Isaiah 10 - Expanded Bible (EXB)

10 ·How terrible it will be for [^LWoe to] those who make ·unfair [evil; unjust] ·laws [decrees],
and those who ·write [or issue] ·laws that make life hard for people [oppressive regulations/edicts].
² They ·are not fair [withold justice] to the poor [Ex. 23:6, 11; Deut. 15:4–11],
and they ·rob [deprive] my people of their rights.
They ·allow people to steal from widows [^Lmake widows their plunder/prey; Ex. 22:22]
and ·to take from orphans what really belongs to them [^Lplunder/loot the fatherless; Deut. 10:18].
³ ·How will you explain the things you have done [^LWhat will you do on the day of accounting/visitation]?
What will you do when your destruction comes from far away?
·Where [or To whom] will you run for help?
Where will you ·hide your riches [or leave your wealth/glory] then?
⁴ You will have to ·bow down [kneel; cower] among the captives
or fall down among the ·dead bodies [^Lslain ones].
But the Lord is still angry;
his hand is still ·raised to strike down the people [outstretched].

God Will Punish Assyria

⁵ God says, “·How terrible it will be for the king of Assyria [^LWoe to Assyria].
·I use him like a rod to show my anger […the rod of my anger];
in ·anger [my wrath/fury] I use Assyria like a club.
⁶ I send ·it [or him; ^Cthe king of Assyria] to fight against a godless nation [^CJudah; see v. 10].
I ·command [order; dispatch] ·Assyria [^Lit; or him] to fight against the people ·with whom I am angry [^Lof my wrath].
to ·take their wealth from them [^Lplunder the plunder and loot the loot],
to trample them down like dirt in the streets.
⁷ But Assyria’s king doesn’t ·understand that I am using him [intend to do this];
·he [^Lhis heart] doesn’t ·know he is a tool for me [think/reason this way].
He only wants to destroy other people
and to ·defeat [^Lcut off] many nations.
⁸ The king of Assyria says to himself,
‘All of my ·commanders [princes] are like kings
⁹ The city Calno is like the city Carchemish.
The city Hamath is like the city Arpad.
The city Samaria is like the city Damascus [^Call city-states conquered by Assyria].
¹⁰ ·I defeated [^LMy hand has found/seized] those kingdoms that worship idols,
and those ·idols [carved images] were ·more [greater] than the idols of Jerusalem and Samaria.
¹¹ As I ·defeated [^Lhave done to] Samaria and her idols,
·I will also defeat [^Lshall I also do to…?] Jerusalem and her idols.’”

¹² When the Lord finishes doing what he planned to Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will punish the king of Assyria for ·his proud heart and evil deeds [^Lthe fruit of his great/exalted heart and glory of his haughty/high eyes]. ¹³ The king of Assyria says this:

“By ·my own power [^Lthe strength of my hand] I have done these things;
by my wisdom ·and careful planning [^Lbecause I have understanding] I have ·defeated many [^Lremoved the boundaries/borders of] nations.
I have ·taken their wealth [plundered their treasures],
and, like a ·mighty one [or bull], I have ·taken their people [or defeated their kings; ^Lremoved the sitting ones; ^Creferring to those inhabiting the land or to kings on thrones].
¹⁴ ·I have taken [^LMy hand has found] the riches of all these people,
like a person reaching into a bird’s nest.
I have ·taken [gathered] these nations,
like a person ·taking [^Lgathering abandoned] eggs.
Not one ·raised a hand [^Lflapped a wing]
or opened its mouth to ·stop me [^Lchirp].”

