Isaiah 14:3-23
English Standard Version
Israel's Remnant Taunts Babylon
3 When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will take up this (A)taunt against the king of Babylon:
“How the oppressor has ceased,
(B)the insolent fury[a] ceased!
5 The Lord has broken the (C)staff of the wicked,
the (D)scepter of rulers,
6 (E)that struck the peoples in wrath
with unceasing blows,
that ruled the nations in anger
with unrelenting persecution.
7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet;
(F)they break forth into singing.
8 (G)(H)The cypresses rejoice at you,
(I)the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low,
no woodcutter comes up against us.’
9 Sheol beneath is stirred up
to meet you when you come;
it rouses the shades to greet you,
all who were leaders of the earth;
it raises from their thrones
all who were kings of the nations.
10 (J)All of them will answer
and say to you:
‘You too have become as weak as we!
You have become like us!’
11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
the sound of your harps;
maggots are laid as a bed beneath you,
and worms are your covers.
12 “How (K)you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, (L)son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
(M)‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
(N)I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;[b]
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 (O)But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the far reaches of the pit.
16 Those who see you will stare at you
and ponder over you:
‘Is this (P)the man who made the earth tremble,
who shook kingdoms,
17 who made the world like a desert
and overthrew its cities,
(Q)who did not let his prisoners go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
each in his own tomb;[c]
19 but you are cast out, away from your grave,
like a loathed branch,
(R)clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword,
who go down to the stones of the pit,
like a dead body trampled underfoot.
20 You will not be joined with them in burial,
because you have destroyed your land,
you have slain your people.
“May (S)the offspring of evildoers
nevermore be named!
21 Prepare slaughter for his sons
(T)because of the guilt of their fathers,
lest they rise and possess the earth,
and fill the face of the world with cities.”
22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and (U)remnant, (V)descendants and posterity,” declares the Lord. 23 “And I will make it a possession of the (W)hedgehog,[d] and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scroll (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain
- Isaiah 14:13 Or in the remote parts of Zaphon
- Isaiah 14:18 Hebrew house
- Isaiah 14:23 Possibly porcupine, or owl
Isaiah 14:3-23
International Standard Version
3 At the time,[a] when the Lord gives you rest from your suffering, turmoil, and the cruel bondage which they forced you to serve,[b] 4 you will lift up this song of mockery against[c] the king of Babylon:
“How the oppressor has come to an end!
How the attacker[d] 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[e] break into song.
8 Even the cypresses rejoice over you,
as do[f] the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Now that you’ve been laid low,
no woodcutter comes up against us.’[g]
9 “The afterlife[h] below is all astir
to meet you when you arrive;[i]
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[j] will tell you,
‘You’ve also become as weak as we are!
You have become just like us!’
11 Your[k] pomp has been brought down to Sheol,[l]
along with the noise of your harps.
Maggots are spread out beneath you,
and worms are your covering.”[m]
The Fall of the Day Star
12 “How you have fallen from heaven,
Day Star,[n] son of the Dawn![o]
How you have been thrown down to earth,
you who laid low the nation![p]
13 You said in your heart,
‘I’ll ascend to heaven,
above the stars of God.
I’ll erect my throne;
I’ll sit[q] on the Mount of Assembly
in the far reaches of the north;[r]
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,[s]
to the far reaches of the Pit.[t]
16 “Those who see you will stare at you.
They will wonder about you:
‘Is this the man who[u] made the earth tremble,
who made kingdoms quake,
17 who made the world like a desert,
who[v] destroyed its cities,
who would not open the jails for his prisoners?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie[w] 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.[x]
Like a dead body trampled underfoot,
20 you will not be united[y] with them[z] 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![aa]
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[ab] 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,”[ac] declares the Lord. 23 “And[ad] I’m going to make it a possession of the hedgehog—pools[ae] of water—and I’ll sweep[af] with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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
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