< Isaiah 14 >
1 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.
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 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.
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 On the day that Yahweh gives you rest from your suffering and anguish, and from the hard labor which you were required to perform,
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 you will sing this taunt song against the king of Babylon, “How the oppressor has come to an end, the proud fury ended!
And you shall take up this lamentation against the king of Babylon, How has the extortioner ceased, and the taskmaster ceased!
5 Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of those rulers,
The Lord has broken the yoke of sinners, the yoke of princes.
6 that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger, with an attack that was unrestrained.
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 begin celebrating with singing.
All the earth cries aloud with joy:
8 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.'
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 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 )
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 )
10 They all will speak and say to you, 'You have become as weak as us. You have become like us.
All shall answer and say to you, You also have been taken, even as we; and you are numbered among us.
11 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 )
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 )
12 How you are fallen from heaven, daystar, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who conquered 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 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.
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 toward the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High God.'
I will go up above the clouds: I will be like the Most High.
15 Yet you are now brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit. (Sheol )
But now you shall go down to hell, even to the foundations of the earth. (Sheol )
16 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,
They that see you shall wonder at you, and say, This is the man that troubled the earth, that made kings to shake;
17 who made the world like a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and did not let his prisoners go home?'
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 lie down in honor, each one in his own tomb.
All the kings of the nations lie in honor, [every] man in his house.
19 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.
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 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.”
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 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.
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 “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.
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 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.
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 Yahweh of hosts has sworn, “Surely, as I have intended, so it will come about; and as I have purposed, so it will be:
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 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.”
[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 plan that is intended for the whole earth, and this is the hand that is raised over 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 Yahweh of hosts has planned this; who will stop him? His hand is raised, and who will 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 this declaration came:
In the year in which king Achaz died this word came.
29 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.
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 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.
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, 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.
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 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.”
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.