Isaiah 10:1–4

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,

and the writers who keep writing oppression,

to turn aside the needy from justice

and to rob the poor of my people of their right,

that widows may be their spoil,

and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

What will you do on the day of punishment,

in the ruin that will come from afar?

To whom will you flee for help,

and where will you leave your wealth?

Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners

or fall among the slain.

For all this his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is stretched out still.

Woe to those who make unjust laws,

to those who issue oppressive decrees,

to deprive the poor of their rights

and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,

making widows their prey

and robbing the fatherless.

What 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?

Nothing 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.

Woe to those enacting crooked statutes

and writing oppressive laws

to keep the poor from getting a fair trial

and to deprive the needy among my people of justice,

so that widows can be their spoil

and they can plunder the fatherless.

What will you do on the day of punishment

when devastation comes from far away?

Who will you run to for help?

Where will you leave your wealth?

There will be nothing to do

except crouch among the prisoners

or fall among the slain.

In all this, his anger has not turned away,

and his hand is still raised to strike.

What sorrow awaits the unjust judges

and those who issue unfair laws.

They deprive the poor of justice

and deny the rights of the needy among my people.

They prey on widows

and take advantage of orphans.

What will you do when I punish you,

when I send disaster upon you from a distant land?

To whom will you turn for help?

Where will your treasures be safe?

You will stumble along as prisoners

or lie among the dead.

But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied.

His fist is still poised to strike.

Ah! Those who decree decrees of evil,

and writers who have written harm,

to guide the needy away from legal claims,

and to rob the justice from the poor of my people,

to make widows their spoil;

and they plunder orphans.

And what will you do at the day of punishment,

and at calamity? It comes from afar!

To whom will you flee for help,

and where will you leave your wealth,

save that they bow down under the prisoners

and fall under the slain?

In all of this his anger has not turned away,

and still his hand is stretched out.

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees,

And that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

To turn aside the needy from judgment,

And to take away the right from the poor of my people,

That widows may be their prey,

And that they may rob the fatherless!

And what will ye do in the day of visitation,

And in the desolation which shall come from far?

To whom will ye flee for help?

And where will ye leave your glory?

Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners,

And they shall fall under the slain.

For all this his anger is not turned away,

But his hand is stretched out still.