Isaiah 13
1 The burden of Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz has seen:
The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz 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.
Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice to them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
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, I have also called my mighty ones for my anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
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 of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
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.
They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Howl, for the Day of YHWH [is] near, It comes as destruction from the Mighty.
Wail ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore, all hands fail, And every heart of man melts.
Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart 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 they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
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 cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy its sinners 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 its constellations shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
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 punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I make man more rare than fine gold, And a common man than pure gold of Ophir.
I will make a man more rare than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
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.
Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
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 it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one to his own land.
15 Everyone who is found is thrust through, And everyone who is added falls by sword.
Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined to them 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 children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be plundered, and their wives 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 regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
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.
Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
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 Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
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 never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold 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 of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs 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 the wild beasts of the isles shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
