“Heaven is my throne,^(A)
    and the earth is my footstool.^(B)
Where is the house^(C) you will build for me?
    Where will my resting place be?
² Has not my hand made all these things,^(D)
    and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.

“These are the ones I look on with favor:
    those who are humble and contrite in spirit,^(E)
    and who tremble at my word.^(F)
3 But whoever sacrifices a bull^(G)
    is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
    is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
    is like one who presents pig’s^(H) blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense^(I)
    is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,^(J)
    and they delight in their abominations;^(K)
4 so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
    and will bring on them what they dread.^(L)
For when I called, no one answered,^(M)
    when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil^(N) in my sight
    and chose what displeases me.”^(O)

⁵ Hear the word of the Lord,
    you who tremble at his word:^(P)
“Your own people who hate^(Q) you,
    and exclude you because of my name, have said,
‘Let the Lord be glorified,
    that we may see your joy!’
    Yet they will be put to shame.^(R)
6 Hear that uproar from the city,
    hear that noise from the temple!
It is the sound^(S) of the Lord
    repaying^(T) his enemies all they deserve.

⁷ “Before she goes into labor,^(U)
    she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
    she delivers a son.^(V)
8 Who has ever heard of such things?
    Who has ever seen^(W) things like this?
Can a country be born in a day^(X)
    or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
    than she gives birth to her children.^(Y)
9 Do I bring to the moment of birth^(Z)
    and not give delivery?” says the Lord.
“Do I close up the womb
    when I bring to delivery?” says your God.
¹⁰ “Rejoice^(AA) with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
    all you who love^(AB) her;
rejoice greatly with her,
    all you who mourn^(AC) over her.
¹¹ For you will nurse^(AD) and be satisfied
    at her comforting breasts;^(AE)
you will drink deeply
    and delight in her overflowing abundance.”^(AF)

“I will extend peace^(AG) to her like a river,^(AH)
    and the wealth^(AI) of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried^(AJ) on her arm
    and dandled on her knees.
¹³ As a mother comforts her child,^(AK)
    so will I comfort^(AL) you;
    and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

¹⁴ When you see this, your heart will rejoice^(AM)
    and you will flourish^(AN) like grass;
the hand^(AO) of the Lord will be made known to his servants,^(AP)
    but his fury^(AQ) will be shown to his foes.
¹⁵ See, the Lord is coming with fire,^(AR)
    and his chariots^(AS) are like a whirlwind;^(AT)
he will bring down his anger with fury,
    and his rebuke^(AU) with flames of fire.
¹⁶ For with fire^(AV) and with his sword^(AW)
    the Lord will execute judgment^(AX) on all people,
    and many will be those slain^(AY) by the Lord.

14 The Lord will have compassion^(A) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(B) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(C)
Foreigners^(D) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
² Nations will take them
    and bring^(E) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(F)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(G) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(H)

How the oppressor^(N) has come to an end!
    How his fury^[a] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(O) of the wicked,^(P)
    the scepter^(Q) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(R)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(S) nations
    with relentless aggression.^(T)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(U)
    they break into singing.^(V)
8 Even the junipers^(W) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”^(X)

⁹ The realm of the dead^(Y) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed^(Z) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders^(AA) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.^(AB)
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”^(AC)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^(AD)
    along with the noise of your harps;^(AE)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms^(AF) cover you.^(AG)

¹² How you have fallen^(AH) from heaven,
    morning star,^(AI) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!^(AJ)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend^(AK) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(AL)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(AM)
    on the utmost heights^(AN) of Mount Zaphon.^[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(AO)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”^(AP)
15 But you are brought down^(AQ) to the realm of the dead,^(AR)
    to the depths^(AS) of the pit.^(AT)

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:^(AU)
“Is this the man who shook^(AV) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,^(AW)
    who overthrew^(AX) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”^(AY)

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.^(AZ)
19 But you are cast out^(BA) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,^(BB)
    with those pierced by the sword,^(BC)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.^(BD)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
²⁰     you will not join them in burial,^(BE)
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring^(BF) of the wicked^(BG)
    never be mentioned^(BH) again.
²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(BI)
    for the sins of their ancestors;^(BJ)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up^(BK) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(BL) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,^(BM)”
declares the Lord.
²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(BN)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(BO)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(BP)

“Surely, as I have planned,^(BR) so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.^(BS)
25 I will crush the Assyrian^(BT) in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke^(BU) will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.^(BV)”

²⁶ This is the plan^(BW) determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand^(BX) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(BY) and who can thwart him?
    His hand^(BZ) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(CA)

²⁹ Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(CE)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(CF)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(CG)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy^(CH) will lie down in safety.^(CI)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(CJ)
    it will slay^(CK) your survivors.^(CL)

³¹ Wail,^(CM) you gate!^(CN) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!^(CO)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(CP)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(CQ)
32 What answer shall be given
    to the envoys^(CR) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,^(CS)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(CT)”