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.
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, yea, shall be added 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 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 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 shall come to pass in that day, [that] the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow and vexation, [and from] thy hard servitude wherein thou didst serve them.
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!”
And thou shalt take up this lamentation against the king of Babylon, How has the extortioner ceased, and the taskmaster ceased!
5 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers,
The Lord has broken the yoke of sinners, the yoke of princes.
6 who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that no one restrained.
Having smitten a nation in wrath, with an incurable plague, smiting 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 break out in song.
All the earth cries aloud with joy:
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.”
the trees also of Libanus rejoice against thee, and the cedar of Libanus, [saying], From the time that thou hast been laid low, no one has come up to cut us down.
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)
Hell from beneath is provoked to meet thee: all the great ones that have ruled over the earth have risen up together against thee, they that have raised up from their thrones all the kings of the 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 shall answer and say to thee, Thou also hast been taken, even as we; and thou art numbered amongst 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)
Thy glory has come down to Hades, and thy great mirth: under thee they shall spread corruption, and the worm shall be thy covering. (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 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 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!
But thou saidst in thine 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!”
I will go up above the clouds: I will be like the Most High.
But now thou shalt go down to hell, even to the foundations of the earth. (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,
They that see thee shall wonder at thee, and say, This is the man that troubled the earth, that made kings to shake;
17 who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities, who didn’t release his prisoners to their 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 sleep in glory, everyone in his own house.
All the kings of the nations lie in honour, [every] man 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.
But thou shalt 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. You have killed your people. The offspring of evildoers will not be named forever.
As a garment defiled with blood shall not be pure, so neither shalt thou be pure; because thou hast destroyed my land, and hast slain my people: thou shalt not endure for ever, —[thou] an evil seed.
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 thy 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,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son’s son,” says the LORD.
And I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will destroy their name, and remnant, and seed: thus saith the Lord.
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 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 The LORD of Hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so shall it happen; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, As I have said, so it shall be: and as I have purposed, so [the matter] shall remain:
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.
[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 determined for the whole earth. This is the hand that is stretched out 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 the LORD of Hosts has planned, and who can stop it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”
For what the Holy God has purposed, who shall frustrate? and who shall turn back his uplifted hand?
28 This burden was in the year that King Ahaz died.
In the year in which king Achaz died this word came.
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.
Rejoice not, all ye Philistines, because the yoke of him that smote 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 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 poor shall be fed by him, and poor men shall rest in peace: but he shall destroy thy seed with hunger, and shall destroy thy 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, ye 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 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 shall the kings of the nations answer? That the Lord has founded Sion, and by him the poor of the people shall be saved.
