Isaiah 14

Israel’s Taunt

1When the Lord will 1have compassion on Jacob and again 2choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then 3strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the 4house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the Lord 5as male servants and female servants; and 6they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors.

3And it will be in the day when the Lord gives you 7rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, 4that you will 8take up this 9taunt against the king of Babylon, and say, “How 10the oppressor has ceased, And how 11fury has ceased!5The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers612Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes, Which 13subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.7The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; They 14break forth into shouts of joy.8Even the 15cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’916Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the 17spirits of the dead, all the 18leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.1019They will all respond and say to you, ‘Even you have been made weak as we, You have become like us.11Your 20pomp 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.’12How you have 21fallen from heaven, O 2223star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!13But you said in your heart, ‘I will 24ascend to heaven; I will 25raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; 26I will make myself like the Most High.’15Nevertheless you 27will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.16Those who see you will gaze at you, They will 28ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,17Who made the world like a 29wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who 30did not 31allow his prisoners to go home?’18All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own 32tomb.19But you have been 33cast out of your tomb Like 34a rejected branch, 35Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the 36pit Like a 37trampled corpse.20You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have slain your people. May the 38offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.21Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the 39iniquity of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of 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 40name and survivors, 41offspring and posterity,” declares the Lord. 23“I will also make it a possession for the 42hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of 43destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.

Judgment on Assyria

24The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, 44just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, 25to 45break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his 46yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder. 26This is the 47plan 48devised against the whole earth; and this is the 49hand that is stretched out against all the nations. 27For 50the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”

28In the 51year that King Ahaz died this 5253oracle came:

Judgment on Philistia

29“Do not rejoice, O 54Philistia, all of you, Because the rod that 55struck you is broken; For from the serpent’s root a 56viper will come out, And its fruit will be a 57flying serpent.3058Those who are most 59helpless will eat, And the needy will lie down in security; I will 60destroy your root with 61famine, And it will kill off your survivors.31Wail, O 62gate; cry, O city; 63Melt away, O 64Philistia, all of you; For smoke comes from the 65north, And 66there is no straggler in his ranks.32How then will one answer the 67messengers of the nation? That 68the Lord has founded Zion, And 69the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it.”