Isaiah 13
1 The burden of Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz has seen:
The burden of Babylon, which Isaias the son of Amos saw.
2 “Lift up an ensign on a high mountain, Raise the voice to them, wave the hand, And they go into the openings of nobles.
Upon the dark mountain lift ye up a banner, exalt the voice, lift up the hand, and let the rulers go into the gates.
3 I have given charge to My sanctified ones, Also I have called My mighty ones for My anger, Those rejoicing at My excellence.”
I have commanded my sanctified ones, and have called my strong ones in my wrath, them that rejoice in my glory.
4 A voice of a multitude in the mountains, A likeness of a numerous people, A voice of noise from the kingdoms of nations who are gathered, YHWH of Hosts inspecting a host of battle!
The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as it were of many people, the noise of the sound of kings, of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts hath given charge to the troops of war.
5 They are coming in from a far-off land, From the end of the heavens, YHWH and the instruments of His indignation, To destroy all the land.
To them that come from a country afar off, from the end of heaven: tile Lord and the instruments of his wrath, to destroy the whole land.
6 Howl, for the Day of YHWH [is] near, It comes as destruction from the Mighty.
Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is near: it shall come as a destruction from the Lord.
7 Therefore, all hands fail, And every heart of man melts.
Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every heart of man shall melt,
8 And they have been troubled, Pains and pangs take them, They are pained as a travailing woman, A man marvels at his friend, The appearance of flames—their faces!
And shall be broken. Gripings and pains shall take hold of them, they shall be in pain as a woman in labour. Every one shall be amazed at his neighbour, their countenances shall be as faces burnt.
9 Behold, the Day of YHWH comes, Fierce, with wrath, and heat of anger, To make the land become a desolation, Indeed, He destroys its sinning ones from it.
Behold, the day of the Lord shall come, a cruel day, and full of indignation, and of wrath, and fury, to lay the land desolate, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of the heavens, and their constellations, Do not cause their light to shine, The sun has been darkened in its going out, And the moon does not cause its light to come forth.
For the stars of heaven, and their brightness shall not display their light: the sun shall be darkened in his rising, and the moon shall not shine with her light.
11 “And I have appointed evil on the world, And on the wicked their iniquity, And have caused the excellence of the proud to cease, And I make the excellence of the terrible low.
And I will visit the evils of the world, and against the wicked for their iniquity: and I will make the pride of infidels to cease, and will bring down the arrogancy of the mighty.
12 I make man more rare than fine gold, And a common man than pure gold of Ophir.
A man shall be more precious than gold, yea a man than the finest of gold.
13 Therefore I cause the heavens to tremble, And the earth shakes from its place, In the wrath of YHWH of Hosts, And in a day of the heat of His anger.
For this I will trouble the heaven: and the earth shall be moved out of her place, for the indignation of the Lord of hosts, and for the day of his tierce wrath.
14 And it has been, as a roe driven away, And as a flock that has no gatherer, Each to his people—they turn, And each to his land—they flee.
And they shall be as a doe fleeing away, and as a sheep: and there shall be none to gather them together: every man shall turn to his own people, and every one shall flee to his own land.
15 Everyone who is found is thrust through, And everyone who is added falls by sword.
Every one that shall be found, shall be slain: and every one that shall come to their aid, shall fall by the sword.
16 And their sucklings are dashed to pieces before their eyes, Their houses are spoiled, and their wives lain with.
Their infants shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes: their houses shall be pillaged, and their wives shall be ravished.
17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, Who do not esteem silver, And gold—they do not delight in it.
Behold I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not seek silver, nor desire gold:
18 And bows dash young men to pieces, And they do not pity the fruit of the womb, Their eye has no pity on sons.
But with their arrows they shall kill the children, and shall have no pity upon the sucklings of the womb, and their eye shall not spare their sons.
19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, The glory, the excellence of the Chaldeans, Has been as overthrown by God, With Sodom and with Gomorrah.
And that Babylon, glorious among kingdoms, the famous pride of the Chaldeans, shall be even as the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha.
20 She does not sit forever, Nor continue to many generations, Nor does Arab pitch tent there, And shepherds do not lie down there.
It shall no more be inhabited for ever, and it shall not be founded unto generation and generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch his tents there, nor shall shepherds rest there.
21 And desert-dwellers have lain down there, And their houses have been full of howlers, And daughters of an ostrich have dwelt there, And goats skip there.
But wild beasts shall rest there, and their houses shall be filled with serpents, and ostriches shall dwell there, and the hairy ones shall dance there:
22 And howlers—he has responded in his forsaken habitations, And dragons in palaces of delight, And her time [is] near to come, And her days are not drawn out!”
And owls shall answer one another there, in the houses thereof, and sirens in the temples of pleasure.
