Isaiah 14

Israel’s Taunt against Babylon

1When the Lord 1has compassion on Jacob and again 2chooses Israel, and settles them on 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 make them their own possession in the land of the Lord 5as male and female servants; and 6they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors.

3And it will be on the day when the Lord gives you 7rest from your hardship, your turmoil, and from the 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 the 11onslaught has ceased!5The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers,612Which 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 15juniper trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you have been laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’916Sheol below is excited about you, to meet you when you come; It stirs the 17spirits of the dead for you, 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 become weak as we, You have become like us.11Your 20pride 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, You 2223star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who defeated 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 brought down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.16Those who see you will stare at you, They will 28closely examine 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 33hurled out of your tomb Like 34a rejected branch, 35Clothed with those killed who have been 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 killed your people. May the 38descendants of evildoers never be mentioned.21Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons Because of the 39wrongdoing of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth, And fill the surface of the world with cities.” 22“I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of armies, “and eliminate from Babylon 40name and survivors, 41offspring and descendants,” declares the Lord. 23“I will also make it the property of the 42hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it away with the broom of 43destruction,” declares the Lord of armies.

Judgment on Assyria

24The Lord of armies has sworn, saying, “Certainly, 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 shoulders. 26This is the 47plan 48devised against the entire earth; and this is the 49hand that is stretched out against all the nations. 27For 50the Lord of armies has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”

Judgment on Philistia

28In the 51year that King Ahaz died, this 52pronouncement came:29“Do not rejoice, 53Philistia, all of you, Because the rod that 54struck you is broken; For from the serpent’s root a 55viper will come out, And its fruit will be a 56winged serpent.3057Those who are most 58helpless will eat, And the poor will lie down in security; I will kill your root with 59famine, And it will kill your survivors.31Wail, you 60gate; cry, you city; 61Melt away, 62Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes from the 63north, And 64there is no straggler in his ranks.32What answer will one give the 65messengers of the nation? That 66the Lord has founded Zion, And 67the poor of His people will take refuge in it.”