Isaiah 14:28-30

The Voice

While most of Isaiah’s messages are directed to the people of Judah, he pronounces other oracles against neighboring nations and empires. This is typical of most prophets. Chapters 13–23 contain a number of oracles (or prophetic messages) addressed to the nations and cities such as Assyria, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Cush, Egypt, Babylon, and others. Each message is distinct, for the sins of their citizens and the threats they face are unique to them. Still each message contains an overriding, dominant claim: God is sovereign over all the earth; and although He has a special relationship with Israel and Judah, all the nations must ultimately bow before God.

²⁸When our king, Ahaz, died having endured and survived Assyria’s attacks against us, the prophet received this message.

²⁹Don’t get too excited, Philistia, because your enemy is dead.
    The rod that struck you may be broken,
But from the root of the serpent, a viper will come out;
    the offspring of that viper will be a flying cobra.
³⁰The poor among us will have enough to eat;
    the needy and most vulnerable will sleep in peace.
But I will go after your key people with famine,
    and then wipe out any who remain.