Israel’s Taunt against Babylon
1When the Lord has compassion on Jacob and again chooses Israel, and settles them on their own land, then strangers 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 house of Israel will make them their own possession in the land of the Lord as male and female servants; and Lit the captors will become their captivesthey will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors.
3And it will be on the day when the Lord gives you rest from your hardship, your turmoil, and from the harsh service in which you have been enslaved,
4that you will take up this Or proverbtaunt against the king of Babylon, and say,
“How the oppressor has ceased,
And how the As in DSS and ancient versions; MT uncertainonslaught has ceased!
5The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers,
6Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which Or ruledsubdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.
7The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They break forth into shouts of joy.
‘Since you have been laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’
9Sheol below is excited about you, to meet you when you come;
It stirs the Or shades (Heb Repha’im)spirits of the dead for you, all the Lit male goatsleaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.
10They will all respond and say to you,
‘Even you have become weak as we,
You have become like us.
11Your pride 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 fallen from heaven,
You Heb Helel; i.e., shining onestar 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 ascend to heaven;
I will raise 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;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
16Those who see you will stare at you,
They will Lit show themselves attentive toclosely examine you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
17Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not Lit openallow his prisoners to go home?’
18All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
Each in his own Lit housetomb.
19But you have been hurled out of your tomb
Like Lit an abhorred brancha rejected branch,
Or As the clothing of those who are slain
Clothed with those killed who have been pierced with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the pit
Like a trampled corpse.
20You will not be united with them in burial,
Because you have ruined your country,
You have killed your people.
May the descendants of evildoers never be mentioned.
21Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons
Because of the wrongdoing 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 name and survivors, offspring and descendants,” declares the Lord.
23“I will also make it the property of the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of armies.
Judgment on Assyria
24The Lord of armies has sworn, saying, “Certainly, just as I have intended, so it has happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand,
25to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them, and his burden removed from their shoulders.
26This is the plan Lit planneddevised against the entire earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations.
27For the 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 year that King Ahaz died, this pronouncement came:
29“Do not rejoice, Philistia, all of you,
Because the rod that struck you is broken;
For from the serpent’s root a viper will come out,
And its fruit will be a winged serpent.
30
Lit The firstborn of the helpless
Those who are most helpless will eat,
And the poor will lie down in security;
I will kill your root with famine,
And it will kill your survivors.
31Wail, you gate; cry, you city;
Or Become demoralized
Melt away, Philistia, all of you!
For smoke comes from the north,
And there is no straggler in his ranks.
32What answer will one give the messengers of the nation?
That the Lord has founded Zion,
And the poor of His people will take refuge in it.”
New American Standard Bible
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by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved.
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