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Isaiah 13
New King James Version
Isaiah 13
New King James Version
Proclamation Against Babylon
13 The (A)burden[a] against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2 “Lift(B) up a banner (C)on the high mountain,
Raise your voice to them;
(D)Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded My [b]sanctified ones;
I have also called (E)My mighty ones for My anger—
Those who (F)rejoice in My exaltation.”
4 The (G)noise of a multitude in the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts musters
The army for battle.
5 They come from a far country,
From the end of heaven—
The (H)Lord and His [c]weapons of indignation,
To destroy the whole (I)land.
6 Wail, (J)for the day of the Lord is at hand!
(K)It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore all hands will be limp,
Every man’s heart will melt,
8 And they will be afraid.
(L)Pangs[d] and sorrows will take hold of them;
They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;
They will be amazed at one another;
Their faces will be like flames.
9 Behold, (M)the day of the Lord comes,
Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,
To lay the land desolate;
And He will destroy (N)its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not give their light;
The sun will be (O)darkened in its going forth,
And the moon will not cause its light to shine.
11 “I will (P)punish the world for its evil,
And the wicked for their iniquity;
(Q)I will halt the arrogance of the proud,
And will lay low the haughtiness of the [e]terrible.
12 I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold,
A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 (R)Therefore I will shake the heavens,
And the earth will move out of her place,
In the wrath of the Lord of hosts
And in (S)the day of His fierce anger.
14 It shall be as the hunted gazelle,
And as a sheep that no man [f]takes up;
(T)Every man will turn to his own people,
And everyone will flee to his own land.
15 Everyone who is found will be thrust through,
And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their children also will be (U)dashed to pieces before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives (V)ravished.
17 “Behold,(W) I will stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not [g]regard silver;
And as for gold, they will not delight in it.
18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces,
And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
Their eye will not spare children.
19 (X)And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew (Y)Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 (Z)It will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,
Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.
21 (AA)But wild beasts of the desert will lie there,
And their houses will be full of [h]owls;
Ostriches will dwell there,
And wild goats will caper there.
22 The hyenas will howl in their citadels,
And jackals in their pleasant palaces.
(AB)Her time is near to come,
And her days will not be prolonged.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 13:1 oracle, prophecy
- Isaiah 13:3 consecrated or set apart
- Isaiah 13:5 Or instruments
- Isaiah 13:8 Sharp pains
- Isaiah 13:11 Or tyrants
- Isaiah 13:14 gathers
- Isaiah 13:17 esteem
- Isaiah 13:21 Or howling creatures
Isaiah 13
English Standard Version
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
Isaiah 13
New Catholic Bible
Isaiah 13
New Catholic Bible
Oracles among the Pagan Nations[a]
Chapter 13
Babylon.[b] 1 An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, received in a vision:
2 Upon a barren hill raise a banner;
cry aloud to them.
Wave your hand to them
to enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my consecrated soldiers
and summoned my dedicated warriors
to carry out my vengeance.
4 Listen to the great tumult on the mountains
like that of an immense gathering.
Listen to the uproar of the kingdoms,
of nations assembling;
the Lord of hosts is mustering
an army for battle.
5 From a distant land,
from the end of the heavens,
the Lord and the instruments of his wrath
are coming to destroy the entire earth.
6 Cry out in anguish,
for the day of the Lord is near;
it will come like devastation from the Almighty.
7 Therefore, every hand will hang limp
and every man’s courage will fade;
8 they will all be panic-stricken,
overcome with pangs and agony
and writhing like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at each other,
with their faces aflame with fear.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,
a cruel day of wrath and burning anger,
to reduce the land to a desert waste
and to destroy all the sinners within it.
10 The stars of the heavens and their constellations
will no longer give forth their light.
The sun will be dark when it rises,
and the moon will not provide its light.
11 By taking this course
I will punish the world for its wickedness
and those who are evil for their iniquity.
I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant
and humble the insolence of tyrants.
12 I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold,
far more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore, I am determined to make the heavens tremble
and the earth will be shaken to its very foundations,
at the wrath of the Lord of hosts,
on the day of his blazing anger.
14 Like a gazelle fleeing from a hunter,
or like a flock of sheep that no one gathers,
everyone will return to his own people
and flee to his native land.
15 Any who are found will be slaughtered;
without exception they will be slain by the sword.
16 Their infants will be smashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be plundered
and their wives will be ravished.
17 Behold, I am stirring up against them the Medes
who have no interest in silver
and are not tempted by gold.[c]
18 With their bows they will slaughter the young men,
and they will show no pity for young children.
19 And Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms,
the splendor and jewel of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when they were overthrown by God.
20 It will never be inhabited;
no future generations will ever reside there.
No Arab will ever again pitch his tent there,
nor will shepherds rest their flocks in that land.
21 However, wild animals of the desert will dwell there,
and its houses will be filled with jackals.
There ostriches will reside,
and there wild goats[d] will dance.
