1 Woe to those whoy[Ps. 94:20] decree iniquitous decrees,
and the writers whozJer. 8:8 keep writing oppression,
2 to turn aside the needy from justice
andach. 5:23 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 onbJer. 5:29; Hos. 9:7; [Luke 19:44] the day of punishment,
in the ruin that will comecch. 5:26 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.
dSee ch. 9:12 For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
5
Ah, Assyria,ever. 24; ch. 9:4; [Mic. 5:1; 6:9] the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
6 Against afch. 9:17 godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to takegSee 2 Kgs. 18:14-16 spoil and seize plunder,
and tohch. 5:5 tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 But hei[Mic. 4:12] 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:
j[2 Kgs. 18:24] “Are not my commanders all kings?
9 k2 Kgs. 19:12, 13 Is notl[Gen. 10:10; Amos 6:2] Calno likem2 Chr. 35:20; Jer. 46:2 Carchemish?
Is notnch. 11:11; Amos 6:2; Zech. 9:2 Hamath likeo2 Kgs. 18:34 Arpad?
p[2 Kgs. 16:9; 17:6] Is notqch. 7:9 Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached tor[2 Kgs. 19:17, 18] the kingdoms of the idols,
whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem andsch. 2:8 her idols
t2 Kgs. 18:34 as I have done to Samaria and her images? ”
12 u[ch. 29:4, 5; 30:18; 2 Kgs. 19:31] When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem,vSee 2 Kgs. 19:35-37 he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes.
13 wch. 37:23-25; 2 Kgs. 19:22-24 For he says:
“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 Shallx[ver. 5; ch. 29:16; 45:9; Rom. 9:17] 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 hisyPs. 78:31 stout warriors,
and under his gloryz[ch. 30:33] a burning will be kindled,
like the burning of fire.
17 a[Obad. 18] The light of Israel will become a fire,
andbch. 37:23 his Holy One a flame,
andcch. 27:4; [ch. 9:18; Nah. 1:10] it will burn and devour
his thorns and briersd[ch. 9:14; 2 Kgs. 19:35] in one day.
18 The glory ofever. 33; [ch. 2:13] his forest and of hisf[Ps. 107:33-34] 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.
20 gver. 27; ch. 2:11 In that dayhch. 4:2 the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no morei[2 Kgs. 16:7; 2 Chr. 28:20, 21] lean on him who struck them, butj2 Kgs. 19:14 will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,kch. 9:6 to the mighty God. 22 lCited Rom. 9:27, 28 For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea,m[ch. 6:13] only a remnant of them will return.nch. 28:22 Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people,o[ch. 31:5] who dwell in Zion,p2 Kgs. 19:6 be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you asqEx. 2:23 the Egyptians did. 25 Forr[ch. 17:14] in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 26 Ands2 Kgs. 19:35 the Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he strucktch. 9:4 MidianuJudg. 7:25; [ch. 9:4] at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift itv[Ex. 14:30] as he did in Egypt. 27 And in that dayw2 Kgs. 18:14 his burden will depart from your shoulder, andx[ch. 9:4; Nah. 1:13] his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat. ”
28 He has come to Aiath;
he has passed throughy1 Sam. 14:2 Migron;
at Michmash he storeszJudg. 18:21; 1 Sam. 17:22; Acts 21:15; [ch. 46:1] his baggage;
29 they have crossed overa1 Sam. 13:23 the pass;
atb1 Sam. 13:16 Geba they lodge for the night;
c1 Sam. 7:17 Ramah trembles;
d1 Sam. 11:4 Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud, O daughter ofe1 Sam. 25:44 Gallim!
Give attention, O Laishah!
O PoorfJer. 1:1 Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32 This very day he will halt atg1 Sam. 21:1; 22:19 Nob;
he will shake his fist
at the mount ofhch. 1:8; 37:22 the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord God of hosts
i[Nah. 1:12] will lopjver. 18 the boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut downj[See ver. 33 above] the thickets of the forest with an axe,
andk[Ezek. 31:3; Amos 2:9] Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.