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Prophecies about Babylon

13 The [mournful, inspired] oracle ([a]a burden to be carried) concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw [in a prophetic vision]:


Lift up a signal banner on the bare mountain,
Summon them [the Medes and Persians] with a loud voice,
Wave the [beckoning] hand so that they may enter the doorways of the [Babylonian] nobles.

I [the Lord] have commanded My consecrated ones,
I have even called My great warriors,
My proudly exulting ones [the Medes and the Persians who triumph for My honor]—
To execute My anger.

A sound of tumult on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of the uproar of the kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts is mustering an army for battle.

They are coming from a distant country,
From the end of heaven [the farthest horizon]—
The Lord and the weapons of His indignation—
To destroy the whole land.(A)

Judgment on the Day of the Lord


Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand!
It will come as [b]destruction from the [c]Almighty (All Sufficient One—Invincible God)!(B)

Therefore [d]all hands will fall limp,
And every man’s heart will melt.

They [of Babylon] will be shocked and terrified,
Pains and anguish will grip them;
They will be in pain like a woman in childbirth.
They will stare aghast and horrified at one another,
Their faces aflame [from the effects of the unprecedented warfare].

Listen carefully, the day of the Lord is coming,
Cruel, with wrath and raging anger,
To make the land a horror [of devastation];
And He shall exterminate its sinners from it.(C)
10 
For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not flash with their light;
The sun will be dark when it rises,
And the moon will not shed its light.
11 
In this way I will punish the world for its evil
And the wicked for their wickedness [their sin, their injustice, their wrongdoing];
I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud
And will abase the arrogance of the tyrant.
12 
I will make mortal man more rare than fine gold,
And mankind [scarcer] than the pure gold of Ophir.
13 
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
And the earth will be shaken from its place
At the wrath of the Lord of hosts
In the day of His burning anger.
14 
And like the hunted gazelle,
Or like sheep that no man gathers,
Each [foreign resident] will turn [and go back] to his own people,
And each one flee to his own land.
15 
Anyone who is found will be pierced through,
And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 
Their children also will be smashed to pieces
Before their eyes;
Their houses will be looted
And their wives ravished.

Babylon Will Fall to the Medes

17 
Listen carefully, I will put the Medes [in motion] against them,
Who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold [and therefore cannot be bribed].
18 
Their bows will cut down the young men [of Babylon];
They will take no pity on the fruit of the womb,
Their eyes will not look with compassion on the children.
19 
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the [e]Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
20 
Babylon will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there,
Nor will the shepherds let their sheep lie down there.
21 
But desert creatures will lie down there,
And their houses will be full of owls;
Ostriches also will live there, and [f]wild goats will dance there.
22 
[g]Hyenas will howl in their castles,
And jackals in their luxurious palaces.
Babylon’s time has nearly come,
And her days will not be prolonged.

Israel’s Taunt

14 For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob (the captives in Babylon) and will again choose Israel, and will settle them in their own land. Foreigners (Gentiles) will join them [as proselytes] and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob (Israel).(D) The peoples will take them along and bring them to their own place (Judea), and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the Lord as male and female servants; and they will take captive those whose captives they have been, and they will rule over their [former] oppressors.(E)

And it will be in the day when the Lord gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and from the harsh service in which you have been enslaved, that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,

“How the oppressor has ceased [his insolence],
And how the fury has ceased!

“The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of the [tyrant] rulers

Which used to strike the peoples in anger with incessant blows,
Which subdued and ruled the nations in wrath with unrelenting persecution.

“The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They break into shouts of joy.

“Even the cypress trees rejoice over you [kings of Babylon], even the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.’

[h]Sheol below is excited about you to meet you when you come [you tyrant of Babylon];
It stirs up the spirits of the dead [to greet you], all the leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones [in astonishment at your fall].
10 
“All of them will respond [tauntingly] and say to you,
‘You have become as weak as we are.
You have become like us.
11 
‘Your pomp and magnificence have been brought down to Sheol,
Along with the music of your harps;
The maggots [which prey on the dead] are spread out under you [as a bed]
And worms are your covering [Babylonian rulers].’
12 
“How you have fallen from heaven,
O [i]star of the morning [light-bringer], son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the ground,
You who have weakened the nations [king of Babylon]!
13 
“But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the remote parts of the north.
14 
‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 
“But [in fact] you will be brought down to Sheol,
To the remote recesses of the pit (the region of the dead).
16 
“Those who see you will gaze at you,
They will consider you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
17 
Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not permit his prisoners to return home?’
18 
“All the kings of the nations, all of them lie [dead] in glorious array,
Each one in his own sepulcher.
19 
“But you [king of Babylon] have been cast out of your tomb (denied burial)
Like a rejected branch,
Clothed with the slain who are pierced by the sword,
Who go down to the stones of the pit [into which carcasses are thrown],
Like a dead body trampled [underfoot].
20 
“You will not be united with them in burial,
Because you have destroyed your land,
You have slain your people.
May the descendants of evildoers never be named!
21 
“Prepare a slaughtering place for his sons
Because of the wickedness [the sin, the injustice, the wrongdoing] of their fathers.
They must not rise and take possession of the earth,
And fill the face of the world with cities.”

