Online Bible

Assyria Is God’s Instrument

Woe (judgment is coming) to those judges who ^aissue evil statutes,And to those magistrates who constantly record unjust and oppressive decisions,2 ^aSo as to deprive the needy of justiceAnd rob the poor of My people of rightful claims,^bSo that widows may be their spoilAnd that they may plunder the fatherless.3 Now ^awhat will you do in the ^bday of God’s punishment,And in the storm of devastation which will come ^cfrom far away?^dTo whom will you flee for help?And where will you leave your wealth for safekeeping?4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the ^acaptivesOr fall dead among the ^bslain on the battlefield.^cIn spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn away,But His hand is still stretched out in judgment.

5 Woe to ^aAssyria, the ^brod of My anger against Israel,The staff in whose hand is ^cMy indignation and fury against Israel’s disobedience!6 I send Assyria against a ^agodless nationAnd commission it against the ^bpeople of My wrathTo take the spoil and ^cto seize the plunder,And to trample them down like ^dmud in the streets.7 Yet it ^ais not Assyria’s intention to do My will,Nor does it plan so in its heart,But instead it is its purpose to destroyAnd to cut off many nations.8 For Assyria says, “Are not my princes all kings?9 “Is not ^aCalno conquered like ^bCarchemish on the Euphrates?Is not ^cHamath subdued like Arpad her neighbor?Is not ^dSamaria in Israel like ^eDamascus in Aram?10 “As my hand has reached to the ^akingdoms of the idols,Whose carved images were greater and more feared than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,11 Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her imagesJust as I have done to Samaria and ^aher idols?” declares Assyria.

12 So when the Lord has completed all His ^awork of judgment on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit the thoughts, the declarations, and the actions of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and ^bthe haughtiness of his pride.” 13 For the Assyrian king ^ahas said,“I have done this by the power of my own hand and by my wisdom,For I have understanding and skill.I have ^bremoved the boundaries of the peoplesAnd have plundered their treasures;Like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.

14 “My hand has found the wealth of the people like a ^anest,And as one gathers eggs that are abandoned, so I have gathered all the earth;And there was not one that flapped its wing, or that opened its beak and chirped.”

15 Is the ^aaxe able to ^blift itself over the one who chops with it?Is the saw able to magnify itself over the one who wields it?That would be like ^ca club moving those who lift it,Or like a ^dstaff raising him who is not made of wood like itself!16 Therefore the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will send a ^awasting disease among the ^bstout warriors of Assyria;And under his ^cglory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.17 And the ^aLight of Israel will become a fire and His ^bHoly One a flame,And it will ¹^cburn and devour Assyria’s thorns and briars in a single day. 2+@Kin 19:35-37; Is 31:8, 9; 37:3618 The Lord will ^aconsume the glory of Assyria’s forest and of its fruitful garden, both soul and body,And it will be as when a sick man wastes away.19 And the ^aremaining trees of Assyria’s forest will be so few in numberThat a child could write them down.

A Remnant Will Return

20 Now in that day the ^aremnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have ^bescaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly ^crely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

21 A ¹^aremnant will return, a remnant of Jacob, to the ^bmighty God.22 For ^athough your people, O Israel, may be as the sand of the sea,Only a remnant within them will return;The ^bdestruction is determined it is decided and destined for completion, overflowing with justice (righteous punishment) . Rom 9:27, 28

23 For ^athe Lord, the GOD of hosts, will execute a complete destruction, one that is decreed, in the midst of all the land.

24 Therefore, the Lord GOD of hosts says this, “O My people who dwell in ^aZion, ^bdo not be afraid of the Assyrian who ^cstrikes you with a rod and lifts up his staff against you, as the king of Egypt did. Ex 5 25 For yet a very ^alittle while and ^bMy indignation against you will be fulfilled and My anger will be directed toward the destruction of the Assyrian.” 26 The LORD of hosts will ^abrandish a whip against them like the slaughter of ^bMidian at the rock of Oreb; and His ^cstaff will be over the Red Sea and He will lift it up ^dthe way He did in the flight from Egypt. Ex 14:26-31; Judg 7:24, 25 27 So it will be in that day, that the ^aburden of the Assyrian will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because ^bof the fat. Deut 32:15

