Study Desk

And it will be on the day when the LORD gives you rest from your hardship, your turmoil, and from the harsh service in which you have been enslaved,

And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,

that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say, "How the oppressor has ceased, And how the onslaught has ceased!

That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

"The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers,

The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.

Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes, Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.

He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

"The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; They break forth into shouts of joy.

The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.

"Even the juniper trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, 'Since you have been laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.'

Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

"Sheol below is excited about you, to meet you when you come; It stirs the spirits of the dead for you, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

"They will all respond and say to you, 'Even you have become weak as we, You have become like us.

All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?

'Your pride and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you And worms are your covering.'

Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

"How you have fallen from heaven, You star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who defeated the nations!

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

"But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

"Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

"Those who see you will stare at you, They will closely examine you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?'

That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

"All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb.

All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.

"But you have been hurled out of your tomb Like a rejected branch, Clothed with those killed who have been pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit Like a trampled corpse.

But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.

"You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have killed your people. May the descendants of evildoers never be mentioned.

Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

"Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons Because of the wrongdoing of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth, And fill the surface of the world with cities."

Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

"I will rise up against them," declares the LORD of armies, "and eliminate from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and descendants," declares the LORD.

For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord .

"I will also make it the property of the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction," declares the LORD of armies.

I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.