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An Oracle Concerning Babylon

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

(D)Lift up a standard on the [b](E)bare hill,
Heighten your voice at them,
(F)Wave the hand that they may (G)enter the doors of the nobles.
I have commanded My set apart ones,
I have even called My (H)mighty warriors,
My [c]proudly exulting ones,
To execute My anger.
A (I)sound of tumult on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of the rumbling of kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
Yahweh of hosts is mustering the host for battle.
They are coming from a far country,
From the (J)end of the sky,
Yahweh and His instruments of (K)indignation,
To (L)wreak destruction on the whole land.
Wail, for the (M)day of Yahweh is near!
It will come as (N)destruction from [d]the Almighty.
Therefore (O)all hands will fall limp,
And every man’s (P)heart will melt.
They will be (Q)terrified,
Pains and labor pangs 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.
Behold, (S)the day of Yahweh is coming,
Cruel, with fury and burning anger,
To make the land a desolation;
And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
10 For 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.
11 Thus 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)pride of the arrogant
And bring low the (Y)lofty pride of the [e](Z)ruthless.
12 I will make mortal man [f](AA)scarcer than fine gold
And mankind than the (AB)gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the (AC)heavens tremble,
And (AD)the earth will be shaken from its place
At the fury of Yahweh of hosts
In (AE)the day of His burning anger.
14 And 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.
15 Anyone who is found will be (AG)pierced through,
And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their (AH)infants also will be dashed to pieces
Before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives ravished.

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

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 13:1 Or burden of
  2. Isaiah 13:2 Or wind-swept mountain
  3. Isaiah 13:3 Lit lofty pride, cf. 13:11
  4. Isaiah 13:6 Heb Shaddai
  5. Isaiah 13:11 Or tyrants, despots
  6. Isaiah 13:12 Lit more precious
  7. Isaiah 13:18 Lit sons
  8. Isaiah 13:19 Lit beautiful glory
  9. Isaiah 13:20 Or nomad
  10. Isaiah 13:21 Or howling creatures
  11. Isaiah 13:21 Or goat demons
  12. Isaiah 13:22 Or howling creatures
  13. Isaiah 13:22 Lit is near to come

Prophecies Against the Nations
A Prophecy Against Babylon

13 The oracle[a]about Babylon, which Isaiah son of Amoz saw.

Raise a banner on a bare hill!
Shout to them.
Signal to them to enter the gates of the nobles.
I have given a command to my consecrated warriors.
I have called my elite warriors to carry out my anger—
those who rejoice in my triumph.
The noise of a horde is heard on the mountains,
like the noise of many people,
    like the uproar of the kingdoms of the nations
    who are massing together!
The Lord of Armies is mustering an army for war.
They come from a faraway country,
from the ends of the heavens.
The Lord and the weapons of his wrath
come to destroy the whole land.
Wail, for the Day of the Lord is near.
It will come like destruction from the Almighty.[b]
Therefore all hands will hang limp,
and every heart will melt.
They will be terrified.
Pain will overcome them.
They will be in pain like a woman in labor.
They will look at each other in shock.
Their faces are flushed.

Look, the Day of the Lord is coming,
a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger,
a day to make the land desolate,
a day to destroy its sinners there.
10 For the stars of the sky and its constellations
    will not give their light.
The sun will be darkened as it rises,
and the moon will give no light.

11 I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their guilt.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the insolent,
and I will humble the pride of the ruthless.
12 I will make people rarer than fine gold,
and mankind scarcer than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken off its foundation
at the wrath of the Lord of Armies,
in the day of his fierce anger.

14 Like a hunted gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,
each of them will turn to his own people,
and everyone will flee to his own land.
15 Everyone who is caught will be run through.
Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes.
Their houses will be looted, and their wives will be raped.

17 See, I will stir up against them the Medes,
who have no use for silver,
who do not delight even in gold.
18 Their bows will strike down the young,
and they will have no pity on newborn infants.[c]
There will be no compassion in their eyes for children.

19 Babylon is the glory of kingdoms,
the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
but it will be just like the day when God overthrew
    Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will never be inhabited again,
nor will anyone live in it from generation to generation.
No Arab[d] will pitch his tent there.
No shepherd will rest his flocks there.
21 Instead, wild animals from the desert will rest there.
The houses will be full of wild dogs.[e]
Ostriches will nest there,
and wild goats will frolic.
22 Hyenas will howl in its fortresses,
and jackals in the luxurious palaces.
Its time is near,
and its days will not be prolonged.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 13:1 The Hebrew word often has the connotation something burdensome.
  2. Isaiah 13:6 Hebrew Shaddai
  3. Isaiah 13:18 Literally on the fruit of the womb
  4. Isaiah 13:20 Or nomad
  5. Isaiah 13:21 The identification of some of the wild animals is uncertain.