The Hebrew Prophets

Woe to Asshur, a rod of Mine anger, And a staff in their hand is Mine indignation.

Against a profane nation I send him, And concerning a people of My wrath I charge him, To spoil spoil, and to seize prey, And to make it a treading-place as the clay of out places.

And he--he thinketh not so, And his heart reckoneth not so, For--to destroy is in his heart, And to cut off nations not a few.

For he saith, `Are not my princes altogether kings?

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

As my hand hath got to the kingdoms of a worthless thing, and their graven images, Greater than Jerusalem and than Samaria,

Do I not--as I have done to Samaria, And to her worthless things, So do to Jerusalem and to her grievous things?

And it hath come to pass, When the Lord doth fulfil all His work In mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I see concerning the fruit of the greatness Of the heart of the king of Asshur. And concerning the glory of the height of his eyes.

For he hath said, `By the power of my hand I have wrought, And by my wisdom, for I have been intelligent, And I remove borders of the peoples, And their chief ones I have spoiled, And I put down as a mighty one the inhabitants,

And my hand as to a nest Getteth to the wealth of the peoples, And as a gathering of forsaken eggs All the earth I--I have gathered, And there hath not been one moving wing, Or opening mouth, or whispering.'

--Doth the axe glorify itself Against him who is hewing with it? Doth the saw magnify itself Against him who is shaking it? As a rod waving those lifting it up! As a staff lifting up that which is not wood!

Therefore doth the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, Send among his fat ones leanness, And under his honour He kindleth a burning As the burning of a fire.

And the light of Israel hath been for a fire, And his Holy One for a flame, And it hath burned, and devoured his thorn And his brier in one day.

And the honour of his forest, and his fruitful field, From soul even unto flesh He doth consume, And it hath been as the fainting of a standard-bearer.

And the rest of the trees of his forest are few, And a youth doth write them.

And it hath come to pass, in that day, The remnant of Israel, And the escaped of the house of Jacob, Do not add any more to lean on its smiter, And have leant on Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel, in truth.

A remnant returneth--a remnant of Jacob, Unto the Mighty God.

For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, A remnant doth return of it, A consumption determined, Overflowing with righteousness.

For a consumption that is determined, The Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is making in the midst of all the land.

Therefore, thus said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, `Be not afraid, my people, inhabiting Zion, because of Asshur, With a rod he doth smite thee, And his staff lifteth up against thee, in the way of Egypt.

For yet a very little, And the indignation hath been completed, And Mine anger by their wearing out.

And awaking for him is Jehovah of Hosts, A scourge like the smiting of Midian at the rock Oreb, And his rod is over the sea, And he hath lifted it in the way of Egypt.

And it hath come to pass, in that day, Turned is his burden from off thy shoulder, And his yoke from off thy neck, And destroyed hath been the yoke, because of prosperity.

He hath come in against Aiath, He hath passed over into Migron, At Michmash he looketh after his vessels.

They have gone over the passage, Geba they have made a lodging place, Trembled hath Rama, Gibeah of Saul fled.