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Isaiah 14:3-23
English Standard Version
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
New International Version
Isaiah 14:3-23
New International Version
3 On the day the Lord gives you relief(A) from your suffering and turmoil(B) and from the harsh labor forced on you,(C) 4 you will take up this taunt(D) against the king of Babylon:(E)
How the oppressor(F) has come to an end!
How his fury[a] has ended!
5 The Lord has broken the rod(G) of the wicked,(H)
the scepter(I) of the rulers,
6 which in anger struck down peoples(J)
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued(K) nations
with relentless aggression.(L)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;(M)
they break into singing.(N)
8 Even the junipers(O) and the cedars of Lebanon
gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
no one comes to cut us down.”(P)
9 The realm of the dead(Q) below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed(R) to greet you—
all those who were leaders(S) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.(T)
10 They will all respond,
they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.”(U)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,(V)
along with the noise of your harps;(W)
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms(X) cover you.(Y)
12 How you have fallen(Z) from heaven,
morning star,(AA) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!(AB)
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend(AC) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne(AD)
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,(AE)
on the utmost heights(AF) of Mount Zaphon.[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;(AG)
I will make myself like the Most High.”(AH)
15 But you are brought down(AI) to the realm of the dead,(AJ)
to the depths(AK) of the pit.(AL)
16 Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:(AM)
“Is this the man who shook(AN) the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,(AO)
who overthrew(AP) its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”(AQ)
18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.(AR)
19 But you are cast out(AS) of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,(AT)
with those pierced by the sword,(AU)
those who descend to the stones of the pit.(AV)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20 you will not join them in burial,(AW)
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
Let the offspring(AX) of the wicked(AY)
never be mentioned(AZ) again.
21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children(BA)
for the sins of their ancestors;(BB)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
and cover the earth with their cities.
22 “I will rise up(BC) against them,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name(BD) and survivors,
her offspring and descendants,(BE)”
declares the Lord.
23 “I will turn her into a place for owls(BF)
and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,(BG)”
declares the Lord Almighty.(BH)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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