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The Downfall of the King of Babylon

And it shall happen on the day Yahweh gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and hard labor which you had to perform,[a]

that you will take this taunt against the king of Babylon,
    and you will say:
“How the oppressor has ceased!
    his insolence[b] has ceased.
Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked,
    the scepter of rulers,
that struck the peoples in wrath, a blow without ceasing,
    that ruled the nations in anger
    with unrestrained persecution.[c]
All of the earth rests and is quiet;
    they break forth into singing.
Even the cypresses rejoice over you,
    the cedars of Lebanon:
‘Since you were laid down,
    no wood cutter comes up against us.’
Sheol below is getting excited over you,
    to meet you when you come;[d]
it arouses the dead spirits for you,
    all of the leaders of the earth.
    It raises all of the kings of the nations from their thrones.
10 All of them will respond and say to you,
‘You yourself also were made weak like us!
    You have become the same as us!’
11 Your pride is brought down to Sheol,
    and the sound of your harps;
maggots[e] are spread out beneath you like a bed,
    and your covering is worms.[f]
12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of dawn!
    You are cut down to the ground, conqueror of nations!

13 And you yourself said in your heart,

‘I will ascend to heaven;
    I will raise up my throne above the stars of God;
and I will sit on the mountain of assembly
    on the summit of Zaphon;[g]
14 I will ascend to the high places of the clouds,[h]
    I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol,
    to the depths of the pit.
16 Those who see you will stare at you,
    they will look closely at you:
Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
    who caused kingdoms to shake,
17 who made the world like the desert
    and destroyed its cities,
    who would not let his prisoners go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations, all of them, lie in glory,
    each one in his house.
19 But as for you, you are thrown away from your grave,
    like an abhorrent shoot,
clothed with the slain,
    those pierced by the sword,
those who go down to the stones of the pit,
    like a corpse that is trodden down.
20 You will not be united with them in burial
because you have destroyed your land,
    you have killed your people.

The descendants[i] of evildoers will not be mentioned for eternity!

21 Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons
    because of the sin of their ancestors.[j]
Let them not rise and take possession of the earth
    or fill up the face of the world with cities.”
22 “And I will rise up against them,”

declares[k] Yahweh of hosts,

“and I will cut off name and a remnant from Babylon,
    and offspring and posterity,”

declares[l] Yahweh.

23 “And I will make her a possession of the hedgehog,
    and pools of water,
    and I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction,”

declares[m] Yahweh of hosts.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:3 Literally “was worked by you”
  2. Isaiah 14:4 The meaning of the word is uncertain; others translate it as “fury,” “hostility,” or even “golden city”
  3. Isaiah 14:6 Literally “persecution without withholding”
  4. Isaiah 14:9 Literally “your entrance”
  5. Isaiah 14:11 Hebrew “maggot”
  6. Isaiah 14:11 Hebrew “worm”
  7. Isaiah 14:13 Or “of the north”
  8. Isaiah 14:14 Hebrew “cloud”
  9. Isaiah 14:20 Hebrew “descendant”
  10. Isaiah 14:21 Or “fathers”
  11. Isaiah 14:22 Literally “declaration of”
  12. Isaiah 14:22 Literally “declaration of”
  13. Isaiah 14:23 Literally “declaration of”

And it shall come to pass in the day that Jehovah shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, and from the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the [a]golden city ceased! Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers; [b]that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid low, no hewer is come up against us. Sheol from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up [c]the dead for thee, even all the [d]chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 10 All they shall answer and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 11 Thy pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and worms cover thee.

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, that didst lay low the nations! 13 And thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit upon the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to Sheol, to the uttermost parts of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall gaze at thee, they shall consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17 that made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the cities thereof; that let not loose his prisoners to their home? 18 All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, every one in his own house. 19 But thou art cast forth away from thy sepulchre like an abominable branch, [e]clothed with the slain, that are thrust through with the sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a dead body trodden under foot. 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of evil-doers shall not be named for ever.

21 Prepare ye [f]slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers, that they rise not up, and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities. 22 And I will rise up against them, saith Jehovah of hosts, and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son’s son, saith Jehovah. 23 I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith Jehovah of hosts.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 14:4 Or, exactress
  2. Isaiah 14:6 Or, he that smote . . . is persecuted, and none hindereth
  3. Isaiah 14:9 Or, the shades. Hebrew Rephaim.
  4. Isaiah 14:9 Hebrew he-goats.
  5. Isaiah 14:19 Or, as the raiment of those that are slain
  6. Isaiah 14:21 Or, a place of slaughter