13:1 An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
13:2 Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.
13:3 I have commanded my holy ones; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath–those who rejoice in my triumph.
13:4 Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war.
13:5 They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens–the LORD and the weapons of his wrath–to destroy the whole country.
13:6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
13:7 Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man’s heart will melt.
13:8 Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.
13:9 See, the day of the LORD is coming–a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger–to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.
13:10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.
13:11 I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
13:12 I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13:13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning anger.
13:14 Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his native land.
13:15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through; all who are caught will fall by the sword.
13:16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives ravished.
13:17 See, I will stir up against them the Medes, who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold.
13:18 Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants nor will they look with compassion on children.
13:19 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.
13:20 She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there.
13:21 But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about.
13:22 Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.
13:1 The burden concerning Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:
13:2 Upon a bare mountain raise up a standard; / Lift up your voice to them. / Wave your hand that they may enter / The gates of the nobles.
13:3 I Myself have commanded My sanctified ones; / I have also called My mighty ones to My wrath, / Those who exult in My majesty.
13:4 The sound of a tumult in the mountains, / Like that of many peoples! / The sound of an uproar of the kingdoms, / Of nations gathered together! / Jehovah of hosts is mustering / An army for battle.
13:5 They are coming from a distant land, / From the ends of heaven ? / Jehovah and the instruments of His indignation ? / To ruin all the land.
13:6 Howl, for the day of Jehovah has drawn near! / As destruction from the Almighty, it will come.
13:7 Because of this all the hands will drop, / And every human heart will melt;
13:8 And people will be dismayed. / Pangs and anguish will seize them; / Like a woman giving birth, they will writhe. / Each man will look toward his neighbor dumbfounded; / Their faces are inflamed.
13:9 Now the day of Jehovah is coming ? / Cruel and with overflowing wrath and burning anger ? / To make the land a desolation; / And He will destroy its sinners off of it.
13:10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations / Will not shine forth their light; / The sun will be dark at its rising, / And the moon will not let its light shine.
13:11 And I will punish the world for its evil, / And the wicked for their iniquity; / I will stop the arrogance of the proud, / And the haughtiness of the terrible I will abase.
13:12 I will make mortal man rarer than pure gold, / And mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.
13:13 Hence, I will make the heavens shake, / And the earth will quake out of its place, / At the overflowing wrath of Jehovah of hosts, / In the day of His burning anger.
13:14 And like the hunted gazelle / And sheep without someone to gather them, / Each man will turn to his own people, / And each will flee to his own land.
13:15 Everyone found will be pierced through, / And everyone caught will fall by the sword.
13:16 And their little ones will be dashed to pieces / Before their eyes; / Their houses will be plundered, / And their wives will be attacked.
13:17 Now I rouse up the Medes against them, / Who will not esteem silver highly, / Nor take delight in gold.
13:18 Their bows will shatter the young men; / And they will not have compassion on the fruit of the womb: / Their eyes will have no pity on children.
13:19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, / The glory of the Chaldeans’ majesty, / Will be as when God overthrew / Sodom and Gomorrah:
13:20 It will not be inhabited forever; / It will not be dwelt in from generation to generation. / And the Arab will not set up his tent there, / Nor will the shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
13:21 But desert animals will lie down there, / And their houses will be full of wild dogs; / There ostriches will dwell, / And wild goats will prance there;
13:22 Hyenas will respond in their citadels, / And jackals in their exquisite palaces. / Her time is about to come, / And her days will not be prolonged.