Isaiah 14
1 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.
For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once again He will choose Israel and settle them in their own land. The foreigner will join them and unite with the house of Jacob.
2 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.
The nations will escort Israel and bring it to its homeland. Then the house of Israel will possess the nations as menservants and maidservants in the LORD’s land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.
3 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,
On the day that the LORD gives you rest from your pain and torment, and from the hard labor into which you were forced,
4 That you have taken up this allegory Concerning the king of Babylon, and said, “How the exactor has ceased,
you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended!
5 The golden one has ceased. YHWH has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers.
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers.
6 He who is striking peoples in wrath, A striking without intermission, He who is ruling nations in anger, Pursuing without restraint!
It struck the peoples in anger with unceasing blows; it subdued the nations in rage with relentless persecution.
7 At rest—all the earth has been quiet, They have broken forth [into] singing.
All the earth is at peace and at rest; they break out in song.
8 Even firs have rejoiced over you, Cedars of Lebanon, [saying], Since you have lain down, The hewer does not come up against us.
Even the cypresses and cedars of Lebanon exult over you: “Since you have been laid low, no woodcutter comes against us.”
9 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)
Sheol beneath is eager to meet you upon your arrival. It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet you— all the rulers of the earth. It makes all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones. (Sheol h7585)
10 All of them answer and say to you, Even you have become weak like us! You have become like to us!
They will all respond to you, saying, “You too have become weak, as we are; you have become like us!”
11 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)
Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol, along with the music of your harps. Maggots are your bed and worms your blanket. (Sheol h7585)
12 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.
How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations.
13 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.
You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north.
14 I go up above the heights of a thick cloud, I am like to the Most High.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. (Sheol h7585)
16 Your beholders look to you, they attend to you, Is this the man causing the earth to tremble, Shaking kingdoms?
Those who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble,
17 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.
who turned the world into a desert and destroyed its cities, who refused to let the captives return to their homes?”
18 All kings of nations—all of them, Have lain down in glory, each in his house,
All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb.
19 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.
But you are cast out of your grave like a rejected branch, covered by those slain with the sword, and dumped into a rocky pit like a carcass trampled underfoot.
20 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.
You will not join them in burial, since you have destroyed your land and slaughtered your own people. The offspring of the wicked will never again be mentioned.
21 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.
Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the iniquities of their forefathers. They will never rise up to possess a land or cover the earth with their cities.
22 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.
“I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will cut off from Babylon her name and her remnant, her offspring and her posterity,”
23 “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!
“I will make her a place for owls and for swamplands; I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of Hosts.
24 YHWH of Hosts has sworn, saying, “As I thought—so has it not been? And as I counseled—it stands;
The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand.
25 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.
I will break Assyria in My land; I will trample him on My mountain. His yoke will be taken off My people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.”
26 This [is] the counsel that is counseled for all the earth, And this [is] the hand that is stretched out for all the nations.
This is the plan devised for the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched out over all the nations.
27 For YHWH of Hosts has purposed, And who makes void? And His hand that is stretched out, Who turns it back?”
The LORD of Hosts has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is outstretched, so who can turn it back?
28 In the year of the death of King Ahaz was this burden:
In the year that King Ahaz died, this burden was received:
29 “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.
Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken. For a viper will spring from the root of the snake, and a flying serpent from its egg.
30 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.
Then the firstborn of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety, but I will kill your root by famine, and your remnant will be slain.
31 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.”
Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! Melt away, all you Philistines! For a cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there are no stragglers in its ranks.
32 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!
What answer will be given to the envoys of that nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, where His afflicted people will find refuge.”
