American Standard Version ASV
Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB
1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers that write perverseness;
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Woe to those enacting crooked statutes and writing oppressive laws
2 to turn aside the needy from justice, and 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!
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to keep the poor from getting a fair trial and to deprive the afflicted among my people of justice, so that widows can be their spoil and they can plunder the fatherless.
3 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?
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What will you do on the day of punishment when devastation comes from far away? Who will you run to for help? Where will you leave your wealth?
4 They shall only bow down under the prisoners, and shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
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[There will be nothing to do] except crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. In all this, His anger is not removed, and His hand is still raised [to strike].
5 Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation!
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Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger- the staff in their hands is My wrath.
6 I will send him against a profane 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.
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I will send him against a godless nation; I will command him [to go] against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils, to plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.
7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few.
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But this is not what he intends; this is not what he plans. It is his intent to destroy and to cut off many nations.
8 For he saith, Are not my princes all of them kings?
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For he says: Aren't all my commanders kings?
9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?
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Isn't Calno like Carchemish? Isn't Hamath like Arpad? Isn't Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;
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As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms, whose idols exceeded those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?
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and as I did to Samaria and its idols will I not also do to Jerusalem and its idols?
12 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.
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But when the Lord finishes all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, [He will say,] "I will punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant acts and the proud look in his eyes."
13 For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and like a valiant man I have brought down them that sit [on thrones]:
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For he said: I have done [this] by my own strength and wisdom, for I am clever. I abolished the borders of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty warrior, I subjugated the inhabitants.
14 and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples; and as one gathereth eggs that are forsaken, have I gathered all the earth: and there was none that moved the wing, or that opened the mouth, or chirped.
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My hand has reached out, as if into a nest, to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered the whole earth. No wing fluttered; no beak opened or chirped.
15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? as if a rod should wield them that lift it up, [or] as if a staff should lift up [him that is] not wood.
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Does an ax exalt itself above the one who chops with it? Does a saw magnify itself above the one who saws with it? As if a staff could wave those who lift it! As if a rod could lift what isn't wood!
16 Therefore will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory there shall be kindled a burning like the burning of fire.
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Therefore the Lord God of Hosts will inflict an emaciating disease on the well-fed of Assyria, and He will kindle a burning fire under its glory.
17 And the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.
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Israel's Light will become a fire, and its Holy One, a flame. In one day it will burn up Assyria's thorns and thistles.
18 And he will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and it shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.
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He will completely destroy the glory of its forests and orchards as a sickness consumes a person.
19 And the remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child may write them.
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The remaining trees of its forest will be so few in number that a child could count them.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them, but shall lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
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On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on the one who struck them, but they will faithfully depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant shall return, [even] the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
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The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.
22 For though thy people, Israel, be as the sand of the sea, [only] a remnant of them shall return: a destruction [is] determined, overflowing with righteousness.
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Israel, even if your people were as numerous as the sand of the sea, [only] a remnant of them will return. Destruction has been decreed; justice overflows.
23 For a full end, and that determined, will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, make in the midst of all the earth.
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For throughout the land the Lord God of Hosts is carrying out a destruction that was decreed.
24 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian, though he smite thee with the rod, and lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.
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Therefore, the Lord God of Hosts says this: "My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear Assyria, though he strikes you with a rod and raises his staff over you as the Egyptians did.
25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation [against thee] shall be accomplished, and mine anger [shall be directed] to his destruction.
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In just a little while My wrath will be spent and My anger will turn to their destruction."
26 And Jehovah of hosts will stir up against him a scourge, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and his rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up after the manner of Egypt.
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And the Lord of Hosts will brandish a whip against him as [He did when He] struck Midian at the rock of Oreb; and He will raise His staff over the sea as [He did] in Egypt.
27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall depart from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed by reason of fatness.
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On that day his burden will fall from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because of [his] fatness.
28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed through Migron; at Michmash he layeth up his baggage;
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Assyria has come to Aiath and has gone through Migron, storing his equipment at Michmash.
29 they are gone over the pass; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah trembleth; Gibeah of Saul is fled.
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They crossed over at the ford, saying, "We will spend the night at Geba." The people of Ramah are trembling; those at Gibeah of Saul have fled.
30 Cry aloud with thy voice, O daughter of Gallim! hearken, O Laishah! O thou poor Anathoth!
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Cry aloud, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! Anathoth is miserable.
31 Madmenah is a fugitive; the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
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Madmenah has fled. The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.
32 This very day shall he halt at Nob: he shaketh his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
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Today he will stand at Nob, shaking his fist at the mountain of Daughter Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, will lop the boughs with terror: and the high of stature shall be hewn down, and the lofty shall be brought low.
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Look, the Lord God of Hosts will chop off the branches with terrifying power, and the tall [trees] will be cut down, the high [trees] felled.
34 And he will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
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He is clearing the thickets of the forest with an ax, and Lebanon with its majesty will fall.
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Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.