against an hypocriticall nation, and against the people of my wrath will I giue him a charge to take the spoile, and to take the praye, and to tread them downe like the mire of the streets. ⁷ Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart thinke so, but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off nations not a few. ⁸ For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? ⁹ Is not Calno, as Carchemish? Is not Hamath, as Arpad? Is not Samaria, as Damascus? ¹⁰ As my hand hath found the kingdomes of the idoles, and whose grauen images did excell them of Ierusalem and of Samaria: ¹¹ Shall I not, as I haue done vnto Samaria and her idoles, so doe to Ierusalem and her idoles? ¹² Wherefore it shall come to passe, that when the Lord hath performed his whole worke vpon mount Zion, and on Ierusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high lookes. ¹³ For hee saith, By the strength of my hand I haue done it, and by my wisedome, for I am prudent: and I haue remooued the bounds of the people, and haue robbed their treasures, and I haue put downe the inhabitants like a valiant man. ¹⁴ And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth egges that are left, haue I gathered all the earth, and there was none that moued the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. ¹⁵ Shall the axe boast it selfe against him that heweth therewith? Or shal the sawe magnifie it selfe against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake it selfe against them that lift it vp, or as if the staffe should lift vp it selfe, as if it were no wood. ¹⁶ Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leannesse, and vnder his glory hee shall kindle a burning, like the burning of a fire. ¹⁷ And the light of Israel shall bee for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burne and deuoure his thornes and his briers in one day: ¹⁸ And shall consume the glory of his forrest, and of his fruitfull field both soule and body: and they shall bee as when a standerd bearer fainteth. ¹⁹ And the rest of the trees of his forrest shall be few, that a child may write them.

²⁰ And it shal come to passe in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Iacob, shall no more againe stay vpon him that smote them: but shall stay vpon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel in trueth. ²¹ The remnant shall returne, euen the remnant of Iacob, vnto the mightie God. ²² For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall returne: the consumption decreed shall ouerflow with righteousnesse. ²³ For the Lord God of hostes shall make a consumption, euen determined in the middest of all the land.

²⁴ Therfore thus saith the Lord God of hostes, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraide of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift vp his staffe against thee, after the maner of Egypt. ²⁵ For yet a very litle while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction. ²⁶ And the Lord of hostes shall stirre vp a scourge for him, according to the slaughter of Midian at the rocke Oreb: and as his rod was vpon the Sea, so shall he lift it vp after the manner of Egypt. ²⁷ And it shall come to passe in that day, that his burden shalbe taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy necke, and the yoke shalbe destroyed because of the anointing. ²⁸ He is come to Aiath, hee is passed to Migron: at Michmash he hath laid vp his cariages. ²⁹ They are gone ouer the passage: they haue taken vp their lodging at Geba, Ramah is afraid, Gebeah of Saul is fled. ³⁰ Lift vp thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to bee heard vnto Laish, O poore Anathoth. ³¹ Madmenah is remooued, the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselues to flee. ³² As yet shall hee remaine at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Ierusalem. ³³ Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hostes shall lop the bough with terrour: and the high ones of stature shal be hewen downe, and the haughtie shalbe humbled. ³⁴ And he shall cut downe the thickets of the forrests with yron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mightie one.