Isaiah 13
1 The burden of Babel, which Isaiah the sonne of Amoz did see.
This is the message Isaiah, son of Amoz, received about Babylon.
2 Lift vp a standard vpon the hie mountaine: lift vp the voyce vnto them: wagge the hand, that they may goe into the gates of the nobles.
Set up a banner on a bare hilltop; shout out to them; wave your hand to encourage them to enter the palaces of princes.
3 I haue commanded them, that I haue sanctified: and I haue called ye mightie to my wrath, and them that reioyce in my glorie.
I have ordered the ones I have chosen to attack; I have called my warriors to execute my furious judgment and to celebrate my triumph.
4 The noyse of a multitude is in the mountaines, like a great people: a tumultuous voyce of the kingdomes of the nations gathered together: the Lord of hostes nombreth the hoste of the battell.
A noise comes from the mountains, sounding like that of a huge crowd! It's the roaring sound from the kingdoms, from nations gathering together! The Lord Almighty is calling up an army for war.
5 They come from a farre countrey, from the end of the heauen: euen the Lord with the weapons of his wrath to destroy the whole land.
They are coming from distant lands, from beyond the far horizons—the Lord and the weapons of his fury—coming to destroy the whole country.
6 Howle you, for the day of the Lord is at hande: it shall come as a destroier from the Almightie.
Howl in fear, for the day of the Lord is approaching—the time when the Almighty destroys.
7 Therefore shall all hands be weakened, and all mens hearts shall melt,
Everyone's hands will fall limp, and everyone will lose their minds in panic.
8 And they shalbe afraid: anguish and sorowe shall take them, and they shall haue paine, as a woman that trauaileth: euery one shall be amased at his neighbour, and their faces shalbe like flames of fire.
They will be terrified; pain and anguish will seize them; they will suffer like a woman giving birth. They will look in shock at each other, their faces burning in fear.
9 Beholde, the day of the Lord commeth, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land wast: and he shall destroy the sinners out of it.
Look! The day of the Lord is coming—cruel, with fury and fierce anger—to devastate the land and to wipe out its sinners.
10 For the starres of heauen and the planets thereof shall not giue their light: the sunne shalbe darkened in his going foorth, and the moone shall not cause her light to shine.
The stars in the constellations of heaven above will not shine. When the sun rises it will stay dark. The moon will give no light.
11 And I will visite the wickednes vpon the worlde, and their iniquitie vpon the wicked, and I wil cause the arrogancie of the proud to cease, and will cast downe the pride of tyrants.
I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their sin, says the Lord. I will put an end to the conceit of the arrogant, and I will humiliate tyrants and their pride.
12 I will make a man more precious then fine golde, euen a man aboue the wedge of golde of Ophir.
I will make people scarcer than pure gold, rarer than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heauen, and the earth shall remooue out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hostes, and in the day of his fierce anger.
So I will shake the heavens and make the earth jump out of its place because of the fury of the Lord Almighty, at the time when his anger burns.
14 And it shall be as a chased doe, and as a sheepe that no man taketh vp. euery man shall turne to his owne people, and flee eche one to his owne lande.
Like a gazelle being hunted, or like sheep without a shepherd, the Babylonians will return to their own people, they will run away to their own land.
15 Euery one that is founde, shall be striken through: and whosoeuer ioyneth himselfe, shall fal by the sworde.
Anyone who is captured will be stabbed to death; anyone who is caught will be killed by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be broken in pieces before their eyes: their houses shall be spoiled, and their wiues rauished.
Their little children will be dashed to pieces as they watch, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be raped.
17 Beholde, I will stirre vp the Medes against them, which shall not regarde siluer, nor be desirous of golde.
I'm going to get the Medes to attack them, people who don't care about silver or gold.
18 With bowes also shall they destroy ye children, and shall haue no compassion vpon the fruit of the wombe, and their eies shall not spare the children.
Their bows will slaughter their young men; they will show no mercy to babies; they will have no pity on children.
19 And Babel the glorie of kingdomes, the beautie and pride of the Chaldeans, shall be as the destruction of God in Sodom and Gomorah.
Babylon, the most marvelous city of any kingdom, the greatest pride of the Babylonian people, will be demolished by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It shall not bee inhabited for euer, neither shall it be dwelled in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch his tents there, neither shall the shepheardes make their foldes there.
No one will ever live in Babylon again. It will be deserted—no desert nomad will set up a tent there, no shepherd will bring a flock to rest there.
21 But Ziim shall lodge there, and their houses shall be ful of Ohim: Ostriches shall dwel there, and the Satyrs shall dance there.
Only desert animals will make their homes there, and the ruined houses will be inhabited by wild dogs. Owls will live there, and wild goats will leap around.
22 And Iim shall crie in their palaces, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and the time thereof is readie to come, and the daies thereof shall not be prolonged.
Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her lavish palaces. Babylon's time is coming soon—they will not last much longer.
