| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1“Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed | 1Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, |
| 2To rob the needy of justice, And to take what is right from the poor of My people, That widows may be their prey, And that they may rob the fatherless. | 2to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. |
| 3What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory? | 3What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? |
| 4Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, And they shall fall among the slain.” For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. | 4Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. |
| 5“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. | 5"Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! |
| 6I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. | 6I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets. |
| 7Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations. | 7But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations. |
| 8For he says, ‘Are not my princes altogether kings? | 8Are not my commanders all kings?' he says. |
| 9Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? | 9Has not Kalno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus? |
| 10As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, | 10As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria-- |
| 11As I have done to Samaria and her idols, Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?’ ” | 11shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?'" |
| 12Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.” | 12When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, "I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. |
| 13For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. | 13For he says: "'By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. |
| 14My hand has found like 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 his wing, Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.” | 14As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as people gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.'" |
| 15Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood! | 15Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood! |
| 16Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Will send leanness among his fat ones; And under his glory He will kindle a burning Like the burning of a fire. | 16Therefore, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame. |
| 17So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, And his Holy One for a flame; It will burn and devour His thorns and his briers in one day. | 17The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. |
| 18And it will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, Both soul and body; And they will be as when a sick man wastes away. | 18The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick person wastes away. |
| 19Then the rest of the trees of his forest Will be so few in number That a child may write them. | 19And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. |
| 20And it shall come to pass in that day That the remnant of Israel, And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, Will never again depend on him who defeated them, But will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. | 20In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. |
| 21The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, To the Mighty God. | 21A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. |
| 22For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, A remnant of them will return; The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. | 22Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous. |
| 23For the Lord GOD of hosts Will make a determined end In the midst of all the land. | 23The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land. |
| 24Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: “O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. | 24Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD Almighty, says: "My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did. |
| 25For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction.” | 25Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction." |
| 26And the LORD of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt. | 26The LORD Almighty will lash them with a whip, as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the waters, as he did in Egypt. |
| 27It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. | 27In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat. |
| 28He has come to Aiath, He has passed Migron; At Michmash he has attended to his equipment. | 28They enter Aiath; they pass through Migron; they store supplies at Mikmash. |
| 29They have gone along the ridge, They have taken up lodging at Geba. Ramah is afraid, Gibeah of Saul has fled. | 29They go over the pass, and say, "We will camp overnight at Geba." Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees. |
| 30Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gallim! Cause it to be heard as far as Laish— O poor Anathoth! | 30Cry out, Daughter Gallim! Listen, Laishah! Poor Anathoth! |
| 31Madmenah has fled, The inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge. | 31Madmenah is in flight; the people of Gebim take cover. |
| 32As yet he will remain at Nob that day; He will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, The hill of Jerusalem. | 32This day they will halt at Nob; they will shake their fist at the mount of Daughter Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem. |
| 33Behold, the Lord, The LORD of hosts, Will lop off the bough with terror; Those of high stature will be hewn down, And the haughty will be humbled. | 33See, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. |
| 34He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One. | 34He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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