14:21 Prepare to execute 1 his sons
for the sins their ancestors have committed. 2
They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,
or fill the surface of the world with cities.” 3
14:22 “I will rise up against them,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
“I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, 4
including the offspring she produces,” 5
says the Lord.
14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals 6
and covered with pools of stagnant water.
I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” 7
says the Lord who commands armies.
1 tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”
2 tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”
3 sn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:320, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.
4 tn Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (ASV, NAB, and NRSV all similar).
5 tn Heb “descendant and child.”
7 tn Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”), others an owl (cf, NAB, NIV, TEV).
8 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”