Isaiah 13
1 The birthun of Babiloyne, which birthun Ysaie, the sone of Amos, siy.
This is the burden against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received:
2 Reise ye a signe on a myisti hil, and enhaunse ye vois; reise ye the hond, and duykis entre bi the yatis.
Raise a banner on a barren hilltop; call aloud to them. Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
3 Y haue comaundid to myn halewid men, and Y clepid my stronge men in my wraththe, that maken ful out ioie in my glorie.
I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have even summoned My warriors to execute My wrath and exult in My triumph.
4 The vois of multitude in hillis, as of many puplis; the vois of sown of kyngis, of hethene men gaderit togidere. The Lord of oostis comaundide to the chyualry of batel,
Listen, a tumult on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations gathered together! The LORD of Hosts is mobilizing an army for war.
5 to men comynge fro a fer lond. The Lord cometh fro the hiynesse of heuene, and the vessels of his strong veniaunce, that he distrie al the lond.
They are coming from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens— the LORD and the weapons of His wrath— to destroy the whole country.
6 Yelle ye, for the dai of the Lord is niy; as wastyng it schal come of the Lord.
Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
7 For this thing alle hondis schulen be vnmyyti, and eche herte of man schal faile,
Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt.
8 and schal be al to-brokun. Gnawyngis and sorewis schulen holde Babiloyns; thei schulen haue sorewe, as they that trauelen of child. Ech man schal wondre at his neiybore; her cheris schulen be brent faces.
Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.
9 Lo! the dai of the Lord schal come, cruel, and ful of indignacioun, and of wraththe, and of woodnesse; to sette the lond into wildirnesse, and to al to-breke the synneris therof fro that lond.
Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming— cruel, with fury and burning anger— to make the earth a desolation and to destroy the sinners within it.
10 For whi the sterris of heuene and the schynyng of tho schulen not sprede abrood her liyt; the sunne is maade derk in his risyng, and the moone schal not schine in hir liyt.
For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.
11 And Y schal visite on the yuels of the world, and Y schal visite ayens wickid men the wickidnesse of hem; and Y schal make the pride of vnfeithful men for to reste, and Y schal make low the boost of stronge men.
I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.
12 A man of ful age schal be preciousere than gold, and a man schal be preciousere than pure gold and schynyng.
I will make man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.
13 On this thing I schal disturble heuene, and the erthe schal be moued fro his place; for the indignacioun of the Lord of oostis, and for the dai of wraththe of his strong veniaunce.
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the wrath of the LORD of Hosts on the day of His burning anger.
14 And it schal be as a doo fleynge, and as a scheep, and noon schal be that schal gadere togidere; ech man schal turne to his puple, and alle bi hem silf schulen fle to her lond.
Like a hunted gazelle, like a sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his native land.
15 Ech man that is foundun, schal be slayn; and ech man that cometh aboue, schal falle doun bi swerd.
Whoever is caught will be stabbed, and whoever is captured will die by the sword.
16 The yonge children of them schulen be hurtlid doun bifore the iyen of them; her housis schulen be rauischid, and her wyues schulen be defoulid.
Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be ravished.
17 Lo! Y schal reise on them Medeis, that seken not siluer, nethir wolen gold;
Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold.
18 but thei shulen sle litle children bi arowis, and thei schulen not haue merci on wombis yyuynge mylk, and the iye of them schal not spare on sones.
Their bows will dash young men to pieces; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; they will not look with pity on the children.
19 And Babiloyne, thilke gloriouse citee in rewmes, noble in the pride of Caldeis, schal be destried, as God destried Sodom and Gomore.
And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It shall not be enhabitid til in to the ende, and it schal not be foundid til to generacioun and generacioun; a man of Arabie schal not sette tentis there, and scheepherdis schulen not reste there.
She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there.
21 But wielde beestis schulen reste there, and the housis of hem schulen be fillid with dragouns; and ostrichis schulen dwelle there, and heeri beestis schulen skippe there.
But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about.
22 And bitouris schulen answere there in the housis therof, and fliynge serpentis in the templis of lust.
Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.
