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12 How you have fallen from the heavens,
    O Morning Star,[a] son of the dawn!
How you have been cut down to the earth,
    you who conquered nations!(A)
13 In your heart you said:
    “I will scale the heavens;
Above the stars of God[b]
    I will set up my throne;
I will take my seat on the Mount of Assembly,
    on the heights of Zaphon.(B)
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
    I will be like the Most High!”(C)
15 No! Down to Sheol you will be brought
    to the depths of the pit!(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 14:12 Morning Star: term addressed to the king of Babylon. The Vulgate translates as “Lucifer,” a name applied by the church Fathers to Satan. Son of the dawn: Heb., ben shahar, may reflect the name of a pagan deity.
  2. 14:13–15 God: not Elohim, the common word for God, but El, the name of the head of the pantheon in Canaanite mythology, a god who was early identified with the Lord in Israelite thought. Mount of Assembly: mountain where the council of the gods met, according to Canaanite mythology. Zaphon: the sacred mountain of Baal, originally the Jebel el-Aqra north of Ugarit, but other mountains have been identified with it, including Mount Zion in Jerusalem (Ps 48:3). The attempt to usurp the place of God (v. 14), coupled with the dramatic reversal (“above the stars of God” to “the depths of the pit”) occasioned the interpretation that saw here the rebellion and fall of Satan.

12 How you are fallen from heaven,
    O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
    you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
    above the stars of God;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
    on the heights of Zaphon;[a]
14 I will ascend to the tops of the clouds,
    I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to Sheol,
    to the depths of the Pit.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:13 Or assembly in the far north

12 (A)King of Babylon, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown to the ground. 13 (B)You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. 14 You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty. 15 But instead, you have been brought down to the deepest part of the world of the dead.

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12 How you have (A)fallen from heaven,
You [a](B)star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who defeated the nations!
13 But you said in your heart,
‘I will (C)ascend to heaven;
I will (D)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;
(E)I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 Nevertheless you (F)will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:12 Heb Helel; i.e., shining one

12 How you have fallen(A) from heaven,
    morning star,(B) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!(C)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend(D) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne(E)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,(F)
    on the utmost heights(G) of Mount Zaphon.[a]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;(H)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”(I)
15 But you are brought down(J) to the realm of the dead,(K)
    to the depths(L) of the pit.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.