ישעה 13
| משא בבל אשר חזה ישעיהו בן אמוץ׃ | 1 |
[I], Isaiah, the son of Amoz, received [from Yahweh] this message about Babylon [city]:
| על הר נשפה שאו נס הרימו קול להם הניפו יד ויבאו פתחי נדיבים׃ | 2 |
Lift up a flag on the bare [top of a] hill, to signal [that an army should come to attack Babylon]. Shout to them and wave your hand [to signal to them] that they should march through the city gates into the palaces of the proud [rulers of Babylon]!
| אני צויתי למקדשי גם קראתי גבורי לאפי עליזי גאותי׃ | 3 |
[Yahweh says], “I have commanded those soldiers to do that; I have summoned the warriors whom I have chosen to punish [the people of Babylon] because of my being very angry with them, and those soldiers will be very proud [when they do that].”
| קול המון בהרים דמות עם רב קול שאון ממלכות גוים נאספים יהוה צבאות מפקד צבא מלחמה׃ | 4 |
Listen to the noise on the mountains, which is the noise of a huge army marching! It is the noise made by people of many people-groups shouting. The Commander of the armies of angels has summoned this army to gather together.
| באים מארץ מרחק מקצה השמים יהוה וכלי זעמו לחבל כל הארץ׃ | 5 |
They come from countries that are far away, from the most remote places [IDM] on the earth. They are [like] [SIM] weapons that Yahweh will use [to punish the people with whom] he is very angry, and to destroy the entire country [of Babylonia].
| הילילו כי קרוב יום יהוה כשד משדי יבוא׃ | 6 |
[You people of Babylon] will scream because you will be terrified, because it will be the time that Yahweh [has determined/chosen], the time for the all-powerful [God] to destroy [your city].
| על כן כל ידים תרפינה וכל לבב אנוש ימס׃ | 7 |
All of your people will be very afraid [DOU], with the result that they will be unable even to lift their arms.
| ונבהלו צירים וחבלים יאחזון כיולדה יחילון איש אל רעהו יתמהו פני להבים פניהם׃ | 8 |
All of you will be terrified. You will have [PRS] severe pains like [SIM] a woman has when she is giving birth to a baby. You will look at each other helplessly, and it will show on your faces that you feel horror.
| הנה יום יהוה בא אכזרי ועברה וחרון אף לשום הארץ לשמה וחטאיה ישמיד ממנה׃ | 9 |
Listen to this: The day that Yahweh has appointed/chosen is near, the day that he will furiously and fiercely [punish you] because he is very angry [with you]. He will cause your land [of Babylonia] to be desolate/barren, and he will destroy [all] the sinners in it.
| כי כוכבי השמים וכסיליהם לא יהלו אורם חשך השמש בצאתו וירח לא יגיה אורו׃ | 10 |
[When that happens], none of the stars will shine. When the sun rises, it will be dark, and there will be no light from the moon [at night].
| ופקדתי על תבל רעה ועל רשעים עונם והשבתי גאון זדים וגאות עריצים אשפיל׃ | 11 |
[Yahweh says], “I will punish [everyone in] the world for the evil things that they do; I will punish the wicked people for the sins that they have committed. I will stop arrogant/proud people from being proud, and I will stop ruthless people from acting cruelly.
| אוקיר אנוש מפז ואדם מכתם אופיר׃ | 12 |
[And because I will cause most people to die], people will be harder to find than gold, harder to find than fine gold from Ophir [in Arabia].
| על כן שמים ארגיז ותרעש הארץ ממקומה בעברת יהוה צבאות וביום חרון אפו׃ | 13 |
I will shake the sky, and the earth will [also] move out of its place. That will happen when [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, punish [wicked people], when [I show them that] I am extremely angry [with them].
| והיה כצבי מדח וכצאן ואין מקבץ איש אל עמו יפנו ואיש אל ארצו ינוסו׃ | 14 |
And all [the foreigners in Babylon will run around] like [SIM] deer that are being hunted, like sheep that do not have a shepherd. They will try to find other people from their countries, and [then] they will escape [from Babylon] and return to their own countries.
| כל הנמצא ידקר וכל הנספה יפול בחרב׃ | 15 |
Anyone who is captured [in Babylon] will be killed by [their enemies’] swords [DOU].
| ועלליהם ירטשו לעיניהם ישסו בתיהם ונשיהם תשגלנה׃ | 16 |
Their little children will be dashed to pieces on the rocks while [their parents] watch; [their enemies] will steal everything valuable from their houses and will rape their wives.
| הנני מעיר עליהם את מדי אשר כסף לא יחשבו וזהב לא יחפצו בו׃ | 17 |
Look! I am going to incite the people of Media to attack Babylon. The [army of Media] will attack Babylon, even if they are offered [DOU] silver or gold [if they promise to not attack it].
| וקשתות נערים תרטשנה ופרי בטן לא ירחמו על בנים לא תחוס עינם׃ | 18 |
[With] their arrows, the [soldiers of Media] will shoot the young men [of Babylon]; they will not [even] act mercifully [DOU] toward infants or children!”
| והיתה בבל צבי ממלכות תפארת גאון כשדים כמהפכת אלהים את סדם ואת עמרה׃ | 19 |
Babylon has been a very beautiful [MTY] city; [all] the people of Babylonia have been very proud of Babylon, [their capital city]; [but] God will destroy Babylon, like [SIM] he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
| לא תשב לנצח ולא תשכן עד דור ודור ולא יהל שם ערבי ורעים לא ירבצו שם׃ | 20 |
No one will ever live in Babylon again. It will be deserted forever. (Nomads/People who travel from place to place to live) will refuse to set up their tents there; shepherds will not bring their flocks of sheep to rest there.
| ורבצו שם ציים ומלאו בתיהם אחים ושכנו שם בנות יענה ושעירים ירקדו שם׃ | 21 |
Instead, animals that live in the desert will be there; jackals/wolves will live in [the ruins of] the houses. Owls (OR, Ostriches) will live in [the ruins], and wild goats will romp/jump around [there].
| וענה איים באלמנותיו ותנים בהיכלי ענג וקרוב לבוא עתה וימיה לא ימשכו׃ | 22 |
Hyenas will howl in the [ruined] towers, and jackals/wolves will make their dens in [the ruins of] the palaces that [were previously] very beautiful. The time when [Babylon will be destroyed] is very near; Babylon will not exist much longer.
