Isaiah 13

¹The word of the Lord about Babylon which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw.

²Put up a flag on a clear mountain-top, make a loud outcry to them, give directions with the hand, so that they may go into the doors of the great ones.

³I have given orders to my holy ones, I have sent out my men of war, those of mine who take pride in their power, to give effect to my wrath.

⁴The noise of great numbers in the mountains, like the noise of a strong people! The noise of the kingdoms of the nations meeting together! The Lord of armies is numbering his forces for war.

⁵They come from a far country, from the farthest part of heaven, even the Lord and the instruments of his wrath, with destruction for all the land.

⁶Send out a cry of grief; for the day of the Lord is near; it comes as destruction from the Most High.

⁷For this cause all hands will be feeble, and every heart of man be turned to water;

⁸Their hearts will be full of fear; pains and sorrows will overcome them; they will be in pain like a woman in childbirth; they will be shocked at one another; their faces will be like flames.

⁹See, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with wrath and burning passion: to make the land a waste, driving the sinners in it to destruction.

¹⁰For the stars of heaven and its bright armies will not give their light: the sun will be made dark in his journey through the heaven, and the moon will keep back her light.

¹¹And I will send punishment on the world for its evil, and on the sinners for their wrongdoing; and I will put an end to all pride, and will make low the power of the cruel.

¹²I will make men so small in number, that a man will be harder to get than gold, even the best gold of Ophir.

¹³For this cause the heavens will be shaking, and the earth will be moved out of its place, in the wrath of the Lord of armies, and in the day of his burning passion.

¹⁴And it will be that, like a roe in flight, and like wandering sheep, they will go every man to his people and to his land.

¹⁵Everyone who is overtaken will have a spear put through him, and everyone who goes in flight will be put to the sword.

¹⁶Their young children will be broken up before their eyes; their goods will be taken away, and their wives made the property of others.

¹⁷See, I am driving the Medes against them, who put no value on silver and have no pleasure in gold.

¹⁸In their hands are bows and spears; they are cruel, violently putting the young men to death, and crushing the young women; they have no pity for children, and no mercy for the fruit of the body.

¹⁹And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beautiful town which is the pride of the Chaldaeans, will be like God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

²⁰People will never be living in it again, and it will have no more men from generation to generation: the Arab will not put up his tent there; and those who keep sheep will not make it a resting-place for their flocks.

²¹But the beasts of the waste land will have their holes there; and the houses will be full of crying jackals, and ostriches will have their place there, and evil spirits will be dancing there.

²²And wolves will be answering one another in their towers, and jackals in their houses of pleasure: her time is near, and her days of power will quickly be ended.

Isaiah 13

¹The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:

²Set up a banner on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

³I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my mighty men for my anger, even my proudly exulting ones.

⁴The noise of a multitude is in the mountains, as of a great people; the noise of an uproar of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for the battle.

⁵They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

⁶Wail; for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

⁷Therefore all hands will be feeble, and everyone's heart will melt.

⁸They will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame.

⁹Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it.

¹⁰For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.

¹¹I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the haughtiness of the terrible.

¹²I will make people more rare than fine gold, even a person than the pure gold of Ophir.

¹³Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

¹⁴It will happen that like a hunted gazelle, and like sheep that no one gathers, they will each turn to their own people, and will each flee to their own land.

¹⁵Everyone who is found will be thrust through. Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

¹⁶Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be ransacked, and their wives raped.

¹⁷Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it.

¹⁸Their bows will dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eyes will not spare children.

¹⁹Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

²⁰It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

²¹But wild animals of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of jackals. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will frolic there.

²²Wolves will cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.