Isaiah 14
New Living Translation
A Taunt for Babylon’s King
14 But the Lord will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. He will choose Israel as his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and unite with the people of Israel.[a] 2 The nations of the world will help the people of Israel to return, and those who come to live in the Lord’s land will serve them. Those who captured Israel will themselves be captured, and Israel will rule over its enemies.
3 In that wonderful day when the Lord gives his people rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains, 4 you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say,
“The mighty man has been destroyed.
Yes, your insolence[b] is ended.
5 For the Lord has crushed your wicked power
and broken your evil rule.
6 You struck the people with endless blows of rage
and held the nations in your angry grip
with unrelenting tyranny.
7 But finally the earth is at rest and quiet.
Now it can sing again!
8 Even the trees of the forest—
the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon—
sing out this joyous song:
‘Since you have been cut down,
no one will come now to cut us down!’
9 “In the place of the dead[c] there is excitement
over your arrival.
The spirits of world leaders and mighty kings long dead
stand up to see you.
10 With one voice they all cry out,
‘Now you are as weak as we are!
11 Your might and power were buried with you.[d]
The sound of the harp in your palace has ceased.
Now maggots are your sheet,
and worms your blanket.’
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O shining star, son of the morning!
You have been thrown down to the earth,
you who destroyed the nations of the world.
13 For you said to yourself,
‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars.
I will preside on the mountain of the gods
far away in the north.[e]
14 I will climb to the highest heavens
and be like the Most High.’
15 Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead,
down to its lowest depths.
16 Everyone there will stare at you and ask,
‘Can this be the one who shook the earth
and made the kingdoms of the world tremble?
17 Is this the one who destroyed the world
and made it into a wasteland?
Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities
and had no mercy on his prisoners?’
18 “The kings of the nations lie in stately glory,
each in his own tomb,
19 but you will be thrown out of your grave
like a worthless branch.
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
you will be dumped into a mass grave
with those killed in battle.
You will descend to the pit.
20 You will not be given a proper burial,
for you have destroyed your nation
and slaughtered your people.
The descendants of such an evil person
will never again receive honor.
21 Kill this man’s children!
Let them die because of their father’s sins!
They must not rise and conquer the earth,
filling the world with their cities.”
22 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“I, myself, have risen against Babylon!
I will destroy its children and its children’s children,”
says the Lord.
23 “I will make Babylon a desolate place of owls,
filled with swamps and marshes.
I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction.
I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”
A Message about Assyria
24 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath:
“It will all happen as I have planned.
It will be as I have decided.
25 I will break the Assyrians when they are in Israel;
I will trample them on my mountains.
My people will no longer be their slaves
nor bow down under their heavy loads.
26 I have a plan for the whole earth,
a hand of judgment upon all the nations.
27 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—
who can change his plans?
When his hand is raised,
who can stop him?”
A Message about Philistia
28 This message came to me the year King Ahaz died:[f]
29 Do not rejoice, you Philistines,
that the rod that struck you is broken—
that the king who attacked you is dead.
For from that snake a more poisonous snake will be born,
a fiery serpent to destroy you!
30 I will feed the poor in my pasture;
the needy will lie down in peace.
But as for you, I will wipe you out with famine
and destroy the few who remain.
31 Wail at the gates! Weep in the cities!
Melt with fear, you Philistines!
A powerful army comes like smoke from the north.
Each soldier rushes forward eager to fight.
32 What should we tell the Philistine messengers? Tell them,
“The Lord has built Jerusalem[g];
its walls will give refuge to his oppressed people.”
Footnotes
- 14:1 Hebrew the house of Jacob. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
- 14:4 As in Dead Sea Scrolls; the meaning of the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- 14:9 Hebrew Sheol; also in 14:15.
- 14:11 Hebrew were brought down to Sheol.
- 14:13 Or on the heights of Zaphon.
- 14:28 King Ahaz died in 715 B.c.
- 14:32 Hebrew Zion.
Isaiah 14
International Standard Version
Israel Mocks Babylon’s King
14 However, the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will once again choose Israel. He will settle them in their own land, and foreigners will join them, affiliating themselves with the house of Jacob. 2 Many[a] nations will take them and bring them to their land and[b] their own place. The house of Israel will put those nations[c] to conscripted labor[d] in the Lord’s land. They will take captive those who were their captors, and will rule continually[e] over those who oppressed them.
3 At the time,[f] when the Lord gives you rest from your suffering, turmoil, and the cruel bondage which they forced you to serve,[g] 4 you will lift up this song of mockery against[h] the king of Babylon:
“How the oppressor has come to an end!
How the attacker[i] has ceased!
5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers,
6 that struck down peoples in anger
with unceasing blows,
that oppressed nations in fury
with relentless persecution.
7 The entire earth is at rest and peace;
its inhabitants[j] break into song.
8 Even the cypresses rejoice over you,
as do[k] the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Now that you’ve been laid low,
no woodcutter comes up against us.’[l]
9 “The afterlife[m] below is all astir
to meet you when you arrive;[n]
it rouses up the spirits of the dead to greet you—
everyone who used to be world leaders.
It has raised up from their thrones
all who used to be kings of the nations.
10 In answer, all of them[o] will tell you,
‘You’ve also become as weak as we are!
You have become just like us!’
11 Your[p] pomp has been brought down to Sheol,[q]
along with the noise of your harps.
Maggots are spread out beneath you,
and worms are your covering.”[r]
The Fall of the Day Star
12 “How you have fallen from heaven,
Day Star,[s] son of the Dawn![t]
How you have been thrown down to earth,
you who laid low the nation![u]
13 You said in your heart,
‘I’ll ascend to heaven,
above the stars of God.
