NET Bible | New Living Translation |
1The LORD will certainly have compassion on Jacob; he will again choose Israel as his special people and restore them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family of Jacob. | 1But the LORD will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. He will choose Israel as his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and unite with the people of Israel. |
2Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Jacob will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the LORD's land. They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them. | 2The nations of the world will help the people of Israel to return, and those who come to live in the LORD’s land will serve them. Those who captured Israel will themselves be captured, and Israel will rule over its enemies. |
3When the LORD gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, and from the hard labor which you were made to perform, | 3In that wonderful day when the LORD gives his people rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains, |
4you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: "Look how the oppressor has met his end! Hostility has ceased! | 4you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say, “The mighty man has been destroyed. Yes, your insolence is ended. |
5The LORD has broken the club of the wicked, the scepter of rulers. | 5For the LORD has crushed your wicked power and broken your evil rule. |
6It furiously struck down nations with unceasing blows. It angrily ruled over nations, oppressing them without restraint. | 6You struck the people with endless blows of rage and held the nations in your angry grip with unrelenting tyranny. |
7The whole earth rests and is quiet; they break into song. | 7But finally the earth is at rest and quiet. Now it can sing again! |
8The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, 'Since you fell asleep, no woodsman comes up to chop us down!' | 8Even the trees of the forest— the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon— sing out this joyous song: ‘Since you have been cut down, no one will come now to cut us down!’ |
9Sheol below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It rouses the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; it makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones. | 9“In the place of the dead there is excitement over your arrival. The spirits of world leaders and mighty kings long dead stand up to see you. |
10All of them respond to you, saying: 'You too have become weak like us! You have become just like us! | 10With one voice they all cry out, ‘Now you are as weak as we are! |
11Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you. | 11Your might and power were buried with you. The sound of the harp in your palace has ceased. Now maggots are your sheet, and worms your blanket.’ |
12Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations! | 12“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. |
13You said to yourself, "I will climb up to the sky. Above the stars of El I will set up my throne. I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon. | 13For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. |
14I will climb up to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!" | 14I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ |
15But you were brought down to Sheol, to the remote slopes of the pit. | 15Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. |
16Those who see you stare at you, they look at you carefully, thinking: "Is this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble? | 16Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble? |
17Is this the one who made the world like a desert, who ruined its cities, and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?"' | 17Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’ |
18As for all the kings of the nations, all of them lie down in splendor, each in his own tomb. | 18“The kings of the nations lie in stately glory, each in his own tomb, |
19But you have been thrown out of your grave like a shoot that is thrown away. You lie among the slain, among those who have been slashed by the sword, among those headed for the stones of the pit, as if you were a mangled corpse. | 19but you will be thrown out of your grave like a worthless branch. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will be dumped into a mass grave with those killed in battle. You will descend to the pit. |
20You will not be buried with them, because you destroyed your land and killed your people. The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again. | 20You will not be given a proper burial, for you have destroyed your nation and slaughtered your people. The descendants of such an evil person will never again receive honor. |
21Prepare to execute his sons for the sins their ancestors have committed. They must not rise up and take possession of the earth, or fill the surface of the world with cities." | 21Kill this man’s children! Let them die because of their father’s sins! They must not rise and conquer the earth, filling the world with their cities.” |
22"I will rise up against them," says the LORD who commands armies. "I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, including the offspring she produces," says the LORD. | 22This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: “I, myself, have risen against Babylon! I will destroy its children and its children’s children,” says the LORD. |
23"I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals and covered with pools of stagnant water. I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom," says the LORD who commands armies. | 23“I will make Babylon a desolate place of owls, filled with swamps and marshes. I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction. I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” A Message about Assyria |
24The LORD who commands armies makes this solemn vow: "Be sure of this: Just as I have intended, so it will be; just as I have planned, it will happen. | 24The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath: “It will all happen as I have planned. It will be as I have decided. |
25I will break Assyria in my land, I will trample them underfoot on my hills. Their yoke will be removed from my people, the burden will be lifted from their shoulders. | 25I will break the Assyrians when they are in Israel; I will trample them on my mountains. My people will no longer be their slaves nor bow down under their heavy loads. |
26This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth; my hand is ready to strike all the nations." | 26I have a plan for the whole earth, a hand of judgment upon all the nations. |
27Indeed, the LORD who commands armies has a plan, and who can possibly frustrate it? His hand is ready to strike, and who can possibly stop it? | 27The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has spoken— who can change his plans? When his hand is raised, who can stop him?” A Message about Philistia |
28In the year King Ahaz died, this message was revealed: | 28This message came to me the year King Ahaz died: |
29Don't be so happy, all you Philistines, just because the club that beat you has been broken! For a viper will grow out of the serpent's root, and its fruit will be a darting adder. | 29Do not rejoice, you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken— that the king who attacked you is dead. For from that snake a more poisonous snake will be born, a fiery serpent to destroy you! |
30The poor will graze in my pastures; the needy will rest securely. But I will kill your root by famine; it will put to death all your survivors. | 30I will feed the poor in my pasture; the needy will lie down in peace. But as for you, I will wipe you out with famine and destroy the few who remain. |
31Wail, O city gate! Cry out, O city! Melt with fear, all you Philistines! For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke, and there are no stragglers in its ranks. | 31Wail at the gates! Weep in the cities! Melt with fear, you Philistines! A powerful army comes like smoke from the north. Each soldier rushes forward eager to fight. |
32How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? Indeed, the LORD has made Zion secure; the oppressed among his people will find safety in her. | 32What should we tell the Philistine messengers? Tell them, “The LORD has built Jerusalem ; its walls will give refuge to his oppressed people.” |
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