Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, July 6th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Isaiah 14:5

For the Lord has crushed your wicked power and broken your evil rule.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Isaiah;   Nation;   Rulers;   Scepter (Sceptre);   Thompson Chain Reference - Nation, the;   Sceptres;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Babylon;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Rod;   Sceptre;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Babylon;   Funeral;   Nebuchadnezzar;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Sceptre;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Club;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Isaiah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Judgment Damnation;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Babylon ;   Sceptre;   Type;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Medes;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Isa'iah, Book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Scepter;   Staff;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Belshazzar;   Sceptre;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Isaiah;   King;   Ruler;   Sceptre;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Satire;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,the scepter of the rulers.
Hebrew Names Version
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers;
King James Version
The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.
English Standard Version
The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,
New American Standard Bible
"The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers,
New Century Version
The Lord has broken the scepter of evil rulers and taken away their power.
Amplified Bible
"The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of the [tyrant] rulers
World English Bible
Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers;
Geneva Bible (1587)
The Lorde hath broken the rodde of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers:
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked,The scepter of rulers
Berean Standard Bible
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers.
Contemporary English Version
The Lord has crushed the power of those evil kings,
Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,
Darby Translation
Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord breaks the scepter of evil rulers; he takes away their power.
George Lamsa Translation
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked and the sceptre of the rulers.
Good News Translation
The Lord has ended the power of the evil rulers
Lexham English Bible
Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,
Literal Translation
Jehovah has broken the rod of the wicked, the staff of rulers,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Doutles the LORDE hath broken the staff of the vngodly, & the cepter of ye lordly.
American Standard Version
Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers;
Bible in Basic English
The stick of the evil-doers, the rod of the rulers, is broken by the Lord;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers,
King James Version (1611)
The Lord hath broken the staffe of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The Lorde hath broken the scepter of the vngodly, and the rod of the lordelye,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The Lord has broken the yoke of sinners, the yoke of princes.
English Revised Version
The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The Lord hath al to-broke the staf of wickid men, the yerde of lordis,
Update Bible Version
Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers;
Webster's Bible Translation
The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, [and] the scepter of the rulers.
New English Translation
The Lord has broken the club of the wicked, the scepter of rulers.
New King James Version
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of the rulers;
New Life Bible
The Lord has broken the walking stick of the sinful, the power of rulers,
New Revised Standard
The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Broke hath Yahweh the staff of the lawless, - The sceptre of despots;
Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the rod of the rulers,
Revised Standard Version
The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers,
Young's Literal Translation
Ceased hath the golden one. Broken hath Jehovah the staff of the wicked, The sceptre of rulers.
THE MESSAGE
Now You Are Nothing But not so with Jacob. God will have compassion on Jacob. Once again he'll choose Israel. He'll establish them in their own country. Outsiders will be attracted and throw their lot in with Jacob. The nations among whom they lived will actually escort them back home, and then Israel will pay them back by making slaves of them, men and women alike, possessing them as slaves in God 's country, capturing those who had captured them, ruling over those who had abused them. When God has given you time to recover from the abuse and trouble and harsh servitude that you had to endure, you can amuse yourselves by taking up this satire, a taunt against the king of Babylon: Can you believe it? The tyrant is gone! The tyranny is over! God has broken the rule of the wicked, the power of the bully-rulers That crushed many people. A relentless rain of cruel outrage Established a violent rule of anger rife with torture and persecution. And now it's over, the whole earth quietly at rest. Burst into song! Make the rafters ring! Ponderosa pine trees are happy, giant Lebanon cedars are relieved, saying, "Since you've been cut down, there's no one around to cut us down." And the underworld dead are all excited, preparing to welcome you when you come. Getting ready to greet you are the ghostly dead, all the famous names of earth. All the buried kings of the nations will stand up on their thrones With well-prepared speeches, royal invitations to death: "Now you are as nothing as we are! Make yourselves at home with us dead folks!" This is where your pomp and fine music led you, Babylon, to your underworld private chambers, A king-size mattress of maggots for repose and a quilt of crawling worms for warmth. What a comedown this, O Babylon! Daystar! Son of Dawn! Flat on your face in the underworld mud, you, famous for flattening nations! You said to yourself, "I'll climb to heaven. I'll set my throne over the stars of God. I'll run the assembly of angels that meets on sacred Mount Zaphon. I'll climb to the top of the clouds. I'll take over as King of the Universe!" But you didn't make it, did you? Instead of climbing up, you came down— Down with the underground dead, down to the abyss of the Pit. People will stare and muse: "Can this be the one Who terrorized earth and its kingdoms, turned earth to a moonscape, Wasted its cities, shut up his prisoners to a living death?" Other kings get a decent burial, honored with eulogies and placed in a tomb. But you're dumped in a ditch unburied, like a stray dog or cat, Covered with rotting bodies, murdered and indigent corpses. Your dead body desecrated, mutilated— no state funeral for you! You've left your land in ruins, left a legacy of massacre. The progeny of your evil life will never be named. Oblivion! Get a place ready to slaughter the sons of the wicked and wipe out their father's line. Unthinkable that they should own a square foot of land or desecrate the face of the world with their cities! "I will confront them"—Decree of God -of-the-Angel-Armies—"and strip Babylon of name and survivors, children and grandchildren." God 's Decree. "I'll make it a worthless swamp and give it as a prize to the hedgehog. And then I'll bulldoze it out of existence." Decree of God -of-the-Angel-Armies. God -of-the-Angel-Armies speaks: "Exactly as I planned, it will happen. Following my blueprints, it will take shape. I will shatter the Assyrian who trespasses my land and stomp him into the dirt on my mountains. I will ban his taking and making of slaves and lift the weight of oppression from all shoulders." This is the plan, planned for the whole earth, And this is the hand that will do it, reaching into every nation. God -of-the-Angel-Armies has planned it. Who could ever cancel such plans? His is the hand that's reached out. Who could brush it aside? In the year King Ahaz died, this Message came: Hold it, Philistines! It's too soon to celebrate the defeat of your cruel oppressor. From the death throes of that snake a worse snake will come, and from that, one even worse. The poor won't have to worry. The needy will escape the terror. But you Philistines will be plunged into famine, and those who don't starve, God will kill. Wail and howl, proud city! Fall prostrate in fear, Philistia! On the northern horizon, smoke from burned cities, the wake of a brutal, disciplined destroyer. What does one say to outsiders who ask questions? Tell them, " God has established Zion. Those in need and in trouble find refuge in her."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers

