Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, ¹  a cudgel with which I angrily punish. ² 

Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made; ¹  a sword not made by humankind will destroy them. ²  They will run away from this sword ³  and their young men will be forced to do hard labor.

We have submitted ¹  to Egypt and Assyria in order to buy food to eat. ² 

They will return to Egypt! ¹  Assyria will rule over them ²  because they refuse to repent! ³ 

It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands.

Then the Lord provoked ¹  their adversaries to attack them, ²  he stirred up ³  their enemies –

Your plunder ¹  disappears as if locusts were eating it; ²  they swarm over it like locusts! ³ 

Indeed, ¹  he says: “Are not my officials all kings?

Ephraim continually feeds on the wind; he chases the east wind all day; he multiplies lies and violence. They make treaties ¹  with Assyria, and send olive oil as tribute ²  to Egypt.

The Lord sent a messenger ¹  and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib ²  returned home humiliated. ³  When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons ⁴  struck him down with the sword.

Look, the sovereign master ¹  sends a strong, powerful one. ²  With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, ³  with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, ⁴  he will knock that crown ⁵  to the ground with his hand. ⁶ 

Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief ¹  and reported to him what the chief adviser had said.

This is what the Lord says: ¹  “Even though ²  they are powerful ³  – and what is more, ⁴  even though their army is numerous ⁵  – nevertheless, ⁶  they will be destroyed ⁷  and trickle away! ⁸  Although I afflicted you, I will afflict you no more. ⁹ 

Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. ¹  Do you really think you will be rescued? ² 

As I have done to Samaria and its idols, so I will do to Jerusalem and its idols.” ¹ 

For very soon my fury ¹  will subside, and my anger will be directed toward their destruction.”

¹ They ²  attacked ³  Aiath, moved through Migron, depositing their supplies at Micmash.

The thickets of the forest will be chopped down with an ax, and mighty Lebanon will fall. ¹ 

The Lord revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and captured it. ¹ 

For tyrants will disappear, those who taunt will vanish, and all those who love to do wrong will be eliminated ¹  –