< Isaiah 13 >

1 The word of the Lord about Babylon which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw.
The oracle on Babylon, —of which Isaiah, son of Amoz had vision: —
2 Put up a flag on a clear mountain-top, make a loud outcry to them, give directions with the hand, so that they may go into the doors of the great ones.
Upon a bare mountain, lift ye up a standard, Raise high the voice to them, Wave the hand, That they may enter the doors of nobles.
3 I have given orders to my holy ones, I have sent out my men of war, those of mine who take pride in their power, to give effect to my wrath.
I myself, have given charge to my hallowed ones, —Yea I have called My heroes in showing mine anger, My proudly exulting ones.
4 The noise of great numbers in the mountains, like the noise of a strong people! The noise of the kingdoms of the nations meeting together! The Lord of armies is numbering his forces for war.
The noise of a multitude in the mountains, A resemblance of many people, —The noise of a tumult of kingdoms Nations gathered together, Yahweh of hosts, mustering a host for battle!
5 They come from a far country, from the farthest part of heaven, even the Lord and the instruments of his wrath, with destruction for all the land.
They are coming in From a land far away. From the utmost bound of the heavens, —Yahweh—with his weapons of indignation, To destroy the land.
6 Send out a cry of grief; for the day of the Lord is near; it comes as destruction from the Most High.
Howl ye! for at hand is the day of Yahweh, —As a veritable destruction from the Almighty, shall it come.
7 For this cause all hands will be feeble, and every heart of man be turned to water;
For this cause—All hands, shall hang down, —and Every mortal heart, melt.
8 Their hearts will be full of fear; pains and sorrows will overcome them; they will be in pain like a woman in childbirth; they will be shocked at one another; their faces will be like flames.
And they shall be in distress—Writhings and pains, shall lay hold, As a woman in childbirth, shall they be in pangs, —Everyone, at his neighbour, shall look in amazement, Faces of flames, their faces!
9 See, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with wrath and burning passion: to make the land a waste, driving the sinners in it to destruction.
Lo! the day of Yahweh, coming in, Fierce and overflowing, and burning with anger, —To devote the earth to desolation, And her sinners, will he destroy out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and its bright armies will not give their light: the sun will be made dark in his journey through the heaven, and the moon will keep back her light.
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations, shall not flash forth their light, —Obscured shall be the sun in his going forth, And the moon, shall not shed her light.
11 And I will send punishment on the world for its evil, and on the sinners for their wrongdoing; and I will put an end to all pride, and will make low the power of the cruel.
And I will visit, upon the inhabited earth, calamity!, And upon the lawless, their punishment, And will quiet the arrogance of the proud, And the loftiness of tyrants, will I lay low.
12 I will make men so small in number, that a man will be harder to get than gold, even the best gold of Ophir.
I will cause, a man, to be more precious than fine gold, —Even a son of earth than, the finest gold of Ophir.
13 For this cause the heavens will be shaking, and the earth will be moved out of its place, in the wrath of the Lord of armies, and in the day of his burning passion.
For this cause, the heavens, will I disturb, And, the earth, shall tremble out of her place, —In the wrath of Yahweh of hosts, And in the day of the glow of his anger.
14 And it will be that, like a roe in flight, and like wandering sheep, they will go every man to his people and to his land.
And it shall be—Like a gazelle that is chased, And like a sheep with none to lift it up, —Each, to his own people, will they turn, And, each, to his own land, will they flee:
15 Everyone who is overtaken will have a spear put through him, and everyone who goes in flight will be put to the sword.
Every one found, shall be thrust through, —And, every one taken, shall fall by the sword;
16 Their young children will be broken up before their eyes; their goods will be taken away, and their wives made the property of others.
And, their infants, shall be dashed to the ground, before their eyes, —Plundered shall be, their houses, and their wives ravished.
17 See, I am driving the Medes against them, who put no value on silver and have no pleasure in gold.
Behold me! stirring up against them the Medes, —Who of silver, shall take no account, And as for gold, they shall not delight in it;
18 In their hands are bows and spears; they are cruel, violently putting the young men to death, and crushing the young women; they have no pity for children, and no mercy for the fruit of the body.
And, bows, shall dash the young to pieces, —And on the fruit of the womb, will they have no pity, Over children, will their eye throw no shield.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beautiful town which is the pride of the Chaldaeans, will be like God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Thus shall Babylon—The most lovely of kingdoms, The majestic beauty of the Chaldees—Become as in the divine overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 People will never be living in it again, and it will have no more men from generation to generation: the Arab will not put up his tent there; and those who keep sheep will not make it a resting-place for their flocks.
It shall not be dwelt in for ever, Neither shall it be inhabited from generation to generation, —Neither shall encamp there, an Arab, Nor, shepherds, fold their flocks there.
21 But the beasts of the waste land will have their holes there; and the houses will be full of crying jackals, and ostriches will have their place there, and evil spirits will be dancing there.
Then shall lie down there, wild beasts, And filled shall be their houses with owls, —Then shall inhabit there, the ostrich, And shaggy creatures, shall dance there.
22 And wolves will be answering one another in their towers, and jackals in their houses of pleasure: her time is near, and her days of power will quickly be ended.
And jackals shall answer, in their citadels, And wild dogs, in their voluptuous palaces, —And near to come is her time, And, her days, shall not be delayed.

< Isaiah 13 >