13 This is God's message about Babylon that he showed to Isaiah, the son of Amoz:
2 Lift up a sign on an empty hill. Shout aloud for an army to attack! Wave your hand! Then they will go through the city gates into the rulers' palaces.
3 I, the Lord , have sent my special men. I am very angry. Those men are my brave soldiers who will punish Babylon on my behalf. They are proud because I have made them strong.
4 Listen to the loud noise of a big crowd on the mountains! It is the sound of large armies from many kingdoms as they march and shout. Nations are joining together to fight! The Lord Almighty is preparing an army ready for war.
5 People are coming from countries that are far away, from the ends of the earth. The Lord himself is coming with weapons for war, because he is angry. He will destroy the whole land.
6 Weep, because the day of the Lord is near. That is the time when God Almighty will destroy his enemies. 7 All the people will become weak with fear. They will no longer be brave. 8 They will be very afraid. Their bodies will hurt with great pain, like a woman who is giving birth. They will look at each other, as their faces show fear and pain.
9 Look! The day of the Lord will happen soon! It will be a cruel day. The Lord will punish his enemies with great anger. He will destroy the whole land, as well as all the sinners in it.
10 When he does that, the stars in the sky will give no light. When the sun rises in the morning, it will still be dark. The moon will no longer shine.
11 I, the Lord , will punish the world, because it is evil. I will punish wicked people for their sins. I will stop proud people from boasting. If strong people are cruel to others, I will bring them down low.
12 Very few people will remain after my punishment. Men and women will be more difficult to find than the best gold.
13 Then I will cause the sky to shake. The earth will move from its proper place. People will see how angry I am, when they see the great anger of the Lord Almighty. 14 Everyone will try to run away and escape. They will run anywhere, like a deer that runs away from a hunter. They will be like sheep with no shepherd to lead them. They will return to their own countries and homes.
15 The enemy soldiers will catch all those who do not escape. They will use their swords to kill everyone that they catch. 16 They will knock their children down in pieces while the parents watch. They will rob the people's homes. They will have sex with their wives.
17 Look! I will cause the Medes to come and attack Babylon. Their army has no interest in silver or gold, so nobody can pay them to stop.
18 Their arrows will kill Babylon's young men. They will not let babies or children go free.
19 Yes, God will destroy Babylon, as he did to Sodom and Gomorrah. Babylon has been a great and beautiful city. The people of the whole nation have been very proud of it. But God will still destroy it.
20 The people and their descendants will never live there again. No Arab will put his tent there. No shepherds will take their sheep there to rest. 21 Only wild animals will lie down there. Its old houses will be full of jackals. Ostriches will live there and wild goats will jump in it. 22 Wild dogs and hyenas will cry out in its towers and palaces. Enemies will soon destroy Babylon! Only a few days remain.
13 God showed Isaiah son of Amoz this message [ a ] about Babylon:
2 “Raise a flag on that mountain [ b ] where nothing grows.
Call out to the men.
Wave your arms to let them know
they should enter through the gates for important leaders.
3 “I have separated these men from the people,
and I myself will command them.
I have gathered these proud, happy soldiers of mine
to show how angry I am.
4 “Listen to that loud noise in the mountains.
It sounds like crowds of people.
People from many kingdoms are gathering together.
The Lord All-Powerful is calling his army together.
5 They are coming from a faraway land.
They are coming from beyond the horizon.
The Lord will use this army as a weapon to show his anger.
They will destroy the whole country.”
6 The Lord ’s special day is near. So cry and be sad for yourselves. A time is coming when the enemy will steal your wealth. God All-Powerful will make that happen. [ c ] 7 People will lose their courage. Fear will make them weak. 8 Everyone will be afraid. They will stare at each other with shock on their faces. Fear will grip them like the pains of a woman in childbirth.
9 Look, the Lord ’s special day is coming! It will be a terrible day. God will be very angry. He will destroy the country and wipe out the sinful people who live there. 10 The skies will be dark. The sun, the moon, and the stars will not shine.
11 The Lord says, “I will cause bad things to happen to the world. I will punish the evil people for their sin. I will make proud people lose their pride. I will stop the bragging of cruel people. 12 There will be only a few people left. They will be as rare as pure gold. 13 In my anger I will shake the sky, and the earth will be moved from its place.”
That will happen on the day the Lord All-Powerful shows his anger. 14 Then the people from Babylon will run away like wounded deer or sheep that have no shepherd. Everyone will turn and run back to their own country and people. 15 Anyone caught by the enemy will be killed with a sword. 16 Everything in their houses will be stolen. Their wives will be raped, and their little children will be beaten to death while they watch.
17 The Lord says, “Look, I will cause the armies of Media to attack Babylon. Nothing will stop them, even if someone offers them gold and silver. 18 They will walk on the bows of the young soldiers of Babylon. The enemy soldiers will not show any kindness or mercy even to the babies and young children. 19 Babylon will be destroyed like the time God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
“Babylon is the most beautiful of all kingdoms. The Babylonians [ d ] are very proud of their city. 20 But Babylon will not continue to be beautiful. People will not continue to live there in the future. Arabs will not put their tents there. Shepherds will not bring their sheep to let them eat there. 21 The only animals living there will be wild animals from the desert. People will not be living in their houses in Babylon. The houses will be full of owls and large birds. Wild goats [ e ] will play in the houses. 22 Wild dogs and wolves will howl in the great and beautiful buildings. Babylon will be finished. The end is near, and it will not be delayed.”
13 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like 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 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 ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
8 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 the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven 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 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 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 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 into his own land.
