Isaiah 10:5-34

Woe to arrogant Assyria, the rod of my anger! The club I place in the king’s hand is my fury. I am the one who has sent him against a godless nation and ordered him to attack a people who anger me. I sent him to take the spoil and seize the plunder and to trample them down like dust in the street. But he has no clue what he’s doing, and he has something else in mind. He plans on annihilating many nations and thinks, “After all, I have made my executive commanders into kings. Calneh will be no different than Carchemish, whom I destroyed. I’ll destroy Hamath as I did Arpad and make Samaria like Damascus. Since I was able to seize kingdoms full of idols and images more powerful and more impressive than those of Jerusalem and Samaria, won’t I do the same thing to Jerusalem and Samaria and their idols?” But when the Lord has carried out his purpose on Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will punish the king of Assyria because of his overbearing arrogance and unrestrained pride! He boasted, “Look what I have done by the strength of my hand and by my wisdom. See how clever I am! I have erased the borders of nations and plundered their treasures. I have been like a mighty conqueror, subduing those in strong fortresses. I seized their wealth as one who found an unprotected nest. As one who gathers eggs that have been left behind, so I gathered the wealth of the world. And the young birds could neither move a wing nor even open their mouths to peep!” Is the axe greater than the one who wields it? Is the saw greater than the one who cuts with it? Can the axe strike without a hand to move it? Can a lifeless wooden cane walk all by itself? Therefore, the sovereign Lord YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, will send a devastating plague among Assyria’s proud warriors. Yes, the “glory” of Assyria will be burned and go up in smoke! For the Light of Israel will become a fire in their midst, and the Holy One will become a flame! He will consume the thorns and thistles of the Assyrian king in one day! The splendor of his forest and orchard will be completely destroyed, like a dying man fading away. The forest will have so few trees left that even a little boy could count them. In that day, neither the remnant of Israel nor the survivors of the house of Jacob will lean anymore upon the one who abused them, but they will lean fully on the faithfulness of the Lord YAHWEH, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob’s tribes to the mighty God. Though your people Israel were as many as the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, and it will be overflowing with righteousness. For the Lord YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, will complete the destruction he has decreed upon the whole land. So hear what the Lord YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, has to say: “My Zion-people, do not be gripped with fear over the Assyrians who oppress and abuse you, as the Egyptians did long ago. After only a brief moment, I will end my indignation against you, and it will fall upon them to their destruction!” The Lord YAHWEH, who commands angel armies, will wield his whip against them, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And once again he will raise his rod over the waters, as he did in Egypt. In that day the Lord will remove the heavy burden from your shoulders and break off the yoke of bondage from your necks because of the heavy anointing upon you! The Assyrian army attacked Aiath; they passed over into Migron and stored their equipment at Michmash. They went through the pass and spent the night at Geba. Ramah was alarmed and trembled. Those in Gibeah, the city of Saul, ran for their lives. Cry aloud, O daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! Poor Anathoth! Madmenah is retreating; the residents of Gebim are hiding. This very day, standing at Nob, he will shake his fist at the mountain of the daughter of the house of Zion— at the hill of Jerusalem. Behold, the Sovereign Lord of Angel Armies is about to cut off the branches with terrifying power. He will cut down the exalted heights of the high, and all the lofty will be brought low. He will slash the thickets of the forest as with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.