The Restoration of Jacob

14 (A)For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and (B)will set them in their own land, and (C)sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. And (D)the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the Lord's land (E)as male and female slaves.[a] (F)They will take captive those who were their captors, (G)and rule over those who oppressed them.

Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon

When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, you will take up this (H)taunt against the king of Babylon:

“How the oppressor has ceased,
    (I)the insolent fury[b] ceased!
The Lord has broken the (J)staff of the wicked,
    the (K)scepter of rulers,
(L)that struck the peoples in wrath
    with unceasing blows,
that ruled the nations in anger
    with unrelenting persecution.
The whole earth is at rest and quiet;
    (M)they break forth into singing.
(N)(O)The cypresses rejoice at you,
    (P)the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low,
    no woodcutter comes up against us.’
Sheol 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.
10 (Q)All of them will answer
    and say to you:
‘You too have become as weak as we!
    You have become like us!’
11 Your 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 (R)you are fallen from heaven,
    O Day Star, (S)son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
    you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
    (T)‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
    (U)I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
    in the far reaches of the north;[c]
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 (V)But you are brought down to Sheol,
    to the far reaches of the pit.
16 Those who see you will stare at you
    and ponder over you:
‘Is this (W)the man who made the earth tremble,
    who shook kingdoms,
17 who made the world like a desert
    and overthrew its cities,
    (X)who did not let his prisoners go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
    each in his own tomb;[d]
19 but you are cast out, away from your grave,
    like a loathed branch,
(Y)clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword,
    who go down to the stones of the pit,
    like a dead body trampled underfoot.
20 You will not be joined with them in burial,
    because you have destroyed your land,
    you have slain your people.

“May (Z)the offspring of evildoers
    nevermore be named!
21 Prepare slaughter for his sons
    (AA)because of the guilt of their fathers,
lest they rise and possess the earth,
    and fill the face of the world with cities.”

22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and (AB)remnant, (AC)descendants and posterity,” declares the Lord. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the (AD)hedgehog,[e] and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.

An Oracle Concerning Assyria

24 The Lord of hosts has sworn:
(AE)“As I have planned,
    so shall it be,
and as I have purposed,
    so shall it stand,
25 that (AF)I will break the Assyrian in my land,
    and on my mountains trample him underfoot;
and (AG)his yoke shall depart from them,
    and (AH)his burden from their shoulder.”

26 This is the purpose that is purposed
    concerning the whole earth,
and this is (AI)the hand that is stretched out
    over all the nations.
27 (AJ)For the Lord of hosts has purposed,
    and who will annul it?
(AK)His hand is stretched out,
    and who will turn it back?

An Oracle Concerning Philistia

28 In the year that (AL)King Ahaz died came this (AM)oracle:

29 Rejoice not, (AN)O Philistia, all of you,
    that (AO)the rod that struck you is broken,
for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder,
    and its fruit will be a (AP)flying fiery serpent.
30 And the firstborn of (AQ)the poor will graze,
    and (AR)the needy lie down in safety;
but I will kill your root with famine,
    and your remnant it will slay.
31 (AS)Wail, O (AT)gate; cry out, O city;
    melt in fear, (AU)O Philistia, all of you!
(AV)For smoke comes out of the north,
    and there is no straggler in his ranks.

32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation?
(AW)“The Lord has founded Zion,
    and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:2 Or servants
  2. Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scroll (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain
  3. Isaiah 14:13 Or in the remote parts of Zaphon
  4. Isaiah 14:18 Hebrew house
  5. Isaiah 14:23 Possibly porcupine, or owl

14 For Hashem will have compassion on Ya’akov, and will yet choose Yisroel, and set them in their own adamah (land); and the ger (alien) shall be joined with them, and they shall unite themselves to the Bais Ya’akov.

And the nations shall take them, and bring them to their makom (place, home); and Bais Yisroel shall possess them as an inheritance in the Admat Hashem (Land of Hashem) for avadim and shifchot; and they shall take their captors captive; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

And it shall come to pass in the day that Hashem shall give thee rest from thy etzev (sorrow), and from thy rogez (turmoil), and from the avodah hakashah (hard bondage) wherein thou wast made to serve,

That thou shalt take up this mashal against Melech Bavel, and say, How hath the nogesh (oppressor) ceased! How hast fury ceased!

