1 Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and who have written and continue to write toil;2 to thrust aside the needy from judgment, and to rob the right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may plunder the orphans!3 And what will you do in the day of judgment, and in destruction when it comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory?4 Without Me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. In all this His hand is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger! And the staff in their hand is My indignation.6 I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath. I will command him to draw out the plunder, and to seize the spoils, and to trample them like the mud of the streets.7 Yet he does not plan this, nor does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off not a few nations.8 For he says, Are not my commanders all like kings?9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria;11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols as I have done to Samaria and her idols?12 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, I will punish the fruit of the proud heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his haughty looks.13 For he says, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am discerning. And I have removed the borders of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.14 And my hand has found, as a nest, the riches of the people; and as one gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered all the earth; and there was no one who moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.15 Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Shall the saw magnify itself against him who moves it? As if the rod could swing itself at those who lift it up! As if a staff could rise up, as though it were not wood!16 Therefore the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, shall send leanness among his fat ones; and under his glory He shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.17 And the light of Israel shall be as a fire, and His Holy One as a flame; and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.18 And it shall burn up the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a sick one faints.19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be so few, that a child might write them.20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and those who have escaped from the house of Jacob, shall never again lean on him who struck them; but will truly lean on Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel.21 The remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Strong and Mighty God.22 For though Your people Israel are like the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return; the completion which is decreed shall overflow with righteousness.23 For the Lord Jehovah of Hosts shall make a full end, as ordained, in the midst of all the land.24 Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovah of Hosts, O my people who dwell in Zion, do not fear Assyria. He shall strike you with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against you, in the way of Egypt.25 But yet a little while, and the indignation shall cease, and My anger shall be for their destruction.26 And Jehovah of Hosts shall stir up a scourge upon him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and as His staff was on the sea, so shall He lift it up in the way of Egypt.27 And it shall come to pass in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil.28 He has come to Aiath, he has passed to Migron; at Michmash he has stored his equipment;29 they have gone over the pass; they have taken lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid, Gibeah of Saul has fled.30 Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish; O poor Anathoth.31 Madmenah has fled; the inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge.32 Yet he shall remain at Nob that day; he shall shake his fist against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.33 Behold, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, shall lop off the bough with terror; and those exalted high shall be chopped down, and the haughty shall be humbled.34 And He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by the Mighty One.

1 Wo to them that maken wickid lawis, and thei writynge han wryte vnriytfulnesse, for to oppresse pore men in doom,2 and to do violence to the cause of meke men of my puple; that widewis schulen be the prey of them, and that thei schulden rauysche fadirles children.3 What schulen ye do in the dai of visitacioun, and of wretchidnesse comynge fro fer? To whos help schulen ye fle? and where schulen ye leeue youre glorie,4 that ye be not bowid doun vndur boond, and falle not doun with slayn men? On alle these thingis his strong veniaunce is not turned awei, but yit his hond is stretchid forth.5 Wo to Assur, he is the yerde and staf of my strong veniaunce; myn indignacioun is in the hond of them.6 Y schal send hym to a fals folk, and Y schal comaunde to hym ayens the puple of my strong veniaunce; that he take awei the spuylis, and departe prey, and that he sette that puple in to defouling, as the fen of stretis.7 Forsothe he schal not deme so, and his herte schal not gesse so, but his herte schal be for to al to-breke, and to the sleynge of many folkis.8 For he schal seie, Whether my princes ben not kyngis to gidere?9 Whether not as Carcamys, so Calanno; and as Arphat, so Emath? whether not as Damask, so Samarie?10 As myn hond foond the rewmes of idol, so and the symylacris of hem of Jerusalem and of Samarie.11 Whether not as Y dide to Samarie, and to the idols therof, so Y schal do to Jerusalem, and to the simylacris therof?12 And it schal be, whanne the Lord hath fillid alle hise werkis in the hil of Syon and in Jerusalem, Y schal visite on the fruit of the greet doynge herte of the kyng of Assur, and on the glorie of the hiynesse of hise iyen.13 For he seide, Y haue do in the strengthe of myn honde, and Y haue understonde in my wisdom; and Y haue take awei the endis of peplis, and Y haue robbid the princes of them, and Y as a myyti man haue drawun doun them that saten an hiy.14 And myn hond foond the strengthe of puplis as a nest, and as eirun ben gaderid togidere that ben forsakun, so Y gaderid togidere al erthe; and noon was that mouyde a fethere, and openyde the mouth, and grutchide.15 Whether an ax schal haue glorie ayens hym that kittith with it? ether a sawe schal be enhaunsid ayens hym of whom it is drawun? as if a yerde is reisid ayens hym that reisith it, and a staf is enhaunsid, which sotheli is a tre.16 For this thing the lordli gouernour, Lord of oostis, schal sende thinnesse in the fatte men of hym, and his glorie kyndlid vndur schal brenne as `the brenning of fier.17 And the liyt of Israel schal be in fier, and the hooli of it in flawme; and the thorn of him and brere schal be kyndlid and deuourid in o dai.18 And the glorie of his forest and of his Carmele schal be wastid, fro the soule `til to fleisch; and he schal be fleynge awei for drede.19 And the relifs of the tree of his forest schulen be noumbrid for fewnesse, and a child schal write hem.20 And it schal be in that dai, the remenaunt of Israel, and thei that fledden of the house of Jacob, schal not adde for to triste on hym that smytith hem; but it schal triste on the hooli Lord of Israel, in treuthe.21 The relifs, Y seie, the relifs of Jacob, schulen be conuertid to the stronge Lord.22 Forwhi, Israel, if thi puple is as the grauel of the see, the relifs schulen be turned therof; an endyng maad schort schal make riytfulnesse to be plenteuouse.23 For whi the Lord God of oostis schal make an endyng and a breggyng in the myddis of al erthe.24 For this thing the Lord God of oostis seith these thingis, My puple, the dwellere of Sion, nyle thou drede of Assur, for he schal smite thee in a yerde, and he schal reise his staf on thee in the weie of Egipt.25 Forwhi yit a litil, and a litil, and myn indignacioun and my strong veniaunce schal be endid on the greet trespas of hem.26 And the Lord of oostis schal reise a scourge on hym bi the veniaunce of Madian in the stoon of Oreb, and bi his yerde on the see; and he schal reise that yerde in the wei of Egipt.27 And it schal be in that dai, his birthun schal be takun awei fro thi schuldre, and his yok fro thi necke; and the yok schal wexe rotun fro the face of oile.28 He schal come in to Aioth, he schal passe in to Magron, at Magynas he schal bitake his vessels to kepyng.29 Thei passiden swiftli, Gabaa is oure seete, Rama was astonyed, Gabaa of Saul fled.30 Thou douytir of Gallym, weile with thi vois; thou Laisa, perseyue, thou pore Anatot.31 Medemena passide; the dwelleris of Gabyn fledden; be ye coumfortid.32 Yit it is dai, that me stonde in Nobe; he schal dryue his hond on the hil of the douyter of Syon, on the litil hil of Jerusalem.33 Lo! the lordli gouernour, the Lord of oostis, schal breke a potel in drede, and hiy men of stature schulen be kit doun.34 And proude men schulen be maade low, and the thicke thingis of the forest schulen be distried bi irun; and the Liban with hiy thingis schal falle doun.