Isaiah 14
1 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will again make Israel his special people, and will put them in their land; and the man from a strange country will take his place among them and be joined to the family of Jacob.
Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob; he will again choose Israel and restore them into their own land. Foreigners will join with them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.
2 And the people will take them with them to their place: and the children of Israel will give them a heritage in the Lord's land as men-servants and women-servants, making them prisoners whose prisoners they were; and they will be rulers over their masters.
The nations will bring them to their own place. Then the house of Israel will take them in the land of Yahweh as male and female servants. They will take captive those who had captured them, and they will rule over their oppressors.
3 And it will be, in the day when the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your trouble, and from the hard yoke which they had put on you,
On the day that Yahweh gives you rest from your suffering and anguish, and from the hard labor which you were required to perform,
4 That you will take up this bitter song against the king of Babylon, and say, How has the cruel overseer come to an end! He who was lifted up in pride is cut off;
you will sing this taunt song against the king of Babylon, “How the oppressor has come to an end, the proud fury ended!
5 The stick of the evil-doers, the rod of the rulers, is broken by the Lord;
Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of those rulers,
6 He whose rod was on the peoples with an unending wrath, ruling the nations in passion, with an uncontrolled rule.
that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger, with an attack that was unrestrained.
7 All the earth is at rest and is quiet: they are bursting into song.
The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they begin celebrating with singing.
8 Even the trees of the wood are glad over you, the trees of Lebanon, saying, From the time of your fall no wood-cutter has come up against us with an axe.
Even the cypress trees rejoice over you with the cedars of Lebanon; they say, 'Since you are laid low, no woodcutter comes up to cut us down.'
9 The underworld is moved at your coming: the shades of the dead are awake before you, even the strong ones of the earth; all the kings of the world have got up from their seats. (Sheol h7585)
Sheol below is eager to meet you when you go there. It arouses the dead for you, all the kings of the earth, making them rise up from their thrones, all the kings of the nations. (Sheol h7585)
10 They all make answer and say to you, Have you become feeble like us? have you been made even as we are?
They all will speak and say to you, 'You have become as weak as us. You have become like us.
11 Your pride has gone down into the underworld, and the noise of your instruments of music; the worms are under you, and your body is covered with them. (Sheol h7585)
Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol with the sound of your string instruments. Maggots are spread under you, and worms cover you.' (Sheol h7585)
12 How great is your fall from heaven, O shining one, son of the morning! How are you cut down to the earth, low among the dead bodies!
How you are fallen from heaven, daystar, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who conquered the nations!
13 For you said in your heart, I will go up to heaven, I will make my seat higher than the stars of God; I will take my place on the mountain of the meeting-place of the gods, in the inmost parts of the north.
You had said in your heart, 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north.
14 I will go higher than the clouds; I will be like the Most High.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High God.'
Yet you are now brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit. (Sheol h7585)
16 Those who see you will be looking on you with care, they will be in deep thought, saying, Is this the troubler of the earth, the shaker of kingdoms?
Those who see you will gaze at you and they will pay attention to you. They will say, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,
17 Who made the world a waste, overturning its towns; who did not let his prisoners loose from the prison-house.
who made the world like a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and did not let his prisoners go home?'
18 All the kings of the earth are at rest in glory, every man in his house,
All the kings of the nations, all of them lie down in honor, each one in his own tomb.
19 But you, like a birth before its time, are stretched out with no resting-place in the earth; clothed with the bodies of the dead who have been put to the sword, who go down to the lowest parts of the underworld; a dead body, crushed under foot.
But you are cast out of your grave like a branch thrown away. The dead cover you like a garment, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit.
20 As for your fathers, you will not be united with them in their resting-place, because you have been the cause of destruction to your land, and of death to your people; the seed of the evil-doer will have no place in the memory of man.
You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land and killed your people. The offspring of evildoers will never be mentioned again.”
21 Make ready a place of death for his children, because of the evil-doing of their father; so that they may not come up and take the earth for their heritage, covering the face of the world with waste places.
Prepare your slaughter for his children, for the iniquity of their ancestors, so they will not rise up and possess the earth and fill the whole world with cities.
22 For I will come up against them, says the Lord of armies, cutting off from Babylon name and offspring, son and son's son, says the Lord.
“I will rise up against them”—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts. “I will cut off from Babylon name, descendant, and posterity”—this is Yahweh's declaration.
23 And I will make you a heritage for the hedgehog, and pools of water: and I will go through it with the brush of destruction, says the Lord of armies.
“I will also make her into a possession of owls, and into pools of water, and I will sweep her with the broom of destruction”—this is the declaration of Yahweh of hosts.
24 The Lord has taken an oath, saying, My design will certainly come about, and my purpose will be effected:
Yahweh of hosts has sworn, “Surely, as I have intended, so it will come about; and as I have purposed, so it will be:
25 To let the Assyrian be broken in my land, and crushed under foot on my mountains: there will his yoke be taken away from them, and his rule over them come to an end.
I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot. Then his yoke will be lifted from off them and his burden from off their shoulder.” Then his yoke will be lifted from off them and his burden from off their shoulder.”
26 This is the purpose for all the earth: and this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
This is the plan that is intended for the whole earth, and this is the hand that is raised over all the nations.
27 For it is the purpose of the Lord of armies, and who will make it of no effect? when his hand is stretched out, by whom may it be turned back?
For Yahweh of hosts has planned this; who will stop him? His hand is raised, and who will turn it back?
28 In the year of the death of King Ahaz this word came to the prophet:
In the year that king Ahaz died this declaration came:
29 Be not glad, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod which was on you is broken: for out of the snake's root will come a poison-snake, and its fruit will be a winged poison-snake.
Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken. For out of the serpent's root will grow out an adder, and his offspring will be a fiery flying serpent.
30 And the poorest of the land will have food, and those in need will be given a safe resting-place: but your seed will come to an end for need of food, and the rest of you will be put to the sword.
The firstborn of the poor will graze their sheep in my pastures, and the needy will lie down in safety. I will kill your root with famine that will put to death all your survivors.
31 Send out a cry, O door! Make sounds of sorrow, O town! All your land has come to nothing, O Philistia; for there comes a smoke out of the north, and everyone keeps his place in the line.
Howl, gate; cry, city; all of you will melt away, Philistia. For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke, and there is no straggler in his ranks.
32 What answer, then, will my people give to the representatives of the nation? That the Lord is the builder of Zion, and she will be a safe place for the poor of his people.
How will they respond to the messengers of that nation? “Yahweh has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people will find refuge.”
