The Daily Audio Bible

10 Woe to them that make wicked laws, and they writing have written unrightfulness, (Woe to them who make wicked laws, and they writing have written injustice,)

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. (and so they oppress the poor in judgement, and do violence to the cause of the humble among my people; and widows shall become their prey, and they shall rob 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? (so that ye be not bowed down in slavery, and fall not down with the slain?) 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. (Woe to the Assyrian, he is the rod and the staff of my strong vengeance; yea, my anger is in his hands.)

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 that people into defouling, as the fen of streets. (I shall send him to a godless nation, and I shall command to him against the people for whom I have strong vengeance; yea, that he bring down that people into defiling, to be like the dirt, or the mire, in the 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. (But he shall not stop there, and his heart shall not be content with only them, but his heart, or his plans, shall be to altogether break, and to kill, many nations.)

⁸ For he shall say, Whether my princes be not kings (al)together? (For he shall say, Shall not all my princes, or all my leaders, be kings?)

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 idol(s), so and the simulacra of them of Jerusalem and of Samaria. (As my hands found the kingdoms that be full of idols, so now also the idols of those who be in Jerusalem and 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? (Whether not as I did to Samaria, and to their idols, so now I shall also do to Jerusalem, and their idols?)

¹² And it shall be, when the Lord hath [ful]filled all his works in the hill 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. (And it shall be, when the Lord hath fulfilled all his works on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I shall punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of the great doing of his heart, and for 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. (For he said, I have done by the strength of my own hand, and I have understood by my own wisdom; and I have done away the borders of the nations, and I have robbed their leaders, and I, a mighty man, have drawn down those who 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. (And my hand found the wealth of the peoples like a nest, and like eggs that be abandoned be gathered together, so I gathered together all the lands; and there was no one who moved a feather, or opened his mouth, or grumbled.)

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. (Shall an ax have more glory than him who cutteth with it? or shall a saw be exalted, or be lifted up, over him by whom it is drawn? like if a rod is raised up against him who raiseth it up, or a staff is exalted, which truly is just a piece of wood.)

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 (For this thing the Lordly Governor, the Lord of hosts, shall send thinness into his fat people; and under his strength he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a 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. (And the light of Israel shall be a fire, and its Holy One shall be a flame; and his thorns and briars 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. (And the glory of his forest, and of his plentiful land, shall be destroyed, from the soul unto the flesh; and he shall flee away out of fear.)

¹⁹ And the remnants of the tree(s) of his forest shall be numbered for (such) fewness, and a child shall write them (so that even a child could count 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. (And it shall be on that day, that the remnant of Israel, yea, they of the house of Jacob who fled, shall no longer trust him who striketh them; but they shall truly trust the Holy Lord of Israel.)

²¹ The remnants, I say, the remnants of Jacob, shall be converted to the strong Lord. (The remnants, I say, the remnants of Jacob, shall turn again to the strong Lord/shall return to the strong Lord.)

²² For why, Israel, if thy people is as the gravel of the sea, the remnants shall be turned (again) thereof; an ending made short shall make rightfulness to be plenteous. (Because, O Israel, though thy people be as innumerable as the sand of the sea, only a remnant shall turn again to him/shall return to him; and so a shortened ending shall make justice to be plentiful.)

²³ For why the Lord God of hosts shall make an ending and abridging, in the midst of all earth. (For the Lord God of hosts shall make an ending and a shortening, that is, destruction, over all the 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. (For this reason the Lord God of hosts saith these things, My people, the inhabitants of Zion, do not thou fear the Assyrians, though they shall strike thee with their rod, and they shall raise up their staff against thee, like the Egyptians did.)

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 (up) that rod in the way of Egypt. (And the Lord of hosts shall raise up a scourge upon them like his vengeance upon Midian at the stone of Oreb, and his rod shall be upon the River, like he raised up that rod against 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. (And it shall be on that day, his burden shall be taken away from thy shoulder, and his yoke from thy neck; and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.)

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

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

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

³¹ Madmenah passed; the dwellers of Gebim fled; be ye comforted. (The people of Madmenah flew; the inhabitants of Gebim fled away; be ye strong.)

³² Yet it is (the) day, that men stand in Nob; he shall drive his hand on the hill of the daughter of Zion, on the little hill of Jerusalem. (Yet this is the day, when people shall stand in Nob; and he shall drive his hand against the hill of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.)

³³ Lo! the Lordly Governor, the Lord of hosts, shall break a pottle in dread (shall break the boughs of the trees with frightful lightning), 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 (its) high things shall fall down.

