1-2. But not so with Jacob. God will have compassion on Jacob. Once again he’ll choose Israel. He’ll establish them in their own country. Outsiders will be attracted and throw their lot in with Jacob. The nations among whom they lived will actually escort them back home, and then Israel will pay them back by making slaves of them, men and women alike, possessing them as slaves in God’s country, capturing those who had captured them, ruling over those who had abused them.
3-4. When God has given you time to recover from the abuse and trouble and harsh servitude that you had to endure, you can amuse yourselves by taking up this satire, a taunt against the king of Babylon:
4-6. Can you believe it? The tyrant is gone!The tyranny is over!God has broken the rule of the wicked,the power of the bully-rulersThat crushed many people.A relentless rain of cruel outrageEstablished a violent rule of angerrife with torture and persecution.
7-10. And now it’s over, the whole earth quietly at rest.Burst into song! Make the rafters ring!Ponderosa pine trees are happy,giant Lebanon cedars are relieved, saying,“Since you’ve been cut down,there’s no one around to cut us down.”And the underworld dead are all excited,preparing to welcome you when you come.Getting ready to greet you are the ghostly dead,all the famous names of earth.All the buried kings of the nationswill stand up on their thronesWith well-prepared speeches,royal invitations to death:“Now you are as nothing as we are!Make yourselves at home with us dead folks!”
11. This is where your pomp and fine music led you, Babylon,to your underworld private chambers,A king-size mattress of maggots for reposeand a quilt of crawling worms for warmth.
12. What a comedown this, O Babylon!Daystar! Son of Dawn!Flat on your face in the underworld mud,you, famous for flattening nations!
13-14. You said to yourself,“I’ll climb to heaven.I’ll set my throneover the stars of God.I’ll run the assembly of angelsthat meets on sacred Mount Zaphon.I’ll climb to the top of the clouds.I’ll take over as King of the Universe!”
15-17. But you didn’t make it, did you?Instead of climbing up, you came down—Down with the underground dead,down to the abyss of the Pit.People will stare and muse:“Can this be the oneWho terrorized earth and its kingdoms,turned earth to a moonscape,Wasted its cities,shut up his prisoners to a living death?”