TORAH

FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES

NEVI'IM

PROPHETS

KETUVIM

WRITINGS

Chapter 14

Translation and Transliteration of

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1But Hashem will pardon Yaakov, and will again choose Yisrael, and will settle them on their own soil. And strangers shall join them and shall cleave to the House of Yaakov.

KEE y'-ra-KHAYM a-do-NAI et ya-a-KOV u-va-KHAR OD b'-yis-ra-AYL v'-hi-nee-KHAM al ad-ma-TAM v'-nil-VAH ha-GAYR a-lay-HEM v'-nis-p'-KHU al BAYT ya-a-KOV

אכִּי יְרַחֵם יְהֹוָה אֶת־יַעֲקֹב וּבָחַר עוֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וְהִנִּיחָם עַל־אַדְמָתָם וְנִלְוָה הַגֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם וְנִסְפְּחוּ עַל־בֵּית יַעֲקֹב׃

2For peoples shall take them and bring them to their homeland; and the House of Yisrael shall possess them as slaves and handmaids on the soil of Hashem. They shall be captors of their captors and masters to their taskmasters.

בוּלְקָחוּם עַמִּים וֶהֱבִיאוּם אֶל־מְקוֹמָם וְהִתְנַחֲלוּם בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל אַדְמַת יְהֹוָה לַעֲבָדִים וְלִשְׁפָחוֹת וְהָיוּ שֹׁבִים לְשֹׁבֵיהֶם וְרָדוּ בְּנֹגְשֵׂיהֶם׃

3And when Hashem has given you rest from your sorrow and trouble, and from the hard service that you were made to serve,

גוְהָיָה בְּיוֹם הָנִיחַ יְהֹוָה לְךָ מֵעָצְבְּךָ וּמֵרָגְזֶךָ וּמִן־הָעֲבֹדָה הַקָּשָׁה אֲשֶׁר עֻבַּד־בָּךְ׃

4you shall recite this song of scorn over the king of Babylon: How is the taskmaster vanished, How is oppression ended!

דוְנָשָׂאתָ הַמָּשָׁל הַזֶּה עַל־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְאָמָרְתָּ אֵיךְ שָׁבַת נֹגֵשׂ שָׁבְתָה מַדְהֵבָה׃

5Hashem has broken the staff of the wicked, The rod of tyrants,

השָׁבַר יְהֹוָה מַטֵּה רְשָׁעִים שֵׁבֶט מֹשְׁלִים׃

6That smote peoples in wrath With stroke unceasing, That belabored nations in fury In relentless pursuit.

ומַכֶּה עַמִּים בְּעֶבְרָה מַכַּת בִּלְתִּי סָרָה רֹדֶה בָאַף גּוֹיִם מֻרְדָּף בְּלִי חָשָׂךְ׃

7All the earth is calm, untroubled; Loudly it cheers.

זנָחָה שָׁקְטָה כָּל־הָאָרֶץ פָּצְחוּ רִנָּה׃

8Even pines rejoice at your fate, And cedars of Lebanon: “Now that you have lain down, None shall come up to fell us.”

חגַּם־בְּרוֹשִׁים שָׂמְחוּ לְךָ אַרְזֵי לְבָנוֹן מֵאָז שָׁכַבְתָּ לֹא־יַעֲלֶה הַכֹּרֵת עָלֵינוּ׃

9Sheol below was astir To greet your coming— Rousing for you the shades Of all earth's chieftains, Raising from their thrones All the kings of nations.

טשְׁאוֹל מִתַּחַת רָגְזָה לְךָ לִקְרַאת בּוֹאֶךָ עוֹרֵר לְךָ רְפָאִים כָּל־עַתּוּדֵי אָרֶץ הֵקִים מִכִּסְאוֹתָם כֹּל מַלְכֵי גוֹיִם׃

10All speak up and say to you, “So you have been stricken as we were, You have become like us!

יכֻּלָּם יַעֲנוּ וְיֹאמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ גַּם־אַתָּה חֻלֵּיתָ כָמוֹנוּ אֵלֵינוּ נִמְשָׁלְתָּ׃

11Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the strains of your lutes! Worms are to be your bed, Maggots your blanket!”

