Isaiah 13

King James Version

13 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

²Lift 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.

³I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.

⁴The 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.

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

⁶Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

⁷Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:

⁸And 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.

⁹Behold, 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.

¹⁰For 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.

¹¹And 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.

¹²I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

¹³Therefore 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.

¹⁴And 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.

¹⁵Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

¹⁶Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

¹⁷Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

¹⁸Their 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.

¹⁹And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

²⁰It 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.

²¹But 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.

²²And 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.

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Isaiah 13

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)

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Footnotes

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

Isaiah 13

English Standard Version

The Judgment of Babylon

13 The oracle concerning ^(A)Babylon which ^(B)Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

²On a bare hill ^(C)raise a signal;
    cry aloud to them;
wave the hand for ^(D)them to enter
    the gates of the nobles.
³I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,
    and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger,
    my proudly exulting ones.^[a]

⁴The sound ^(E)of a tumult is on the mountains
    as of a great multitude!
The sound of an uproar of kingdoms,
    of nations gathering together!
^(F)The Lord of hosts is mustering
    a host for battle.
⁵^(G)They come from a distant land,
    from the end of the heavens,
the Lord and the weapons of his indignation,
    to destroy the whole land.^[b]

⁶^(H)Wail, for ^(I)the day of the Lord is near;
    as destruction from the Almighty^[c] it will come!
⁷Therefore all hands will be feeble,
    and every human heart ^(J)will melt.
⁸They will be dismayed:
    ^(K)pangs and agony will seize them;
    ^(L)they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at one another;
    their faces will be aflame.

⁹Behold, ^(M)the day of the Lord comes,
    cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
to make the land a desolation
    and ^(N)to destroy its sinners from it.
¹⁰^(O)For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
    will not give their light;
^(P)the sun will be dark at its rising,
    and the moon will not shed its light.
¹¹I will punish ^(Q)the world for its evil,
    and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will ^(R)put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,
    ^(S)and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
¹²I will make ^(T)people more rare than fine gold,
    and mankind than the ^(U)gold of Ophir.
¹³Therefore ^(V)I will make the heavens tremble,
    and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the Lord of hosts
    in the day of his fierce anger.
¹⁴And like a hunted gazelle,
    or like sheep with none to gather them,
^(W)each will turn to his own people,
    and each will flee to his own land.
¹⁵Whoever is found will be thrust through,
    and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.
¹⁶^(X)Their infants will be dashed in pieces
    before their eyes;
their houses will be plundered
    and their wives ravished.

¹⁷Behold, ^(Y)I am stirring up the Medes against them,
    who have no regard for silver
    and do not delight in gold.
¹⁸^(Z)Their bows will slaughter^[d] the young men;
    they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;
    their eyes will not pity children.
¹⁹And Babylon, ^(AA)the glory of kingdoms,
    the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans,
will be ^(AB)like Sodom and Gomorrah
    when God overthrew them.
²⁰^(AC)It will never be inhabited
    or lived in for all generations;
no ^(AD)Arab will pitch his tent there;
    no ^(AE)shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.
²¹But ^(AF)wild animals will lie down there,
    and their houses will be full of howling creatures;
there ^(AG)ostriches^[e] will dwell,
    and there wild goats will dance.
²²Hyenas^[f] will cry in its towers,
    and ^(AH)jackals in ^(AI)the pleasant palaces;
its time is close at hand
    and its days will not be prolonged.

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Footnotes

Isaiah 13:3 Or those who exult in my majesty
Isaiah 13:5 Or earth; also verse 9
Isaiah 13:6 The Hebrew words for destruction and almighty sound alike
Isaiah 13:18 Hebrew dash in pieces
Isaiah 13:21 Or owls
Isaiah 13:22 Or foxes

Isaiah 13

Christian Standard Bible

A Pronouncement against Babylon

13 A pronouncement^(A) concerning Babylon^(B) that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:

²Lift up a banner on a barren mountain.^(C)
Call out to them.
Signal with your hand, and they will go
through the gates of the nobles.
³I have commanded my consecrated ones;
yes, I have called my warriors,
who celebrate my triumph,
to execute my wrath.^(D)
⁴Listen, a commotion on the mountains,
like that of a mighty people!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations being gathered together!
The Lord of Armies is mobilizing an army for war.
⁵They are coming from a distant land,
from the farthest horizon—
the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—
to destroy the whole country.^[a]
⁶Wail! For the day of the Lord is near.^(E)
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.^(F)
⁷Therefore everyone’s hands will become weak,
and every man will lose heart.
⁸They will be horrified;
pain and agony will seize them;
they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.^(G)
They will look at each other,
their faces flushed with fear.
⁹Look, the day^(H) of the Lord is coming—
cruel, with fury and burning anger—
to make the earth a desolation
and to destroy its sinners.^(I)
¹⁰Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellations^[b]
will not give their light.
The sun will be dark when it rises,
and the moon will not shine.^(J)
¹¹I will punish the world for its evil,^(K)
and wicked people for their iniquities.
I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant^(L)
and humiliate the insolence of tyrants.
¹²I will make a human more scarce than fine gold,
and mankind more rare than the gold of Ophir.^(M)
¹³Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will shake from its foundations^(N)
at the wrath of the Lord of Armies,
on the day of his burning anger.
¹⁴Like wandering gazelles
and like sheep without a shepherd,^(O)
each one will turn to his own people,
each one will flee to his own land.
¹⁵Whoever is found will be stabbed,
and whoever is caught will die by the sword.
¹⁶Their children will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;^(P)
their houses will be looted,
and their wives raped.
¹⁷Look! I am stirring up the Medes against them,^(Q)
who cannot be bought off with^[c] silver
and who have no desire for gold.
¹⁸Their bows will cut young men to pieces.
They will have no compassion on offspring;
they will not look with pity on children.

