“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.”