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Isaiah 14:3-23
Legacy Standard Bible
Isaiah 14:3-23
Legacy Standard Bible
3 And it will be in the day when Yahweh gives you (A)rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh slavery in which you have been enslaved, 4 that you will (B)take up this [a]taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,
“How (C)the taskmaster has ceased,
And how [b]fury has ceased!
5 Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers
6 (D)Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which had dominion over the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.
7 The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They (E)break forth into shouts of joy.
8 Even the (F)cypress trees are glad over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’
9 (G)Sheol from beneath trembles excitedly over you to meet you when you come;
It wakens for you the [c]spirits of the dead, all the [d]leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.
10 (H)They will all answer and say to you,
‘Even you have been made weak as we,
You have become like us.
11 Your (I)pride and the music of your harps
Have been brought down to Sheol;
Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you
And worms are your covering.’
12 How you have (J)fallen from heaven,
O [e](K)star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
13 But you said in your heart,
‘I will (L)ascend to heaven;
I will (M)raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
(N)I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 Nevertheless you (O)will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
16 Those who see you will gaze at you,
They will [f]carefully consider you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who caused kingdoms to quake,
17 Who made the world like a (P)wilderness
And pulled down its cities,
Who (Q)did not [g]allow his prisoners to go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
Each in his own [h]place.
19 But you have been (R)cast out of your grave
Like an abhorred branch,
[i]Clothed with those killed who are pierced with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the (S)pit
Like a (T)trampled corpse.
20 You will not be united with them in burial,
Because you have ruined your country,
You have killed your people.
May the (U)seed of evildoers not be called upon forever.
21 Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter
Because of the (V)iniquity of their fathers.
They must not arise and take possession of the earth
And fill the face of the world with cities.”
22 “I will rise up against them,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon (W)name and remnant, (X)offspring and posterity,” declares Yahweh. 23 “I will also make it a possession for the (Y)hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of [j](Z)destruction,” declares Yahweh of hosts.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Isaiah 14:4 Or proverb
- Isaiah 14:4 Amended from the meaningless medhebah to marhebah
- Isaiah 14:9 Or shades
- Isaiah 14:9 Lit male goats
- Isaiah 14:12 Heb Helel; lit shining one
- Isaiah 14:16 Lit show themselves attentive to
- Isaiah 14:17 Lit open
- Isaiah 14:18 Lit house
- Isaiah 14:19 Or As the clothing of those who are slain
- Isaiah 14:23 Or extermination, cf. 13:9
Isaiah 14:3-23
Common English Bible
Isaiah 14:3-23
Common English Bible
Mockery of a tyrant
3 When the Lord has given you rest from pain and trouble and from the hard labor that you perform, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:
How the oppressor[a] has ceased!
How the flood[b] has receded!
5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
the rod of tyrants 6 that struck peoples in rage with ceaseless blows,
that ruled nations with anger,
with relentless aggression.
7 All the earth rests quietly,
then it breaks into song.
8 Even the cypresses rejoice over you,
the cedars of Lebanon:
“Since you were laid low,
no logger comes up against us!”
9 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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Isaiah 14:4 Heb uncertain
- Isaiah 14:4 DSS (1QIsaa), LXX, Syr, Tg; MT fury
- Isaiah 14:9 Heb Sheol
- Isaiah 14:11 Heb Sheol
- Isaiah 14:15 Heb Sheol
Isaiah 14:3-23
New International Version
Isaiah 14:3-23
New International Version
3 On the day the Lord gives you relief(A) from your suffering and turmoil(B) and from the harsh labor forced on you,(C) 4 you will take up this taunt(D) against the king of Babylon:(E)
How the oppressor(F) has come to an end!
How his fury[a] has ended!
5 The Lord has broken the rod(G) of the wicked,(H)
the scepter(I) of the rulers,
6 which in anger struck down peoples(J)
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued(K) nations
with relentless aggression.(L)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;(M)
they break into singing.(N)
8 Even the junipers(O) and the cedars of Lebanon
gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
no one comes to cut us down.”(P)
9 The realm of the dead(Q) below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed(R) to greet you—
all those who were leaders(S) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.(T)
10 They will all respond,
they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.”(U)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,(V)
along with the noise of your harps;(W)
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms(X) cover you.(Y)
12 How you have fallen(Z) from heaven,
morning star,(AA) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!(AB)
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend(AC) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne(AD)
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,(AE)
on the utmost heights(AF) of Mount Zaphon.[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;(AG)
I will make myself like the Most High.”(AH)
15 But you are brought down(AI) to the realm of the dead,(AJ)
to the depths(AK) of the pit.(AL)
16 Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:(AM)
“Is this the man who shook(AN) the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,(AO)
who overthrew(AP) its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”(AQ)
18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.(AR)
19 But you are cast out(AS) of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,(AT)
with those pierced by the sword,(AU)
those who descend to the stones of the pit.(AV)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20 you will not join them in burial,(AW)
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
Let the offspring(AX) of the wicked(AY)
never be mentioned(AZ) again.
21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children(BA)
for the sins of their ancestors;(BB)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
and cover the earth with their cities.
22 “I will rise up(BC) against them,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name(BD) and survivors,
her offspring and descendants,(BE)”
declares the Lord.
23 “I will turn her into a place for owls(BF)
and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,(BG)”
declares the Lord Almighty.(BH)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
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Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.