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The Restoration of Judah

14 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob,
    and will yet choose Israel,
    and set them in their own land.
Then the strangers shall be joined with them,
    and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
The people shall take them
    and bring them to their place,
and the house of Israel shall possess them
    in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids;
and they shall take them captive, whose captives they were,
    and they shall rule over their oppressors.

The Fall of Babylon’s King

In the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear, and from the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, you shall take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say:

How has the oppressor ceased!
    The golden city ceased!
The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
    and the scepter of the rulers;
he who struck the people in wrath with unceasing strokes,
    he who ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and no one hinders.
The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
    they break forth into singing.
Indeed, the fir trees rejoice at you,
    and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
“Since you are laid down,
    no tree cutter has come up against us.”

Hell from beneath is moved for you
    to meet you at your coming;
it stirs up the dead for you,
    even all the chief ones of the earth;
it has raised up from their thrones
    all the kings of the nations.
10 They all shall speak
    and say to you:
“Have you also become as weak as we have?
    Have you become like us?”
11 Your pomp is brought down to Hell,
    and the noise of your harps;
maggots are spread under you,
    and the worms cover you.

12 How are you fallen from heaven,
    O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
    you who weaken the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart,
    “I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne
    above the stars of God;
I will sit also on the mount of the congregation,
    in the recesses of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
    I will be like the Most High.”
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Hell,
    to the sides of the pit.

16 Those who see you shall stare at you
    and ponder over you:
“Is this the man who made the earth
    to tremble and shook kingdoms,
17 who made the world as a wilderness
    and destroyed its cities,
    who did not open the house of his prisoners?”

18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory,
    each one in his own tomb;
19 but you are cast out of your grave
    like an abominable branch
and clothed with those who are slain,
    thrust through with a sword,
    who go down to the stones of the pit
as a corpse trodden underfoot.
20     You shall not be joined with them in burial
because you have destroyed your land
    and slain your people.

The seed of evildoers
    shall never be renowned.
21 Prepare a place of slaughter for his children
    for the iniquity of their fathers;
they must not rise nor possess the land,
    nor fill the face of the world with cities.

22 For I will rise up against them,
    says the Lord of Hosts,
and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant,
    and son, and nephew,
    says the Lord.
23 I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog
    and pools of water,
and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,
    says the Lord of Hosts.

An Oracle Concerning Assyria

24 The Lord of Hosts has sworn, saying:

Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass,
    and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
25 that I will break the Assyrian in My land,
    and on My mountains tread him under foot.
Then shall his yoke depart from off them
    and his burden depart from off their shoulders.

26 This is the purpose that is purposed on the whole earth,
    and this is the hand that is stretched out on all the nations.
27 For the Lord of Hosts has purposed, and who shall disannul it?
    And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

An Oracle Concerning Philistia

28 In the year that King Ahaz died was this oracle:

29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you,
    because the rod that struck you is broken;
for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a viper,
    and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
30 The firstborn of the poor shall feed,
    and the needy shall lie down in safety:
and I will kill your root with famine,
    and he shall slay your remnant.

31 Wail, O gate. Cry, O city.
    Melt away, O Philistia, all of you;
for smoke shall come from the north,
    and there is no straggler in his ranks.
32 What shall one then answer
    the messengers of the nation?
That the Lord has founded Zion,
    and the poor of His people shall trust in it.

14 The Lord will have compassion(A) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose(B) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.(C)
Foreigners(D) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
Nations will take them
    and bring(E) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations(F)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives(G) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.(H)

On the day the Lord gives you relief(I) from your suffering and turmoil(J) and from the harsh labor forced on you,(K) you will take up this taunt(L) against the king of Babylon:(M)

How the oppressor(N) has come to an end!
    How his fury[a] has ended!
The Lord has broken the rod(O) of the wicked,(P)
    the scepter(Q) of the rulers,
which in anger struck down peoples(R)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued(S) nations
    with relentless aggression.(T)
All the lands are at rest and at peace;(U)
    they break into singing.(V)
Even the junipers(W) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”(X)

The realm of the dead(Y) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed(Z) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders(AA) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.(AB)
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”(AC)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,(AD)
    along with the noise of your harps;(AE)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms(AF) cover you.(AG)

12 How you have fallen(AH) from heaven,
    morning star,(AI) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!(AJ)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend(AK) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne(AL)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,(AM)
    on the utmost heights(AN) of Mount Zaphon.[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;(AO)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”(AP)
15 But you are brought down(AQ) to the realm of the dead,(AR)
    to the depths(AS) of the pit.(AT)

16 Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:(AU)
“Is this the man who shook(AV) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,(AW)
    who overthrew(AX) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”(AY)

18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.(AZ)
19 But you are cast out(BA) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,(BB)
    with those pierced by the sword,(BC)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.(BD)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20     you will not join them in burial,(BE)
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring(BF) of the wicked(BG)
    never be mentioned(BH) again.
21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children(BI)
    for the sins of their ancestors;(BJ)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

22 “I will rise up(BK) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name(BL) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,(BM)
declares the Lord.
23 “I will turn her into a place for owls(BN)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,(BO)
    declares the Lord Almighty.(BP)

24 The Lord Almighty has sworn,(BQ)

“Surely, as I have planned,(BR) so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.(BS)
25 I will crush the Assyrian(BT) in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke(BU) will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.(BV)

26 This is the plan(BW) determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand(BX) stretched out over all nations.
27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed,(BY) and who can thwart him?
    His hand(BZ) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?(CA)

A Prophecy Against the Philistines

28 This prophecy(CB) came in the year(CC) King Ahaz(CD) died:

29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,(CE)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,(CF)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.(CG)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy(CH) will lie down in safety.(CI)
But your root I will destroy by famine;(CJ)
    it will slay(CK) your survivors.(CL)

31 Wail,(CM) you gate!(CN) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!(CO)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,(CP)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.(CQ)
32 What answer shall be given
    to the envoys(CR) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,(CS)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.(CT)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
  2. Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.