New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes,
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Cursed are those who make evil decisions, and the writers who make the records of their cruel acts:
2 to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and that you may make the orphans your prey!
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Who do wrong to the poor in their cause, and take away the right of the crushed among my people, so that they may have the property of widows, and get under their power those who have no father.
3 What will you do on the day of punishment, in the calamity that will come from far away? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth,
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And what will you do in the day of punishment, and in the destruction which is coming from far? to whom will you go for help, and what will become of your glory?
4 so as not to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain? For all this his anger has not turned away; his hand is stretched out still.
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... For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
5 Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger— the club in their hands is my fury!
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Ho! Assyrian, the rod of my wrath, the instrument of my punishment!
6 Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
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I will send him against a nation of wrongdoers, and against the people of my wrath I will give him orders, to take their wealth in war, crushing them down like the dust in the streets.
7 But this is not what he intends, nor does he have this in mind; 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 is in his mind, and this is not his design; but his purpose is destruction, and the cutting off of more and more nations.
8 For he says: "Are not my commanders all kings?
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For he says, Are not all my captains kings?
9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?
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Will not the fate of Calno be like that of Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols whose images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
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As my hand has come on the kingdoms of the images, whose pictured images were more in number than those of Jerusalem and Samaria;
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols what I have done to Samaria and her images?"
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So, as I have done to Samaria and her images, I will do to Jerusalem and her images.
12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride.
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For this cause it will be that, when the purpose of the Lord against Mount Zion and Jerusalem is complete, I will send punishment on the pride of the heart of the king of Assyria, and on the glory of his uplifted eyes.
13 For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I have removed the boundaries of peoples, and have plundered their treasures; like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.
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For he has said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my knowledge, for I am wise: and I have taken away the limits of the peoples' lands, and the stores of their wealth have become mine; and I have made towns low in the dust, sending destruction on those living in them;
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 its mouth, or chirped."
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And I have put my hands on the wealth of the peoples, as on the place where a bird has put her eggs; and as a man may take the eggs from which a bird has gone, so I have taken all the earth for myself: and not a wing was moved, and not a mouth gave out a sound.
15 Shall the ax vaunt itself over the one who wields it, or the saw magnify itself against the one who handles it? As if a rod should raise the one who lifts it up, or as if a staff should lift the one who is not wood!
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Will the axe say high-sounding words against him who is using it, or the blade be full of pride against him who is cutting with it? As if a rod had the power of shaking him who is using it, or as if a stick might take up him who is not wood.
16 Therefore the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts, will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.
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For this cause the Lord, the Lord of armies, will make his fat become wasted; and in his inner parts a fire will be lighted like a burning flame.
17 The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day.
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And the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: wasting and burning up his thorns in one day.
18 The glory of his forest and his fruitful land the Lord will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when an invalid wastes away.
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And he will put an end to the glory of his woods and of his planted fields, soul and body together; and it will be as when a man is wasted by disease.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down.
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And the rest of the trees of his wood will be small in number, so that a child may put them down in writing.
20 On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on the one who struck them, but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
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And it will be in that day that the rest of Israel, and those of Jacob who have come safely through these troubles, will no longer go for help to him whose rod was on their back, but their faith will be in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
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The rest, even the rest of Jacob, will come back to the Strong God.
22 For though your people Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness.
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For though your people, O Israel, are as the sand of the sea, only a small number will come back: for the destruction is fixed, overflowing in righteousness.
23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in all the earth.
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For the Lord, the Lord of armies, is about to make destruction complete in all the land.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: O my people, who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they beat you with a rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did.
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For this cause the Lord, the Lord of armies, says, O my people living in Zion, have no fear of the Assyrian, even if his rod comes on your back, and his stick is lifted up as in Egypt.
25 For in a very little while my indignation will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.
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For in a very short time my passion will be over, and my wrath will be turned to their destruction.
26 The Lord of hosts will wield a whip against them, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb; his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt.
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And the Lord of armies will be shaking a whip against him, as when he overcame Midian at the rock of Oreb: and his rod will be lifted up against them as it was against the Egyptians.
27 On that day his burden will be removed from your shoulder, and his yoke will be destroyed from your neck. He has gone up from Rimmon,
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And in that day the weight which he put on your back will be taken away, and his yoke broken from off your neck.
28 he has come to Aiath; he has passed through Migron, at Michmash he stores his baggage;
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He has gone up from Pene-Rimmon, he has come to Aiath; he has gone past Migron, at Michmash he puts his forces in order.
29 they have crossed over the pass, at Geba they lodge for the night; Ramah trembles, Gibeah of Saul has fled.
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They have gone across the mountain; Geba will be our resting-place tonight, they say: Ramah is shaking with fear; Gibeah of Saul has gone in flight.
30 Cry aloud, O daughter Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! Answer her, O Anathoth!
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Give a loud cry, daughter of Gallim; let Laishah give ear; let Anathoth give answer to her.
31 Madmenah is in flight, the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
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Madmenah has gone; the men of Gebim are putting their goods in a safe place.
32 This very day he will halt at Nob, he will shake his fist at the mount of daughter Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
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This very day he is stopping at Nob; he is shaking his hand against the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Look, the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts, will lop the boughs with terrifying power; the tallest trees will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.
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See, the Lord, the Lord of armies, is cutting off his branches with a great noise, and his strong ones are falling and his high ones are coming down.
34 He will hack down the thickets of the forest with an ax, and Lebanon with its majestic trees will fall.
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And he is cutting down the thick places of the wood with an axe, and Lebanon with its tall trees is coming down.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.