Isaiah, 14

1. Yahweh will have pity on Jacob, he will choose Israel once more and resettle them on their native soil. Foreigners will join them, attaching themselves to the House of Jacob.

1. The LORD will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and aliens will join them and will cleave to the house of Jacob.

2. Peoples will take them and escort them home, and the House of Israel will take them as slaves, men and women on Yahweh's soil. They will enslave those who enslaved them and will master their oppressors.

2. And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the LORD's land as male and female slaves; they will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.

3. When that day comes, and Yahweh gives you rest from your suffering and torment and the grim servitude to which you have been subjected,

3. When the LORD has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve,

4. you will recite this satire on the king of Babylon and say: 'How did the tyrant end? How did his arrogance end?

4. you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: "How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury ceased!

5. Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of rulers,

5. The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,

6. furiously lashing peoples with continual blows, angrily hammering nations, pursuing without respite.

6. that smote the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.

7. The whole world is at rest and calm, shouts of joy resounding,

7. The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.

8. the cypresses, the cedars of Lebanon, rejoice aloud at your fate, "Now that you have been laid low, no one comes up to fell us."

8. The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, `Since you were laid low, no hewer comes up against us.'

9. 'On your account, Sheol below is astir to greet your arrival. He has roused the ghosts to greet you, all the rulers of the world. He has made all the kings of the nations get up from their thrones.

9. Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come, it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.

10. They will all greet you with the words, "So, you too are now as weak as we are! You, too, have become like us.

10. All of them will speak and say to you: `You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!'

11. Your pride has been flung down to Sheol with the music of your lyres; under you a mattress of maggots, over you a blanket of worms.

11. Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are the bed beneath you, and worms are your covering.

12. How did you come to fall from the heavens, Daystar, son of Dawn? How did you come to be thrown to the ground, conqueror of nations?

12. "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!

13. You who used to think to yourself: I shall scale the heavens; higher than the stars of God I shall set my throne. I shall sit on the Mount of Assembly far away to the north.

13. You said in your heart, `I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far north;

14. I shall climb high above the clouds, I shall rival the Most High."

14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.'

15. Now you have been flung down to Sheol, into the depths of the abyss!

15. But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit.

16. 'When they see you, they will scrutinise you and consider what you have become, "Is this the man who made the world tremble, who overthrew kingdoms?

16. Those who see you will stare at you, and ponder over you: `Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,

17. He made the world a desert, he levelled cities and never freed his prisoners to go home."

17. who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?'

18. All other kings of nations, all of them, lie honourably, each in his own tomb;

18. All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;

19. but you have been thrown away, unburied, like a loathsome branch, covered with heaps of the slain pierced by the sword who fall on the rocks of the abyss like trampled carrion.

19. but you are cast out, away from your sepulchre, like a loathed untimely birth, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the Pit, like a dead body trodden under foot.

20. 'You will not rejoin them in the grave, for you have brought your country to ruin and destroyed your people. The offspring of the wicked leave no name behind them.

20. You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. "May the descendants of evildoers nevermore be named!

21. Make ready to slaughter his sons for the guilt of their father! Never again must they rise to conquer the world and cover the face of the earth with their cities.

21. Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities."

22. 'I will rise against them, declares Yahweh Sabaoth, and deprive Babylon of name, remnant, offspring and posterity, declares Yahweh.

22. "I will rise up against them," says the LORD of hosts, "and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, offspring and posterity, says the LORD.

23. I shall turn it into the haunt of hedgehogs, a swamp. I shall sweep it with the broom of destruction, declares Yahweh Sabaoth.'

23. And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, says the LORD of hosts."

24. Yahweh Sabaoth has sworn it, 'Yes, what I have planned will take place, what I have decided will be so:

24. The LORD of hosts has sworn: "As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,

25. 'I shall break Assyria in my country, I shall trample on him on my mountains. Then his yoke will slip off them, his burden will slip from their shoulders.'

25. that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains trample him under foot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder."

26. This is the decision taken in defiance of the whole world; this, the hand outstretched in defiance of all nations.

26. This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.

27. Once Yahweh Sabaoth has decided, who will stop him? Once he stretches out his hand, who can withdraw it?

27. For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?

28. In the year Ahaz died came this proclamation:

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

29. All Philistia, do not rejoice because the rod which used to beat you is now broken, for the serpent stock will produce a viper, its offspring will be a flying dragon.

29. "Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod which smote you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying serpent.

30. While the first-born of the poor are grazing and the destitute are resting in safety, I shall make your stock die of hunger and then slaughter what remains of you.

30. And the first-born of the poor will feed, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant I will slay.

31. Howl, gate! Shriek, city! Totter, all Philistia! For a smoke is coming from the north, and there are no deserters in those battalions.

31. Wail, O gate; cry, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks."

32. What reply will be given then to the messengers of that nation? - That Yahweh founded Zion and there the poor of his people will find refuge.

32. What will one answer the messengers of the nation? "The LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge."