כִּי יְרַחֵם ה' אֶת יַעֲקֹב וּבָחַר עוֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וְהִנִּיחָם עַל אַדְמָתָם וְנִלְוָה הַגֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם וְנִסְפְּחוּ עַל בֵּית יַעֲקֹב

The fall of Babylon will free the exiled members of Israel living there; some of these exiles will return to their homeland: For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and He will place them on their land; the stranger will accompany them, and they will be appended to the house of Jacob.

וּלְקָחוּם עַמִּים וֶהֱבִיאוּם אֶל מְקוֹמָם וְהִתְנַחֲלוּם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל אַדְמַת ה' לַעֲבָדִים וְלִשְׁפָחוֹת וְהָיוּ שֹׁבִים לְשֹׁבֵיהֶם וְרָדוּ בְּנֹגְשֵׂיהֶם

The peoples will take them, Israel, and bring them to their place. Nations will help Israel return to their land. The house of Israel will inherit them, other nations that have settled on the land of the Lord, as slaves and as maidservants. Then, after returning to inhabit their land, they, Israel, will be the captors of their former captors, and they will subjugate their erstwhile oppressors and render them servants and second-class citizens.

וְהָיָה בְּיוֹם הָנִיחַ ה' לְךָ מֵעָצְבְּךָ וּמֵרָגְזֶךָ וּמִן הָעֲבֹדָה הַקָּשָׁה אֲשֶׁר עֻבַּד בָּךְ

It shall be on the day that the Lord gives you relief from your pain and from your trembling and from the hard work with which you were made to work, then it will be possible to summarize the period of your suffering, and you will then be able to sing a new song.

וְנָשָׂאתָ הַמָּשָׁל הַזֶּה עַל מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְאָמָרְתָּ אֵיךְ שָׁבַת נֹגֵשׂ שָׁבְתָה מַדְהֵבָה

You will then deliver this parable about the king of Babylon, and you will say: How has the oppressor ceased, how has the yoke of the golden kingdom ceased?

שָׁבַר ה' מַטֵּה רְשָׁעִים שֵׁבֶט מֹשְׁלִים

The Lord broke the staff of the wicked, the rod of the rulers. The staff or rod fills a double role: It is a club which strikes and punishes the people, and also the scepter of royal authority.

מַכֶּה עַמִּים בְּעֶבְרָה מַכַּת בִּלְתִּי סָרָה רֹדֶה בָאַף גּוֹיִם מֻרְדָּף בְּלִי חָשָׂךְ

It is the king’s rod that smites peoples in ire, an incessant blow; it subjugates nations in wrath, who are pursued without relief. It is as though the king cannot rest. He pursues war and is thus afflicted by constant warfare.

נָחָה שָׁקְטָה כָּל הָאָרֶץ פָּצְחוּ רִנָּה

Now, at his death, the entire earth rests, and is tranquil; they all broke out into song.

גַּם בְּרוֹשִׁים שָׂמְחוּ לְךָ אַרְזֵי לְבָנוֹן מֵאָז שָׁכַבְתָּ לֹא יַעֲלֶה הַכֹּרֵת עָלֵינוּ

Also junipers rejoice over you, over your death, as well as cedars of Lebanon, as though saying: Since you lie down, the woodcutter does not come against us. The king of Babylon felled many large trees in order to build extravagant palaces and to besiege cities. Thus, even the trees rejoice over his death.

שְׁאוֹל מִתַּחַת רָגְזָה לְךָ לִקְרַאת בּוֹאֶךָ עוֹרֵר לְךָ רְפָאִים כָּל עַתּוּדֵי אָרֶץ הֵקִים מִכִּסְאוֹתָם כֹּל מַלְכֵי גוֹיִם

At the same time, the netherworld from below trembles for you in anticipation of your arrival; ghosts are roused for you, all the prominent ones of the earth who were prominent in their lifetimes; they are raised from their thrones in the netherworld, all the kings of the nations.

כֻּלָּם יַעֲנוּ וְיֹאמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ גַּם אַתָּה חֻלֵּיתָ כָמוֹנוּ אֵלֵינוּ נִמְשָׁלְתָּ

All of them would respond and would say to you: You too, the great king who ruled by force, who was treated as an eternal and immovable force of nature, have been weakened like us? You have become likened to us! You are also dead!

הוּרַד שְׁאוֹל גְּאוֹנֶךָ הֶמְיַת נְבָלֶיךָ תַּחְתֶּיךָ יֻצַּע רִמָּה וּמְכַסֶּיךָ תּוֹלֵעָה

Your pride is brought down to the netherworld, the strains of your lyres. The melodies that were always played before you have been silenced. Now, after once gloriously presiding over the entire world, you lie still in the ground and beneath you are spread maggots, and your cover is worms.

