¶ For the LORD¹ will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose² Israel, and set³ them in their own land: and the strangers⁴ shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.

And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house⁵ of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they⁶ shall take them captives, whose captives they were;⁷ and they shall rule over their oppressors.

⁸And 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 thou shalt take up this proverb⁹ against the king of Babylon, and say, How¹⁰ hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city¹¹ ceased!

¹²The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.

He who smote¹³ the people in wrath with a continual stroke¹⁴, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none¹⁵ hindereth.

The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they¹⁶ break forth into singing.

¹⁷Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

Hell¹⁸ from beneath is moved¹⁹ for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones²⁰ of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

¶ All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also²¹ become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?

Thy pomp²² is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm²³ is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

How art thou fallen²⁴ from heaven, O Lucifer²⁵, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken²⁶ the nations!

For thou²⁷ hast said in thine heart, I will ascend²⁸ into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount²⁹ of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

I will ascend³⁰ above the heights of the clouds; I will be³¹ like the most High.

Yet thou³² shalt be brought down to hell, to the³³ sides of the pit.

They that see thee shall narrowly³⁴ look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this³⁵ the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

That made³⁶ the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners³⁷?

All the kings of the nations, even all of³⁸ them, lie in glory, every one in his own house³⁹.

But thou⁴⁰ 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 go⁴¹ down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.

¶ Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed⁴² of evildoers shall never be renowned.

Prepare slaughter⁴³ for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not⁴⁴ rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

For I will⁴⁵ rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name⁴⁶, and remnant⁴⁷, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.

I will also make⁴⁸ it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep⁴⁹ it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.

¶ The LORD⁵⁰ of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely⁵¹ as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

That I will⁵² break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then⁵³ shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.

⁵⁴This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.

For the LORD⁵⁵ of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his⁵⁶ hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

⁵⁷In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.

Rejoice⁵⁸ not thou, whole⁵⁹ Palestina, because⁶⁰ the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for⁶¹ out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice⁶², and his fruit shall be a fiery⁶³ flying serpent.

¶ And the firstborn⁶⁴ of the poor⁶⁵ shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I⁶⁶ will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.

Howl⁶⁷, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for⁶⁸ there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone⁶⁹ in his appointed times.

What shall one⁷⁰ then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD⁷¹ hath founded Zion, and the⁷² poor of his people shall trust in it⁷³.