Isaiah 13
1 A declaration about Babylon, that Isaiah son of Amoz received:
The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2 On the bare mountain set up a signal flag, cry aloud to them, wave your hand for them to go into the gates of the nobles.
Lift up a banner upon a bare mountain, raise the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my holy ones, yes, I have called my mighty men to execute my anger, even my proudly exulting ones.
I have commanded my hallowed ones, I have also called my mighty men for mine anger, them that rejoice in my highness.
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as of many people! The noise of a tumult of the kingdoms like many nations gathered together! Yahweh of hosts is mustering the army for the battle.
The noise of a multitude on the mountains, as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations assembled together: Jehovah of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
5 They come from a far country, from way over the horizon. It is Yahweh with his instruments of judgment, to destroy the whole land.
They come from a far country, from the end of the heavens — Jehovah, and the weapons of his indignation — to destroy the whole land.
6 Howl, for the day of Yahweh is near; it comes with destruction from the Almighty.
Howl, for the day of Jehovah is at hand; it cometh as destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore all hands hang limp, and every heart melts.
Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt,
8 They will be terrified; pain and agony will seize them, like a woman in labor. They will look in astonishment at one another; their faces will be aflame.
and they shall be terrified: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them, they shall writhe as a woman that travaileth; they shall be amazed one at another, their faces shall be as flames.
9 See, the day of Yahweh comes with cruel wrath and overflowing anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy the sinners from it.
Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the earth desolate; and he will destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 The stars of heaven and the constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened even from dawn, and the moon will not shine.
For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof 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 I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will put an end to the arrogance of the proud and will bring down the arrogance of the ruthless.
And I will punish the world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will make the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will bring low the haughtiness of the violent.
12 I will make men more rare than fine gold and mankind harder to find than the pure gold of Ophir.
I will make a man more precious than fine gold, even man than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, by the fury of Yahweh of hosts, and on the day of his fierce anger.
Therefore I will make the heavens to shake, and the earth shall be removed out of her place, at the wrath of Jehovah of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14 Like a hunted gazelle or like a sheep with no shepherd, every man will turn toward his own people and will flee to his own land.
And it shall be as with a chased roe, and as with a flock that no man gathereth together; every one shall turn to his own people, and every one flee into his own land.
15 Every one who is found will be killed, and every one who is captured will die by the sword.
All that are found shall be thrust through; and every one that is in league [with them] shall fall by the sword.
16 Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be plundered and their wives raped.
And their infants shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes, their houses shall be rifled, and their women ravished.
17 Look, I am about to stir up the Medes to attack them, who will not be concerned about silver, nor do they delight in gold.
Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who do not regard silver, and as for gold, they have no delight in it.
18 Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants and they will not look with pity on children.
And [their] bows 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 Then Babylon, the most admired of kingdoms, the splendor of Chaldean pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will not be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation. The Arab will not pitch his tent there, nor will shepherds have their flocks rest there.
It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in, even to generation and generation; nor shall Arabian pitch tent there, nor shepherds make fold there.
21 But wild animals of the desert will lie there. Their houses will be full of owls; and ostriches and wild goats will skip about there.
But beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of owls; and ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there.
22 Hyenas will cry in their fortresses, and jackals in the beautiful palaces. Her time is near, and her days will not be delayed.
And jackals shall cry to one another in their palaces, and wild dogs in the pleasant castles. And her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
