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Israel’s Restoration and Dominion

14 When Yahweh will (A)have compassion on Jacob and again (B)choose Israel, and [a]put them in their own land, then (C)sojourners will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. And the peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the (D)house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of Yahweh (E)for their male and female slaves; and [b]they will take their captors captive and will have dominion over their taskmasters.

And it will be in the day when Yahweh gives you (F)rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh slavery in which you have been enslaved, that you will (G)take up this [c]taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,

“How (H)the taskmaster has ceased,
And how [d]fury has ceased!
Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers
(I)Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which had dominion over the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.
The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They (J)break forth into shouts of joy.
Even the (K)cypress trees are glad over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’
(L)Sheol from beneath trembles excitedly over you to meet you when you come;
It wakens for you the [e]spirits of the dead, all the [f]leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.
10 (M)They will all answer and say to you,
‘Even you have been made weak as we,
You have become like us.
11 Your (N)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 (O)fallen from heaven,
O [g](P)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 (Q)ascend to heaven;
I will (R)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;
(S)I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 Nevertheless you (T)will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
16 Those who see you will gaze at you,
They will [h]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 (U)wilderness
And pulled down its cities,
Who (V)did not [i]allow his prisoners to go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
Each in his own [j]place.
19 But you have been (W)cast out of your grave
Like an abhorred branch,
[k]Clothed with those killed who are pierced with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the (X)pit
Like a (Y)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 (Z)seed of evildoers not be called upon forever.
21 Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter
Because of the (AA)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 (AB)name and remnant, (AC)offspring and posterity,” declares Yahweh. 23 “I will also make it a possession for the (AD)hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of [l](AE)destruction,” declares Yahweh of hosts.

Yahweh’s Plan to Break Assyrian Rule

24 Yahweh of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, (AF)just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have counseled so it will stand, 25 to (AG)break Assyria in My land, and I will trod him down on My mountains. Then his (AH)yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder. 26 This is the (AI)counsel that is counseled against the whole earth; and this is the (AJ)hand that is stretched out against all the nations. 27 For (AK)Yahweh of hosts has counseled, and who can thwart it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”

An Oracle Concerning Philistia

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

29 “Do not be glad, O (AN)Philistia, all of you,
Because the rod that (AO)struck you is broken;
For from the serpent’s root a (AP)viper will come out,
And its fruit will be a (AQ)flying fiery serpent.
30 [n]And the foremost (AR)of the poor will eat,
And the needy will lie down in security;
I will put to death your root with (AS)famine,
And it will kill off your remnant.
31 Wail, O (AT)gate; cry, O city;
[o]Melt away, O (AU)Philistia, all of you;
For smoke comes from the (AV)north,
And (AW)there is no straggler in his ranks.
32 How then will one answer the (AX)messengers of the nation?
That (AY)Yahweh has founded Zion,
And (AZ)the afflicted of His people will take refuge in it.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:1 Or give them rest, cf. 14:3, 7
  2. Isaiah 14:2 Lit the captors will become their captives
  3. Isaiah 14:4 Or proverb
  4. Isaiah 14:4 Amended from the meaningless medhebah to marhebah
  5. Isaiah 14:9 Or shades
  6. Isaiah 14:9 Lit male goats
  7. Isaiah 14:12 Heb Helel; lit shining one
  8. Isaiah 14:16 Lit show themselves attentive to
  9. Isaiah 14:17 Lit open
  10. Isaiah 14:18 Lit house
  11. Isaiah 14:19 Or As the clothing of those who are slain
  12. Isaiah 14:23 Or extermination, cf. 13:9
  13. Isaiah 14:28 Or burden
  14. Isaiah 14:30 Lit The firstborn of the poor
  15. Isaiah 14:31 Or Become demoralized

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