1 F or the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will again choose Israel and set them in their own land; and foreigners will join them and will cleave to the house of Jacob (Israel).

Because Jehovah loveth Jacob, And hath fixed again on Israel, And given them rest on their own land, And joined hath been the sojourner to them, And they have been admitted to the house of Jacob.

2 A nd the peoples shall take them and bring them to their own country and help restore them. And the house of Israel will possess them in the land of the Lord as male and female servants; and they will take captive those whose captives they have been, and they will rule over their oppressors.

And peoples have taken them, And have brought them in unto their place, And the house of Israel have inherited them, On the land of Jehovah, For men-servants and for maid-servants, And they have been captors of their captors, And have ruled over their exactors.

3 W hen the Lord has given you rest from your sorrow and pain and from your trouble and unrest and from the hard service with which you were made to serve,

And it hath come to pass, In the day of Jehovah's giving rest to thee, From thy grief, and from thy trouble, And from the sharp bondage, That hath been served upon thee,

4 Y ou shall take up this parable against the king of Babylon and say, How the oppressor has stilled! The golden and exacting city has ceased!

That thou hast taken up this simile Concerning the king of Babylon, and said, How hath the exactor ceased,

5 T he Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,

Ceased hath the golden one. Broken hath Jehovah the staff of the wicked, The sceptre of rulers.

6 W ho smote the peoples in anger with incessant blows and trod down the nations in wrath with unrelenting persecution— he who smote is persecuted and no one hinders any more.

He who is smiting peoples in wrath, A smiting without intermission, He who is ruling in anger nations, Pursuing without restraint!

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

At rest -- quiet hath been all the earth, They have broken forth singing.

8 Y es, the fir trees and cypresses rejoice at you, even the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since you have been laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.

Even firs have rejoiced over thee, Cedars of Lebanon --: Since thou hast lain down, The hewer cometh not up against us.

9 S heol (Hades, the place of the dead) below is stirred up to meet you at your coming; it stirs up the shades of the dead to greet you—even all the chief ones of the earth; it raises from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

Sheol beneath hath been troubled at thee, To meet thy coming in, It is waking up for thee Rephaim, All chiefs ones of earth, It hath raised up from their thrones All kings of nations.

10 A ll of them will say to you, Have you also become weak as we are? Have you become like us?

All of them answer and say unto thee, Even thou hast become weak like us! Unto us thou hast become like!

11 Y our pomp and magnificence are brought down to Sheol (the underworld), along with the sound of your harps; the maggots are spread out under you and worms cover you.

Brought down to Sheol hath been thine excellency, The noise of thy psaltery, Under thee spread out hath been the worm, Yea, covering thee is the worm.

12 H ow have you fallen from heaven, O light-bringer and daystar, son of the morning! How you have been cut down to the ground, you who weakened and laid low the nations

How hast thou fallen from the heavens, O shining one, son of the dawn! Thou hast been cut down to earth, O weakener of nations.

13 A nd you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north.

And thou saidst in thy heart: the heavens I go up, Above stars of God I raise my throne, And I sit in the mount of meeting in the sides of the north.

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

I go up above the heights of a thick cloud, I am like to the Most High.

15 Y et you shall be brought down to Sheol (Hades), to the innermost recesses of the pit (the region of the dead).

Only -- unto Sheol thou art brought down, Unto the sides of the pit.

16 T hose who see you will gaze at you and consider you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms?—

Thy beholders look to thee, to thee they attend, Is this the man causing the earth to tremble, Shaking kingdoms?

17 W ho made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who would not permit his prisoners to return home?

He hath made the world as a wilderness, And his cities he hath broken down, Of his bound ones he opened not the house.

18 A ll the kings of the nations, all of them lie sleeping in glorious array, each one in his own sepulcher.

All kings of nations -- all of them, Have lain down in honour, each in his house,

19 B ut you are cast away from your tomb like a loathed growth or premature birth or an abominable branch and like the raiment of the slain; and you are clothed with the slain, those thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trodden underfoot.

And -- thou hast been cast out of thy grave, As an abominable branch, raiment of the slain, Thrust through ones of the sword, Going down unto the sons of the pit, As a carcase trodden down.

20 Y ou shall not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land and have slain your people. May the descendants of evildoers nevermore be named!

Thou art not united with them in burial, For thy land thou hast destroyed, Thy people thou hast slain, Not named to the age is the seed of evil doers.

21 P repare a slaughtering place for his sons because of the guilt and iniquity of their fathers, so that they may not rise, possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.

Prepare ye for his sons slaughter; Because of the iniquity of their fathers, They rise not, nor have possessed the land, Nor filled the face of the world cities.

22 A nd I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son’s son, says the Lord.

And I have risen up against them, (The affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts,) And have cut off, in reference to Babylon, Name and remnant, and continuator and successor, The affirmation of Jehovah.

23 I will also make it a possession of the hedgehog and porcupine, and of marshes and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, says the Lord of hosts.

And have made it for a possession of a bittern, And ponds of waters, And daubed it with the mire of destruction, The affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts!

24 T he Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought and planned, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand—

Sworn hath Jehovah of Hosts, saying, `As I thought -- so hath it not been? And as I counselled -- it standeth;

25 T hat I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains I will tread him underfoot. Then shall the yoke depart from, and his burden depart from their shoulders.

To break Asshur in My land, And on My mountains I tread him down, And turned from off them hath his yoke, Yea, his burden from off their shoulder turneth aside.

26 T his is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth; and this is hand that is stretched out over all the nations.

This the counsel that is counselled for all the earth, And this the hand that is stretched out for all the nations.

27 F or the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who can annul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

For Jehovah of Hosts hath purposed, And who doth make void? And His hand that is stretched out, Who doth turn it back?'

28 I n the year that King Ahaz died there came this mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up):

In the year of the death of king Ahaz was this burden:

29 R ejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that smote you is broken; for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth an adder, and its offspring will be a fiery, flying serpent.

Rejoice not thou, Philistia, all of thee, That broken hath been the rod of thy smiter, For from the root of a serpent cometh out a viper, And its fruit a flying saraph.

30 A nd the firstborn of the poor and the poorest of the poor shall feed on My meadows, and the needy will lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant shall be slain.

And delighted have the first-born of the poor, And the needy in confidence lie down, And I have put to death with famine thy root, And thy remnant it slayeth.

31 H owl, O gate! Cry, O city! Melt away, O Philistia, all of you! For there is coming a smoke out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks and none stands aloof.

Howl, O gate; cry, O city, Melted art thou, Philistia, all of thee, For from the north smoke hath come, And there is none alone in his set places.

32 W hat then shall one answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord has founded Zion, and in her shall the poor and afflicted of His people trust and find refuge.

And what doth one answer the messengers of a nation? `That Jehovah hath founded Zion, And in it do the poor of His people trust!'