Isaiah 14
1 [But] Yahweh will act mercifully toward the Israeli people; he will choose [the people of] Israel [to be his people again], and he will allow them to [return here and] live in their own land again. Then people from [many] other countries will come here and unite with the Israeli people.
For Jehovah will have compassion upon Jacob, And will again set his love upon Israel, And cause them to rest in his own land. And strangers shall join themselves to them, And cleave to the house of Jacob.
2 People of other nations will help them to return to their [own] land, and those who come from other countries will (work for/become the servants of) the Israeli people. Those who captured people of Israel will be captured by Israeli soldiers, and the people of Israel will rule over the people who [previously] oppressed them.
The nations shall take them and bring them to their own place; And the house of Israel shall possess them, in the land of Jehovah, As servants and as handmaids; They shall take captive their captors, And they shall rule over their oppressors.
3 Some day Yahweh will free you [Israeli people] from suffering and trouble and from being afraid, and from being cruelly treated as slaves [MTY].
So when Jehovah shall have given thee rest From thy sorrow and thy distress, And from the hard bondage Which was laid upon thee,
4 When that happens, you will make fun of the King of Babylon by saying this: “You treated us cruelly, but that has ended! Your insolently causing others to suffer is finished!
Then shall thou utter this song over the king of Babylon, and say, “How hath the tyrant fallen, The oppression ceased!
5 You evil ruler, Yahweh will get rid of your power, and you will oppress people no longer!
Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, The rod of the tyrants,
6 You attacked people many times because you were very angry with them, and you subdued/conquered [other] nations by causing them to suffer endlessly.
That smote the people in anger, With a continual stroke, That lorded it over the nations in wrath With unremitted oppression.
7 [But soon] everything will be quiet and peaceful on the earth. Everyone [PRS] will sing [again]!
The whole earth is at rest, is quiet; They break forth into singing.
8 [It will be as though] even the trees in the forests will joyfully sing this song, the cyprus/pine [trees] and the cedar [trees] in Lebanon will sing it: ‘You (have been overthrown/are no longer a ruler), and now no one comes to get rid of us [MET].’
Even the cypress-trees exult over thee, And the cedars of Lebanon: 'Since thou art fallen, No feller cometh up against us.'
9 The dead people are [PRS] are eagerly waiting for you to come to the place where they are. The spirits of the world leaders will be delighted to welcome you; those who were kings of many nations [before they died] will stand up [to welcome you]. (Sheol h7585)
The under-world is in commotion on account of thee, To meet thee at thy coming; It stirreth up before thee the shades, all the mighty of the earth; It arouseth from their thrones all the kings of the nations; (Sheol h7585)
10 They will all shout to you [together], ‘Now you are as weak as we are!’
They all accost thee, and say, 'Art thou, too, become weak as we? Art thou become like us?'
11 You were very proud and powerful, [but all] that ended when you died, along with the sounds of harps [being played in your palace]. [Now in your grave] maggots will be under you [like a sheet] [MET], and worms will cover you [like a blanket] [MET]. (Sheol h7585)
Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, And the sound of thy harps. Vermin have become thy couch, And worms thy covering. (Sheol h7585)
12 You have [disappeared from the earth like] [MET] a star which has fallen from the sky; you [were very well-known] [like] [MET] the morning star [which is seen by everyone]; you destroyed [many] nations, but now you have been destroyed.
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cast down to the ground, Thou that didst trample upon the nations!
13 You [proudly] said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven, to my throne above God’s stars. I will rule on the mountain where [the gods] gather together, far in the north.
Thou saidst in thy heart, 'I will ascend to heaven, Above the stars of God will I exalt my throne; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.
14 I will ascend above the clouds and become like the highest/greatest god!’
I will ascend above the height of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.'
15 [But you were not able to do that]; instead, you were carried down to your grave, and you went to the place where the dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
But thou art brought down to the grave, To the depths of the pit. (Sheol h7585)
16 The [other dead] people there stare at you; they wonder what happened to you. [They say], ‘Is this the man who caused the earth to shake and caused the [people in many] kingdoms to tremble?
They that see thee gaze upon thee, and view thee attentively, (and say, ) 'Is this the man that made the earth tremble, That shook kingdoms,
17 Is this the man who [tried to] cause the world to become a desert, who conquered its cities and did not allow the people whom he captured to return to their homes?’
That made the world a wilderness, And laid waste its cities, And sent not his captives to their homes?'