Hashem hath broken the matteh (rod) of the resha’im (wicked), and the shevet (sceptre) of the moshlim (rulers).

Which struck the peoples in wrath with makkat bilti sarah (a continual stroke), which ruled the Goyim in anger, with unrestrained aggression.

Kol ha’aretz is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into rinnah (joyful shouts).

Indeed, the cypress trees rejoice over thee, and the cedars of Levanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no hakoret ([forest] cutter) is come up against us.

Sheol from beneath is astir for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the refa’im for thee, even all the attudei aretz (he-goat world leaders); it hath raised up from their kise’ot (thrones) all the melachim of the Goyim.

10 Kullam (all of them) shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us?

11 Thy ga’on (pomp, pride) is brought down to Sheol, and the noise of thy nevalim (harps); the rimmah (graveworm) is spread out under thee, and the tola’at (worm) covers thee.

12 How art thou fallen from Shomayim, O Heilel Ben Shachar (Bright One of the Dawn, Day Star, Lucifer)! How art thou cast down to the earth, thou, which hast laid low the Goyim!

13 For thou hast said in thine lev, I will ascend into Shomayim, I will exalt my kisse above the kokhavim (stars) of El (G-d); I will sit also upon the har mo’ed (mount of assembly), on yarketei Tzafon (on the heights of Tzafon);

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like Elyon (the Most High).

15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the bor (pit).

16 They that see thee shall gaze at thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the ish (man) that made ha’aretz to tremble, that did shake mamlechot (kingdoms);

17 That made the tevel (world) like a midbar (desert), and overthrew the towns thereof; that would not release his prisoners to go home?

18 Kol melachim (all kings) of the Goyim, even all of them, lie in kavod, every one in his own bais (house, i.e., tomb).

19 But thou art cast out of thy kever like a rejected netzer (branch, see Mt 2:23); and your raiment is those that are slain, thrust through with a cherev, that go down to the stones of the bor (pit); as a peger (corpse) trodden under feet.

20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in kevurah (burial), because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people; the zera of ra’im (evildoers) shall never be renowned.

21 Prepare the matbe’ach (slaughterhouse) for his banim for the avon (iniquity) of their avot; that they do not rise, nor inherit eretz, nor cover the surface of the tevel (earth) with towns.

22 For I will rise up against them, saith Hashem Tzva’os, and I will cut off from Bavel the shem, and she’ar (remainder), and offspring, and posterity, saith Hashem.

23 I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog, and swamps of mayim; and I will sweep it with the mat’ate (broom) of shmad (destruction), saith Hashem Tzva’os.

24 Hashem Tzva’os hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have intended, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand;

25 That I will break Ashur (the Assyrian) in My land, and upon My harim (mountains) trample him under foot; then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden be removed from off their shekhem (shoulder).

26 This is the etzah (plan) that is purposed upon kol ha’aretz; and this is the Yad (hand) that is stretched out over kol HaGoyim (all the nations).

27 For Hashem Tzva’os hath purposed, and who shall annul it? And His Yad is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

28 In the year of the mot HaMelech Achaz came this massa (burden, oracle);

29 Rejoice not thou, all ye of Peleshet (Philistia), because the shevet (rod) of him that struck thee is broken; for out of the shoresh nachash (snake’s root) shall spring up a viper, and its pri (fruit) shall be a fiery flying serpent.

30 And the bechorei dalim (the firstborn of the poor ones) shall eat, and the evyonim (needy ones) shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy shoresh (root) with ra’av (famine), and it shall slay thy she’erit (remnant, survivors).

31 Wail, O sha’ar (gate); howl, O ir; all ye of Peleshet, melt away; for there shall come from the tzafon (north) an ashan (smoke), and none shall be a straggler in his ranks.

32 What shall one then answer the malachim (messengers) of the nation? That Hashem hath established Tziyon, and the afflicted of His people shall take refuge in her.