יאהוּרַד שְׁאוֹל גְּאוֹנֶךָ הֶמְיַת נְבָלֶיךָ תַּחְתֶּיךָ יֻצַּע רִמָּה וּמְכַסֶּיךָ תּוֹלֵעָה׃

12How are you fallen from heaven, O Shining One, son of Dawn! How are you felled to earth, O vanquisher of nations!

יבאֵיךְ נָפַלְתָּ מִשָּׁמַיִם הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר נִגְדַּעְתָּ לָאָרֶץ חוֹלֵשׁ עַל־גּוֹיִם׃

13Once you thought in your heart, “I will climb to the sky; Higher than the stars of Hashem I will set my throne. I will sit in the mount of assembly, On the summit of Zaphon:

יגוְאַתָּה אָמַרְתָּ בִלְבָבְךָ הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶעֱלֶה מִמַּעַל לְכוֹכְבֵי־אֵל אָרִים כִּסְאִי וְאֵשֵׁב בְּהַר־מוֹעֵד בְּיַרְכְּתֵי צָפוֹן׃

14I will mount the back of a cloud— I will match the Most High.”

e-e-LEH al BA-mo-tay av e-da-MEH l'-el-YON

ידאֶעֱלֶה עַל־בָּמֳתֵי עָב אֶדַּמֶּה לְעֶלְיוֹן׃

14:14 I will match the Most High

The Hebrew word for ‘man’ is adam (אדם). Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz, who lived in Prague in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and is better known by the acronym of his important work as “the Shelah”, points out that the word adam may originate from the word edameh (אֶדַּמֶּה), ‘I will match,’ in this verse — indicating that man’s mission in this world is imitatio dei, the imperative to imitate God by emulating His actions. At the same time, man should not become haughty due to his lofty task. This too is hinted at by the word adam, which may also be derived from the word adama (אֲדָמָה) ‘earth,’ reminding man of his lowly origins, as he was fashioned from the earth (Genesis 2:7).

15Instead, you are brought down to Sheol, To the bottom of the Pit.

טואַךְ אֶל־שְׁאוֹל תּוּרָד אֶל־יַרְכְּתֵי־בוֹר׃

16They who behold you stare; They peer at you closely: “Is this the man Who shook the earth, Who made realms tremble,

טזרֹאֶיךָ אֵלֶיךָ יַשְׁגִּיחוּ אֵלֶיךָ יִתְבּוֹנָנוּ הֲזֶה הָאִישׁ מַרְגִּיז הָאָרֶץ מַרְעִישׁ מַמְלָכוֹת׃

17Who made the world like a waste And wrecked its towns, Who never released his prisoners to their homes?”

יזשָׂם תֵּבֵל כַּמִּדְבָּר וְעָרָיו הָרָס אֲסִירָיו לֹא־פָתַח בָּיְתָה׃

18All the kings of nations Were laid, every one, in honor Each in his tomb;

יחכָּל־מַלְכֵי גוֹיִם כֻּלָּם שָׁכְבוּ בְכָבוֹד אִישׁ בְּבֵיתוֹ׃

19While you were left lying unburied, Like loathsome carrion, Like a trampled corpse [In] the clothing of slain gashed by the sword Who sink to the very stones of the Pit.

יטוְאַתָּה הָשְׁלַכְתָּ מִקִּבְרְךָ כְּנֵצֶר נִתְעָב לְבוּשׁ הֲרֻגִים מְטֹעֲנֵי חָרֶב יוֹרְדֵי אֶל־אַבְנֵי־בוֹר כְּפֶגֶר מוּבָס׃

20You shall not have a burial like them; Because you destroyed your country, Murdered your people. Let the breed of evildoers Nevermore be named!

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

21Prepare a slaughtering block for his sons Because of the guilt of their father. Let them not arise to possess the earth! Then the world's face shall be covered with towns.

