1Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,
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 on the day of reckoning,
when disaster comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?
Where will you leave your riches?
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.
God’s Judgment on Assyria
5“Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger,
in whose hand is the club of my wrath!
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.
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.
8‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says.
9‘Has not Kalno fared like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad,
and Samaria like Damascus?
10As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,
kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
11shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’ ”
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 this,
and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
I plundered their treasures;
like a mighty one I subdued10:13 Or treasures; / I subdued the mighty, their kings.
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.’ ”
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 Almighty,
will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors;
under his pomp a fire will be kindled
like a blazing flame.
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.
18The splendor of his forests and fertile fields
it will completely destroy,
as when a sick person wastes away.
19And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few
that a child could write them down.
The Remnant of Israel
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.
21A remnant will return,10:21 Hebrew shear-jashub (see 7:3 and note); also in verse 22 a remnant of Jacob
will return to the Mighty God.
22Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel,
only a remnant will return.
Destruction has been decreed,
overwhelming and righteous.
23The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
the destruction decreed upon the whole land.
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.
25Very soon my anger against you will end
and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.”
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.
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.10:27 Hebrew; Septuagint broken / from your shoulders
28They enter Aiath;
they pass through Migron;
they store supplies at Mikmash.
29They go over the pass, and say,
“We will camp overnight at Geba.”
Ramah trembles;
Gibeah of Saul flees.
30Cry out, Daughter Gallim!
Listen, Laishah!
Poor Anathoth!
31Madmenah is in flight;
the people of Gebim take cover.
32This day they will halt at Nob;
they will shake their fist
at the mount of Daughter Zion,
at the hill of Jerusalem.
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 forest thickets with an ax;
Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.
1-2制定不义律例、起草不公法令的人啊，
你们有祸了！
你们冤枉穷人，
夺去我子民中困苦者的权利，
掳掠寡妇，抢劫孤儿。
3在惩罚的日子，
当灾祸从远方临到你们头上时，
你们怎么办？
你们能跑到谁那里去求救呢？
你们能把财物藏在哪里呢？
4你们将不是卷缩在被掳的人中，
就是倒在被杀的人中。
虽然如此，耶和华的怒气还没有止息，
祂降罚的手仍没有收回。
主要审判亚述
5耶和华说：“亚述有祸了！
他是我的愤怒之棍，
他手中拿着我发烈怒的杖。
6我派他去攻打一个不虔敬的国家，
我命他去攻击一个惹我发怒的民族，
去抢夺、掳掠他们的财物，
像践踏街上的泥土一样践踏他们。
7可是他却不这样想，
心里也不这样盘算，
他只想毁灭和铲除许多国家。
8他说，‘我的臣仆岂不都是王吗！
9迦勒挪岂不是和迦基米施一样吗？
哈马岂不是和亚珥拔一样吗？
撒玛利亚岂不是和大马士革一样吗？
10这些偶像之国都在我的手中，
他们雕刻的偶像胜过耶路撒冷和撒玛利亚的偶像。
11我岂不像毁灭撒玛利亚和它的偶像那样，
毁灭耶路撒冷和它的偶像吗？’”
12主完成在锡安山和耶路撒冷要做的事后，必惩罚心里狂妄、眼目高傲的亚述王。
13因为亚述王说：
“我靠自己的力量和智慧成就了此事，
因为我很聪明。
我废除列国的疆界，
掳掠他们的财物，
像勇士一样征服他们的君王。
14我夺取列国的财物，
好像探囊取物；
我征服天下，
不过是手到擒来；
无人反抗，无人吭声。”
15然而，斧头怎能向挥斧的人自夸呢？
锯子怎能向用锯的人炫耀呢？
难道棍子可以挥动举它的人吗？
难道手杖可以举起它的主人吗？
16因此，主——万军之耶和华必使亚述王强健的士兵疾病缠身，
使火焰吞噬他的荣耀。
17以色列的光必成为火焰，
他们的圣者必成为烈火，
一日之间烧光亚述王的荆棘和蒺藜。
18他茂盛的树林和肥美的田园必被彻底摧毁，
犹如病人渐渐消亡。
19林中剩下的树木稀少，
连小孩子也能数清。
以色列的余民
20到那日，以色列的余民，雅各家的幸存者，将不再倚靠击打他们的亚述，他们将真心倚靠以色列的圣者耶和华，
21一些余民必归回， 雅各的余民必归向大能的上帝。 22以色列啊，你的人民虽多如海沙，将只有剩余的人归回。充满公义的毁灭之事已定。 23因为主——万军之耶和华必按所定的在整个大地上施行毁灭。
24因此，主——万军之耶和华说：“我锡安的子民啊，虽然亚述人像埃及人一样挥舞着棍棒毒打你们，你们不要惧怕。 25因为很快我就不再向你们发怒，我要向他们发怒，毁灭他们。” 26万军之耶和华要鞭打他们，就像在俄立磐石击杀米甸人。祂的杖必像在埃及一样向海伸出，惩罚他们。 27到那日，祂必除去亚述人加在你们肩头的重担和颈上的轭；那轭必因你们肥壮而折断。
28亚述大军攻占了亚叶，
穿过米矶仑，
把辎重存放在密抹。
29他们过了关口，
在迦巴宿营。
拉玛人战战兢兢，
扫罗的基比亚乡亲仓皇逃跑。
30迦琳人啊，高声喊叫吧！
莱煞人啊，可怜的亚拿突人啊，
留心听吧！
31玛得米纳人逃跑，
基柄的居民躲藏。
32那时，亚述王必屯兵挪伯，
向着少女锡安的山岭，
向着耶路撒冷的山丘摩拳擦掌。
33看啊，主——万军之耶和华要以大能削去树枝。
高大的树必被斩断，
挺拔的大树必被砍倒。
34祂必用斧子砍倒茂密的树林，
黎巴嫩的树木也要倒在大能的上帝面前。