28 The Assyrian has come against Aiath in Judah,He has passed through ^aMigron with his army;At ^bMichmash he stored his ^cequipment.29 They have gone through ^athe pass, saying,“^bGeba will be our lodging place for the night.”^cRamah trembles, and ^dGibeah the city of Saul has fled.30 Cry aloud with your voice in consternation, O Daughter of ^aGallim!Pay attention, Laishah! Answer her, ^bAnathoth!31 Madmenah has fled;The inhabitants of Gebim have fled with their belongings to safety.32 Yet today the Assyrian will halt at ^aNob the city of priests;^bHe shakes his fist at the mountain of the ^cDaughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Listen carefully, the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will lop off the beautiful boughs with terrifying force;The ^atall in stature will be cut downAnd the lofty will be abased and humiliated.34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,And ^aLebanon (the Assyrian) will fall by the Mighty One. Gen 49:24; Is 9:6

Assyria Is God’s Instrument

Woe to those who ^aenact evil statutesAnd to those who constantly record ¹unjust decisions,2 So as ^ato ¹deprive the needy of justiceAnd rob the poor of My people of their rights,So ^bthat widows may be their spoilAnd that they may plunder the ²orphans.3 Now ^awhat will you do in the ^bday of punishment,And in the devastation which will come ^cfrom afar?^dTo whom will you flee for help?And where will you leave your ¹wealth?4 Nothing remains but to crouch ¹among the ^acaptivesOr fall ²among the ^bslain.^cIn spite of all this, His anger does not turn awayAnd His hand is still stretched out.

5 Woe to ^aAssyria, the ^brod of My angerAnd the staff in whose hands is ^cMy indignation,6 I send it against a ^agodless nationAnd commission it against the ^bpeople of My furyTo capture booty and ^cto seize plunder,And to ¹trample them down like ^dmud in the streets.7 Yet it ^adoes not so intend,Nor does ¹it plan so in its heart,But rather it is ²its purpose to destroyAnd to cut off ³many nations.8 For it says, “Are not my princes ¹all kings?9 “Is not ^aCalno like ^bCarchemish,Or ^cHamath like Arpad,Or ^dSamaria like ^eDamascus?10 “As my hand has reached to the ^akingdoms of the idols,Whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,11 Shall I not ¹do to Jerusalem and her imagesJust as I have done to Samaria and ^aher idols?”

12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His ^awork on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will ¹punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and ^bthe pomp of ²his haughtiness.” 13 For ^ahe has said,“By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,For I have understanding;And I ^bremoved the boundaries of the peoplesAnd plundered their treasures,And like a mighty man I brought down ¹their inhabitants,

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

15 Is the ^aaxe to ^bboast itself over the one who chops with it?Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?That would be like ^ca ¹club wielding those who lift it,Or like ^da rod lifting him who is not wood.16 Therefore the Lord, the ¹GOD of hosts, will send a ^awasting disease among his ^bstout warriors;And under his ^cglory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.17 And the ^alight of Israel will become a fire and his ^bHoly One a flame,And it will ^cburn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.18 And He will ^adestroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body,And it will be as when a sick man wastes away.19 And the ^arest of the trees of his forest will be so small in numberThat a child could write them down.

A Remnant Will Return

20 Now in that day the ^aremnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob ^bwho have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly ^crely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

21 A ^aremnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the ^bmighty God.22 For ^athough your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,Only a remnant within them will return;A ^bdestruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

23 For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, ^athe Lord ¹GOD of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.

24 Therefore thus says the Lord ¹GOD of hosts, “O My people who dwell in ^aZion, ^bdo not fear the Assyrian ²who ^cstrikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. 25 For in a very ^alittle while ^bMy indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction.” 26 The LORD of hosts will ^aarouse a scourge against him like the slaughter of ^bMidian at the rock of Oreb; and His ^cstaff will be over the sea and He will lift it up ^dthe way He did in Egypt. 27 So it will be in that day, that ¹his ^aburden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because ^bof fatness.