כאהָכִינוּ לְבָנָיו מַטְבֵּחַ בַּעֲוׂן אֲבוֹתָם בַּל־יָקֻמוּ וְיָרְשׁוּ אָרֶץ וּמָלְאוּ פְנֵי־תֵבֵל עָרִים׃

22I will rise up against them—declares the lord of Hosts—and will wipe out from Babylon name and remnant, kith and kin—declares Hashem

כבוְקַמְתִּי עֲלֵיהֶם נְאֻם יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת וְהִכְרַתִּי לְבָבֶל שֵׁם וּשְׁאָר וְנִין וָנֶכֶד נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃

23and I will make it a home of bitterns, pools of water. I will sweep it with a broom of extermination—declares the lord of Hosts.

כגוְשַׂמְתִּיהָ לְמוֹרַשׁ קִפֹּד וְאַגְמֵי־מָיִם וְטֵאטֵאתִיהָ בְּמַטְאֲטֵא הַשְׁמֵד נְאֻם יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת׃

24the lord of Hosts has sworn this oath: “As I have designed, so shall it happen; What I have planned, that shall come to pass:

כדנִשְׁבַּע יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר אִם־לֹא כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּמִּיתִי כֵּן הָיָתָה וְכַאֲשֶׁר יָעַצְתִּי הִיא תָקוּם׃

25To break Assyria in My land, To crush him on My mountain.” And his yoke shall drop off them, And his burden shall drop from their backs.

כהלִשְׁבֹּר אַשּׁוּר בְּאַרְצִי וְעַל־הָרַי אֲבוּסֶנּוּ וְסָר מֵעֲלֵיהֶם עֻלּוֹ וְסֻבֳּלוֹ מֵעַל שִׁכְמוֹ יָסוּר׃

26That is the plan that is planned For all the earth; That is why an arm is poised Over all the nations.

כוזֹאת הָעֵצָה הַיְּעוּצָה עַל־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ וְזֹאת הַיָּד הַנְּטוּיָה עַל־כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם׃

27For the lord of Hosts has planned, Who then can foil it? It is His arm that is poised, And who can stay it?

כזכִּי־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת יָעָץ וּמִי יָפֵר וְיָדוֹ הַנְּטוּיָה וּמִי יְשִׁיבֶנָּה׃

28This pronouncement was made in the year that King Achaz died:

כחבִּשְׁנַת־מוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז הָיָה הַמַּשָּׂא הַזֶּה׃

29Rejoice not, all Philistia, Because the staff of him that beat you is broken. For from the stock of a snake there sprouts an asp, A flying seraph branches out from it.

כטאַל־תִּשְׂמְחִי פְלֶשֶׁת כֻּלֵּךְ כִּי נִשְׁבַּר שֵׁבֶט מַכֵּךְ כִּי־מִשֹּׁרֶשׁ נָחָשׁ יֵצֵא צֶפַע וּפִרְיוֹ שָׂרָף מְעוֹפֵף׃

30The first-born of the poor shall graze And the destitute lie down secure. I will kill your stock by famine, And it shall slay the very last of you.

לוְרָעוּ בְּכוֹרֵי דַלִּים וְאֶבְיוֹנִים לָבֶטַח יִרְבָּצוּ וְהֵמַתִּי בָרָעָב שָׁרְשֵׁךְ וּשְׁאֵרִיתֵךְ יַהֲרֹג׃

31Howl, O gate; cry out, O city; Quake, all Philistia! For a stout one is coming from the north And there is no straggler in his ranks.

לאהֵילִילִי שַׁעַר זַעֲקִי־עִיר נָמוֹג פְּלֶשֶׁת כֻּלֵּךְ כִּי מִצָּפוֹן עָשָׁן בָּא וְאֵין בּוֹדֵד בְּמוֹעָדָיו׃

32And what will he answer the messengers of any nation? That Tzion has been established by Hashem: In it, the needy of His people shall find shelter.

לבוּמַה־יַּעֲנֶה מַלְאֲכֵי־גוֹי כִּי יְהֹוָה יִסַּד צִיּוֹן וּבָהּ יֶחֱסוּ עֲנִיֵּי עַמּוֹ׃