The Restoration of Jacob
1 For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will ragain choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will sjoin them and will tattach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 And the peoples will take them and ubring them to their place, and the house of Israel will vpossess them in the Lord’s land as male and female slaves.1 They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.
Israel’s Remnant Taunts Babylon
3 When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, 4 you will wtake up this taunt against the king of Babylon:
“How the oppressor has ceased,
the insolent fury2 ceased!
5 The Lord has xbroken the staff of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers,
6 that struck the peoples in wrath
with unceasing blows,
that ruled the nations in anger
with unrelenting persecution.
7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet;
they ybreak forth into singing.
8 The cypresses rejoice at you,
the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low,
no zwoodcutter comes up against us.’
9 Sheol beneath is stirred up
to meet you when you come;
it rouses the shades to greet you,
all who were leaders of the earth;
it raises from their thrones
all who were kings of the nations.
10 All of them will answer
and say to you:
‘You too have become as weak as we!
You have become like us!’
11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
the sound of your harps;
maggots are laid as a bed beneath you,
and worms are your covers.
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;3
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the far reaches of the pit.
16 Those who see you will stare at you
and ponder over you:
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
who shook kingdoms,
17 who made the world like a desert
and overthrew its cities,
who adid not let his prisoners go home?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
each in his own tomb;4
19 but you are cast out, away from your grave,
like a loathed branch,
clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword,
who go down to the stones of the pit,
like a dead body trampled underfoot.
20 You will not be joined with them in burial,
because you have destroyed your land,
you have slain your people.
“May the offspring of evildoers
nevermore be named!
21 Prepare slaughter for his sons
bbecause of the guilt of their fathers,
lest they rise and possess the earth,
and fill the face of the world with cities.”
22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the Lord. 23 “And I will make it ca possession of the hedgehog,5 and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.
2 And the peoples will take them and ubring them to their place, and the house of Israel will vpossess them in the Lord’s land as male and female slaves.1 They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them.
Wives and Husbands
1 Likewise, lwives, mbe subject to your own husbands, so that neven if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and opure conduct. 3 pDo not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the qhidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, rcalling him lord. And syou are ther children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
7 Likewise, uhusbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are vheirs with you1 of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
8 Finally, all of you, have wunity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a xtender heart, and a yhumble mind. 9 zDo not repay evil for evil or areviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that byou may obtain a blessing. 10 For
c“Whoever desires to love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit;
11 let him turn away from evil and do good;
dlet him eseek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
13 Now fwho is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be gblessed. hHave no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, ialways being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, jso that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than kfor doing evil.
18 For lChrist also suffered2 once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, mthat he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
