Isaiah 14:4–21

⁴you will take up this taunt^p against the king of Babylon:^q

How the oppressor^r has come to an end!

How his fury^a has ended!

⁵The Lord has broken the rod^s of the wicked,^t

the scepter^u of the rulers,

⁶which in anger struck down peoples^v

with unceasing blows,

and in fury subdued^w nations

with relentless aggression.^x

⁷All the lands are at rest and at peace;^y

they break into singing.^z

⁸Even the junipers^a and the cedars of Lebanon

gloat over you and say,

“Now that you have been laid low,

no one comes to cut us down.”^b

⁹The realm of the dead^c below is all astir

to meet you at your coming;

it rouses the spirits of the departed^d to greet you—

all those who were leaders^e in the world;

it makes them rise from their thrones—

all those who were kings over the nations.^f

¹⁰They will all respond,

they will say to you,

“You also have become weak, as we are;

you have become like us.”^g

¹¹All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^h

along with the noise of your harps;ⁱ

maggots are spread out beneath you

and worms^j cover you.^k

¹²How you have fallen^l from heaven,

morning star,^m son of the dawn!

You have been cast down to the earth,

you who once laid low the nations!ⁿ

¹³You said in your heart,

“I will ascend^o to the heavens;

I will raise my throne^p

above the stars of God;

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^q

on the utmost heights^r of Mount Zaphon.^b

¹⁴I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^s

I will make myself like the Most High.”^t

¹⁵But you are brought down^u to the realm of the dead,^v

to the depths^w of the pit.^x

¹⁶Those who see you stare at you,

they ponder your fate:^y

“Is this the man who shook^z the earth

and made kingdoms tremble,

¹⁷the man who made the world a wilderness,^a

who overthrew^b its cities

and would not let his captives go home?”^c

¹⁸All the kings of the nations lie in state,

each in his own tomb.^d

¹⁹But you are cast out^e of your tomb

like a rejected branch;

you are covered with the slain,^f

with those pierced by the sword,^g

those who descend to the stones of the pit.^h

Like a corpse trampled underfoot,

²⁰you will not join them in burial,ⁱ

for you have destroyed your land

and killed your people.

Let the offspring^j of the wicked^k

never be mentioned^l again.

²¹Prepare a place to slaughter his children^m

for the sins of their ancestors;ⁿ

they are not to rise to inherit the land

and cover the earth with their cities.