22 “I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, and son and grandson,” declares the Lord. 23 “I will also make Babylon a possession of the hedgehog and of [j]swamps of water, and I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.

Judgment on Assyria

24 The Lord of hosts has sworn [an oath], saying, “Just as I have intended, so it has certainly happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand— 25 to break the Assyrian in My land, and on My mountains I will trample him underfoot. Then the Assyrian’s [k]yoke will be removed from them (the people of Judah) and his burden removed from their shoulder. 26 This is the plan [of God] decided for the whole earth [regarded as conquered and put under tribute by Assyria]; and this is the hand [of God] that is stretched out over all the nations. 27 For the Lord of hosts has decided and planned, and who can annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”

Judgment on Philistia

28 In the year that King Ahaz [of Judah] died this [mournful, inspired] oracle ([l]a burden to be carried) came:

29 
“Do not rejoice, O Philistia, any of you,
Because the rod [of Judah] that struck you is broken;
For out of the serpent’s root will come a viper [King Hezekiah of Judah],
And its offspring will be a flying serpent.(F)
30 
“The firstborn of the helpless [of Judah] will feed [on My meadows],
And the needy will lie down in safety;
But I will kill your root with famine,
And your survivors will be put to death.
31 
“Howl, O gate; cry, O city!
Melt away, O Philistia, all of you;
For smoke comes out of the north,
And there is no straggler in his ranks and no one stands detached [in Hezekiah’s battalions].
32 
“Then what answer will one give the messengers of the [Philistine] nation?
That the Lord has founded Zion,
And the afflicted of His people will seek and find refuge in it.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 13:1 I.e. an urgent message the prophet is under compulsion to proclaim.
  2. Isaiah 13:6 Shod in Hebrew, forming a word play with Shaddai.
  3. Isaiah 13:6 Heb Shaddai.
  4. Isaiah 13:7 Babylon was taken by surprise on the night of Belshazzar’s sacrilegious feast when Belshazzar was killed, and Darius the Mede was made king over Babylonia, the realm of the Chaldeans (Dan 5:30). The Chaldeans became the dominant people in Babylonia when Merodach-baladan declared himself king of Babylon. The words “Chaldean” and “Babylonian” are used interchangeably.
  5. Isaiah 13:19 The Chaldeans dominated and ruled Babylonia from 625 b.c., until their empire fell in 539 b.c., but they were known as early as 1000 b.c. as an aggressive, tribal people in the southern region of Babylonia. They were highly skilled in both the science of astronomy and the pseudo-science of astrology. They kept meticulous records of celestial motion and correctly calculated the length of a year to within just a few minutes. Babylon, their capital city, was the center of trade and learning in the western part of Asia. The classical literature of the Chaldeans was written in cuneiform, but the common language, both written and spoken in Babylon, was Akkadian that was increasingly influenced by Aramaic.
  6. Isaiah 13:21 Another possibility is goat demons.
  7. Isaiah 13:22 This prophecy was written well over a century before Babylon’s downfall in 539 b.c.
  8. Isaiah 14:9 I.e. the nether world, the place of the dead, Hades.
  9. Isaiah 14:12 Many students of the Bible have felt that the passage which follows applies to Satan (cf Luke 10:18). It is clear from the larger context that the passage addresses the king of Babylon, but that does not rule out a secondary reference to Satan. Many commentators are of the opinion that the arrogance expressed here is satanic, and that the passage correctly represents Satan’s attitude because he was working through the Babylonian ruler. The Hebrew for this expression is translated “Lucifer” (“light-bringer”) in The Latin Vulgate, and is translated this way in the King James Version. But because of the association of that name with Satan, it is not used in this and other translations. Some students feel that the application of the name Lucifer to Satan, in spite of the long and confident teaching to that effect, is erroneous. The application of the name to Satan has existed since the third century a.d., and is based on the supposition that Luke 10:18 is an explanation of Is 14:12, which many authorities believe is not true. “Lucifer,” the light-bringer, is the Latin equivalent of the Greek word “Phosphoros,” which is used as a title of Christ in 2 Pet 1:19 and corresponds to the name “radiant and brilliant Morning Star” in Rev 22:16, a name Jesus called Himself. This passage here in Is 14:12ff clearly applies to the king of Babylon.
  10. Isaiah 14:23 The city of Babylon was in the middle of a very fertile area, and it would have seemed reasonable to suppose that, regardless of what happened to the population, the region would always furnish pasturage for flocks. But Isaiah said it would become the possession of wild animals and would be covered with “swamps of water.” This is how that prophecy was literally fulfilled: after Babylon was taken, the whole area around the city was put under water from neglect of the canals and dikes of the Euphrates River. It became stagnant “swamps of water” among ruins haunted by wild animals, proclaiming to any who might see it that it had happened just as the Lord intended (Is 14:24).
  11. Isaiah 14:25 The prophecy against Assyria had actually by this time already been fulfilled, but Isaiah attached it to the as yet unfulfilled prophecy against Babylon as a pledge or guarantee of the fulfillment of the latter.
  12. Isaiah 14:28 I.e. an urgent message the prophet is under compulsion to proclaim.

