The Downfall of the King of Babylon

3 And it shall happen on the day Yahweh gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and hard labor which ⌊you had to perform⌋,b

4 that you will take this taunt against the king of Babylon,

and you will say:

“How the oppressor has ceased!

his insolencec has ceased.

5 Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked,

the scepter of rulers,

6 that struck the peoples in wrath, a blow without ceasing,

that ruled the nations in anger

⌊with unrestrained persecution⌋.d

7 All of the earth rests and is quiet;

they break forth into singing.

8 Even the cypresses rejoice over you,

the cedars of Lebanon:

‘Since you were laid down,

no wood cutter comes up against us.’

9 Sheol below is getting excited over you,

to meet ⌊you when you come⌋;e

it arouses the dead spirits for you,

all of the leaders of the earth.

It raises all of the kings of the nations from their thrones.

10 All of them will respond and say to you,

‘You yourself also were made weak like us!

You have become the same as us!’

11 Your pride is brought down to Sheol,

and the sound of your harps;

maggotsf are spread out beneath you like a bed,

and your covering is worms.g

12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of dawn!

You are cut down to the ground, conqueror of nations!

13 And you yourself said in your heart,

‘I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise up my throne above the stars of God;

and I will sit on the mountain of assembly

on the summit of Zaphon;h

14 I will ascend to the high places of the clouds,i

I will make myself like the Most High.’

15 But you are brought down to Sheol,

to the depths of the pit.

16 Those who see you will stare at you,

they will look closely at you:

‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,

who caused kingdoms to shake,

17 who made the world like the desert

and destroyed its cities,

who would not let his prisoners go home?’

18 All the kings of the nations, all of them, lie in glory,

each one in his house.

19 But as for you, you are thrown away from your grave,

like an abhorrent shoot,

clothed with the slain,

those pierced by the sword,

those who go down to the stones of the pit,

like a corpse that is trodden down.

20 You will not be united with them in burial

because you have destroyed your land,

you have killed your people.

The descendantsj of evildoers will not be mentioned for eternity!

21 Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons

because of the sin of their ancestors.k

Let them not rise and take possession of the earth

or fill up the face of the world with cities.”