I’ll erect my throne;
I’ll sit[v] on the Mount of Assembly
in the far reaches of the north;[w]
14 I’ll ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I’ll make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to join the dead,[x]
to the far reaches of the Pit.[y]
16 “Those who see you will stare at you.
They will wonder about you:
‘Is this the man who[z] made the earth tremble,
who made kingdoms quake,
17 who made the world like a desert,
who[aa] destroyed its cities,
who would not open the jails for his prisoners?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie[ab] in state,
each in his own tomb.
19 But you are cast away from your grave,
like a repulsive branch,
your clothing is the slain,
those pierced by the sword;
those who go down to the Pit.[ac]
Like a dead body trampled underfoot,
20 you will not be united[ad] with them[ae] in burial,
for you have destroyed your land,
you have slain your people.
People will never mention
the descendants of those who practice evil again![af]
21 Prepare a massacre for his sons
because of the guilt of their forefathers!
They are not to rise and inherit the earth,
and cover[ag] the surface of the world with cities.”
Babylon’s Desolation
22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and I will eliminate from Babylon her name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,”[ah] declares the Lord. 23 “And[ai] I’m going to make it a possession of the hedgehog—pools[aj] of water—and I’ll sweep[ak] with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
24 The Lord of the Heavenly Armies has sworn:
“Surely as I have planned,
that’s what she[al] will become;[am]
and just as I have determined,
so will it remain—
25 to crush the Assyrian in my land,
and on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke[an] will turn away from you,[ao]
and his burden from your[ap] shoulders.”
26 “This is what I’ve planned
for the whole earth,
and this is the hand that is stretched out
over all the nations.
27 For the Lord of the Heavenly Armies has planned,
and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out,
and who can turn it back?”
A Pronouncement against Philistia
28 In the year that King Ahaz died this message[aq] came:
29 “Don’t rejoice, all of you Philistines,
that the rod that struck you is broken,
because from the snake’s root a viper will spring up,
and its offspring[ar] will be a darting, poisonous serpent.
30 The firstborn of the poor will find pasture,
and the needy will lie down in safety;
but I’ll kill your root[as] by famine,
and I’ll[at] execute your survivors.
31 Wail, you gate!
Cry out, you city!
Melt away,[au] all you Philistines!
For smoke comes from the north,
and there’s no one to take measure[av] in its festivals.[aw]
32 How will they[ax] answer the messengers of the nation?
“The Lord has founded Zion,
and in it[ay] the afflicted among his people will find refuge.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 14:2 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack Many
- Isaiah 14:2 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read and to
- Isaiah 14:2 Lit. put them
- Isaiah 14:2 Lit. to male and female slavery
- Isaiah 14:2 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsac LXX MT read rule
- Isaiah 14:3 Lit. day
- Isaiah 14:3 So 1QIsaa 4QIsae; MT LXX read which you were forced to serve
- Isaiah 14:4 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsae reads to
- Isaiah 14:4 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads. the golden city
- Isaiah 14:7 Lit. they
- Isaiah 14:8 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack as do
- Isaiah 14:8 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsae reads against them
- Isaiah 14:9 Lit. Sheol, i.e. the realm of the dead
- Isaiah 14:9 Lit. at your coming
- Isaiah 14:10 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsae lacks of them
- Isaiah 14:11 1QIsaa reads The; MT LXX lack Your
- Isaiah 14:11 I.e. the realm of the dead
- Isaiah 14:11 So LXX; MT reads and a worm covers you
- Isaiah 14:12 So MT; Vg reads Lucifer
- Isaiah 14:12 I.e. Lucifer
- Isaiah 14:12 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsae MT read the nations; LXX reads all the nations
- Isaiah 14:13 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads and I will sit
- Isaiah 14:13 Lit. Zaphon; or the Sacred Mountain
- Isaiah 14:15 Lit. to Sheol, i.e. the realm of the dead
- Isaiah 14:15 I.e. the realm of punishment in the afterlife
- Isaiah 14:16 So 1QIsaa LXX; the Heb. lacks who
- Isaiah 14:17 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read and who
- Isaiah 14:18 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads nations, every one of them lies
- Isaiah 14:19 So 1QIsaa; i.e. to the realm of punishment in the afterlife; LXX reads to Hades; 1QIsaa corrector MT read to the stones of the Pit
- Isaiah 14:20 So 1QIsaa; Lit. under; MT reads joined
- Isaiah 14:20 I.e. with the dead
- Isaiah 14:20 So 1QIsaa; MT reads May the descendants of those who practice of evil never be mentioned again!; LXX reads May you not remain forever, you evil seed!
- Isaiah 14:21 Lit. fill
- Isaiah 14:22 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and her offspring and descendants; LXX lacks and descendants
- Isaiah 14:23 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack And
- Isaiah 14:23 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and pools
- Isaiah 14:23 So 1QIsaa; MT reads sweep it
- Isaiah 14:24 I.e. Babylon
- Isaiah 14:24 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads so has she been
- Isaiah 14:25 I.e. Assyria’s oppressive domination
- Isaiah 14:25 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read from them
- Isaiah 14:25 So 1QIsaa; MT reads their
- Isaiah 14:28 Lit. oracle
- Isaiah 14:29 Lit. fruit
- Isaiah 14:30 I.e. the source of their strengths
- Isaiah 14:30 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read he
- Isaiah 14:31 Or melt in fear
- Isaiah 14:31 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsao MT read no straggler
- Isaiah 14:31 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsao reads ranks
- Isaiah 14:32 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads one
- Isaiah 14:32 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads her
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