Profecía sobre Babilonia

13 Profecía sobre Babilonia,(A) revelada a Isaías hijo de Amoz.

Levantad bandera sobre un alto monte; alzad la voz a ellos, alzad la mano, para que entren por puertas de príncipes. Yo mandé a mis consagrados, asimismo llamé a mis valientes para mi ira, a los que se alegran con mi gloria.

Estruendo de multitud en los montes, como de mucho pueblo; estruendo de ruido de reinos, de naciones reunidas; Jehová de los ejércitos pasa revista a las tropas para la batalla. Vienen de lejana tierra, de lo postrero de los cielos, Jehová y los instrumentos de su ira, para destruir toda la tierra.

Aullad, porque cerca está el día de Jehová; vendrá como asolamiento del Todopoderoso.(B) Por tanto, toda mano se debilitará, y desfallecerá todo corazón de hombre, y se llenarán de terror; angustias y dolores se apoderarán de ellos; tendrán dolores como mujer de parto; se asombrará cada cual al mirar a su compañero; sus rostros, rostros de llamas.

He aquí el día de Jehová viene, terrible, y de indignación y ardor de ira, para convertir la tierra en soledad, y raer de ella a sus pecadores. 10 Por lo cual las estrellas de los cielos y sus luceros no darán su luz; y el sol se oscurecerá al nacer, y la luna no dará su resplandor.(C) 11 Y castigaré al mundo por su maldad, y a los impíos por su iniquidad; y haré que cese la arrogancia de los soberbios, y abatiré la altivez de los fuertes. 12 Haré más precioso que el oro fino al varón, y más que el oro de Ofir al hombre. 13 Porque haré estremecer los cielos, y la tierra se moverá de su lugar, en la indignación de Jehová de los ejércitos, y en el día del ardor de su ira. 14 Y como gacela perseguida, y como oveja sin pastor, cada cual mirará hacia su pueblo, y cada uno huirá a su tierra. 15 Cualquiera que sea hallado será alanceado; y cualquiera que por ellos sea tomado, caerá a espada. 16 Sus niños serán estrellados delante de ellos; sus casas serán saqueadas, y violadas sus mujeres. 17 He aquí que yo despierto contra ellos a los medos, que no se ocuparán de la plata, ni codiciarán oro. 18 Con arco tirarán a los niños, y no tendrán misericordia del fruto del vientre, ni su ojo perdonará a los hijos. 19 Y Babilonia, hermosura de reinos y ornamento de la grandeza de los caldeos, será como Sodoma y Gomorra, a las que trastornó Dios.(D) 20 Nunca más será habitada, ni se morará en ella de generación en generación; ni levantará allí tienda el árabe, ni pastores tendrán allí majada; 21 sino que dormirán allí las fieras del desierto, y sus casas se llenarán de hurones;(E) allí habitarán avestruces, y allí saltarán las cabras salvajes. 22 En sus palacios aullarán hienas, y chacales en sus casas de deleite; y cercano a llegar está su tiempo, y sus días no se alargarán.

