1But Yahweh will act mercifully toward the Israeli people;
2People of other nations will help them to return to their own land,
3Some day Yahweh will free you Israeli people from suffering and trouble and from being afraid, and from being cruelly treated as slaves [MTY].
4When that happens, you will make fun of the King of Babylon by saying this:
5You evil ruler, Yahweh will get rid of your power,
6You attacked people many times
7But soon everything will be quiet and peaceful on the earth.
8It will be as though even the trees in the forests will joyfully sing this song,
9The dead people are [PRS] are eagerly waiting for you to come to the place where they are.
10They will all shout to you together,
11You were very proud and powerful,
12You have disappeared from the earth like [MET] a star which has fallen from the sky;
13You proudly said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven, to my throne above God’s stars.
14I will ascend above the clouds and become like the highest/greatest god!’
15But you were not able to do that;
16The other dead people there stare at you;
17Is this the man who tried to cause the world to become a desert,
18All the kings of the earth who have died were greatly honored when they were buried,
19but your corpse will not be buried;
20Your corpse will not be buried
21People will say, ‘Slaughter this man’s children
22This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says:
23I will cause Babylon to be a place where owls live,
24The Commander of the armies of angels has also solemnly promised this:
25When the army of Assyria is in my land of Israel,
26I have a plan for everyone on the earth,
27I, the Commander of the armies of angels, have spoken,
28I received this message from Yahweh during the year that King Ahaz died:
29You people of Philistia, do not rejoice that the enemy army [MET] that attacked you has been defeated
30Those of my people who are very poor will take care of their flocks of sheep,
31So, you people of Philistia, wail at the gates of your cities!
32If messengers from Philistia come to us Israeli people,