The Word Am I

The Book of the Prophet Isaiah

Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic

- Chapter 14 -

1
Her time is drawing near, and her days will not be prolonged. For the Lord will take pity on Jacob, and he will still choose from Israel, and he will cause them to rest upon their own soil. And the new arrival will be joined to them, and he will adhere to the house of Jacob.
2
And the people will take them, and lead them to their place. And the house of Israel will possess them, in the land of the Lord, as men and women servants. And they will take captive those who had taken them captive. And they will subjugate their oppressors.

The Fall of the King of Babylon

3
And this shall be in that day: when God will have given you rest from your labor, and from your oppression, and from the difficult servitude under which you served before,
4
you will accept this parable against the king of Babylon, and you will say: “How is it that the oppressor has ceased, along with his tribute?
5
The Lord has crushed the staff of the impious, the scepter of despots,
6
which struck the people in wrath with an incurable wound, which subjugated the nations in fury, which persecuted with cruelty.
7
All the earth has become quiet and still; it has been gladdened and has rejoiced.
8
The evergreens, too, have rejoiced over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying: ‘Since you have slept, no one has ascended who would cut us down.’
9
Hell below was stirred up to meet you at your advent; it has awakened the giants for you. All the leaders of the earth have risen from their thrones, all the leaders among the nations.”
10
Everyone will respond and will say to you: “Now you are wounded, just as we were; you have become like us.
11
Your arrogance has been dragged down to Hell. Your body has fallen dead. The moths will be strewn beneath you, and the worms will be your covering.
12
How is it that you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who used to rise like the sun? How is it that you have fallen to the earth, you who wounded the peoples?(a)
13
And you said in your heart: ‘I will climb up to heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will be enthroned upon the mountain of the covenant, on the northern parts.
14
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds. I will be like the Most High.’
15
Yet truly, you shall be dragged down to Hell, into the depths of the pit.
16
Those who see you, will lean toward you, and will gaze upon you, saying: ‘Could this be the man who disturbed the earth, who shook kingdoms,
17
who made the world into a desert and destroyed its cities, who would not even open a prison for his prisoners?’ ”
18
All the kings of the nations throughout the whole world have slept in glory, each man in his own house.
19
But you have been rejected from your grave, like a useless polluted plant, and you have been bound up with those who were slain by the sword, and who descended to the bottom of the pit, like a rotting carcass.
20
You will not be associated with them, even in the grave. For you have destroyed your own land; you have slain your own people. The offspring of the wicked ones will not be called upon for eternity.
21
Prepare his sons for the slaughter, according to the iniquity of their fathers. They will not rise up, nor inherit the earth, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
22
But I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts. And I will perish the name of Babylon and its remnants: both the plant and its progeny, says the Lord.
23
And I will appoint it as a possession for the hedgehog, with swamps of water. And I will sweep it out and wear it away with a brush, says the Lord of hosts.

God’s Purpose against Assyria

24
The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying: Surely, just as I have considered it, so shall it be, and in the same manner as I have drawn it through my mind,
25
so shall it occur. So shall I crush the Assyrian in my land, and I will trample him upon my mountains, and his yoke will be taken away from them, and his burden will be removed from their shoulder.
26
This is the plan that I have decided, concerning the entire earth, and this is the hand which is extended over all the nations.
27
For the Lord of hosts has decreed it, and who is able to weaken it? And his hand is extended, so who can avert it?

Philistia Will Be Destroyed

28
In the year in which king Ahaz died, this burden was given:
29
You should not rejoice, all you of Philistia, that the rod of him who struck you has been crushed. For from the root of the serpent will go forth a king snake, and his offspring will engulf that which flies.
30
And the firstborn of the poor will be pastured, and the poor will rest in faithfulness. And I will cause your root to pass away by famine, and I will put to death your remnant.
31
Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! All of Philistia has been prostrated. For a smoke will arrive from the north, and there is no one who will escape his army.
32
And what will be the response to this news among the nations? It will be that the Lord has established Zion, and that the poor of his people will hope in him.

Footnotes

(a)14:12 O Lucifer:O day star. All this, according to the letter, is spoken of the king of Babylon. It may also be applied, in a spiritual sense, to Lucifer the prince of devils, who was created a bright angel, but fell by pride and rebellion against God.(Challoner)
1
For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land. The foreigner will join himself with them, and they will unite with the house of Jacob.
2
The peoples will take them, and bring them to their place. The house of Israel will possess them in the LORD’s land for servants and for handmaids. They will take as captives those whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

The Fall of the King of Babylon

3
It will happen in the day that the LORD will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard service in which you were made to serve,
4
that you will take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, “How the oppressor has ceased! The golden city has ceased!”
5
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,
6
who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that no one restrained.
7
The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet. They break out in song.
8
Yes, the cypress trees rejoice with you, with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, “Since you are humbled, no lumberjack has come up against us.”
9
Sheol (a) from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the departed spirits for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
10
They all will answer and ask you, “Have you also become as weak as we are? Have you become like us?”
11
Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,(b) with the sound of your stringed instruments. Maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you.
12
How you have fallen from heaven, shining one, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low!
13
You said in your heart, “I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north!
14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!”
15
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,(c) to the depths of the pit.
16
Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms,
17
who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities, who didn’t release his prisoners to their home?”
18
All the kings of the nations sleep in glory, everyone in his own house.
19
But you are cast away from your tomb like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain who are thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body trodden under foot.
20
You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. The offspring of evildoers will not be named forever.
21
Prepare for slaughter of his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, that they not rise up and possess the earth, and fill the surface of the world with cities.
22
I will rise up against them,” says the LORD of Armies, “and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son’s son,” says the LORD.
23
I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water. I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” says the LORD of Armies.

God’s Purpose against Assyria

24
The LORD of Armies has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so shall it happen; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
25
that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and tread him under foot on my mountains. Then his yoke will leave them, and his burden leave their shoulders.
26
This is the plan that is determined for the whole earth. This is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.
27
For the LORD of Armies has planned, and who can stop it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”

Philistia Will Be Destroyed

28
This burden was in the year that King Ahaz died.
29
Don’t rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck you is broken; for out of the serpent’s root an adder will emerge, and his fruit will be a fiery flying serpent.
30
The firstborn of the poor will eat, and the needy will lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant will be killed.
31
Howl, gate! Cry, city! You are melted away, Philistia, all of you; for smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.
32
What will they answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people will take refuge.

Footnotes

(a)14:9 Sheol is the place of the dead.
(b)14:11 Sheol is the place of the dead.
(c)14:15 Sheol is the place of the dead.