القراءة بلغتين

فإِنَّ الرَّبَّ سيَرحَمُ يَعْقوب، ويَعودُ فيَخْتارُ إِسْرائيل، ويُريحُه في أَرضِه، ويَنضَمُّ النَّزيلُ إِلَيه ويُشارِكُ بَيتَ يَعْقوب

وتَأخُذُه شُعوبٌ وتأتي بِه إِلى مَكانِه، فيَمتَلِكُها بَيتُ إِسْرائيلَ في أَرضِ الرَّبِّ عَبيدًا وإِماءً، ويَسْبي الَّذينَ سَبَوه ويَتَسَلَّطُ على الَّذينَ ظَلَموه

فيَومَ يُريحُكَ الرَّبُّ مِن أَلَمِكَ وٱضطِرابِكَ ومِنَ العُبودِيَّةِ القاسِيَةِ الَّتي ٱستُعبِدتَ بِها

تُجاهِرُ بِهٰذا المَثَلِ على مَلِكِ بابِلَ وتَقول: «كَيفَ زالَ الظَّالِمُ وزالَ الرُّعْب؟

كَسَرَ الرَّبُّ عَصا الأَشْرار وقَضيبَ المُتَسَلِّطين

الَّذينَ ضَرَبوا الشُّعوبَ بِحَنَق ضَربًا لم يَنقَطِعْ. وتَسَلَّطوا على الأُمَمِ بِغَضَب مُطارِدينَ إِيَّاها بِلا رَحمَة

قدِ ٱستَراحَتِ الأَرضُ كُلُّها وسَكَنَت وٱندَفَعوا بالهُتاف

حتَّى السَّرْوُ وأَرزُ لُبْنانَ يَشمَتانِ بِكَ: مُنذُ ٱضطَجَعتَ لم يَصعَد علَينا مَن يَقطَعُنا»

مَثْوى الأَمْواتِ مِن أَسفَل إِرتَعَدَ مِنكَ عِندَ قُدومكَ وأَيقَظَ لَكَ الأَشْباح جَميعَ عُظَماءِ الأَرْض وأَقامَ جَميعَ مُلوكِ الأُمَمِ عن عُروشِهم

فتَكَلَّمَ جَميعُهم قائلينَ لَكَ: «إِنَّكَ أَنتَ أَيضًا مَرِضتَ مِثلَنا وصِرتَ مُماثِلًا لَنا

أُهبِطَت عَظَمَتُكَ وصَوتُ عيدانِكَ إِلى مَثْوى الأَمْوات تَحتَكَ يُفرَشُ السُّوس وغِطاؤُكَ الدُّود

كَيفَ سَقَطتِ مِنَ السَّماء أَيَّتُها الزُّهرَةُ، اِبنُ الصَّباح؟ كَيفَ حُطِّمتَ إِلى الأَرْض يا قاهِرَ الأُمَم؟

قد قُلتَ في قَلبِكَ: إِنِّي أَصعَدُ إِلى السَّماء أَرفَعُ عَرْشي فَوقَ كَواكِبِ الله وأَجلِسُ على جَبَلِ الجَماعة في أَقاصي الشَّمال

أَصعَدُ فَوقَ أَعالي الغُيوم وأَكونُ شَبيهًا بِالعَلِيّ

بَل تُهبَطُ إِلى مَثْوى الأَمْوات إِلى أَقاصي الجُبّ»

الَّذينَ يَرَونَكَ يَتَفَرَّسونَ فيكَ ويَتَأَمَّلون: «أَهٰذا هو الإِنسانُ الَّذي زَعزَعَ الأَرضَ وزَلزَلَ المَمالِك؟

جَعَلَ الدُّنْيا مِثلَ بَرِّيَّة وحَطَّمَ مُدُنَها ولم يُطلِقْ أَسْراه إِلى بُيوتِهم

جَميعُ مُلوكِ الأُمَمِ كافَّةً قدِ ٱضطَجَعوا بِالكَرامَةِ كُلُّ واحِدٍ في بَيتِه

أَمَّا أَنتَ فطُرِحتَ عن قَبرِكَ كفَرْعٍ قبيح ومِن حَولِكَ قَتْلى مَطْعونونَ بِالرِّماح هابِطونَ إِلى حِجارَةِ الجُبِّ كالجُثَّةِ المَدوسة

لا تَجتَمِعْ وإِيَّاهم في المَدفَن لِأَنَّك دَمَّرتَ أَرضَكَ وقَتَلتَ شَعبَكَ. لا تُذكَرُ لِلأَبَدِ ذُرِّيَّةُ فاعِلي السُّوء

