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Isaiah 14:4-21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Isaiah 14:4-21
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
4 you will take up this taunt-song[a] against the king of Babylon:(A)
How the oppressor has come to an end!
how the turmoil has ended!
5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked,
the staff of the tyrants(B)
6 That struck the peoples in wrath
with relentless blows;
That ruled the nations in anger,
with boundless persecution.(C)
7 The whole earth rests peacefully,
song breaks forth;
8 The very cypresses rejoice over you,
the cedars of Lebanon:
“Now that you are laid to rest,
no one comes to cut us down.”(D)
9 Below, Sheol is all astir
preparing for your coming;
Awakening the shades to greet you,
all the leaders of the earth;
Making all the kings of the nations
rise from their thrones.
10 All of them speak out
and say to you,
“You too have become weak like us,
you are just like us!
11 Down to Sheol your pomp is brought,
the sound of your harps.
Maggots are the couch beneath you,
worms your blanket.”(E)
12 How you have fallen from the heavens,
O Morning Star,[b] son of the dawn!
How you have been cut down to the earth,
you who conquered nations!(F)
13 In your heart you said:
“I will scale the heavens;
Above the stars of God[c]
I will set up my throne;
I will take my seat on the Mount of Assembly,
on the heights of Zaphon.(G)
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will be like the Most High!”(H)
15 No! Down to Sheol you will be brought
to the depths of the pit!(I)
16 When they see you they will stare,
pondering over you:
“Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
who shook kingdoms?
17 Who made the world a wilderness,
razed its cities,
and gave captives no release?”
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
each in his own tomb;(J)
19 But you are cast forth without burial,
like loathsome carrion,
Covered with the slain, with those struck by the sword,
a trampled corpse,
Going down to the very stones of the pit.(K)
20 You will never be together with them in the grave,
For you have ruined your land,
you have slain your people!
Let him never be named,
that offshoot of evil!
21 Make ready to slaughter his sons
for the guilt of their fathers;(L)
Lest they rise and possess the earth,
and fill the breadth of the world with cities.[d]
Footnotes
- 14:4–21 This taunt-song, a satirical funeral lament, is a beautiful example of classical Hebrew poetry. According to the prose introduction and the prosaic conclusion (vv. 22–23), it is directed against the king of Babylon, though Babylon is mentioned nowhere in the song itself. If the reference to Babylon is accurate, the piece was composed long after the time of Isaiah, for Babylon was not a threat to Judah in the eighth century. Some have argued that Isaiah wrote it at the death of an Assyrian king and the references to Babylon were made by a later editor, but this is far from certain.
- 14:12 Morning Star: term addressed to the king of Babylon. The Vulgate translates as “Lucifer,” a name applied by the church Fathers to Satan. Son of the dawn: Heb., ben shahar, may reflect the name of a pagan deity.
- 14:13–15 God: not Elohim, the common word for God, but El, the name of the head of the pantheon in Canaanite mythology, a god who was early identified with the Lord in Israelite thought. Mount of Assembly: mountain where the council of the gods met, according to Canaanite mythology. Zaphon: the sacred mountain of Baal, originally the Jebel el-Aqra north of Ugarit, but other mountains have been identified with it, including Mount Zion in Jerusalem (Ps 48:3). The attempt to usurp the place of God (v. 14), coupled with the dramatic reversal (“above the stars of God” to “the depths of the pit”) occasioned the interpretation that saw here the rebellion and fall of Satan.
- 14:21 Cities: if the text is correct, it presumably refers to cities as expressions of human pride, authority, and oppression (cf. Gn 11:1–9; Na 3:1–4).
Isaiah 14:4-21
New International Version
Isaiah 14:4-21
New International Version
4 you will take up this taunt(A) against the king of Babylon:(B)
How the oppressor(C) has come to an end!
How his fury[a] has ended!
5 The Lord has broken the rod(D) of the wicked,(E)
the scepter(F) of the rulers,
6 which in anger struck down peoples(G)
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued(H) nations
with relentless aggression.(I)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;(J)
they break into singing.(K)
8 Even the junipers(L) and the cedars of Lebanon
gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
no one comes to cut us down.”(M)
9 The realm of the dead(N) below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed(O) to greet you—
all those who were leaders(P) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.(Q)
10 They will all respond,
they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.”(R)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,(S)
along with the noise of your harps;(T)
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms(U) cover you.(V)
12 How you have fallen(W) from heaven,
morning star,(X) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!(Y)
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend(Z) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne(AA)
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,(AB)
on the utmost heights(AC) of Mount Zaphon.[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;(AD)
I will make myself like the Most High.”(AE)
15 But you are brought down(AF) to the realm of the dead,(AG)
to the depths(AH) of the pit.(AI)
16 Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:(AJ)
“Is this the man who shook(AK) the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,(AL)
who overthrew(AM) its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”(AN)
18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.(AO)
19 But you are cast out(AP) of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,(AQ)
with those pierced by the sword,(AR)
those who descend to the stones of the pit.(AS)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20 you will not join them in burial,(AT)
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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