Isaiah 14

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 be kind to Jacob's family. He will choose Israel again. He will settle them in their own land. People from other lands will join them and stay with 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 home. Israel will have those people as servants and helpers in the LORD's land. The people who once took Israel away will be taken instead. Israel will rule over the ones who hurt 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,

3One day the LORD will give you rest. Your pain will end. Your fear will end. The hard work you were forced to do will end.

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 song against the king of Babylon. You will say, "The cruel king has stopped! His anger is over!"

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

5The LORD has broken the stick that bad rulers used. He has broken the rod that showed their power.

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

6That ruler struck people in anger, blow after blow. He ruled nations in rage and never let up.

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

7Now the whole earth is quiet and rests. People burst out 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 trees are glad about you. The cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon say, "Since you fell, no woodcutter comes to chop us down."

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.

9Down below, the place of the dead stirs to meet you when you come. It wakes the dead to greet you. All the rulers of the earth stand up. All the kings of the nations rise from their thrones.

NoteThe KJV says "hell" here. The Hebrew word is Sheol, which means the place where dead people go. In this chapter it is where dead kings lie, 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 to you and say, "You are weak now, just like us. You have become 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 things have gone down to the place of the dead. The music of your harps went down too. Now worms are your bed. 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 heavens, shining morning star, son of the dawn! You are cut down to the ground, you who beat down the nations.

Note"Lucifer" is a Latin word that means "morning star." That is the bright star people see just before the sun comes up. The verse is calling the king of Babylon a star that fell.

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 in your heart, "I will climb up to the heavens. I will set my throne above God's stars. I will sit on the mountain where they gather, far away in the north.

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

14I will climb higher than 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 you will be brought down to the place of the dead. You will go 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;

16The people who see you will stare at you. They will think hard about you and say, "Is this the man who shook the earth? Did he make 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 an empty desert? He knocked down its cities. He 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 other nations lie in honor. Each one rests 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. You are like a branch nobody wants. You lie under men killed by swords. You are dumped in a rocky pit like a dead body walked on.

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. You ruined your own land. You killed your own people. The children of evil people will never be remembered again.

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 a place ready to kill his sons for the wrong their fathers did. They will never rise up and take a land. They will never 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.

22"I will stand against them," says the LORD of Hosts, the LORD who leads heaven's armies. "I will wipe out Babylon's name and everyone left there. I will cut off her children and their children," says the LORD.

NoteIn 1611 English, "nephew" meant a grandchild or a later family member, 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 make Babylon a home for owls and a swamp full of pools. I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction," says the LORD of Hosts.

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 Hosts has made a promise. He said, "What I have planned will surely 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 step on him on my mountains. Then his heavy bar will come off my people. 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 made for the whole earth. This is the hand reaching 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 Hosts has made this plan. Who can stop it? His hand is reaching out. 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 be glad, all you Philistines. The rod that hit you is broken, but do not cheer. From that snake's root will come a poisonous snake. Its young will be a flying, burning snake.

Note"Palestina" means the land of the Philistines, a people who lived near the sea beside Israel. "Cockatrice" is an old English word for a snake with deadly poison.

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.

30Then the poorest people will have food to eat. People in need will lie down safe. But I will kill your root with hunger. The few of you left will be killed.

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! Cry out, city! Melt with fear, all you Philistines! Smoke is coming from the north. Not one soldier falls 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.

32What will people answer the messengers from that nation? They will say, "The LORD built Zion, the hill city of Jerusalem. His hurting people are safe there."