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Compassion for Jacob

14 The Lord will have compassion on Jacob, will again choose Israel, and will give them rest in their own land. Immigrants will join them, and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. The peoples will take them and will bring them to their own place. The house of Israel will possess them as male and female slaves in the Lord’s land, making captives of their captors and ruling their oppressors.

Mockery of a tyrant

When the Lord has given you rest from pain and trouble and from the hard labor that you perform, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

How the oppressor[a] has ceased!
    How the flood[b] has receded!
The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
    the rod of tyrants that struck peoples in rage with ceaseless blows,
    that ruled nations with anger,
        with relentless aggression.

All the earth rests quietly,
    then it breaks into song.
Even the cypresses rejoice over you,
    the cedars of Lebanon:
    “Since you were laid low,
        no logger comes up against us!”

The underworld[c] beneath becomes restless to greet your arrival.
It awakens the ghosts,
    all the leaders of earth;
it makes the kings of the nations rise from their thrones.
10 All of them speak and say to you:
    “Even you’ve become weak like we are!
    You are the same as us!”
11 Your majesty has been brought down to the underworld,[d]
    along with the sound of your harps.
Under you is a bed of maggots,
    and worms are your blanket.

12 How you’ve fallen from heaven,
    morning star, son of dawn!
You are cut down to earth,
    helpless on your back!
13 You said to yourself, I will climb up to heaven;
    above God’s stars, I will raise my throne.
I’ll sit on the mount of assembly,
    on the heights of Zaphon.
14 I’ll go up to the cloud tops;
    I’ll be like the Most High!
15 But down to the underworld[e] you are brought,
    to the depths of the pit.

16 Those who see you will stare at you;
        they will examine you closely:
    “Is this the man who rattled the earth,
        who shook kingdoms,
17         who made the world a wasteland
        and tore down its cities,
        and wouldn’t let his prisoners go home?”
18 All the kings of the nations lie down honored,
        all of them, each in his own tomb.
19     But you are cast away from your own grave
        like a rejected branch,
        covered by the dead
        and those pierced by the sword—
        who go down to the stony pit—
        like a trampled corpse.
20 You won’t join them in burial,
    for you destroyed your own land;
    you killed your own people.
Such evil offspring will never be mentioned again!

21 Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the guilt of their father. Don’t let them arise to take over the earth or fill the world with cities.

22 I will arise against them, says the Lord of heavenly forces. I will cut off Babylon’s renown and remnant, offshoot and offspring. 23 I will make it the home of herons, a swampland. I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction, says the Lord of heavenly forces.

Promise for oppressed Judah

24 The Lord of heavenly forces has promised:
As I intended, so it will be;
    and as I have planned, so it will happen:
25 I will break Assyria in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample it
    and remove its yoke from my people;[f]
    his burden will be taken from their shoulders.
26 This is the plan that has been made for all the earth;
    this is the hand extended over all the nations.
27 The Lord of heavenly forces has created a plan;
    who can stop it?
God’s hand is extended;
    who will stop it?

An oracle concerning the Philistines

28 This oracle came in the year of King Ahaz’s death:

29 Don’t rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken,
    because from the snake’s root a viper will grow,
    and it will produce a winged creature.
30 The oldest offspring of the poor will graze;
    their needy will lie down secure.
But he will starve your offspring to death,
    and murder all who remain.
31 Wail, gate! Cry out, city!
        Melt in terror, all you Philistines!
    Smoke is coming from the north;
        there is no straggler in its ranks.[g]
32 What will one say to that nation’s messengers?
    The Lord has founded Zion;
        the oppressed among God’s people will find refuge there.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:4 Heb uncertain
  2. Isaiah 14:4 DSS (1QIsaa), LXX, Syr, Tg; MT fury
  3. Isaiah 14:9 Heb Sheol
  4. Isaiah 14:11 Heb Sheol
  5. Isaiah 14:15 Heb Sheol
  6. Isaiah 14:25 Or them
  7. Isaiah 14:31 Heb uncertain

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.