14:5 The Lord has broken the club of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers.
14:6 It 1 furiously struck down nations
with unceasing blows. 2
It angrily ruled over nations,
oppressing them without restraint. 3
1 tn Or perhaps, “he” (cf. KJV; NCV “the king of Babylon”). The present translation understands the referent of the pronoun (“it”) to be the “club/scepter” of the preceding line.
2 tn Heb “it was striking down nations in fury [with] a blow without ceasing.” The participle (“striking down”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
3 tn Heb “it was ruling in anger nations [with] oppression without restraint.” The participle (“ruling”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.