1 Woe unto them that decree iniquitous decrees, and to the writers that prescribe oppression,2 to turn away the poor from judgment, and to take away the right from the afflicted of my people; that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the sudden destruction {which} shall come from far? To whom will ye flee for help, and where will ye leave your glory?4 They can but crouch under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.5 Ah! the Assyrian! the rod of mine anger! and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.6 I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge; to take the spoil, and to seize the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.7 But he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; for it is in his heart to extirpate and cut off nations not a few.8 For he saith, Are not my princes all kings?9 Is not Calno as Karkemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, -and their graven images 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 images?12 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stoutness of heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.13 For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done {it}, and by my wisdom, for I am intelligent; 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};14 and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples, and as one gathereth forsaken eggs, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, 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 the rod should wield them that lift it up; as if the staff should lift up {him who is} not wood!16 Therefore shall the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness, and under his glory he shall kindle a burning, like the burning of a fire:17 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 briars in one day,18 and it shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a sick man fainteth.19 And the remainder of the trees of his forest shall be few: yea, a child might write them.20 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 rely upon him that smote them; but they shall rely upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.21 The remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty *God.22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, {only} a remnant of them shall return: the consumption determined shall overflow in righteousness.23 For a consumption, and {one} determined, will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, accomplish in the midst of all the land.24 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Jehovah 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:25 for yet a very little while, and the indignation shall be accomplished, and mine anger, in their destruction.26 And Jehovah of hosts will stir up a scourge against him, according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and his rod {shall be} upon the sea, and he will lift it up after the manner of Egypt.27 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. ...28 He is come to Aiath, he hath passed through Migron; at Michmash he layeth up his baggage.29 They are gone through the pass; they make their lodging at Geba: Ramah trembleth, Gibeah of Saul is fled.30 Lift up thy voice, daughter of Gallim! Hearken, O Laish! -Poor Anathoth!31 Madmenah is fugitive; the inhabitants of Gebim take to flight.32 Still a day of halting at Nob; he shaketh his hand {against} the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. ...33 Behold the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, shall lop the boughs with violence; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be brought low;34 and he shall make clearings in the thickets of the forest with iron; and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

1 Wee hulle wat heillose insettinge tot wet maak, en die skrywers wat moeite ywerig voorskrywe,2 om die armes van die gereg weg te stoot en om die ellendiges onder my volk van die reg te beroof, sodat die weduwees hulle buit kan word en hulle die wese kan plunder.3 Maar wat sal julle doen op die dag van besoeking en by die verwoesting wat van ver af sal kom? Na wie sal julle vlug om hulp, en waar julle rykdom wegbêre?4 Hulle kan net maar buig soos geboeides en val soos diegene wat gedood is. Ondanks dit alles is sy toorn nie afgewend nie, maar sy hand is nog uitgestrek.5 Wee Assur! die roede van my toorn en 'n stok is hy -- in hulle hand is my grimmigheid!6 Ek sal hom stuur teen 'n roekelose nasie, en Ek sal hom bevel gee teen die volk van my grimmigheid, om buit te maak en roof in te samel en om hulle tot 'n vertrapping te maak soos modder van die strate.7 Maar hy bedoel dit nie so nie, en sy hart dink nie so nie; maar om te verdelg, is in sy hart, en om nasies uit te roei, nie min nie.8 Want hy sê: Is my vorste nie almal saam konings nie?9 Het dit met Kalno nie gegaan soos met K rkemis, met Hamat soos met Arpad, met Samar¡a soos met Damaskus nie?10 Soos my hand die koninkryke van die afgode bereik het, alhoewel hulle gesnede beelde meer was as die van Jerusalem en Samar¡a,11 sou ek nie, soos ek aan Samar¡a en sy afgode gedoen het, net so aan Jerusalem en sy afgode kan doen nie?12 Maar as die HERE al sy werk voltooi het op die berg Sion en in Jerusalem, dan sal Ek besoeking doen oor die vrug van die grootsheid van die hart van Assirië se koning en oor die gepraal van sy hoë oë.13 Want hy sê: Deur die krag van my hand het ek dit gedoen en deur my wysheid, want ek is verstandig; en die grense van die volke het ek verwyder, en hulle voorrade het ek geplunder; en die wat op trone sit, het ek soos 'n maghebber neergewerp.14 En my hand het na die rykdom van die volke gegryp soos na 'n voëlnes, en ,k het die hele aarde bymekaargeskraap soos 'n mens eiers bymekaarskraap wat verlaat is; en daar was niemand wat 'n vlerk verroer of 'n bek oopgemaak of gepiep het nie.15 Kan die byl hom beroem teen die wat daarmee kap, of die saag spog teen hom wat dit trek? Asof 'n staf hulle swaai wat hom ophef, asof 'n stok hom ophef wat nie hout is nie!16 Daarom sal die Here HERE van die leërskare onder sy vettes 'n maerte stuur; en onder sy heerlikheid sal Hy 'n brand laat uitslaan soos die brand van vuur.17 En die Lig van Israel sal 'n vuur wees, en sy Heilige 'n vlam; en dit sal sy distels en sy dorings verbrand en verteer op een dag.18 Ook sal Hy die heerlikheid van sy bos en van sy vrugteboord verteer, van die siel af tot die vlees toe, sodat dit is soos wanneer 'n kranke wegkwyn.19 En die oorblyfsel van die bome van sy bos sal min in getal wees, en 'n seuntjie sal hulle kan opskrywe.20 En in die dag sal die oorblyfsel van Israel en die wat ontvlug het van die huis van Jakob, nie meer voortgaan om te steun op hom wat hulle slaan nie; maar hulle sal steun op die HERE, die Heilige van Israel, in opregtheid.21 Die oorblyfsel sal terugkom, die oorblyfsel van Jakob na die sterke God toe.22 Want al was jou volk, o Israel, soos die sand van die see, net 'n oorblyfsel van hulle sal terugkom; die verdelging is vas besluit en vloei oor van geregtigheid.23 Want 'n verdelging wat vas besluit is, sal die Here HERE van die leërskare voltrek in die midde van die hele aarde.24 Daarom, so sê die Here HERE van die leërskare: o My volk wat in Sion woon, wees nie bevrees vir Assur wat jou met die staf slaan en sy stok teen jou ophef op die manier van Egipte nie.25 Want nog 'n baie kort rukkie, dan is die grimmigheid ten einde, en my toorn gaan uit om hulle te vernietig.26 En die HERE van die leërskare sal oor hom die g,sel swaai soos M¡dian verslaan is by die rots Oreb; en sy staf sal wees oor die see, en Hy sal dit ophef op die manier van Egipte.27 En in die dag sal sy las afgly van jou skouer en sy juk van jou nek, en die juk sal tot niet raak vanweë die vettigheid.28 Hy oorval Ajat; hy trek deur Migron; in Migmas laat hy sy pakgoed agterbly.29 Hulle trek oor die nek. Laat Geba ons nagverblyf wees! Rama bewe, G¡bea van Saul vlug.30 Skreeu dit uit, dogter van Gallim! Luister, Lais! Arme Anatot!31 Madm,na vlug, die inwoners van Gebim soek skuiling!32 Nog vandag staan hy in Nob, hy swaai sy hand teen die berg van die dogter van Sion, teen die heuwel van Jerusalem!33 Maar kyk, die Here HERE van die leërskare slaan met skrikwekkende geweld die takke af, en die hoog uitgegroeides word omgekap en die verhewenes neergegooi;34 en Hy sal die digte takke van die bos met die yster omkap, en die L¡banon sal val deur die Heerlike.