אֵיךְ נָפַלְתָּ מִשָּׁמַיִם הֵילֵל בֶּן שָׁחַר נִגְדַּעְתָּ לָאָרֶץ חוֹלֵשׁ עַל גּוֹיִם

The prophet now addresses the king himself: How have you fallen from the heavens, shining morning star [heilel ben shah]·? This refers to the planet Venus, which is the brightest star in the early morning sky. Some explain that heilel ben shaḥar is actually the name of a Babylonian general. In any case, the prophet asks: You once shone like a bright star; how have you been felled to the ground, you, who were once controller of nations?

וְאַתָּה אָמַרְתָּ בִלְבָבְךָ הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶעֱלֶה מִמַּעַל לְכוֹכְבֵי אֵל אָרִים כִּסְאִי וְאֵשֵׁב בְּהַר מוֹעֵד בְּיַרְכְּתֵי צָפוֹן

You said in your heart while you were still alive: I will ascend to the heavens; above the stars of God I will elevate my throne, and I will sit on the mountain of meeting at the ends of the North where the sun does not shine, a place that you believe is fit for a gathering of the gods.

אֶעֱלֶה עַל בָּמֳתֵי עָב אֶדַּמֶּה לְעֶלְיוֹן

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

אַךְ אֶל שְׁאוֹל תּוּרָד אֶל יַרְכְּתֵי בוֹר

However, despite your desire to rise to the heavens, to the netherworld you will be lowered, to the depths of the pit, where you will be buried.

רֹאֶיךָ אֵלֶיךָ יַשְׁגִּיחוּ אֵלֶיךָ יִתְבּוֹנָנוּ הֲזֶה הָאִישׁ מַרְגִּיז הָאָרֶץ מַרְעִישׁ מַמְלָכוֹת

Those who see you will peer at you, will scrutinize you, and say: Is this the corpse of the man who caused the entire earth to tremble, who caused kingdoms to quake?

שָׂם תֵּבֵל כַּמִּדְבָּר וְעָרָיו הָרָס אֲסִירָיו לֹא פָתַח בָּיְתָה

Is this the king who rendered the world like a wilderness through his wars, and destroyed its cities? Is this the king who did not release his prisoners homeward?

כָּל מַלְכֵי גוֹיִם כֻּלָּם שָׁכְבוּ בְכָבוֹד אִישׁ בְּבֵיתוֹ

All the kings of the nations are dead, but they all lie in honor, each in his own house, as they did not generate such opposition, even after their deaths.

וְאַתָּה הָשְׁלַכְתָּ מִקִּבְרְךָ כְּנֵצֶר נִתְעָב לְבוּשׁ הֲרֻגִים מְטֹעֲנֵי חָרֶב יוֹרְדֵי אֶל אַבְנֵי בוֹר כְּפֶגֶר מוּבָס

But you were cast from your grave like a detested shoot that is uprooted because it does not grow properly, dressed in the tattered clothing of corpses stabbed with a sword, those lowered to the stones of a pit like a trampled carcass. Your fate will be like those who fall in battle and are left on the battlefield, and whose bodies are tossed into unmarked graves. Unlike the kings of the other nations, who die peacefully in their beds and are honorably interred, you will not be buried in a magnificent grave.

לֹא תֵחַד אִתָּם בִּקְבוּרָה כִּי אַרְצְךָ שִׁחַתָּ עַמְּךָ הָרָגְתָּ לֹא יִקָּרֵא לְעוֹלָם זֶרַע מְרֵעִים

You will not join with them, the other kings, in burial, because you destroyed your land; you killed your people. Therefore, the descendants of evildoers, your descendants, will never be mentioned or remembered.

הָכִינוּ לְבָנָיו מַטְבֵּחַ בַּעֲוֹן אֲבוֹתָם בַּל יָקֻמוּ וְיָרְשׁוּ אָרֶץ וּמָלְאוּ פְנֵי תֵבֵל עָרִים

They will say: Prepare a slaughter for his sons, kill them for the iniquity of their fathers; may they, the sons, not rise and inherit the earth and fill the face of the earth with destruction or enemies.

וְקַמְתִּי עֲלֵיהֶם נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת וְהִכְרַתִּי לְבָבֶל שֵׁם וּשְׁאָר וְנִין וָנֶכֶד נְאֻם ה'

I will rise against them – the utterance of the Lord of hosts. I will eliminate from Babylon name and remnant, or relative, and son, or descendant, and grandson – the utterance of the Lord.

