1 B ecause 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.

The Lord will have loving-pity on Jacob and will again choose Israel. He will have them return to live in their own land. Then people from other countries will come and be with them, and will join themselves to the family of Jacob.

2 A nd 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.

Nations will take them and bring them to their place. The family of Israel will own them in the Lord’s land as men and women servants. They will take those who had taken them away and they will rule over those who had made it hard for them. Babylon’s King in the World of the Dead

3 A nd 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,

When the Lord gives you rest from your pain and trouble and the hard work which you were made to do,

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

you will speak against the king of Babylon, and say, “How the one who made it hard for us has been stopped! How his anger has been stopped!

5 C eased hath the golden one. Broken hath Jehovah the staff of the wicked, The sceptre of rulers.

The Lord has broken the walking stick of the sinful, the power of rulers,

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

which used to beat the people in anger without stopping. The nations were ruled in anger. It was very hard for the people and there was no pity shown to them.

7 A t rest -- quiet hath been all the earth, They have broken forth singing.

“Now the whole earth is at rest and quiet. They sing out with joy.

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

Even the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon are glad over you, and say, ‘Since you were cut down no one comes to cut us down.’

9 S heol 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.

The world of the dead below wants to meet you when you come. It wakes up the spirits of the dead for you, all the leaders of the earth. It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

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

All of them will speak and say to you, ‘Even you have become as weak as we. You have become like us.

11 B rought 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.

Your honor and power along with the music of your harps have been brought down to the place of the dead. Worms are spread out as your bed under you and worms cover you.’

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

“How you have fallen from heaven, O shining one, son of the morning! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have made the nations weak!

13 A nd 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.

You said in your heart, ‘I will go up to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. And I will sit on the mount of meeting in the far north.

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

I will go much higher than the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High.’

15 O nly -- unto Sheol thou art brought down, Unto the sides of the pit.

But you will be brought down to the place of the dead, to the bottom of the grave.

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

Those who see you will look hard at you and think about you, and say, ‘Is this the man who made the earth shake with fear, who shook nations?

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

Is this the man who made the world like a desert and destroyed its cities, who did not let those whom he had put in prison go home?’

18 A ll kings of nations -- all of them, Have lain down in honour, each in his house,

“All the kings of the nations lie in greatness, each in his own grave.

19 A nd -- 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.

But you have been thrown out of your grave like a hated part of the family. You are clothed with the dead who were killed with a sword, who go down to the stones of the grave, like a dead body crushed under foot.

20 T hou 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.

You will not be joined with them when you are buried, because you have destroyed your country. You have killed your people. May the children of sinners never be spoken about again!

21 P repare 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.

Make a place ready for his sons to be killed because of the sin of their fathers. They must not come into power and take the earth, and fill the world with cities.” God Will Destroy Babylon

22 A nd 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.

“I will come against them,” says the Lord of All. “And I will cut off from Babylon its name and people, its children and their children,” says the Lord.

23 A nd 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!

“I will turn it into a place for hedgehogs, full of pools of water. And I will go over it and destroy it,” says the Lord of All. God Will Destroy the Assyrians

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

The Lord of All has promised, “It will happen just as I have planned it. As I have planned, so will it be.

25 T o 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.

I will break Assyria in My land. I will crush him under foot on My mountains. Then his load will be taken from My people. His load will be taken from their shoulder.”

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

This is the plan made against the whole earth and this is the hand that is put out against all the nations.

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

For the Lord of All has planned, and who can keep it from happening? Who can turn His hand back? God Will Destroy the Philistines

28 I n the year of the death of king Ahaz was this burden:

In the year that King Ahaz died this special word came:

29 R ejoice 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.

“Do not be glad, O Philistia, all of you, because the special stick that made it hard for you is broken. One snake dies and a worse one comes, a snake that can fly.

30 A nd 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.

The poor will eat. Those in need will lie down and be safe. I will destroy all of you with hunger and it will kill those who are left.

31 H owl, 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.

Cry out, O gate. Cry, O city. All you Philistines are weak in heart. For smoke comes from the north, and everyone keeps his place in his army.

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

What answer will be given to the men sent by the nation? That the Lord is the builder of Zion, and it will be a safe place for His people who are poor and troubled.”