Isaiah

For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

1The LORD will show kindness to Jacob's family. He will choose Israel again and settle them in their own land. Foreigners will join them and stay close to them.

2And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

2Other nations will bring Israel back home. There Israel will have those nations as servants and maids in the LORD's land. The people who once took Israel captive will now be captives, and Israel will rule over those who crushed them.

3And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,

3A day is coming when the LORD will give you rest from your pain, your fear, and the harsh work you were forced to do.

4That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

4On that day you will sing this taunt against the king of Babylon: Look how the bully has stopped! Look how his raging is over!

5The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.

5The LORD has snapped the club of wicked men and the ruling staff of kings.

6He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

6That power beat the peoples in anger, blow after blow. It crushed nations in rage and never let up. Now it is struck down, and no one holds back.

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

7The whole earth is quiet and at rest. People burst into singing.

8Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

8Even the pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon are glad about you. They say, "Now that you are down, no woodcutter comes to chop us."

9Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

9The world of the dead below stirs to meet you when you arrive. It wakes the ghosts of the earth's rulers. It makes all the kings of the nations stand up from their thrones.

NoteWhere the KJV says "hell," the Hebrew word is Sheol, which means the place of the dead, not a place of punishment.

10All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?

10They all speak up and say to you, "So you have become weak like us. You have become just like us."

11Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

11All your grand show has been brought down to the grave, along with the music of your harps. Maggots are the bed under you, and worms are your blanket.

12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

12How you have fallen from the sky, bright morning star, son of the dawn! You who beat down the nations have been chopped to the ground.

Note"Lucifer" is not a name here. The Latin word means "light bringer," and the Hebrew means the bright morning star, the last star seen before sunrise.

13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

13You said to yourself, "I will climb up to the sky. I will lift my throne higher than the stars of God. I will sit on the mountain where the gods meet, far away in the north.

14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

14I will climb above the tops of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High God."

15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

15But instead you will be brought down to the world of the dead, to the deepest part of the pit.

16They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

16People who see you will stare hard at you and think about what happened. They will say, "Is this the man who made the earth shake and made kingdoms tremble?

17That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

17Is this the one who turned the world into a desert, tore down its cities, and never let his prisoners go home?"

18All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.

18All the kings of the nations lie in honor, each one in his own tomb.

19But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.

19But you are thrown out of your grave like a branch nobody wants. You are covered by bodies of men killed by the sword, dumped into a rocky pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot.

20Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

20You will not be buried with those kings, because you wrecked your own land and killed your own people. The children of evil men will never be remembered.

21Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

21Get ready to kill his sons for the sins of their fathers. They must never rise up, take over a land, or fill the world with their cities.

22For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.

22The LORD of Heaven's Armies says, "I will stand against them. I will wipe out Babylon's name, and everyone left there, and its children and grandchildren," says the LORD.

Note"Nephew" in 1611 English meant a grandson or a descendant, not a brother's son.

23I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.

23"I will turn it into a swamp where wild birds live. I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies.

24The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

24The LORD of Heaven's Armies has made a promise: "What I have planned will happen. What I have decided will stand.

25That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.

25I will break Assyria in my own land. I will trample him on my mountains. Then his heavy yoke will come off my people, and his load will come off their shoulders."

26This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.

26This is the plan decided for the whole earth. This is the hand stretched out over all the nations.

27For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

27The LORD of Heaven's Armies has made his plan, so who can cancel it? His hand is stretched out, so who can push it back?

28In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.

28This message came in the year that King Ahaz died.

29Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.

29Do not celebrate, all you Philistines, just because the rod that beat you is broken. From that snake's root a poisonous viper will grow, and its offspring will be a darting, flying serpent.

Note"Palestina" in the KJV means the land of the Philistines, a people on the coast west of Judah. It is not the modern region called Palestine.

30And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.

30The poorest of the poor will have food, and the needy will lie down safely. But I will kill your root with hunger, and it will kill everyone you have left.

31Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.

31Cry out, city gate! Scream, city! All you Philistines, melt away in fear. Smoke is coming from the north, and not one soldier in that army lags behind.

32What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.

32So what do we tell the messengers who come from that nation? Tell them the LORD himself built Zion, and his hurting people find safety there.