Isaiah 14

1 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the stranger shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

And the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and they shall rest on their land: and the stranger shall be added to them, yes, shall be added to the house of Jacob.

2 And the peoples shall take them, and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and for handmaids; and they shall take them captive, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

And the Gentiles shall take them, and bring them into their place: and they shall inherit them, and they shall be multiplied upon the land for servants and handmaidens: and they that took them captives shall become captives [to them]; and they that had lordship over them shall be under [their] rule.

3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy travail, and from thy trouble, and from the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve,

And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the Lord shall give you rest from your sorrow and vexation, [and from] your hard servitude wherein you did serve them.

4 that thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say: How hath the oppressor ceased! the exactress of gold ceased!

And you shall take up this lamentation against the king of Babylon, How has the extortioner ceased, and the taskmaster ceased!

5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers,

The Lord has broken the yoke of sinners, the yoke of princes.

6 That smote the peoples in wrath with an incessant stroke, that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.

Having struck a nation in wrath, with an incurable plague, striking a nation with a wrathful plague, which spared [them] not, he rested in quiet.

7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing.

All the earth cries aloud with joy:

8 Yea, the cypresses rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon: 'Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.'

the trees also of Libanus rejoice against you, and the cedar of Libanus, [saying], From the time that you have been laid low, no one has come up to cut us down.

9 The nether-world from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; the shades are stirred up for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; all the kings of the nations are raised up from their thrones. (Sheol h7585)

Hell from beneath is provoked to meet you: all the great ones that have ruled over the earth have risen up together against you, they that have raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. (Sheol h7585)

10 All they do answer and say unto thee: 'Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us?

All shall answer and say to you, You also have been taken, even as we; and you are numbered amongst us.

11 Thy pomp is brought down to the nether-world, and the noise of thy psalteries; the maggot is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.' (Sheol h7585)

Your glory has come down to Hades, and your great mirth: under you they shall spread corruption, and the worm shall be your covering. (Sheol h7585)

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, that didst cast lots over the nations!

How has Lucifer, that rose in the morning, fallen from heaven! He that sent [orders] to all the nations is crushed to the earth.

13 And thou saidst in thy heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, above the stars of God will I exalt my throne, and I will sit upon the mount of meeting, in the uttermost parts of the north;

But you said in your heart, I will go up to heaven, I will set my throne above the stars of heaven: I will sit on a lofty mount, on the lofty mountains towards the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.'

I will go up above the clouds: I will be like the Most High.

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to the nether-world, to the uttermost parts of the pit. (Sheol h7585)

But now you shall go down to hell, even to the foundations of the earth. (Sheol h7585)

16 They that saw thee do narrowly look upon thee, they gaze earnestly at thee: 'Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

They that see you shall wonder at you, and say, This is the man that troubled the earth, that made kings to shake;

17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?'

that made the whole world desolate, and destroyed its cities; he loosed not those who were in captivity.

18 All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, every one in his own house.

All the kings of the nations lie in honour, [every] man in his house.

19 But thou art cast forth away from thy grave like an abhorred offshoot, in the raiment of the slain, that are thrust through with the sword, that go down to the pavement of the pit, as a carcass trodden under foot.

But you shall be cast forth on the mountains, as a loathed carcase, with many dead who have been pierced with swords, going down to the grave.

20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of evil-doers shall not be named for ever.

As a garment defiled with blood shall not be pure, so neither shall you be pure; because you have destroyed my land, and have slain my people: you shall not endure for ever, —[you] an evil seed.

21 Prepare ye slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they rise not up, and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.

Prepare your children to be slain for the sins of their father; that they arise not, and inherit the earth, nor fill the earth with wars.

22 And I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and offshoot and offspring, saith the LORD.

And I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts, and I will destroy their name, and remnant, and seed: thus says the Lord.

23 I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.

And I will make the region of Babylon desert, so that hedgehogs shall dwell [there], and it shall come to nothing: and I will make it a pit of clay for destruction.

24 The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying: Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,

Thus says the Lord of hosts, As I have said, so it shall be: and as I have purposed, so [the matter] shall remain:

25 That I will break Asshur in My land, and upon My mountains tread him under foot; then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulder.

[even] to destroy the Assyrians upon my land, and upon my mountains: and they shall be for trampling; and their yoke shall be taken away from them, and their glory shall be taken away from their shoulders.

26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.

This is the purpose which the Lord has purposed upon the whole earth: and this the hand that is uplifted against all the nations.

27 For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

For what the Holy God has purposed, who shall frustrate? and who shall turn back his uplifted hand?

28 In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.

In the year in which king Achaz died this word came.

29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of thee, because the rod that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, and his fruit shall be a flying serpent.

Rejoice not, all you Philistines, because the yoke of him that struck you is broken: for out of the seed of the serpent shall come forth the young asps, and their young shall come forth flying serpents,

30 And the first-born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy root with famine, and thy remnant shall be slain.

And the poor shall be fed by him, and poor men shall rest in peace: but he shall destroy your seed with hunger, and shall destroy your remnant.

31 Howl, O gate; cry, O city; melt away, O Philistia, all of thee; for there cometh a smoke out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.

Howl, you gates of cities; let the cities be troubled and cry, [even] all the Philistines: for smoke is coming from the north, and there is no [possibility] of living.

32 What then shall one answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and in her shall the afflicted of His people take refuge.

And what shall the kings of the nations answer? That the Lord has founded Sion, and by him the poor of the people shall be saved.