18 All the kings of the earth [who have died] were greatly honored when they were buried,
All the kings of the nations, yea, all of them, Lie down in glory, each in his own sepulchre;
19 but your [corpse will] not be buried; it will be thrown away like [SIM] a worthless branch [of a tree]. Your corpse will be under a heap of other corpses of soldiers that were killed by [their enemies’] swords, and [their corpses] were not buried; you will be with those who have gone down to the stony ground in a big pit.
But thou art cast forth without a grave, Like a worthless branch; Covered with the slain, who are pierced by the sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit, Like a carcass trampled under foot.
20 Your [corpse] will not be buried because you have destroyed your nation and have caused your people to be killed. The descendants of wicked people [like you] will never be honored again.
Thou shalt not be joined with them in the grave, Because thou hast destroyed thy country, And slain thy people; The race of evil-doers shall nevermore be named.
21 [People will say], ‘Slaughter this man’s children because of the sins that their ancestors committed! Do not allow them to become rulers and conquer [all the nations in] the world, and fill the world with the cities [that they rule]!’”
Prepare ye slaughter for his children, For the iniquity of their fathers, That they may no more arise, and possess the earth, And fill the world with enemies!”
22 [This is what] the Commander of the armies of angels says: “I [myself] will cause Babylon to be conquered. I will get rid of Babylon and its people and their descendants.
For I will arise against them, saith Jehovah of hosts, And I will cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, Posterity and offspring, saith Jehovah.
23 I will cause Babylon to be a place where owls live, a place full of swamps; I will get rid of it completely [as though] [MET] I were sweeping it with a broom. [That is what I], the Commander of the armies of angels, say.”
I will make her the possession of the porcupine, and pools of water; Yea, I will sweep her away with the besom of destruction, saith Jehovah of hosts.
24 The Commander of the armies of angels has [also] solemnly promised this: “The things that I have planned will surely happen [DOU].
Jehovah of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely, as I have devised, so shall it come to pass, The purpose which I have formed, that shall stand,
25 [When the army of] Assyria is in my land [of Israel], I will crush them. [It will be as though] I will trample them on my mountains. My people will no longer be the slaves [MET] of the people of Assyria; [it will be as though] [MET] I will take away the burdens that are on their shoulders.
To crush the Assyrian in my land, And to trample him on my mountains. Then shall his yoke depart from them, And his burden be removed from their shoulders.
26 I have a plan for everyone on the earth, a plan to show my power [MTY] to punish all the nations.
This is the purpose which is formed concerning all the earth, And this the hand which is stretched out over all the nations.
27 [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, have spoken, and no one can [RHQ] change my mind. When I raise my fist [to strike Assyria], no one [RHQ] will be able to stop me [from doing that].”
For Jehovah of hosts hath decreed, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
28 I received this message [from Yahweh] during the year that King Ahaz died:
In the year in which Ahaz the king died came this prophecy.
29 You people of Philistia, do not rejoice that the enemy army [MET] that attacked you has been defeated and that their king is dead. He was [as dangerous as] [MET] a snake, but there will be another king, who will be more [dangerous] than a cobra; he will be [like] [MET] a quick-moving poisonous snake.
Rejoice not, all Philistia, Because the rod that smote thee is broken, For from the root of a serpent shall come forth a basilisk, And his fruit shall be a flying, fiery serpent.
30 Those of my people who are very poor will take care of their flocks of sheep, and the needy people will lie down safely, but I will cause you people [of Philistia] who are still alive [DOU] to die from famine.
Then shall the most wretched of the poor feed quietly, And the needy shall lie down in security; For I will kill thy root with famine, And thy remnant shall be slain.
31 [So], you people of Philistia, wail at the gates of your cities! You should be extremely afraid, because [a very powerful army] will come from the north [to attack you]; [their chariots will stir up the dust like] [MET] a cloud of smoke. Each of their soldiers is ready to fight.
Howl, O gate! cry aloud, O city! O Philistia, thou meltest away in terror! For from the north cometh a smoke, And there is no straggler in their hosts.
32 If messengers [from Philistia] come to us [Israeli people], this is what we must [RHQ] tell them: “Yahweh has established Jerusalem, [not Philistia], and his people who are oppressed will be safe inside [the walls of] Jerusalem.”
What answer shall be given to the messengers of the nations? That Jehovah hath founded Zion, And in her shall the poor of his people find refuge.