22 Hyenas will howl in her castles
and jackals in her luxurious palaces.
Her time draws near,
and her days will not be prolonged.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 13:1 The oracles grouped together in chapters 13–23 arose in historical situations that were very diverse and often remote from one another in time. Some of the oracles were composed by Isaiah, others by some of his later disciples. These inspired men saw in the development of events and the collisions of peoples a fulfillment of the judgment of God, who offers salvation to every people that turns to him. Discreetly but firmly, the national boundaries of Israel are ignored, and the theme of the call of the nations makes its appearance.
- Isaiah 13:1 The editor of the Book attributes this lament to Isaiah himself. This lament describes the fall of Babylon after the manner of the fall of Nineveh. In fact, the city conquered by Cyrus in 539 B.C., was not destroyed, but the disappearance of the Assyrian capital, like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, always remained a paradigm for the prophets.
- Isaiah 13:17 The Medes were originally warlike tribes from the mountains east of Babylonia; once gathered as a kingdom, they were first allied with Babylon against the Assyrians; later, joined with the Persians, they would contribute to the fall of Babylon.
- Isaiah 13:21 Wild goats: or “satyrs,” popular personifications of the demons who dwelt in ruins.
Isaías 13
Nueva Versión Internacional
Isaías 13
Nueva Versión Internacional
Profecía contra Babilonia
13 Profecía contra Babilonia que recibió Isaías, hijo de Amoz:
2 Sobre un monte alto agiten la bandera;
llámenlos a gritos;
háganles señales con la mano
para que entren por las puertas de los nobles.
3 Ya he dado orden a mis consagrados;
he reclutado a mis guerreros,
a los que se alegran de mi triunfo, para que ejecuten mi ira.
4 ¡Escuchen! Se oye tumulto en las montañas,
como el de una gran multitud.
¡Escuchen! Se oye un estruendo de reinos,
de naciones que se han reunido.
El Señor de los Ejércitos pasa revista
a un ejército para la batalla.
5 Vienen de tierras lejanas,
de los confines de los cielos.
Viene el Señor con las armas de su ira
para destruir toda la tierra.
6 ¡Giman, que el día del Señor está cerca!
Llega de parte del Todopoderoso como una devastación.
7 Por eso todas las manos desfallecen,
todo el mundo pierde el ánimo.
8 Quedan todos aterrados;
dolores y angustias los atrapan:
¡se retuercen de dolor, como si estuvieran de parto!
Espantados, se miran unos a otros;
¡tienen el rostro encendido!
9 ¡Miren! ¡Ya viene el día del Señor
—día cruel, de furor y ardiente ira—;
dejará la tierra devastada
y exterminará en ella a los pecadores!
10 Las estrellas y las constelaciones del cielo
dejarán de irradiar su luz;
se oscurecerá el sol al salir
y no brillará más la luna.
11 Castigaré por su maldad al mundo
y por su iniquidad a los malvados.
Pondré fin a la soberbia de los arrogantes
y humillaré el orgullo de los violentos.
12 Voy a hacer que haya menos gente que oro fino,
menos mortales que oro de Ofir.
13 Por eso haré que tiemble el cielo
y que la tierra se mueva de su sitio,
por el furor del Señor de los Ejércitos,
en el día de su ardiente ira.
14 Como gacela acosada,
como rebaño sin pastor,
cada uno se volverá a su propio pueblo,
cada cual huirá a su propia tierra.
15 Al que atrapen lo traspasarán;
el que caiga preso morirá a filo de espada.
16 Ante sus propios ojos estrellarán a sus pequeños,
saquearán sus casas y violarán a sus mujeres.
17 ¡Miren! Yo incito contra ellos a los medos,
pueblo al que no le importa la plata
ni se deleita en el oro.
18 Con sus arcos traspasarán a los jóvenes;
no se apiadarán del fruto del vientre
ni tendrán compasión de los niños.
19 Babilonia, la perla de los reinos,
la gloria y el orgullo de los babilonios,[a]
quedará como Sodoma y Gomorra
cuando Dios las destruyó.
20 Nunca más volverá a ser habitada
ni poblada en los tiempos venideros.
No volverá a acampar allí el beduino,
ni hará el pastor descansar a su rebaño.
21 Allí descansarán las fieras del desierto;
sus casas se llenarán de chacales.
Allí habitarán los avestruces
y brincarán las cabras salvajes.
22 En sus fortalezas aullarán las hienas
y en sus lujosos palacios, los chacales.
Su hora está por llegar
y no se prolongarán sus días.
Footnotes
- 13:19 Lit. caldeos.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Nueva Versión Internacional (NVI) 
Santa Biblia, NUEVA VERSIÓN INTERNACIONAL® NVI® © 1999, 2015, 2022 por Biblica, Inc.®, Inc.® Usado con permiso de Biblica, Inc.® Reservados todos los derechos en todo el mundo. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.