Isaiah 14
1 Her time is drawing near, and her days will not be prolonged. For the Lord will take pity on Jacob, and he will still choose from Israel, and he will cause them to rest upon their own soil. And the new arrival will be joined to them, and he will adhere to the house of Jacob.
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.
2 And the people will take them, and lead them to their place. And the house of Israel will possess them, in the land of the Lord, as men and women servants. And they will take captive those who had taken them captive. And they will subjugate their oppressors.
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.
3 And this shall be in that day: when God will have given you rest from your labor, and from your oppression, and from the difficult servitude under which you served before,
On the day that Yahweh gives you rest from your suffering and anguish, and from the hard labor which you were required to perform,
4 you will accept this parable against the king of Babylon, and you will say: “How is it that the oppressor has ceased, along with his tribute?
you will sing this taunt song against the king of Babylon, “How the oppressor has come to an end, the proud fury ended!
5 The Lord has crushed the staff of the impious, the scepter of despots,
Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of those rulers,
6 which struck the people in wrath with an incurable wound, which subjugated the nations in fury, which persecuted with cruelty.
that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger, with an attack that was unrestrained.
7 All the earth has become quiet and still; it has been gladdened and has rejoiced.
The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they begin celebrating with singing.
8 The evergreens, too, have rejoiced over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying: ‘Since you have slept, no one has ascended who would cut us down.’
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.'
9 Hell below was stirred up to meet you at your advent; it has awakened the giants for you. All the leaders of the earth have risen from their thrones, all the leaders among the nations.” (Sheol h7585)
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 h7585)
10 Everyone will respond and will say to you: “Now you are wounded, just as we were; you have become like us.
They all will speak and say to you, 'You have become as weak as us. You have become like us.
11 Your arrogance has been dragged down to Hell. Your body has fallen dead. The moths will be strewn beneath you, and the worms will be your covering. (Sheol h7585)
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 h7585)
12 How is it that you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who used to rise like the sun? How is it that you have fallen to the earth, you who wounded the peoples?
How you are fallen from heaven, daystar, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who conquered the nations!
13 And you said in your heart: ‘I will climb up to heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will be enthroned upon the mountain of the covenant, on the northern parts.
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.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds. I will be like the Most High.’
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High God.'
Yet you are now brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit. (Sheol h7585)
16 Those who see you, will lean toward you, and will gaze upon you, saying: ‘Could this be the man who disturbed the earth, who shook kingdoms,
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,
17 who made the world into a desert and destroyed its cities, who would not even open a prison for his prisoners?’”
who made the world like a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and did not let his prisoners go home?'
18 All the kings of the nations throughout the whole world have slept in glory, each man in his own house.
All the kings of the nations, all of them lie down in honor, each one in his own tomb.
19 But you have been rejected from your grave, like a useless polluted plant, and you have been bound up with those who were slain by the sword, and who descended to the bottom of the pit, like a rotting carcass.
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.
20 You will not be associated with them, even in the grave. For you have destroyed your own land; you have slain your own people. The offspring of the wicked ones will not be called upon for eternity.
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.”
21 Prepare his sons for the slaughter, according to the iniquity of their fathers. They will not rise up, nor inherit the earth, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
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.
22 But I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts. And I will perish the name of Babylon and its remnants: both the plant and its progeny, says the Lord.
“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.
23 And I will appoint it as a possession for the hedgehog, with swamps of water. And I will sweep it out and wear it away with a brush, says the Lord of hosts.
“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.
24 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying: Surely, just as I have considered it, so shall it be, and in the same manner as I have drawn it through my mind,
Yahweh of hosts has sworn, “Surely, as I have intended, so it will come about; and as I have purposed, so it will be:
25 so shall it occur. So shall I crush the Assyrian in my land, and I will trample him upon my mountains, and his yoke will be taken away from them, and his burden will be removed from their shoulder.
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.”
26 This is the plan that I have decided, concerning the entire earth, and this is the hand which is extended over all the nations.
This is the plan that is intended for the whole earth, and this is the hand that is raised over all the nations.
27 For the Lord of hosts has decreed it, and who is able to weaken it? And his hand is extended, so who can avert it?
For Yahweh of hosts has planned this; who will stop him? His hand is raised, and who will turn it back?
28 In the year in which king Ahaz died, this burden was given:
In the year that king Ahaz died this declaration came:
29 You should not rejoice, all you of Philistia, that the rod of him who struck you has been crushed. For from the root of the serpent will go forth a king snake, and his offspring will engulf that which flies.
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.
30 And the firstborn of the poor will be pastured, and the poor will rest in faithfulness. And I will cause your root to pass away by famine, and I will put to death your remnant.
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.
31 Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! All of Philistia has been prostrated. For a smoke will arrive from the north, and there is no one who will escape his army.
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.
32 And what will be the response to this news among the nations? It will be that the Lord has established Zion, and that the poor of his people will hope in him.
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.”