28 He has come against Aiath,He has passed through ^aMigron;At ^bMichmash he deposited his ^cbaggage.29 They have gone through ^athe pass, saying,“^bGeba will be our lodging place.”^cRamah is terrified, and ^dGibeah of Saul has fled away.30 Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of ^aGallim!Pay attention, Laishah and ¹wretched ^bAnathoth!31 Madmenah has fled.The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.32 Yet today he will halt at ^aNob;He ^bshakes his fist at the mountain of the ¹^cdaughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord, the ¹GOD of hosts, will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash;Those also who are ^atall in stature will be cut downAnd those who are lofty will be abased.34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,And ^aLebanon will fall ¹by the Mighty One.

Assyria Is God’s Instrument

Woe to those who ^aenact unjust statutesAnd to those who constantly record ¹harmful decisions,2 So as ^ato ¹deprive the needy of justiceAnd rob the poor among My people of their rights,So ^bthat widows may be their spoilAnd that they may plunder the ²orphans.3 Now ^awhat will you do in the ^bday of punishment,And in the devastation which will come ^cfrom afar?^dTo whom will you flee for help?And where will you leave your wealth?4 Nothing remains but to crouch ¹among the ^acaptivesOr fall ²among those ^bkilled.^cIn spite of all this, His anger does not turn awayAnd His hand is still stretched out.

5 Woe to ^aAssyria, the ^brod of My angerAnd the staff in whose hands is ^cMy indignation,6 I send it against a ^agodless nationAnd commission it against the ^bpeople of My furyTo capture spoils and ^cto seize plunder,And to ¹trample them down like ^dmud in the streets.7 Yet it ^adoes not so intend,Nor does ¹it plan so in its heart,But rather it is ²its purpose to destroyAnd to eliminate ³many nations.8 For it says, “Are not my officers ¹all kings?9 “Is not ^aCalno like ^bCarchemish,Or ^cHamath like Arpad,Or ^dSamaria like ^eDamascus?10 “As my hand has reached to the ^akingdoms of the idols,Whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,11 Shall I not do the same to Jerusalem and her imagesJust as I have done to Samaria and ^aher idols?”

12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His ^awork on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will ¹punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and ^bthe arrogant pride of his eyes.” 13 For ^ahe has said,“By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,Because I have understanding;And I ^bremoved the boundaries of the peoplesAnd plundered their treasures,And like a powerful man I brought down ¹their inhabitants,

14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a ^anest,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.”

15 Is the ^aaxe to ^bboast itself over the one who chops with it?Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?That would be like ^ca ¹club wielding those who lift it,Or like ^da rod lifting the one who is not wood.16 Therefore the Lord, the ¹GOD of armies, will send a ^awasting disease among his ^bstout warriors;And under his ^cglory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.17 And the ^aLight of Israel will become a fire and ¹Israel’s ^bHoly One a flame,And it will ^cburn and devour ²his thorns and his briars in a single day.18 And He will ^adestroy 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.19 And the ^arest of the trees of his forest will be so small in numberThat a child could write them down.

A Remnant Will Return

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

21 A ^aremnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the ^bmighty God.22 For ^athough your people, Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,Only a remnant within them will return;A ^bdestruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

23 For a complete destruction, one that is determined, ^athe Lord ¹GOD of armies will execute in the midst of the whole land.

24 Therefore this is what the Lord ¹GOD of armies says: “My people, you who dwell in ^aZion, ^bdo not fear the Assyrian ²who ^cstrikes you with the rod, and lifts up his staff against you the way Egypt did. 25 For in a very ^alittle while ^bMy indignation against you will be ended and My anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 26 The LORD of armies will ^awield a whip against him like the defeat of ^bMidian at the rock of Oreb; and His ^cstaff will be over the sea, and He will lift it up ^dthe way He did in Egypt. 27 So it will be on that day, that ¹his ^aburden will be removed from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because ^bof fatness.

28 He has come against Aiath,He has passed through ^aMigron;At ^bMichmash he deposited his ^cbaggage.29 They have gone through ^athe pass, saying,“^bGeba will be our encampment for the night.”^cRamah is terrified, and ^dGibeah of Saul has fled.30 Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of ^aGallim!Pay attention, Laishah and ¹wretched ^bAnathoth!31 Madmenah has fled.The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.32 Yet today he will halt at ^aNob;He ^bshakes his fist at the mountain of the ¹^cdaughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Behold, the Lord, the ¹GOD of armies, will lop off the branches with terrifying power;Those also who are ^atall in stature will be cut down,And those who are lofty will be brought low.34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,And ^aLebanon will fall by the Mighty One.