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Isaiah 14
International Standard Version
Isaiah 14
International Standard Version
Israel Mocks Babylon’s King
14 However, the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will once again choose Israel. He will settle them in their own land, and foreigners will join them, affiliating themselves with the house of Jacob. 2 Many[a] nations will take them and bring them to their land and[b] their own place. The house of Israel will put those nations[c] to conscripted labor[d] in the Lord’s land. They will take captive those who were their captors, and will rule continually[e] over those who oppressed them.
3 At the time,[f] when the Lord gives you rest from your suffering, turmoil, and the cruel bondage which they forced you to serve,[g] 4 you will lift up this song of mockery against[h] the king of Babylon:
“How the oppressor has come to an end!
How the attacker[i] has ceased!
5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers,
6 that struck down peoples in anger
with unceasing blows,
that oppressed nations in fury
with relentless persecution.
7 The entire earth is at rest and peace;
its inhabitants[j] break into song.
8 Even the cypresses rejoice over you,
as do[k] the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Now that you’ve been laid low,
no woodcutter comes up against us.’[l]
9 “The afterlife[m] below is all astir
to meet you when you arrive;[n]
it rouses up the spirits of the dead to greet you—
everyone who used to be world leaders.
It has raised up from their thrones
all who used to be kings of the nations.
10 In answer, all of them[o] will tell you,
‘You’ve also become as weak as we are!
You have become just like us!’
11 Your[p] pomp has been brought down to Sheol,[q]
along with the noise of your harps.
Maggots are spread out beneath you,
and worms are your covering.”[r]
The Fall of the Day Star
12 “How you have fallen from heaven,
Day Star,[s] son of the Dawn![t]
How you have been thrown down to earth,
you who laid low the nation![u]
13 You said in your heart,
‘I’ll ascend to heaven,
above the stars of God.
I’ll erect my throne;
I’ll sit[v] on the Mount of Assembly
in the far reaches of the north;[w]
14 I’ll ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I’ll make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to join the dead,[x]
to the far reaches of the Pit.[y]
16 “Those who see you will stare at you.
They will wonder about you:
‘Is this the man who[z] made the earth tremble,
who made kingdoms quake,
17 who made the world like a desert,
who[aa] destroyed its cities,
who would not open the jails for his prisoners?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie[ab] in state,
each in his own tomb.
19 But you are cast away from your grave,
like a repulsive branch,
your clothing is the slain,
those pierced by the sword;
those who go down to the Pit.[ac]
Like a dead body trampled underfoot,
20 you will not be united[ad] with them[ae] in burial,
for you have destroyed your land,
you have slain your people.
People will never mention
the descendants of those who practice evil again![af]
21 Prepare a massacre for his sons
because of the guilt of their forefathers!
They are not to rise and inherit the earth,
and cover[ag] the surface of the world with cities.”
Babylon’s Desolation
22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and I will eliminate from Babylon her name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,”[ah] declares the Lord. 23 “And[ai] I’m going to make it a possession of the hedgehog—pools[aj] of water—and I’ll sweep[ak] with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
24 The Lord of the Heavenly Armies has sworn:
“Surely as I have planned,
that’s what she[al] will become;[am]
and just as I have determined,
so will it remain—
25 to crush the Assyrian in my land,
and on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke[an] will turn away from you,[ao]
and his burden from your[ap] shoulders.”
26 “This is what I’ve planned
for the whole earth,
and this is the hand that is stretched out
over all the nations.
27 For the Lord of the Heavenly Armies has planned,
and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out,
and who can turn it back?”
A Pronouncement against Philistia
28 In the year that King Ahaz died this message[aq] came:
29 “Don’t rejoice, all of you Philistines,
that the rod that struck you is broken,
because from the snake’s root a viper will spring up,
and its offspring[ar] will be a darting, poisonous serpent.
30 The firstborn of the poor will find pasture,
and the needy will lie down in safety;
but I’ll kill your root[as] by famine,
and I’ll[at] execute your survivors.
31 Wail, you gate!
Cry out, you city!
Melt away,[au] all you Philistines!
For smoke comes from the north,
and there’s no one to take measure[av] in its festivals.[aw]
32 How will they[ax] answer the messengers of the nation?
“The Lord has founded Zion,
and in it[ay] the afflicted among his people will find refuge.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 14:2 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack Many
- Isaiah 14:2 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read and to
- Isaiah 14:2 Lit. put them
- Isaiah 14:2 Lit. to male and female slavery
- Isaiah 14:2 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsac LXX MT read rule
- Isaiah 14:3 Lit. day
- Isaiah 14:3 So 1QIsaa 4QIsae; MT LXX read which you were forced to serve
- Isaiah 14:4 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsae reads to
- Isaiah 14:4 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads. the golden city
- Isaiah 14:7 Lit. they
- Isaiah 14:8 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack as do
- Isaiah 14:8 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsae reads against them
- Isaiah 14:9 Lit. Sheol, i.e. the realm of the dead
- Isaiah 14:9 Lit. at your coming
- Isaiah 14:10 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsae lacks of them
- Isaiah 14:11 1QIsaa reads The; MT LXX lack Your
- Isaiah 14:11 I.e. the realm of the dead
- Isaiah 14:11 So LXX; MT reads and a worm covers you
- Isaiah 14:12 So MT; Vg reads Lucifer
- Isaiah 14:12 I.e. Lucifer
- Isaiah 14:12 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsae MT read the nations; LXX reads all the nations
- Isaiah 14:13 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads and I will sit
- Isaiah 14:13 Lit. Zaphon; or the Sacred Mountain
- Isaiah 14:15 Lit. to Sheol, i.e. the realm of the dead
- Isaiah 14:15 I.e. the realm of punishment in the afterlife
- Isaiah 14:16 So 1QIsaa LXX; the Heb. lacks who
- Isaiah 14:17 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read and who
- Isaiah 14:18 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads nations, every one of them lies
- Isaiah 14:19 So 1QIsaa; i.e. to the realm of punishment in the afterlife; LXX reads to Hades; 1QIsaa corrector MT read to the stones of the Pit
- Isaiah 14:20 So 1QIsaa; Lit. under; MT reads joined
- Isaiah 14:20 I.e. with the dead
- Isaiah 14:20 So 1QIsaa; MT reads May the descendants of those who practice of evil never be mentioned again!; LXX reads May you not remain forever, you evil seed!