¹⁵ ·An ax is not better than [^LDoes an ax exalt itself above…?] the person who swings it.
·A saw is not better than […or a saw over…?] the one who uses it.
A ·stick [rod; or scepter] cannot control the person who picks it up.
A club cannot pick up ·the person [^Lone who is not wood; or as if it were not made of wood]!
¹⁶ So the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts]
will send ·a terrible disease [^Lleanness; emaciation] upon Assyria’s ·soldiers [strong/stout/fat ones].
·The strength of Assyria will be burned up [^LUnder his glory a fire will be lit]
like a fire burning.
¹⁷ The Light of Israel [^CGod], will be like a fire;
the Holy One [1:4] will be like a flame.
He will be like a fire
that ·suddenly [^Lin one day] burns and ·consumes [devours] the weeds and thorns.
¹⁸ The fire burns away the ·great [glorious] trees and rich farmlands,
destroying everything.
It will be like a sick person who wastes away.
¹⁹ The trees left standing will be so few
that even a child could count them.

²⁰ At that time the ·people left in [remnant of] Israel
and the survivors of the ·family [^Lhouse] of Jacob.
will not continue to depend
on the person who ·defeated [struck] them [9:13].
They will learn truly to depend on the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel [1:4].
²¹ ·Those who are left alive in Jacob’s family [^LA remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob; 7:3]
will ·again follow [return to] the powerful God.
²² Israel, though your people are many,
like the grains of sand by the sea [48:19; Gen. 15:5; 22:17; Hos. 1:10].
only a ·few [^Lremnant] of them will ·be left alive to return to the Lord [^Lreturn; 7:3].
·God has announced that he will destroy the land [Destruction has been decreed]
·completely and fairly [^Loverflowing/overwhelming with righteousness/justice].
²³ The Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts] will ·certainly [or fully] destroy this land,
as he has ·announced [decreed].

²⁴ This is what the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts] says:

“My people living in ·Jerusalem [^LZion; 1:27],
don’t be afraid of the Assyrians,
who beat you with a ·rod [staff; scepter]
and raise a ·stick [staff; rod; club] against you, as Egypt did.
²⁵ After a short time my anger against you will stop,
and then I will turn my anger to destroying them.”

²⁶ Then the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts] will beat the Assyrians with a whip
as he defeated Midian at the rock of Oreb [Judg. 7:25].
He will raise his ·stick [staff; rod] over the waters
as he did in Egypt [Ex. 14:15–16].
²⁷ ·Then [^LIn that day] ·the troubles that Assyria puts on you [^Ltheir burden on your shoulders]
will be removed,
and the ·load they make you carry [^Lyoke from your neck]
will be ·taken away^[a] [^Ldestroyed because of the fat/oil; ^Cbecause of Israel’s new strength, or because of the Lord’s blessings, or because of an Anointed One].

Assyria Invades Israel

²⁸ ·The army of Assyria [^LThey] will enter near Aiath.
Its soldiers will walk through Migron.
They will store their ·food [supplies; equipment] in Micmash.
²⁹ The army will go over the pass.
The soldiers will ·sleep [camp; lodge] at Geba.
·The people of Ramah will be afraid [^LRamah trembles],
·and the people at Gibeah of Saul will run away [^LGibeah of Saul flees; 1 Sam. 11:4].
³⁰ Cry out, ·Bath [or Daughter of] Gallim!
Laishah, listen!
·Poor [or Answer her] Anathoth!
³¹ ·The people of Madmenah are running away [^LMadmenah flees];
the people of Gebim ·are hiding [seek cover].
³² This day the army will stop at Nob [1 Sam 21–22].
They will shake their fist at ·Mount Zion [^Lthe mount of Daughter Zion],
at the hill of Jerusalem.

³³ Watch! The Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts]
with his ·great [terrifying] power will chop them down like a great tree.
Those who are ·great [lofty] will be cut down;
those who are ·important [or tallest] will ·fall to the ground [be brought low].
³⁴ He will cut them down
as a forest is cut down with an ax.
And ·the great trees of Lebanon [^LLebanon]
will fall ·by the power of [or before] the Mighty One.

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 10:27 taken away Hebrew copies read “taken away.” Some Greek copies read, “broken from your shoulders.”