1 Woe to them that make wicked laws, and they writing have written unrightfulness [or unrightwiseness],

2 for to oppress poor men in doom, and to do violence to the cause of meek men of my people; that widows shall be the prey of them, and that they should ravish fatherless children.

3 What shall ye do in the day of visitation, and of wretchedness coming from [a] far? To whose help shall ye flee? and where shall ye leave your glory,

4 that ye be not bowed down under bond, and fall not down with slain men? On all these things his strong vengeance is not turned away, but yet his hand is stretched forth.

5 Woe to Assur, he is the rod and staff of my strong vengeance; mine indignation is in the hand of them.

6 I shall send him to a false folk, and I shall command to him against the people of my strong vengeance; that he take away the spoils, and part prey, and that he set [or put] that people into defouling, as the fen of streets.

7 Forsooth he shall not deem so, and his heart shall not guess so, but his heart shall be for to all-break, and to the slaying of many folks.

8 For he shall say, Whether my princes be not kings altogether?

9 Whether not as Carchemish, so Calno; and as Arpad, so Hamath? whether not as Damascus, so Samaria?

10 As mine hand found the realms of idols, so and the simulacra of them of Jerusalem and of Samaria.

11 Whether not as I did to Samaria, and to the idols thereof, so I shall do to Jerusalem, and to the simulacra thereof?

12 And it shall be, when the Lord hath [ful] filled all his works in the hill [or the mount] of Zion and in Jerusalem, I shall visit on the fruit of the great doing heart of the king of Assur, and on the glory of the highness of his eyes.

13 For he said, I have done in the strength of mine hand, and I have understood in my wisdom; and I have taken away the ends of [the] peoples, and I have robbed the princes of them, and I as a mighty man have drawn down them that sat on high.

14 And mine hand found the strength of peoples as a nest, and as eggs be gathered together that be forsaken, so I gathered together all [the] earth; and none there was that moved a feather, and opened the mouth, and grutched.

15 Whether an ax shall have glory against him that cutteth with it? either a saw shall be enhanced against him of whom it is drawn? as if a rod is raised against him that raiseth it, and a staff is enhanced, which soothly is a tree.

16 For this thing the lordly governor, Lord of hosts, shall send thinness into the fat men of him; and his glory kindled under shall burn as the burning of fire.

17 And the light of Israel shall be in fire, and the Holy of it in flame; and the thorn of him and briar shall be kindled and devoured in one day.

18 And the glory of his forest, and of his Carmel, shall be wasted, from the soul unto [the] flesh; and he shall be fleeing away for dread.

19 And the remnants of the trees of his forest shall be numbered for fewness, and a child shall write them.

20 And it shall be in that day, the remnant of Israel, and they that fled of the house of Jacob, shall not add for to trust on him that smiteth them; but it shall trust on the holy Lord of Israel, in truth.

21 The remnants, I say, the remnants of Jacob, shall be converted to the strong Lord.

22 For why, Israel, if thy people is as the gravel of the sea, the remnants shall be turned thereof; an ending made short shall make rightfulness [or rightwiseness] to be plenteous.

23 For why the Lord God of hosts shall make an ending and abridging, in the midst of all earth.

24 For this thing the Lord God of hosts saith these things, My people, the dweller of Zion, do not thou dread of Assur, for he shall smite thee in a rod, and he shall raise [up] his staff on thee in the way of Egypt.

25 For why yet a little, and a little, and mine indignation and my strong vengeance shall be ended on the great trespass of them.

26 And the Lord of hosts shall raise [up] a scourge on him by the vengeance of Midian in the stone of Oreb, and by his rod on the sea; and he shall raise that rod in the way of Egypt.

27 And it shall be in that day, his burden shall be taken away from thy shoulder, and his yoke from thy neck; and the yoke shall wax [all] rotten from the face of oil.

28 He shall come into Aiath, he shall pass into Migron, at Michmash he shall betake his vessels to keeping.

29 They passed swiftly, Geba is our seat, Ramah was astonied, Gibeah of Saul fled.

30 Thou daughter of Gallim, wail with thy voice; thou Laish, perceive, thou poor Anathoth.

31 Madmenah passed; the dwellers of Gebim fled; be ye comforted.

32 Yet it is the day, that men stand in Nob; he shall drive his hand on the hill [or the mount] of the daughter of Zion, on the little hill of Jerusalem.

33 Lo! the Lordly Governor, the Lord of hosts, shall break a pottle in dread, and high men of stature shall be cut down. And proud men shall be made low,

34 and the thick things of the forest shall be destroyed by iron; and the Lebanon with high things shall fall down.