Contextual Overview

4 you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say, "The mighty man has been destroyed. Yes, your insolence is ended. 5 For the Lord has crushed your wicked power and broken your evil rule. 6 You struck the people with endless blows of rage and held the nations in your angry grip with unrelenting tyranny. 7 But finally the earth is at rest and quiet. Now it can sing again! 8 Even 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!' 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. 10 With one voice they all cry out, ‘Now you are as weak as we are! 11 Your 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.' 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. 13 For 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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Isaiah 14:29, Isaiah 9:4, Isaiah 10:5, Psalms 125:3, Jeremiah 48:15-17

Reciprocal: Job 36:22 - God Isaiah 8:9 - and ye Isaiah 14:16 - Is this Isaiah 14:25 - then Jeremiah 48:17 - How Jeremiah 51:20 - art Zephaniah 2:15 - how is

Cross-References

Genesis 14:10
As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains.
Genesis 14:11
The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies.
Genesis 14:20
And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
Genesis 14:23
that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram rich.'
Genesis 15:20
Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,
Deuteronomy 1:4
This took place after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and at Edrei had defeated King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth.
Deuteronomy 3:11
(King Og of Bashan was the last survivor of the giant Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)
Deuteronomy 3:20
When the Lord has given security to the rest of the Israelites, as he has to you, and when they occupy the land the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan River, then you may all return here to the land I have given you.'
Deuteronomy 3:22
Do not be afraid of the nations there, for the Lord your God will fight for you.'
Joshua 12:4
King Og of Bashan, the last of the Rephaites, lived at Ashtaroth and Edrei.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked,.... This is an answer to the above question, how the exactor and his tribute came to cease; this was not by man, but by the Lord himself; for though he made use of Cyrus, the work was his own, he broke the power of the wicked kings of Babylon:

[and] the sceptre of the rulers; that were under the king of Babylon; or of the several kings themselves, Nebuchadnezzar, Evilmerodach, and Belshazzar; so Kimchi interprets it. This may be applied to the kingdom of antichrist, and the antichristian states, which shall be broken to shivers as a potter's vessel by Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, Revelation 2:27. The "staff" and "sceptre" are emblems of power and government; and "breaking" them signifies the utter destruction and cessation of authority and dominion.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Lord hath broken - Yahweh, by the hand of Cyrus.

The staff of the wicked - That is, the scepter of the king of Babylon. The word rendered ‘staff’ (מטה maṭēh) may mean either a bough, stick, staff, rod, or a scepter. The scepter was the symbol of supreme power. It was in the form of a staff, and was made of wood, ivory, or gold. It here means that Yahweh had taken away the power from Babylon, and destroyed his dominion.


 
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