15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 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 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 the wild beasts of the islands 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.
13 The ( A ) pronouncement concerning ( B ) Babylon which ( C ) Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:
2 ( D ) Lift up a flag on the [ a ] ( E ) bare hill,
Raise your voice to them,
( F ) Wave the hand that they may ( G ) enter the doors of the nobles.
3 I have commanded My consecrated ones,
I have also called for My ( H ) warriors
Who boast in My eminence,
To execute My anger.
4 A ( I ) sound of a roar on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of an uproar of kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
The Lord of armies is mustering the army for battle.
5 They are coming from a distant country,
From the [ b ] ( J ) farthest horizons,
The Lord and the weapons of His ( K ) indignation,
To ( L ) destroy the whole land.
6 Wail, for the ( M ) day of the Lord is near!
It will come as ( N ) destruction from [ c ] the Almighty.
7 Therefore ( O ) all hands will fall limp,
And every human ( P ) heart will melt.
8 They will be ( Q ) terrified,
Pains and anguish will take hold of them ;
They will ( R ) writhe like a woman in labor,
They will look at one another in astonishment,
Their faces aflame.
9 Behold, ( S ) the day of the Lord is coming,
Cruel, with fury and burning anger,
To make the land a desolation;
And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
10 For the ( T ) stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not flash their light;
The ( U ) sun will be dark when it rises
And the moon will not shed its light.
11 So I will ( V ) punish the world for its evil
And the ( W ) wicked for their wrongdoing;
I will also put an end to the ( X ) audacity of the proud
And humiliate the ( Y ) arrogance of the [ d ] ( Z ) tyrants.
12 I will make mortal man ( AA ) scarcer than pure gold
And mankind than the ( AB ) gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the ( AC ) heavens tremble,
And ( AD ) the earth will be shaken from its place
At the fury of the Lord of armies
In ( AE ) the day of His burning anger.
14 And it will be that, like a hunted gazelle,
Or like ( AF ) sheep with no one to gather them ,
Each of them will turn to his own people,
And each of them will flee to his own land.
15 Anyone who is found will be ( AG ) thrust through,
And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their ( AH ) little ones also will be dashed to pieces
Before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives raped.
17 Behold, I am going to ( AI ) stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not value silver or ( AJ ) take pleasure in gold.
18 And their bows will [ e ] mow down the ( AK ) young men,
They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb,
Nor will their ( AL ) eye pity [ f ] children.
19 And ( AM ) Babylon, the ( AN ) beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God ( AO ) overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will ( AP ) never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;
Nor will the ( AQ ) Arab pitch his tent there,
Nor will shepherds allow their flocks to lie down there.
21 But ( AR ) desert creatures will lie down there,
And their houses will be full of [ g ] owls;
Ostriches also will live there, and [ h ] shaggy goats will frolic there.
22 [ i ] Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers
And jackals in their luxurious ( AS ) palaces.
Her fateful time also [ j ] will soon come,
And her days will not be prolonged.
13 A prophecy ( A ) against Babylon ( B ) that Isaiah son of Amoz ( C ) saw: ( D )
2 Raise a banner ( E ) on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates ( F ) of the nobles.
3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
I have summoned my warriors ( G ) to carry out my wrath ( H ) —
those who rejoice ( I ) in my triumph.
4 Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude! ( J )
Listen, an uproar ( K ) among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty ( L ) is mustering ( M )
an army for war.
5 They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens ( N ) —
the Lord and the weapons ( O ) of his wrath ( P ) —
to destroy ( Q ) the whole country.
6 Wail, ( R ) for the day ( S ) of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction ( T ) from the Almighty. [ a ] ( U )
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp, ( V )
every heart will melt with fear. ( W )
8 Terror ( X ) will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip ( Y ) them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor. ( Z )
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame. ( AA )
9 See, the day ( AB ) of the Lord is coming
—a cruel ( AC ) day, with wrath ( AD ) and fierce anger ( AE ) —
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light. ( AF )
The rising sun ( AG ) will be darkened ( AH )
and the moon will not give its light. ( AI )
11 I will punish ( AJ ) the world for its evil,
the wicked ( AK ) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty ( AL )
and will humble ( AM ) the pride of the ruthless. ( AN )
12 I will make people ( AO ) scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir. ( AP )
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; ( AQ )
and the earth will shake ( AR ) from its place
at the wrath ( AS ) of the Lord Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger. ( AT )
14 Like a hunted ( AU ) gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd, ( AV )
they will all return to their own people,
they will flee ( AW ) to their native land. ( AX )
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
all who are caught will fall ( AY ) by the sword. ( AZ )
16 Their infants ( BA ) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted and their wives violated. ( BB )
17 See, I will stir up ( BC ) against them the Medes, ( BD )
who do not care for silver
and have no delight in gold. ( BE )
18 Their bows ( BF ) will strike down the young men; ( BG )
they will have no mercy ( BH ) on infants,
nor will they look with compassion on children. ( BI )
19 Babylon, ( BJ ) the jewel of kingdoms, ( BK )
the pride and glory ( BL ) of the Babylonians, [ b ]
will be overthrown ( BM ) by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah. ( BN )
20 She will never be inhabited ( BO )
or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads ( BP ) will pitch their tents,
there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
21 But desert creatures ( BQ ) will lie there,
jackals ( BR ) will fill her houses;
there the owls ( BS ) will dwell,
and there the wild goats ( BT ) will leap about.
22 Hyenas ( BU ) will inhabit her strongholds, ( BV )
jackals ( BW ) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand, ( BX )
and her days will not be prolonged. ( BY )
