Isaiah 37:24–27

By your servants you have mocked the Lord,

and you have said, With my many chariots

I have gone up the heights of the mountains,

to the far recesses of Lebanon,

to cut down its tallest cedars,

its choicest cypresses,

to come to its remotest height,

its most fruitful forest.

I dug wells

and drank waters,

to dry up with the sole of my foot

all the streams of Egypt.

“ ‘Have you not heard

that I determined it long ago?

I planned from days of old

what now I bring to pass,

that you should make fortified cities

crash into heaps of ruins,

while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,

are dismayed and confounded,

and have become like plants of the field

and like tender grass,

like grass on the housetops,

blighted before it is grown.

By your messengers

you have ridiculed the Lord.

And you have said,

‘With my many chariots

I have ascended the heights of the mountains,

the utmost heights of Lebanon.

I have cut down its tallest cedars,

the choicest of its junipers.

I have reached its remotest heights,

the finest of its forests.

I have dug wells in foreign lands

and drunk the water there.

With the soles of my feet

I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.’

“Have you not heard?

Long ago I ordained it.

In days of old I planned it;

now I have brought it to pass,

that you have turned fortified cities

into piles of stone.

Their people, drained of power,

are dismayed and put to shame.

They are like plants in the field,

like tender green shoots,

like grass sprouting on the roof,

scorched before it grows up.

You have mocked the Lord through your servants.

You have said, “With my many chariots

I have gone up to the heights of the mountains,

to the far recesses of Lebanon.

I cut down its tallest cedars,

its choice cypress trees.

I came to its distant heights,

its densest forest.

I dug wells and drank water in foreign lands.

I dried up all the streams of Egypt

with the soles of my feet.”

Have you not heard?

I designed it long ago;

I planned it in days gone by.

I have now brought it to pass,

and you have crushed fortified cities

into piles of rubble.

Their inhabitants have become powerless,

dismayed, and ashamed.

They are plants of the field,

tender grass,

grass on the rooftops,

blasted by the east wind.

By your messengers you have defied the Lord.

You have said, ‘With my many chariots

I have conquered the highest mountains—

yes, the remotest peaks of Lebanon.

I have cut down its tallest cedars

and its finest cypress trees.

I have reached its farthest heights

and explored its deepest forests.

I have dug wells in many foreign lands

and refreshed myself with their water.

With the sole of my foot,

I stopped up all the rivers of Egypt!’

“But have you not heard?

I decided this long ago.

Long ago I planned it,

and now I am making it happen.

I planned for you to crush fortified cities

into heaps of rubble.

That is why their people have so little power

and are so frightened and confused.

They are as weak as grass,

as easily trampled as tender green shoots.

They are like grass sprouting on a housetop,

scorched before it can grow lush and tall.

By the hand of your servants you have taunted the Lord,

and you have said, “With my many chariots,

I myself have gone up the height of the mountains,

to the remote areas of Lebanon.

And I cut off its tall cedars,

the choicest of its junipers.

And I came to the height of its limit,

the forest of its orchard.

I myself dug and drank waters,

and I caused all the streams of Egypt to dry up by the sole of my feet.”

Have you not heard from a long time ago? I have made it

from days of primeval time, and I formed it.

Now I have brought it about,

and it is for fortified cities to collapse into heaps of destroyed stones.

And their inhabitants are weak;

they are dismayed, and they are ashamed;

they have become like plants of the field,

and like greens of grass,

like grass on the roofs

and a cultivated field before the standing grain.

By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said,

By the multitude of my chariots am I come up

To the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon;

And I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof:

And I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.

I have digged, and drunk water;

And with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.

Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it;

And of ancient times, that I have formed it?

Now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste

Defenced cities into ruinous heaps.

Therefore their inhabitants were of small power,

They were dismayed and confounded:

They were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb,

As the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.