Isaiah 13
Tree of Life Version
End of Babylon and the World
13 The burden[a] of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:
2 Lift up a banner on a bare mountain,
raise a voice to them, wave a hand,
so that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded My consecrated ones,
yes, I have called My mighty ones,
My proud exulting ones, for My fury.
4 A sound of tumult in the mountains
like that of many people!
A sound of uproar of kingdoms,
of nations gathered!
Adonai-Tzva’ot is mustering
the army for battle.
5 They are coming from a far country—
from the end of the heavens—
Adonai and the weapons of His wrath,
to destroy the whole land.
6 Wail, for the day of Adonai is near!
it will come as destruction from Shaddai.
7 Therefore all hands will fall limp,
and every man’s heart will melt.
8 They will be terrified;
pain and anguish will take hold of them;
they will writhe as a woman in labor;
they will look aghast at one another—
their faces aflame!
9 Behold, the day of Adonai comes,
cruel, full of wrath and fierce fury,
to make the earth a desolation,
and destroy its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations
will not give their light.
The rising sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light.[b]
11 I will punish the world for evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the proud,
and abase the insolence of tyrants.
12 I will make people scarcer than gold,
even than the pure gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make heaven tremble,
and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of Adonai-Tzva’ot,
in the day of His fierce fury.
14 It will be like a hunted gazelle,
or like sheep with no one gathering.
Each will return to his own people,
each will flee to his own country.
15 Everyone found will be thrust through.
Everyone caught will fall by the sword.
16 Their babes will be dashed in pieces before their eyes.
Their houses will be plundered,
and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes,
who will not value silver
and will take no delight in gold.
18 Their bows will cut down the young men,
with no pity on the fruit of the womb,
nor will their eye spare children.
19 So Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
the beauty of Chaldean pride,
will be just as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will never be inhabited,
nor will it be dwelt in
from generation to generation,
nor will an Arab pitch a tent there,
nor will shepherds let flocks lie there.
21 But desert creatures will lie there.
Their houses will be full of owls.
Ostriches will dwell there,
and goat-demons will dance[c] there.
22 Hyenas will howl in their citadels
and jackals in their pleasant palaces.
Her time is near to come—
her days will not drag on long.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 13:1 Or weighty oracle.
- Isaiah 13:10 cf. Matt. 24:29; Rev. 8:12.
- Isaiah 13:21 Or wild goats will leap about.
Isaiah 13
English Standard Version
The Judgment of Babylon
13 The oracle concerning (A)Babylon which (B)Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2 On a bare hill (C)raise a signal;
cry aloud to them;
wave the hand for (D)them to enter
the gates of the nobles.
3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,
and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger,
my proudly exulting ones.[a]
4 The 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!
7 Therefore all hands will be feeble,
and every human heart (J)will melt.
8 They 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.
9 Behold, (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.
11 I 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.
12 I will make (T)people more rare than fine gold,
and mankind than the (U)gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore (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.
14 And 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.
15 Whoever 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.
17 Behold, (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.
19 And 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.
21 But (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.
22 Hyenas[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.
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
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
