Study Desk

Woe to those who enact unjust statutes And to those who constantly record harmful decisions,

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

So as to deprive the needy of justice And rob the poor among My people of their rights, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans.

To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

Now what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth?

And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives Or fall among those killed. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.

Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,

O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

I send it against a godless nation And commission it against the people of My fury To capture spoils and to seize plunder, And to trample them down like mud in the streets.

I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Yet it does not so intend, Nor does it plan so in its heart, But rather it is its purpose to destroy And to eliminate many nations.

Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

For it says, "Are not my officers all kings?

For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?

"Is not Calno like Carchemish, Or Hamath like Arpad, Or Samaria like Damascus?

Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?

"As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, Whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

Shall I not do the same to Jerusalem and her images Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?"

Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the arrogant pride of his eyes."

Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

For he has said, "By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, Because I have understanding; And I removed the boundaries of the peoples And plundered their treasures, And like a powerful man I brought down their inhabitants,

For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:

And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; And there was not one that flapped its wing, opened its beak, or chirped."

And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it? That would be like a club wielding those who lift it, Or like a rod lifting the one who is not wood.

Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.

Therefore the Lord, the GOD of armies, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors; And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.

Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

And the Light of Israel will become a fire and Israel's Holy One a flame, And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.

And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

And He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body, And it will be as when a sick person wastes away.

And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.

And the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number That a child could write them down.

And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.

Now on that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will no longer rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord , the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

For though your people, Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

For a complete destruction, one that is determined, the Lord GOD of armies will execute in the midst of the whole land.

For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD of armies says: "My people, you who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod, and lifts up his staff against you the way Egypt did.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.

"For in a very little while My indignation against you will be ended and My anger will be directed toward their destruction."

For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.

The LORD of armies will wield a whip against him like the defeat of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be over the sea, and He will lift it up the way He did in Egypt.

And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.

So it will be on that day, that his burden will be removed from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of fatness.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

He has come against Aiath, He has passed through Migron; At Michmash he deposited his baggage.

He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:

They have gone through the pass, saying, "Geba will be our encampment for the night." Ramah is terrified, and Gibeah of Saul has fled.

They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.

Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Pay attention, Laishah and wretched Anathoth!

Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.

Madmenah has fled. The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.

Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.

Yet today he will halt at Nob; He shakes his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

Behold, the Lord, the GOD of armies, will lop off the branches with terrifying power; Those also who are tall in stature will be cut down, And those who are lofty will be brought low.

Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe, And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.