هَيِّئوا لِبَنيه الذَّبحَ بِسَبَبِ إِثمِ آبائِهم. لا يَقوموا ولا يَرِثوا الأَرْض ولا يَمْلَأُوا وَجهَ المَسْكونةِ مُدُنًا»

فأَقومُ علَيهم يَقولُ رَبُّ القُوَّات وأَستأصِلُ مِن بابِلَ الِٱسمَ والبَقِيَّةَ والذُّرِّيَّةَ والعَقِب يَقولُ الرَّبّ

وأَجعَلُها ميراثًا لِلقَنافِذ ومُستَنقَعاتٍ لِلمِياه وأَكنُسُها بِمِكنَسَةِ الإِبادة يَقولُ رَبُّ القُوَّات

إِنَّ رَبَّ القُوَّاتِ أَقسَمَ قائلًا: الَّذي نَوَيتُه هو سيَكون الَّذي قَضَيتُه هو سَيَتِمّ

سأُحَطِّمُ أَشُّورَ في أَرْضي وأَدوسُه على جِبالي فيُزالُ عنهم نيرُه ويُزالُ ثِقلُه عن أَكْتافِهم

هٰذا هو القَضاءُ الَّذي قَضَيتُه على كُلِّ الأَرْض، وهٰذه هي اليَدُ المَمْدودةُ على كُلِّ الأُمَم

فإِنَّ رَبَّ القُوَّاتِ قد قضى فمَنِ الَّذي يُخالِف، ويَدُه مَمْدودةٌ فمَنِ الَّذي يَرُدُّها؟

في السَّنَةِ الَّتي ماتَ فيها المَلِكُ آحاز، كانَ هٰذا القَول

لا تَفرَحي يا فِلَسْطينُ بِأَسرِها بِأَنَّ قَضيبَ ضارِبِكِ قدِ ٱنكَسَر فإِنَّه مِن أَصلِ الحَيَّةِ يَخرُجُ الأَرقَم ونَسلُه يَكونُ تِنِّينًا طَيَّارًا

وسيَرْعى أَضعَفُ النَّاس ويَربِضُ المَساكينُ مُطمَئِنِّين وأَنا أُميتُ نَسلَكِ بِالجوع وهو يَقتُلُ بَقِيَّتَكِ

وَلوِلْ أَيُّها الباب أُصرُخي أَيَّتُها المَدينة. لِتَخُرْ عَزيمَتُكِ يا فِلَسطينُ بِأَسرِها لِأَنَّ دُخانًا آتٍ مِنَ الشَّمال ولَيسَ مَن يَفِرُّ في تَجَمُّعاتِه

بِماذا يُجابُ رُسُلُ الأُمَّة؟ إِنَّ الرَّبَّ أَسَّسَ صِهْيون وبِها يَعتَصِمُ بائِسو شَعبِه

For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land. The foreigner will join himself with them, and they will unite with the house of Jacob.

The peoples will take them, and bring them to their place. The house of Israel will possess them in the LORD’s land for servants and for handmaids. They will take as captives those whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

It will happen in the day that the LORD will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard service in which you were made to serve,

that you will take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, “How the oppressor has ceased! The golden city has ceased!”

The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,

who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that no one restrained.

The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet. They break out in song.

Yes, the cypress trees rejoice with you, with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, “Since you are humbled, no lumberjack has come up against us.”

Sheol from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the departed spirits for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

They all will answer and ask you, “Have you also become as weak as we are? Have you become like us?”

Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, with the sound of your stringed instruments. Maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you.

How you have fallen from heaven, shining one, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low!

You said in your heart, “I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north!

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!”

Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.

Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms,

who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities, who didn’t release his prisoners to their home?”

All the kings of the nations sleep in glory, everyone in his own house.

But you are cast away from your tomb like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain who are thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body trodden under foot.

You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. The offspring of evildoers will not be named forever.

Prepare for slaughter of his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, that they not rise up and possess the earth, and fill the surface of the world with cities.

“I will rise up against them,” says the LORD of Armies, “and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son’s son,” says the LORD.

“I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water. I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” says the LORD of Armies.

The LORD of Armies has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so shall it happen; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and tread him under foot on my mountains. Then his yoke will leave them, and his burden leave their shoulders.

This is the plan that is determined for the whole earth. This is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.

For the LORD of Armies has planned, and who can stop it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”

This burden was in the year that King Ahaz died.

Don’t rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck you is broken; for out of the serpent’s root an adder will emerge, and his fruit will be a fiery flying serpent.

The firstborn of the poor will eat, and the needy will lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant will be killed.

Howl, gate! Cry, city! You are melted away, Philistia, all of you; for smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.

What will they answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people will take refuge.