Isaiah 14:21-32

Prepare to kill his children, because their father is guilty. They will never again take control of the earth; they will never again fill the world with their cities. The LORD All-Powerful says this: “I will fight against those people; I will destroy Babylon and its people, its children and their descendants,” says the LORD. “I will make Babylon fit only for owls and for swamps. I will sweep Babylon as with a broom of destruction,” says the LORD All-Powerful. The LORD All-Powerful has made this promise: “These things will happen exactly as I planned them; they will happen exactly as I set them up. I will destroy the king of Assyria in my country; I will trample him on my mountains. He placed a heavy load on my people, but that weight will be removed. “This is what I plan to do for all the earth. And this is the hand that I have raised over all nations.” When the LORD All-Powerful makes a plan, no one can stop it. When the LORD raises his hand to punish people, no one can stop it. This message was given in the year that King Ahaz died: Country of Philistia, don’t be happy that the king who struck you is now dead. He is like a snake that will give birth to another dangerous snake. The new king will be like a quick, dangerous snake to bite you. Even the poorest of my people will be able to eat safely, and people in need will be able to lie down in safety. But I will kill your family with hunger, and all your people who are left will die. People near the city gates, cry out! Philistines, be frightened, because a cloud of dust comes from the north. It is an army, full of men ready to fight. What shall we tell the messengers from Philistia? Say that the LORD has made Jerusalem strong and that his poor people will go there for safety.