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¹ For Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the sojourner shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.² And the peoples shall take them, and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of Yahweh for male slaves and for female slaves: and they shall take them captive whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.³ And it shall come to pass in the day that Yahweh shall give you rest from your sorrow, and from your trouble, and from the hard service wherein you were made to serve,

⁴ that you shall take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, How has the oppressor ceased! the arrogance has ceased!⁵ Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers;⁶ that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, that ruled the nations in anger with a persecution that none restrained.⁷ The whole earth is at rest, [and] is quiet: they break forth into singing.⁸ Yes, the fir-trees rejoice at you, [and] the cedars of Lebanon, [saying], Since you are laid low, no hewer has come up against us.⁹ Sheol from beneath is moved for you to meet you at your coming; it stirs up the dead for you, even all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.¹⁰ They shall all answer and say to you, Have you also become weak as we? have you become like us?¹¹ Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, [and] the noise of your viols: the worm is spread under you, and worms cover you.¹² How you have fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! how you are cut down to the ground, that laid low the nations!¹³ And you said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north;¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.¹⁵ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the uttermost parts of the pit.¹⁶ Those that see you shall gaze at you, they shall consider you, [saying], Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that shook kingdoms;¹⁷ that made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the cities thereof; that did not let loose his prisoners to their home?¹⁸ All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, every one in his own house.¹⁹ But you are cast forth away from your tomb like a disgusting branch, clothed with the slain, that are thrust through with the sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a dead body trodden under foot.²⁰ You shall not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people; the seed of evil-doers shall not be named forever.²¹ Prepare slaughter for his sons for the iniquity of their fathers, that they do not rise up, and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.²² And I will rise up against them, says Yahweh of hosts, and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son's son, says Yahweh.²³ I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, says Yahweh of hosts.

²⁴ Yahweh of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass; and as I have purposed, so it shall stand:²⁵ that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulder.²⁶ This is the purpose that is purposed on the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out on all the nations.²⁷ For Yahweh of hosts has purposed, and who shall annul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?²⁸ In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.²⁹ Don't rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that smote you is broken; for out of the serpent's root shall come forth an adder, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.³⁰ And the first-born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with famine, and he will slay your remnant.³¹ Howl, O gate; cry, O city; you are melted away, O Philistia, all of you; for there comes a smoke out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.³² What then shall one answer the messengers of the nation? That Yahweh has founded Zion, and in her shall the afflicted of his people take refuge.