Escarnio contra el rey de Babilonia

14 Porque Jehová tendrá piedad de Jacob, y todavía escogerá a Israel, y lo hará reposar en su tierra; y a ellos se unirán extranjeros, y se juntarán a la familia de Jacob. Y los tomarán los pueblos, y los traerán a su lugar; y la casa de Israel los poseerá por siervos y criadas en la tierra de Jehová; y cautivarán a los que los cautivaron, y señorearán sobre los que los oprimieron.

Y en el día que Jehová te dé reposo de tu trabajo y de tu temor, y de la dura servidumbre en que te hicieron servir, pronunciarás este proverbio contra el rey de Babilonia, y dirás: ¡Cómo paró el opresor, cómo acabó la ciudad codiciosa de oro! Quebrantó Jehová el báculo de los impíos, el cetro de los señores; el que hería a los pueblos con furor, con llaga permanente, el que se enseñoreaba de las naciones con ira, y las perseguía con crueldad. Toda la tierra está en reposo y en paz; se cantaron alabanzas. Aun los cipreses se regocijaron a causa de ti, y los cedros del Líbano, diciendo: Desde que tú pereciste, no ha subido cortador contra nosotros. El Seol abajo se espantó de ti; despertó muertos que en tu venida saliesen a recibirte, hizo levantar de sus sillas a todos los príncipes de la tierra, a todos los reyes de las naciones. 10 Todos ellos darán voces, y te dirán: ¿Tú también te debilitaste como nosotros, y llegaste a ser como nosotros? 11 Descendió al Seol tu soberbia, y el sonido de tus arpas; gusanos serán tu cama, y gusanos te cubrirán.

12 ¡Cómo caíste del cielo,(F) oh Lucero, hijo de la mañana! Cortado fuiste por tierra, tú que debilitabas a las naciones. 13 Tú que decías en tu corazón: Subiré al cielo; en lo alto, junto a las estrellas de Dios, levantaré mi trono, y en el monte del testimonio me sentaré, a los lados del norte; 14 sobre las alturas de las nubes subiré, y seré semejante al Altísimo. 15 Mas tú derribado eres hasta el Seol,(G) a los lados del abismo. 16 Se inclinarán hacia ti los que te vean, te contemplarán, diciendo: ¿Es este aquel varón que hacía temblar la tierra, que trastornaba los reinos; 17 que puso el mundo como un desierto, que asoló sus ciudades, que a sus presos nunca abrió la cárcel? 18 Todos los reyes de las naciones, todos ellos yacen con honra cada uno en su morada; 19 pero tú echado eres de tu sepulcro como vástago abominable, como vestido de muertos pasados a espada, que descendieron al fondo de la sepultura; como cuerpo muerto hollado. 20 No serás contado con ellos en la sepultura; porque tú destruiste tu tierra, mataste a tu pueblo. No será nombrada para siempre la descendencia de los malignos. 21 Preparad sus hijos para el matadero, por la maldad de sus padres; no se levanten, ni posean la tierra, ni llenen de ciudades la faz del mundo.

22 Porque yo me levantaré contra ellos, dice Jehová de los ejércitos, y raeré de Babilonia el nombre y el remanente, hijo y nieto, dice Jehová. 23 Y la convertiré en posesión de erizos, y en lagunas de agua; y la barreré con escobas de destrucción, dice Jehová de los ejércitos.

Asiria será destruida

24 Jehová de los ejércitos juró diciendo: Ciertamente se hará de la manera que lo he pensado, y será confirmado como lo he determinado; 25 que quebrantaré al asirio(H) en mi tierra, y en mis montes lo hollaré; y su yugo será apartado de ellos, y su carga será quitada de su hombro. 26 Este es el consejo que está acordado sobre toda la tierra, y esta, la mano extendida sobre todas las naciones. 27 Porque Jehová de los ejércitos lo ha determinado, ¿y quién lo impedirá? Y su mano extendida, ¿quién la hará retroceder?

Profecía sobre Filistea

28 En el año que murió el rey Acaz(I) fue esta profecía: 29 No te alegres tú, Filistea(J) toda, por haberse quebrado la vara del que te hería; porque de la raíz de la culebra saldrá áspid, y su fruto, serpiente voladora. 30 Y los primogénitos de los pobres serán apacentados, y los menesterosos se acostarán confiados; mas yo haré morir de hambre tu raíz, y destruiré lo que de ti quedare. 31 Aúlla, oh puerta; clama, oh ciudad; disuelta estás toda tú, Filistea; porque humo vendrá del norte, no quedará uno solo en sus asambleas. 32 ¿Y qué se responderá a los mensajeros de las naciones? Que Jehová fundó a Sion, y que a ella se acogerán los afligidos de su pueblo.