Isaiah 14
1 But the Lord will be merciful to the descendants of Jacob. Once again he will choose Israel and he will bring them back to live once more in their own land. Foreigners will come and join them there, and they will unite with the descendants of Jacob.
For YHWH 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.
2 Nations will go with them and escort them to their own land. The foreigners who stay in the Lord's land will serve the Israelites. In this way the captors become their captives, and they rule over their former oppressors.
The peoples will take them, and bring them to their place. The house of Israel will possess them in YHWH's land for servants and for handmaids. They will take as captives those whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
3 At that time the Lord will give you relief from your pain and trouble, and from the hard labor you were forced to do.
It will happen in the day that YHWH will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard service in which you were made to serve,
4 You will mock the king of Babylon, saying, “How your oppressive rule has been ended, and your insolence stopped!
that you will take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, "How the oppressor has ceased. How the attacker has ceased."
5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the rulers' scepter.
YHWH has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,
6 You kept on furiously hitting foreign peoples without stopping, and aggressively ruled nations with unrestrained persecution.
who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.
7 Now the whole earth rests peacefully, and everyone starts celebrating!
The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet. They break out song.
8 The cypress and cedar trees are glad you're gone. They sing, ‘Since you were cut down no woodcutters are coming to cut us down!’
Yes, the fir trees rejoice with you, with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, "Since you are humbled, no lumberjack has come up against us."
9 Those in the grave beneath are keen to meet you when you arrive. It wakes the spirits of the dead to welcome you, those of all the rulers of the earth. All the kings of the nations stand up from their thrones. (Sheol h7585)
Sheol from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. (Sheol h7585)
10 They will all speak up and tell you, ‘So you too are as weak as we are—you've become just like us!
They all will answer and ask you, "Have you also become as weak as we are? Have you become like us?"
11 Your pride is now buried with you in the grave, along with the harp music you loved. Maggots are the bed you lie on, and worms are your blanket.’ (Sheol h7585)
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)
12 Morning star, son of the dawn, how you have fallen from heaven! Destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground!
How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn. How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low.
13 You said to yourself: ‘I will ascend to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit enthroned on the mountain of meeting, the summit of the northern mountain.
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.
14 I will ascend to the high places above the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High."
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit. (Sheol h7585)
16 Those who see you will stare at you, examining you closely, asking, ‘Is this the man who shook the earth, who made kingdoms tremble?
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;
17 Is this the one who turned the world into a desert, destroyed cities, and never let his prisoners return home?’
who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities; who did not release his prisoners to their home?"
18 All the other kings of the nations lie in splendor in their great mausoleums.
All the kings of the nations lie in splendor, everyone in his own house.
19 But you are thrown out of your grave like a branch nobody wants, buried underneath the bodies of those killed by the sword. You are like a corpse trodden underfoot. You are tossed into a pit full of rocks—
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.
20 you will not be buried like those other kings because you destroyed your own land and killed your own people. The descendants of those who do evil will never survive.
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 mentioned forever.
21 Get ready to execute his sons because of their fathers' sins. Don't let them take over the earth; don't let them fill the whole world with their cities.
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.
22 I will come and attack them, declares the Lord Almighty. I will destroy everything: their reputation, those who remain, their children, and their descendants, says the Lord.
"I will rise up against them," says YHWH of hosts, "and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son's son," says YHWH.
23 I will make Babylon into a place for water birds and into marshland. I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction, declares the Lord Almighty.”
"I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water. I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," says YHWH of hosts.
24 The Lord Almighty has sworn an oath: It will be as I have planned. It will happen as I have decided.
YHWH of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so shall it happen; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
25 I will smash the Assyrians when they are in my country Israel; I will trample them underfoot on my mountains. I will remove their yoke from my people, and take away the burdens they place on my people's shoulders.
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.
26 This is the plan I have made regarding the whole earth; my hand stretches out to control all the nations.
This is the plan that is determined for the whole earth. This is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.
27 The Lord Almighty has made his plan, and who will block it? His hand stretches out, and who will push back against it?
For YHWH of hosts has planned, and who can stop it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"
28 The following message came in the year King Ahaz died.
This burden was in the year that king Ahaz died.
29 All you Philistines, don't celebrate the fact that the rod that was hitting you is broken, because from the root of that snake will grow up a viper, its fruit will be a flying serpent.
Do not 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.
30 The poor will have food, and the needy will live in safety, but you Philistines will die in a famine, and I will kill those who survive.
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.
31 Howl, gates! Weep, town! Melt away in feat, all you Philistines! For a cloud of smoke is approaching from the north—an army with no soldier hanging back.
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.
32 What will be the answer given to the messengers from that nation? “The Lord was the one who laid the foundations of Zion, and that's where his suffering people will be kept safe.”
What then is one to answer the messengers of this nation? That YHWH has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people will take refuge.