11 And a rod shall go out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall ascend (out) of the root of it.

² And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of strength, the spirit of knowing and of piety;

³ and the spirit of the dread of the Lord shall fill him. He shall deem not by the sight of eyes, neither he shall reprove, either convict, by the hearing of ears; (and the spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him/and the spirit of reverence for the Lord shall fill him. He shall not judge by the sight of his eyes, nor shall he rebuke, or convict, by the hearing of his ears;)

⁴ but he shall deem in rightfulness poor men, and he shall reprove in equity, for the mild men of [the] earth. And he shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth, and with the spirit of his lips he shall slay the wicked man. (but he shall judge the poor with justice, and he shall rebuke the meek, or the humble, of the earth with equity, or with fairness. And he shall strike the land with the rod of his mouth, and he shall kill the wicked with the spirit of his lips.)

⁵ And rightfulness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith shall be the girding of his reins. (And justice shall be the belt about his loins, and faith shall be his girdle.)

⁶ A wolf shall dwell with a lamb, and a leopard shall rest with a kid; a calf, and a lion, and a sheep shall dwell together, and a little child shall drive them. (A wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall rest with a goat kid; a calf, and a lion, and a sheep shall all live together, and a little child shall drive, or shall direct, them.)

⁷ A calf and a bear shall be pastured together; the whelps of them shall rest (together), and a lion as an ox shall eat straw (and a lion shall eat straw like an ox).

⁸ And a young sucking child from the teat shall delight on the hole of a snake, and he that is weaned shall put his hand in the cave of the cockatrice.

⁹ They shall not annoy, and shall not slay, in all mine holy hill; for why the earth is filled with the knowing of the Lord, as [the] waters of the sea covering. (They shall not harm, and shall not kill, on all my holy hill; for the land shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, like the waters fill the sea.)

¹⁰ In that day the root of Jesse, that standeth into the sign of peoples; heathen men shall beseech him, and his sepulchre shall be glorious. (On that day there shall be a root of Jesse, that shall stand for a sign to the peoples; the heathen shall beseech him, and his tomb shall be glorious/and his resting place shall be glorious.)

¹¹ And it shall be in that day, the Lord shall add the second time his hand to have in possession the residue of his people that shall be left, of [the] Assyrian, and of Egypt, and of Pathros, and of Ethiopia, and of Elam, and of Shinar, and of Hamath, and of [the] isles of the sea. (And it shall be on that day, that the Lord shall put out his hand the second time, to take back into possession the rest of his people who be left, in Assyria, and in Egypt, and in Pathros, and in Ethiopia, and in Elam, and in Shinar, and in Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.)

¹² And he shall raise (up) a sign to (the) nations, and shall gather together the fleers-away of Israel; and he shall gather together the scattered men of Judah from [the] four coasts of [the] earth (yea, he shall gather together all those of Judah who be scattered unto the four corners of the earth).

¹³ And the envy of Ephraim shall be done away, and the enemies of Judah shall perish; Ephraim shall not have envy to Judah (Ephraim shall not envy Judah), and Judah shall not fight against Ephraim.

¹⁴ And they shall fly into the shoulders of (the) Philistines by the sea, they shall take prey together of the sons of the east; Idumea and Moab shall be (under) the commandment of the hand of them, and the sons of Ammon shall be obedient. (And they shall fly onto the shoulders of the Philistines on the west, and together they shall take prey from the sons of the east; Edom and Moab shall be under the command of their power, and the Ammonites shall obey them.)

¹⁵ And the Lord shall make desolate the tongue of the sea of Egypt, and he shall raise his hand on the flood in the strength of his spirit; and he shall smite, either part, it in(to) seven rivers, so that shod men (may) pass by it. (And the Lord shall make desolate the tongue of the sea of Egypt, and he shall raise his hand to bring a mighty wind upon the River; and he shall strike, or shall part, it into seven rivers, so that people wearing shoes can cross over it.)

¹⁶ And a way shall be to my residue people that shall be left, of the Assyrians, as it was to Israel, in the day in which it ascended from the land of Egypt. (And there shall be a way out of Assyria for the remnant of my people who shall be left there, as it was for Israel on the day in which they went up from the land of Egypt.)

¹¹ I am made witless [I am made unwitty], ye constrained me. For I ought to be commended of you; for I did nothing less than they that be apostles over measure. Though I am nought [Though I be nought],

¹² nevertheless the signs of mine apostlehood be made on you, in all patience, and signs, and great wonders, and works of power. [nevertheless the signs of my apostlehood be made on you, in all patience, and signs, or miracles, and great wonders, and virtues.]

