Isaiah 13:1-14:2

New International Version

A Prophecy Against Babylon

13 A prophecy^(A) against Babylon^(B) that Isaiah son of Amoz^(C) saw:^(D)

²Raise a banner^(E) on a bare hilltop,
    shout to them;
beckon to them
    to enter the gates^(F) of the nobles.
³I 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.

⁴Listen, 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.
⁵They 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.

⁶Wail,^(R) for the day^(S) of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction^(T) from the Almighty.^[a]^(U)
⁷Because of this, all hands will go limp,^(V)
    every heart will melt with fear.^(W)
⁸Terror^(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)

⁹See, 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.
¹⁰The 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)
¹¹I 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)
¹²I will make people^(AO) scarcer than pure gold,
    more rare than the gold of Ophir.^(AP)
¹³Therefore 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)

¹⁴Like 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)
¹⁵Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
    all who are caught will fall^(AY) by the sword.^(AZ)
¹⁶Their infants^(BA) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
    their houses will be looted and their wives violated.^(BB)

¹⁷See, I will stir up^(BC) against them the Medes,^(BD)
    who do not care for silver
    and have no delight in gold.^(BE)
¹⁸Their 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)
¹⁹Babylon,^(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)
²⁰She 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.
²¹But 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.
²²Hyenas^(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)

14 The Lord will have compassion^(BZ) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(CA) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(CB)
Foreigners^(CC) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
²Nations will take them
    and bring^(CD) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(CE)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(CF) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(CG)

Footnotes

Isaiah 13:6 Hebrew Shaddai
Isaiah 13:19 Or Chaldeans

Isaiah 14:24-27

New International Version

²⁴The Lord Almighty has sworn,^(A)

“Surely, as I have planned,^(B) so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.^(C)
²⁵I will crush the Assyrian^(D) in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke^(E) will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.^(F)”

²⁶This is the plan^(G) determined for the whole world;
this is the hand^(H) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(I) and who can thwart him?
His hand^(J) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(K)

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Matthew 24:1-14

New International Version

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times^(A)

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ²“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;^(B) every one will be thrown down.”

³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,^(C) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming^(D) and of the end of the age?”^(E)

⁴Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.^(F) ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.^(G) ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.^(H) There will be famines^(I) and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted^(J) and put to death,^(K) and you will be hated by all nations because of me.^(L) ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets^(M) will appear and deceive many people.^(N) ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.^(O) ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom^(P) will be preached in the whole world^(Q) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.