- Isaiah 14:21 Lit. fill
- Isaiah 14:22 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and her offspring and descendants; LXX lacks and descendants
- Isaiah 14:23 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack And
- Isaiah 14:23 So 1QIsaa; MT reads and pools
- Isaiah 14:23 So 1QIsaa; MT reads sweep it
- Isaiah 14:24 I.e. Babylon
- Isaiah 14:24 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads so has she been
- Isaiah 14:25 I.e. Assyria’s oppressive domination
- Isaiah 14:25 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read from them
- Isaiah 14:25 So 1QIsaa; MT reads their
- Isaiah 14:28 Lit. oracle
- Isaiah 14:29 Lit. fruit
- Isaiah 14:30 I.e. the source of their strengths
- Isaiah 14:30 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read he
- Isaiah 14:31 Or melt in fear
- Isaiah 14:31 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsao MT read no straggler
- Isaiah 14:31 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsao reads ranks
- Isaiah 14:32 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads one
- Isaiah 14:32 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT reads her
Isaiah 14
New International Version
Isaiah 14
New International Version
14 The Lord will have compassion(A) on Jacob;
once again he will choose(B) Israel
and will settle them in their own land.(C)
Foreigners(D) will join them
and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
2 Nations will take them
and bring(E) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations(F)
and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives(G) of their captors
and rule over their oppressors.(H)
3 On the day the Lord gives you relief(I) from your suffering and turmoil(J) and from the harsh labor forced on you,(K) 4 you will take up this taunt(L) against the king of Babylon:(M)
How the oppressor(N) has come to an end!
How his fury[a] has ended!
5 The Lord has broken the rod(O) of the wicked,(P)
the scepter(Q) of the rulers,
6 which in anger struck down peoples(R)
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued(S) nations
with relentless aggression.(T)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;(U)
they break into singing.(V)
8 Even the junipers(W) and the cedars of Lebanon
gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
no one comes to cut us down.”(X)
9 The realm of the dead(Y) below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed(Z) to greet you—
all those who were leaders(AA) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.(AB)
10 They will all respond,
they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.”(AC)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,(AD)
along with the noise of your harps;(AE)
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms(AF) cover you.(AG)
12 How you have fallen(AH) from heaven,
morning star,(AI) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!(AJ)
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend(AK) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne(AL)
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,(AM)
on the utmost heights(AN) of Mount Zaphon.[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;(AO)
I will make myself like the Most High.”(AP)
15 But you are brought down(AQ) to the realm of the dead,(AR)
to the depths(AS) of the pit.(AT)
16 Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:(AU)
“Is this the man who shook(AV) the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,(AW)
who overthrew(AX) its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”(AY)
18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.(AZ)
19 But you are cast out(BA) of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,(BB)
with those pierced by the sword,(BC)
those who descend to the stones of the pit.(BD)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20 you will not join them in burial,(BE)
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
Let the offspring(BF) of the wicked(BG)
never be mentioned(BH) again.
21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children(BI)
for the sins of their ancestors;(BJ)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
and cover the earth with their cities.
22 “I will rise up(BK) against them,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name(BL) and survivors,
her offspring and descendants,(BM)”
declares the Lord.
23 “I will turn her into a place for owls(BN)
and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,(BO)”
declares the Lord Almighty.(BP)
24 The Lord Almighty has sworn,(BQ)
“Surely, as I have planned,(BR) so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will happen.(BS)
25 I will crush the Assyrian(BT) in my land;
on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke(BU) will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders.(BV)”
26 This is the plan(BW) determined for the whole world;
this is the hand(BX) stretched out over all nations.
27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed,(BY) and who can thwart him?
His hand(BZ) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?(CA)
A Prophecy Against the Philistines
28 This prophecy(CB) came in the year(CC) King Ahaz(CD) died:
29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,(CE)
that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,(CF)
its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.(CG)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
and the needy(CH) will lie down in safety.(CI)
But your root I will destroy by famine;(CJ)
it will slay(CK) your survivors.(CL)
31 Wail,(CM) you gate!(CN) Howl, you city!
Melt away, all you Philistines!(CO)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,(CP)
and there is not a straggler in its ranks.(CQ)
32 What answer shall be given
to the envoys(CR) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,(CS)
and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.(CT)”
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.
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