Isaiah 14

New Catholic Bible

Behold how the oppressor has come to an end!
    Behold how his arrogance has ceased!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked,
    the scepter of rulers,
⁶ that struck down the peoples in wrath,
    inflicting continuous blows,
and that furiously crushed the nations
    with relentless persecution.
⁷ The entire world is at rest and peaceful;
    shouts of joy resound.
⁸ The cypresses exult over you,
    as do the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one approaches to cut us down.”^[b]
9 The netherworld below is all astir
    to greet you upon your arrival.
To welcome you it aroused the departed spirits,
    all the rulers of the earth.
It raised from their thrones
    all those who were kings of the nations.
¹⁰ All of them will speak out
    and greet you with these words,
“You too have become as weak as we are.
    You have become like us.”
¹¹ Your pomp has descended to the netherworld
    along with the music of your harps.
Maggots compose the mattress upon which you lie,
    and worms serve as your blanket.
¹² To what depths have you fallen from the heavens,
    O morning star, son of the dawn!
How you have been cut down to the ground,
    you who laid the nations low!
¹³ You used to say in your heart,
    “I will scale the heavens.
I will raise my throne
    above the stars of God.
I will sit on the Mountain of Assembly,
    in the far recesses of the north.
¹⁴ I will ascend above the highest clouds;
    I will be like the Most High.”
¹⁵ Instead you have been hurled down to the netherworld,
    to the depths of the abyss.
¹⁶ Those who see you will stare at you,
    and as they do so they will wonder,
“Is this the man who made the earth tremble
    and overthrew kingdoms,
¹⁷ who turned the world into a desert,
    laid its cities in ruins,
    and refused to let his prisoners return home?”
¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in honor,
    each one in his own tomb.
¹⁹ But you have been cast out without burial,
    like some loathsome piece of flesh;
you are covered with the dead,
    with those pierced by the sword
    who descend to the rocks of the abyss.
²⁰ You will never be buried with those kings
    because you have destroyed your land
    and brought death to your people.
The offspring of the wicked
    will never again be mentioned.
²¹ Make ready to slaughter his sons
    because of the guilt of their father.
Let them never again rise to possess the earth
    and cover the face of the earth with their cities.

²⁴ The Lord of hosts has sworn:
    As I have resolved, so will it be;
    as I have planned, so will it come to pass.
²⁵ I will break the Assyrian in my land
    and trample him underfoot on my mountains;
his yoke will be lifted from my people,
    and his burden will be removed from their shoulders.
²⁶ This is the plan that the Lord has prepared
    for the entire world,
and this is the hand that he has outstretched
    over all the nations.
²⁷ For the Lord of hosts has devised this plan;
    who can thwart it?
His hand is outstretched;
    who can turn it back?

²⁹ Let not a single one of you rejoice, O Philistia,
    that the rod that struck you is broken.
For from the root of a snake will be born a viper,
    and its fruit will be a flying serpent.
³⁰ The poor of my people will eat in my pasture,
    and the destitute will lie down in safety.
But I will make your offspring die of hunger,
    and I will then slay the remnant.
³¹ Howl, O gate! Cry out, O city!
    Let all Philistia be stricken with fear!
For a mighty foe is coming from the north,
    without a single straggler in its ranks.
³² What reply will then be given
    to the envoys of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,
    and the afflicted of his people
    will find refuge in her.”