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¹ "Woe [to] those decreeing decrees of iniquity, || And writers who have prescribed perverseness,² Of My people, || That widows may be their prey, || That they may spoil the fatherless.³ And what do you do at a day of inspection? And at desolation that comes from afar? Near whom do you flee for help? And where do you leave your glory?⁴ It has bowed down without Me || In the place of a bound one, || And they fall in the place of the slain." With all this His anger has not turned back, || And His hand is still stretched out.

⁵ "Woe [to] Asshur, a rod of My anger, || And My indignation [is] a staff in their hand.⁶ I send him against a profane nation, || And concerning a people of My wrath || I charge him, || To spoil spoil, and to seize prey, || And to make it a treading-place as the clay of out places.⁷ And he does not think [it] so, || And his heart does not reckon [it] so, || For—to destroy [is] in his heart, || And to cut off nations—not a few.⁸ For he says, Are my princes not altogether kings?⁹ Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?¹⁰ As my hand has gotten to the kingdoms of a worthless thing, and their carved images, || [Greater] than Jerusalem and than Samaria,¹¹ Do I not—as I have done to Samaria, || And to her worthless things, || So do to Jerusalem and to her grievous things?"¹² And it has come to pass, || When the Lord fulfills all His work || In Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, || I see concerning the fruit of the greatness || Of the heart of the king of Asshur, || And concerning the glory of the height of his eyes.¹³ For he has said, "I have worked by the power of my hand, || And by my wisdom, for I have been intelligent, || And I remove borders of the peoples, || And I have spoiled their chief ones, || And I put down the inhabitants as a mighty one,¹⁴ And my hand gets to the wealth of the peoples as to a nest, || And as a gathering of forsaken eggs || I have gathered all the earth, || And there has not been one moving wing, || Or opening mouth, or whispering."¹⁵ Does the axe glorify itself || Against him who is hewing with it? Does the saw magnify itself || Against him who is shaking it? As a rod waving those lifting it up! As a staff lifting up that which is not wood!¹⁶ Therefore the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, || Sends leanness among his fat ones, || And under his glory || He kindles a burning || As the burning of a fire.¹⁷ And the light of Israel has been for a fire, || And his Holy One for a flame, || And it has burned, and devoured his thorn || And his brier in one day.¹⁸ And the glory of his forest, and his fruitful field, || He consumes from soul even to flesh, || And it has been as the fainting of a standard-bearer.¹⁹ And the rest of the trees of his forest [are] few, || And a youth writes them.

²⁰ And it has come to pass in that day, || The remnant of Israel, || And the escaped of the house of Jacob, || Do not add anymore to lean on its striker, || And have leaned on YHWH, || The Holy One of Israel, in truth.²¹ A remnant returns—a remnant of Jacob, || To the Mighty God.²² For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, || A remnant of it returns, || A consumption determined, || Overflowing [with] righteousness.²³ For a consumption that is determined, || The Lord, YHWH of Hosts, || Is making in the midst of all the land.

²⁴ Therefore, thus said the Lord, YHWH of Hosts: "Do not be afraid, My people, inhabiting Zion, because of Asshur, || He strikes you with a rod, || And his staff lifts up against you, in the way of Egypt.²⁵ For yet a very little [while], || And the indignation has been completed, || And My anger by their wearing out."²⁶ And YHWH of Hosts is awaking for him, || A scourge like the striking of Midian at the rock Oreb, || And his rod [is] over the sea, || And he has lifted it in the way of Egypt.²⁷ And it has come to pass in that day, || His burden is turned from off your shoulder, || And his yoke from off your neck, || And the yoke has been destroyed, because of prosperity.²⁸ He has come in against Aiath, || He has passed over into Migron, || At Michmash he looks after his vessels.²⁹ They have gone over the passage, || They have made Geba a lodging place, || Rama has trembled, || Gibeah of Saul fled.³⁰ Cry aloud [with] your voice, daughter of Gallim, || Give attention, Laish! Answer her, Anathoth.³¹ Madmenah has fled away, || The inhabitants of the high places have hardened themselves.³² Yet today to remain in Nob, || The mountain of the daughter of Zion waves its hand, || The hill of Jerusalem.³³ Behold, the Lord, YHWH of Hosts, || Is lopping a branch with violence, || And the high of stature are cut down, || And the lofty have become low,³⁴ And He has gone around the thickets of the forest with iron, || And Lebanon falls by a mighty one!