O Assyrian,
the rod of mine anger,
and the staff in their hand is their indignation.
I will send him against a hypocritical nation,
and against the people of my wrath
will I give him a charge to take the spoil,
and to take the prey,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Howbeit he meaneth not so,
neither doth his heart think so.
But in his heart it is to destroy and cut off nations not a few.
For he saith:
“Are not my princes altogether kings?
Is not Calno as Carchemish?
Is not Hamath as Arpad?
Is not Samaria as Damascus?“As my hand hath founded the kingdoms of the idols,
and whose graven images did excel
them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;“Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols,
so do to Jerusalem and to her idols?”