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.

For YHWH loves Jacob, And has fixed again on Israel, And given them rest on their own land, And the sojourner has been joined to them, And they have been admitted 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 peoples have taken them, And have brought them to their place, And the house of Israel has inherited them, On the land of YHWH, For menservants and for maidservants, And they have been captors of their captors, And have ruled over their exactors.

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 has come to pass, In the day of YHWH’s giving rest to you, From your grief, and from your trouble, And from the sharp bondage, That has been served on you,

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!

That you have taken up this allegory Concerning the king of Babylon, and said, “How the exactor has ceased,

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

The golden one has ceased. YHWH has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers.

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

He who is striking peoples in wrath, A striking without intermission, He who is ruling nations in anger, Pursuing without restraint!

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

At rest—all the earth has been quiet, They have broken forth [into] singing.

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

Even firs have rejoiced over you, Cedars of Lebanon, [saying], Since you have lain down, The hewer does not come up against us.

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)

Sheol beneath has been troubled at you, To meet your coming in, It is waking up Rephaim for you, All chief ones of earth, It has raised up from their thrones All kings of 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 of them answer and say to you, Even you have become weak like us! You have become like to 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 excellence has been brought down to Sheol, The noise of your stringed instruments, The worm has been spread out under you, Indeed, the worm is covering you. (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 you have fallen from the heavens, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to earth, O weakener of nations.

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;

And you said in your heart: I go up into the heavens, I raise my throne above the stars of God, And I sit on the mountain of meeting in the sides of the north.

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

I go up above the heights of a thick cloud, I am like to the Most High.

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

Only—you are brought down to Sheol, To the sides of the pit. (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;

Your beholders look to you, they attend to you, Is this the man causing the earth to tremble, Shaking kingdoms?

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

He has made the world as a wilderness, And he has broken down his cities, He did not open the house of his bound ones.

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

All kings of nations—all of them, Have lain down in glory, each 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.

And you have been cast out of your grave, As an abominable branch, raiment of the slain, Thrust through ones of the sword, Going down to the sons of the pit, As a carcass trodden down.

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.

You are not united with them in burial, For you have destroyed your land, You have slain your people, The seed of evildoers is not named for all time.

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 slaughter for his sons; Because of the iniquity of their fathers, They do not rise, nor have possessed the land, Nor filled the face of the world [with] cities.

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 have risen up against them,” A declaration of YHWH of Hosts, “And have cut off, in reference to Babylon, Name and remnant, and continuator and successor,” A declaration of YHWH.

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 have made it for a possession of a hedgehog, And ponds of waters, And swept it with the broom of destruction,” A declaration of YHWH of Hosts!

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,

YHWH of Hosts has sworn, saying, “As I thought—so has it not been? And as I counseled—it stands;

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.

To break Asshur in My land, And I tread him down on My mountain, And his yoke has turned from off them, Indeed, his burden turns aside from off their shoulder.

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 counsel that is counseled for all the earth, And this [is] the hand that is stretched out for 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 YHWH of Hosts has purposed, And who makes void? And His hand that is stretched out, Who turns it back?”

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

In the year of the death of King Ahaz was this burden:

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.

“Do not rejoice, Philistia, all of you, That the rod of your striker has been broken, For from the root of a serpent comes out a viper, And its fruit [is] a flying, burning serpent.

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 firstborn of the poor have delighted, And the needy lie down in confidence, And I have put to death your root with famine, And it slays 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, O gate; cry, O city, You are melted, Philistia, all of you, For smoke has come from the north, And there is none alone in his set places.”

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 does one answer the messengers of a nation? That YHWH has founded Zion, And the poor of His people take refuge in it!