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TitleIsaiah 14
Publication TypeBook Chapter
Year of Publication2022
AuthorsParry, Donald W.
Book TitleThe Book of Isaiah: A New Translation (Preliminary Edition)
Chapter14
PublisherBook of Mormon Central
CitySpringville, UT

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Israel Will Be Gathered and Chosen of God and Will Rest from Sorrow (14:1–3)

Isaiah

14 1For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob
and will again choose Israel

and give them rest in their land;

and the stranger will be joined with them,
and they will attach themselves to the house of Jacob.

2And the people will take them and bring them to their place;
[yea, from far unto the ends of the earth; and they will return to their lands of promise.][1]

And the house of Israel will possess them
[and the land of the LORD will be][2] for servants and handmaids;

and they will take them captives [unto whom][3] they were captives;  
and they will rule over their oppressors.

3And it will come to pass in [that][4] day, the LORD will give you[5] rest
from your pain,
and from your turmoil,
and from the difficult labor you were made to serve.

Fall of the King of Babylon (14:4–11)

Isaiah

4[And it will come to pass in that day][6] that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon and say,

Unnamed individual

“How has the oppressor ceased,
the onslaught[7] ceased!”

Isaiah

5The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked,
the [scepters][8] of rulers.

6He who smote peoples in wrath with unceasing blows,
he that ruled nations in anger with relentless persecution.

7The whole earth is at rest, quiet;
they break forth into singing.

8Indeed, the cypresses rejoice at you
and also, the cedars of Lebanon:

Trees

“Since you were laid down, no woodsman comes up against us.”

Isaiah

9Sheol from beneath trembles to meet you at your coming;
it stirs up the dead spirits for you,

even all the rulers of the earth;
it has raised up all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

10All of them will answer and say unto you,

Dead spirits

“You also have become weak like us?
You have become like us?”

Isaiah

11Your pomp is brought down to Sheol;
the sound of your harps [is not heard][9].

Maggots are spread under you,
and worms[10] are your covers.

Fall of Lucifer (14:12–23)

Isaiah

12How you are fallen from heaven, O shining one[11], son of the morning!
You are cut down to the ground, you who did weaken the nations!

13You have said in your heart,

Lucifer

“I will ascend into heaven;
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will sit upon the mountain of the divine council in the far reaches of the north;

14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”

Isaiah

15But to Sheol you will be brought down,
to the depths of the pit.

16Those who see you will stare at you
and consider you [and will say:][12]

People

“Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
who shook kingdoms,

17[and][13] who made the world as a wilderness,
and destroyed its cities, [and] who did not allow his prisoners to go home?”

Isaiah

18All the kings of the nations—all of them—
lie in glory, each in his own house.

19But you, you are cast out of your grave like an abominable, aborted fetus,[14]
and the [remnant][15] of those that are slain, those pierced by a sword,

who go down to the stones of the pit, like a trampled corpse.
20You will not be united with them in burial!

Because you have destroyed your land,
and you have slain your people,

the offspring of evildoers will never be named.

21Prepare slaughter for his children, for their fathers’ [iniquities][16], lest they possess the earth and fill the face of the world with cities.

The Lord

22“For I will rise up against them,”

Isaiah

declares the LORD of Hosts,

The Lord

“and I will cut off from Babylon the name,
and remnant, offspring and posterity,”

Isaiah

declares the LORD.

The Lord

23“I will make it [Babylon] a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water;
and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,”

Isaiah

declares the LORD of Hosts.

God Is in Control of All Nations (14:24–27)

Isaiah

24The LORD of Hosts has sworn, saying,

The Lord

“Surely as I have thought, so has it come to pass;
and as I have decided, so will it stand.

25[I will bring][17] the Assyrian in My land,
and on My mountains, I will trample him;

then his yoke will be removed from them,
and his burden will be removed from their shoulders.

Isaiah

26This is the plan that was planned for the whole earth;
and this is the hand outstretched upon all nations.

27For the LORD of Hosts has decided, and who will make it invalid?
And His hand is outstretched, and who will turn it back?

 

Judgment against Philistina (14:28–32)

Isaiah

28This prophecy {against Philistina} came in the year of King Ahaz’s death.

The Lord

29Do not rejoice, Philistina, all of you, because the rod that smote you is broken;

for out of the serpent’s root will come forth an adder,
and its fruit {its offspring} a fiery flying serpent.

30And the firstborn of poor people will find pasture,
and the needy will lie down in safety;

but I will kill your root with famine,
and your remnant it[18] will slay.

31Wail, O gate;
cry, O city;

be melted, Philistina, all of you, for smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its ranks.

32What will one say to the envoys of the nations?

 

“That the LORD has founded Zion,
and in her {Zion} the afflicted of His people will take refuge.”



[1] JST, 2 Nephi 24:2.

[2] From JST and 2 Nephi 24:2.

[3] From 2 Nephi 24:2.

[4] From JST and 2 Nephi 24:3.

[5] Evident in Hebrew but not in the translation is Isaiah’s use of the personal, singular pronouns “you” and “your,” meaning that the Lord’s promise is personalized to each individual, male and female.

[6] From JST, 2 Nephi 24:4.

[7] From DSS Isaiah.

[8] From JST and 2 Nephi 24:9.

[9] From 2 Nephi 24:11.

[10] Isaiah sets forth a wordplay—the Hebrew tole‘ah means both “worm” and “crimson cloth.” The king once used luxurious crimson cloth for this covering, but now worms cover him.

[11] The Hebrew word is helel, which means “morning-star” or “shining one.” Some translations render helel as “Lucifer,” which comes from the Latin (which literally means “morning star,” “light bearer,” or similar). Note that Doctrine and Covenants 76:26 also calls Lucifer “a son of the morning.” Presumably, Lucifer had prominence and light in the premortal world, but now he is “cut down” and “fallen from heaven.”

[12] JST, 2 Nephi 24:16.

[13] Bracketed words in verse 17 are from JST and 2 Nephi 24:17.

[14] For this reading, consult the lexicons and the commentators. Symbolically, Lucifer is like an “aborted fetus” (or the Hebrew netzer/nfl may refer to a “miscarriage”).

[15] From JST and 2 Nephi 24:19.

[16] From 2 Nephi 24:21.

[17] From 2 Nephi 24:25.

[18] DSS Isaiah reads, “I will slay.”

 

Scripture Reference

Isaiah 14:1