Isaiah 14
1 For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land. The foreigner will join himself with them, and they will unite with 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 The peoples will take them, and bring them to their place. The house of Israel will possess them in the LORD’s land for servants and for handmaids. They will take as captives those 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 It will happen in the day that the LORD will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard service in which you were 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 you will take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, “How the oppressor has ceased! The golden city has ceased!”
That you have taken up this allegory Concerning the king of Babylon, and said, “How the exactor has ceased,
5 The LORD has 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 who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that no one 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 out in song.
At rest—all the earth has been quiet, They have broken forth [into] singing.
8 Yes, the cypress trees rejoice with you, with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, “Since you are humbled, no lumberjack has 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 Sheol from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the departed spirits for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. (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 They all will answer and ask you, “Have you also become as weak as we are? Have you become like us?”
All of them answer and say to you, Even you have become weak like us! You have become like to us!
11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, with the sound of your stringed instruments. Maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you. (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 you have fallen from heaven, shining one, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low!
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 You said in your heart, “I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far 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 make myself like the Most High!”
I go up above the heights of a thick cloud, I am like to the Most High.
Only—you are brought down to Sheol, To the sides of the pit. (Sheol h7585)
16 Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms,
Your beholders look to you, they attend to you, Is this the man causing the earth to tremble, Shaking kingdoms?
17 who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities, who didn’t release his prisoners to their home?”
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 sleep in glory, everyone in his own house.
All kings of nations—all of them, Have lain down in glory, each in his house,
19 But you are cast away from your tomb like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain who are thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body 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 You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. The offspring of evildoers will not be named forever.
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 for slaughter of his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, that they not rise up and possess the earth, and fill the surface 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 “I will rise up against them,” says the LORD of Armies, “and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son’s son,” says 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 porcupine, and pools of water. I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” says the LORD of Armies.
“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 Armies has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so shall it happen; 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 the Assyrian in my land, and tread him under foot on my mountains. Then his yoke will leave them, and his burden leave their shoulders.
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 plan that is determined for the whole earth. This is the hand that is stretched out over 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 Armies has planned, and who can stop it? His hand is stretched out, and who can 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 This burden was in the year that King Ahaz died.
In the year of the death of King Ahaz was this burden:
29 Don’t rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck you is broken; for out of the serpent’s root an adder will emerge, and his fruit will be a fiery 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 The firstborn of the poor will eat, and the needy will lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant will be killed.
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, gate! Cry, city! You are melted away, Philistia, all of you; for smoke comes 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 will they answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people will 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!