¹⁹And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms,
the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when God overthrew them.^(R)
²⁰It will never be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation;^(S)
a nomad will not pitch his tent there,
and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there.
²¹But desert creatures will lie down there,
and owls will fill the houses.
Ostriches will dwell there,
and wild goats will leap about.^(T)
²²Hyenas will howl in the fortresses,
and jackals, in the luxurious palaces.
Babylon’s time is almost up;
her days are almost over.

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Footnotes

13:5 Or earth
13:10 Or Orions
13:17 Lit who have no regard for

Isaiah 13

New American Standard Bible 1995

Prophecies about Babylon

13 The ^[a]^(A)oracle concerning ^(B)Babylon which ^(C)Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

²^(D)Lift up a standard on the ^[b]^(E)bare hill,
Raise your voice to them,
^(F)Wave the hand that they may ^(G)enter the doors of the nobles.
³I have commanded My consecrated ones,
I have even called My ^(H)mighty warriors,
My proudly exulting ones,
To execute My anger.
⁴A ^(I)sound of tumult on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of the uproar of kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.
⁵They are coming from a far country,
From the ^[c]^(J)farthest horizons,
The Lord and His instruments of ^(K)indignation,
To ^(L)destroy the whole land.

Judgment on the Day of the Lord

⁶Wail, for the ^(M)day of the Lord is near!
It will come as ^(N)destruction from ^[d]the Almighty.
⁷Therefore ^(O)all hands will fall limp,
And every man’s ^(P)heart will melt.
⁸They 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.
⁹Behold, ^(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.
¹⁰For the ^(T)stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not flash forth their light;
The ^(U)sun will be dark when it rises
And the moon will not shed its light.
¹¹Thus I will ^(V)punish the world for its evil
And the ^(W)wicked for their iniquity;
I will also put an end to the ^(X)arrogance of the proud
And abase the ^(Y)haughtiness of the ^[e]^(Z)ruthless.
¹²I will make mortal man ^[f]^(AA)scarcer than pure gold
And mankind than the ^(AB)gold of Ophir.
¹³Therefore I will make the ^(AC)heavens tremble,
And ^(AD)the earth will be shaken from its place
At the fury of the Lord of hosts
In ^(AE)the day of His burning anger.
¹⁴And it will be that like a hunted gazelle,
Or like ^(AF)sheep with none to gather them,
They will each turn to his own people,
And each one flee to his own land.
¹⁵Anyone who is found will be ^(AG)thrust through,
And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
¹⁶Their ^(AH)little ones also will be dashed to pieces
Before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives ravished.

Babylon Will Fall to the Medes

¹⁷Behold, I am going to ^(AI)stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not value silver or ^(AJ)take pleasure in gold.
¹⁸And their bows will ^[g]mow down the ^(AK)young men,
They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb,
Nor will their ^(AL)eye pity ^[h]children.
¹⁹And ^(AM)Babylon, the ^(AN)beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God ^(AO)overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
²⁰It will ^(AP)never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;
Nor will the ^(AQ)Arab pitch his tent there,
Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
²¹But ^(AR)desert creatures will lie down there,
And their houses will be full of ^[i]owls;
Ostriches also will live there, and ^[j]shaggy goats will frolic there.
²²^[k]Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers
And jackals in their luxurious ^(AS)palaces.
Her fateful time also ^[l]will soon come
And her days will not be prolonged.

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Footnotes

Isaiah 13:1 Or burden of
Isaiah 13:2 Or wind-swept mountain
Isaiah 13:5 Lit end of heaven
Isaiah 13:6 Heb Shaddai
Isaiah 13:11 Or tyrants, despots
Isaiah 13:12 Lit more precious
Isaiah 13:18 Lit dash in pieces
Isaiah 13:18 Lit sons
Isaiah 13:21 Or howling creatures
Isaiah 13:21 Or goat demons
Isaiah 13:22 Or howling creatures
Isaiah 13:22 Lit is near to come

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Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

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Isaiah 13

King James Version