¹³ And what is it, that ye had less than other churches [that ye had less before other churches], [no] but that I myself grieved you not? Forgive ye to me this wrong.

¹⁴ Lo! this third time I am ready to come to you, and I shall not be grievous to you; for I seek not those things that be yours, but you. For neither sons owe to [make] treasure to father and mother, but the father and mother to the sons.

¹⁵ For I shall give most willfully [For I most willfully shall give], and I myself shall be given over for your souls; though I more love you, and be less loved.

¹⁶ But be it; I grieved not you, but when I was subtle^[a], I took you with guile.

¹⁷ Whether I deceived you by any of them, which I sent to you [whom I sent to you]?

¹⁸ I prayed Titus, and I sent with him a brother. Whether Titus beguiled you? whether we went not in the same spirit? whether not in the same steps?

¹⁹ Sometime ye ween, that we shall excuse us with you. Before God in Christ we speak; and, most dear brethren [forsooth, most dear brethren], all things for your edifying.

²⁰ But I dread, lest when I come, I shall not find you such as I will, and I shall be found of you such as ye will not; lest peradventure strivings, envies, indignations [sturdinesses], dissensions and detractions, privy speeches of discord, swellings by pride, debates be among you;

²¹ and lest again when I come, God make me low with you, and I bewail many of them, that before sinned, and did not penance on the uncleanness, and fornication, and unchastity, that they have done.^[b]

56 To the overcoming on the dumb culver of far drawing away, the comely song of David, when the Philistines held him in Gath. God, have mercy on me, for a man hath defouled me; all day he impugned, and troubled me. (To the overcomer, for the silent dove, for it went far away, the comely song of David, when the Philistines held him in Gath. God, have mercy on me, for men have persecuted me; all day long they impugned, and troubled, me.)

² Mine enemies defouled me all day; for many fighters were against me. (My enemies persecuted me all day long; yea, many fight against me.)

³ Of the highness of day I shall dread; but God, I shall hope in thee. (From the height of the day, I have fear; but God, I put my trust in thee.)

⁴ In God I shall praise my words; I hoped in God, I shall not dread what thing flesh, or man, shall do to me. (Yea, I shall praise God with my words; for I trust in God, and I shall not fear what any person shall do to me.)

⁵ All day they cursed my words; against me all their thoughts were into evil. (All day long they cursed my words; all their thoughts were against me for evil.)

⁶ They shall dwell, and they shall hide; they shall ambush mine heel. As they abide my life (But though they lie in wait for my life),

⁷ for nought shalt thou make them safe; in ire thou shalt break (al)together peoples. (it is they who shall not escape; for in thy anger, God, thou shalt break them all in pieces.)

⁸ God, I showed my life to thee; thou hast set my tears in thy sight. As and in thy promise, Lord; (God, thou knowest my troubles; thou hast set my tears before thee. Be they not in thy Book, O Lord?)

⁹ then mine enemies shall be turned aback. In whatever day I shall inwardly call thee; lo! I have known, that thou art my God. (On whatever day I shall call to thee, then my enemies shall be turned back; for lo! I know this, that thou art with me, my God.)

¹⁰ In God I shall praise a word; in the Lord I shall praise a word. (I shall praise God with my words; yea, I shall praise the Lord with my words.)

¹¹ I shall hope in God; I shall not dread what thing man shall do to me. (I put my trust in God; and I shall not fear what anyone shall do to me.)

¹² God, thine avows be in me; which I shall yield praisings to thee. (God, thy vows be upon me/God, I shall pay my vows to thee; I shall give praises to thee.)

¹³ For thou hast delivered my life from death, and my feet from sliding; that I please before God in the light of them that live. (For thou hast rescued my life from death, and my feet from slipping, or stumbling; so that I can walk before God in the light that shineth on the living.)

⁶ Eat thou not with an envious man, and desire thou not his meats; (Do not thou eat with the envious, and do not thou desire his food;)

⁷ for at the likeness of a false diviner, and of a conjecturer, that is, (an) expounder of dreams, he guesseth that, that he knoweth not. He shall say to thee, Eat thou and drink; and his soul is not with thee (but his heart is not for thee/but his heart is not with thee).

⁸ Thou shalt spew out the meat, which thou hast eaten; and thou shalt lose thy fair words (and thy flattery shall have been wasted).