וְשַׂמְתִּיהָ לְמוֹרַשׁ קִפֹּד וְאַגְמֵי מָיִם וְטֵאטֵאתִיהָ בְּמַטְאֲטֵא הַשְׁמֵד נְאֻם ה' צְבָאוֹת

I will render it, Babylon, a possession of the fish owl and pools of water; I will sweep it with the broom of destruction– the utterance of the Lord of hosts. Babylonia shall be utterly destroyed; nothing will remain of it except destroyed cities, swamps, and desolation.

נִשְׁבַּע ה' צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר אִם לֹא כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּמִּיתִי — כֵּן הָיָתָה וְכַאֲשֶׁר יָעַצְתִּי הִיא תָקוּם

The Lord of hosts took an oath, saying: Surely, as I have imagined, so it will be; just as I devised, so it will stand.

לִשְׁבֹּר אַשּׁוּר בְּאַרְצִי וְעַל הָרַי אֲבוּסֶנּוּ וְסָר מֵעֲלֵיהֶם עֻלּוֹ וְסֻבֳּלוֹ מֵעַל שִׁכְמוֹ יָסוּר

My plan will be realized: To break Assyria in My land, and on My mountains, I will crush him. His, the Assyrian king’s, yoke will be removed from upon them, My land and mountains, and his, Israel’s, burden will be removed from upon his shoulder.

זֹאת הָעֵצָה הַיְּעוּצָה עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ וְזֹאת הַיָּד הַנְּטוּיָה עַל כָּל הַגּוֹיִם

This is the plan that is devised against the entire earth, and this is the hand that is outstretched over all the nations. The hand of God, which rules over the entire world, will not allow this injustice to continue.

כִּי ה' צְבָאוֹת יָעָץ וּמִי יָפֵר וְיָדוֹ הַנְּטוּיָה וּמִי יְשִׁיבֶנָּה

For the Lord of hosts has devised, and who will revoke? His outstretched hand – who will turn it back?

בִּשְׁנַת מוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז הָיָה הַמַּשָּׂא הַזֶּה

Like the prophecy above (6:1), but unlike many other prophecies, this prophecy is dated: In the year of the death of King Ahaz, there was this prophecy. The Philistines, who were dealt a severe blow by King Ahaz, celebrated his death. The prophet therefore says to them:

אַל תִּשְׂמְחִי פְלֶשֶׁת כֻּלֵּךְ כִּי נִשְׁבַּר שֵׁבֶט מַכֵּךְ כִּי מִשֹּׁרֶשׁ נָחָשׁ יֵצֵא צֶפַע וּפִרְיוֹ שָׂרָף מְעוֹפֵף

Do not rejoice, all of you, Philistia, because the rod of he who beat you, King Ahaz, is broken; the king has died. For from the root of the snake will emerge an adder, far more dangerous than a typical snake, and its offspring will be a flying, venomous, serpent.In place of the dead King Ahaz, there will arise a king who will strike the Philistines even harder.

וְרָעוּ בְּכוֹרֵי דַלִּים וְאֶבְיוֹנִים לָבֶטַח יִרְבָּצוּ וְהֵמַתִּי בָרָעָב שָׁרְשֵׁךְ וּשְׁאֵרִיתֵךְ יַהֲרֹג

Even the firstborn of the impoverished of Israel, the poorest of the people, will graze and be sustained in tranquility, and even the indigent will lie in security, and at the same time I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant he will slay. The Philistines will suffer severe famine and be beaten to the ground, and whoever survives will be slain by the king.

הֵילִילִי שַׁעַר זַעֲקִי עִיר נָמוֹג פְּלֶשֶׁת כֻּלֵּךְ כִּי מִצָּפוֹן עָשָׁן בָּא וְאֵין בּוֹדֵד בְּמוֹעָדָיו

Wail, until the gate of your city shakes; cry out, city. Philistia, all of you is melted; all of Philistia will eventually be destroyed. For the smoke of war comes from the North, and there is no straggler in his ranks; the enemy’s entire army will gather together to attack you.

ומַה יַּעֲנֶה מַלְאֲכֵי גוֹי – כִּי ה' יִסַּד צִיּוֹן וּבָהּ יֶחֱסוּ עֲנִיֵּי עַמּוֹ

What, then, will the messengers of the nation pronounce? For the Lord has established Zion, and within it will be sheltered the poor of His people. The poor of Israel will find shelter in the rebuilt Jerusalem, as their enemies, the Philistines, will have been dealt a decisive blow.