1The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners will join them and unite with the descendants of Jacob.2Nations will take them and bring them to their own place. And Israel will take possession of the nations and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.3On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labour forced on you,4you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury[1] has ended!5The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers,6which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.7All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing.8Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say, ‘Now that you have been laid low, no-one comes to cut us down.’9The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you – all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones – all those who were kings over the nations.10They will all respond, they will say to you, ‘You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.’11All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.12How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!13You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.[2]14I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’15But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.16Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: ‘Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble,17the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?’18All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb.19But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot,20you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people. Let the offspring of the wicked never be mentioned again.21Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities.22‘I will rise up against them,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘I will wipe out Babylon’s name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,’ declares the Lord.23‘I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,’ declares the Lord Almighty.24The Lord Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.25I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.’26This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations.27For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
A prophecy against the Philistines
28This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died:29Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.30The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors.31Wail, you gate! Howl, you city! Melt away, all you Philistines! A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks.32What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? ‘The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.’
Isaiah 14
English Standard Version
The Restoration of Jacob
1For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. (2Ch 36:22; Ps 102:13; Zec 1:17; Zec 8:22; Eph 2:12)2And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the Lord’s land as male and female slaves.[1] They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. (Isa 49:22; Isa 60:9; Isa 60:14; Isa 61:5; Isa 66:20; Joe 3:8)
Israel’s Remnant Taunts Babylon
3When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve,4you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury[2] ceased! (Jer 51:13; Mic 2:4; Hab 2:6; Re 18:16)5The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, (Isa 9:4)6that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution. (Jer 50:23)7The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing. (Isa 44:23; Isa 49:13; Isa 54:1; Isa 55:12)8The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.’ (Isa 2:13; Isa 37:24; Eze 31:16)9Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.10All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!’ (Jer 51:48)11Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers.12“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! (Job 38:7; Isa 24:21; Isa 34:3)13You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;[3] (Jer 51:53; Da 5:22; Am 9:2; Mt 11:23; Lu 10:15; 2Th 2:4)14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’15But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. (Eze 32:23; Mt 11:23; Lu 10:15)16Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, (Jer 50:23)17who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?’ (Jer 50:33)18All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;[4]19but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot. (Eze 32:20)20You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. “May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named! (Job 18:19; Ps 21:10; Ps 109:13)21Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.” (Ex 20:5; Mt 23:35)22“I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the Lord. (Ge 21:23; Job 18:19; Jer 51:50; Jer 51:62)23“And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog,[5] and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts. (Isa 34:11; Zep 2:14)
An Oracle Concerning Assyria
24The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand, (Pr 19:21)25that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” (Isa 9:4; Isa 10:27; Isa 37:36)26This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. (De 4:34)27For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? (2Ch 20:6; Job 9:12; Ps 33:11; Pr 21:30; Isa 14:26; Da 4:31; Da 4:33; Da 4:35)
An Oracle Concerning Philistia
28In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: (2Ki 16:20; Isa 13:1)29Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent’s root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent. (Ex 15:14; Nu 21:6; Ps 60:8; Ps 87:4; Ps 108:9; Isa 10:24; Isa 30:6; Jer 46:22)30And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay. (Isa 29:19; Zep 3:12)31Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. (Isa 13:6; Isa 14:29; Isa 20:1; Isa 24:12)32What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The Lord has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” (Ps 87:1; Ps 87:5; Ps 102:16; Ps 132:13; Isa 28:16)