Beginning
The Destruction of Babylon
13 A message[a] that Amoz’s son Isaiah received[b] about Babylon:
2 “Raise a banner on a bare hilltop!
Cry out loud to them!
Give a wave of the hand,
signaling[c] for them to enter[d]
the gates of the nobles.
3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones;
I have also summoned my warriors,
those who rejoice in my triumph,
to carry out my angry judgments.[e]
4 “Listen! There’s a noise on the mountains
like that of a great multitude!
Listen! There’s an uproar among the kingdoms,
like that of nations massing together!
The Lord of the Heavenly Armies is mustering
an army for battle.
5 They’re coming from a faraway land,
from the distant horizon—[f]
the Lord and the weapons of his anger—
to destroy the entire land.”[g]
The Day of the Lord
6 Wail out loud, because the Day of the Lord is near.
It will come like destruction from the Almighty!
7 Because of this, every hand[h] will go limp,
and every man’s courage[i] will melt.
8 They will be terrified;
pain and anguish will seize them;
they’ll writhe like a woman in labor.
They’ll look aghast at one another;
and[j] their faces will be ablaze with fear.[k]
9 Watch out! The Day of the Lord is coming—
cruel, with wrath and fierce anger—
to turn the entire inhabited[l] earth[m] into a desolation
and to annihilate sinners[n] from it.
10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
won’t shine[o] their light;
the sun will be dark when it rises,
and the moon won’t shine its light.
11 I’ll punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity;
I’ll put an end to the pomposity of the arrogant,
and overthrow the insolence of tyrants.
12 I’ll make people scarcer[p] than pure gold,
and mankind rarer[q] than gold from Ophir.
13 Therefore I’ll make the heavens tremble.
The earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies,
at the time[r] of his burning anger.[s]
14 They[t] will be like a hunted gazelle,
or like sheep with no one to gather them,[u]
each will turn to his own people,
and each will flee to his own land.
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through,
and whoever is caught will fall dead, killed[v] by the sword.
16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces
before their eyes,
and[w] their houses will be looted,
and their wives slept with.[x]
Babylon Falls
17 Watch out! I’m stirring up the Medes against them,
who care nothing for silver
and take no delight in gold.
18 Their bows will dash the young men to pieces;
they’ll show no pity on those not yet born,[y]
and[z] their eyes will not spare children.
19 Babylon, that jewel of kingdoms,
the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah,
when God overthrew them—
20 It will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
no Bedouin[aa] will pitch his tent there;
no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.
21 But desert beasts will lie down there,
and their houses will be full of howling creatures;
there owls[ab] will dwell,
and goat-demons[ac] will dance there.
22 Hyenas will howl in its strongholds,[ad]
and jackals will make their dens in its citadels.[ae]
Its[af] time is close at hand,
and its days will not be extended any further.[ag]
Israel Mocks Babylon’s King
14 However, the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will once again choose Israel. He will settle them in their own land, and foreigners will join them, affiliating themselves with the house of Jacob. 2 Many[ah] nations will take them and bring them to their land and[ai] their own place. The house of Israel will put those nations[aj] to conscripted labor[ak] in the Lord’s land. They will take captive those who were their captors, and will rule continually[al] over those who oppressed them.
3 At the time,[am] when the Lord gives you rest from your suffering, turmoil, and the cruel bondage which they forced you to serve,[an] 4 you will lift up this song of mockery against[ao] the king of Babylon:
“How the oppressor has come to an end!
How the attacker[ap] has ceased!
5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers,
6 that struck down peoples in anger
with unceasing blows,
that oppressed nations in fury
with relentless persecution.
7 The entire earth is at rest and peace;
its inhabitants[aq] break into song.
8 Even the cypresses rejoice over you,
as do[ar] the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Now that you’ve been laid low,
no woodcutter comes up against us.’[as]
9 “The afterlife[at] below is all astir
to meet you when you arrive;[au]
it rouses up the spirits of the dead to greet you—
everyone who used to be world leaders.
It has raised up from their thrones
all who used to be kings of the nations.
10 In answer, all of them[av] will tell you,
‘You’ve also become as weak as we are!
You have become just like us!’
11 Your[aw] pomp has been brought down to Sheol,[ax]
along with the noise of your harps.
Maggots are spread out beneath you,
and worms are your covering.”[ay]
The Fall of the Day Star
12 “How you have fallen from heaven,
Day Star,[az] son of the Dawn![ba]
How you have been thrown down to earth,
you who laid low the nation![bb]
13 You said in your heart,
‘I’ll ascend to heaven,
above the stars of God.
I’ll erect my throne;
I’ll sit[bc] on the Mount of Assembly
in the far reaches of the north;[bd]
14 I’ll ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I’ll make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to join the dead,[be]
to the far reaches of the Pit.[bf]
16 “Those who see you will stare at you.
They will wonder about you:
‘Is this the man who[bg] made the earth tremble,
who made kingdoms quake,
17 who made the world like a desert,
who[bh] destroyed its cities,
who would not open the jails for his prisoners?’
18 All the kings of the nations lie[bi] in state,
each in his own tomb.
19 But you are cast away from your grave,
like a repulsive branch,
your clothing is the slain,
those pierced by the sword;
those who go down to the Pit.[bj]
Like a dead body trampled underfoot,
20 you will not be united[bk] with them[bl] in burial,
for you have destroyed your land,
you have slain your people.
People will never mention
the descendants of those who practice evil again![bm]
21 Prepare a massacre for his sons
because of the guilt of their forefathers!
They are not to rise and inherit the earth,
and cover[bn] the surface of the world with cities.”
Babylon’s Desolation
22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and I will eliminate from Babylon her name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,”[bo] declares the Lord. 23 “And[bp] I’m going to make it a possession of the hedgehog—pools[bq] of water—and I’ll sweep[br] with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
24 The Lord of the Heavenly Armies has sworn:
“Surely as I have planned,
that’s what she[bs] will become;[bt]
and just as I have determined,
so will it remain—
25 to crush the Assyrian in my land,
and on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke[bu] will turn away from you,[bv]
and his burden from your[bw] shoulders.”
26 “This is what I’ve planned
for the whole earth,
and this is the hand that is stretched out
over all the nations.
27 For the Lord of the Heavenly Armies has planned,
and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out,
and who can turn it back?”
A Pronouncement against Philistia
28 In the year that King Ahaz died this message[bx] came:
29 “Don’t rejoice, all of you Philistines,
that the rod that struck you is broken,
because from the snake’s root a viper will spring up,
and its offspring[by] will be a darting, poisonous serpent.
30 The firstborn of the poor will find pasture,
and the needy will lie down in safety;
but I’ll kill your root[bz] by famine,
and I’ll[ca] execute your survivors.
31 Wail, you gate!
Cry out, you city!
Melt away,[cb] all you Philistines!
For smoke comes from the north,
and there’s no one to take measure[cc] in its festivals.[cd]
32 How will they[ce] answer the messengers of the nation?
“The Lord has founded Zion,
and in it[cf] the afflicted among his people will find refuge.”
Moab’s Pending Judgment
15 A message[cg] concerning Moab:
“For Ir[ch] in Moab is destroyed in a night,
and Moab[ci] is ruined!
Because Ir[cj] in Moab is destroyed in a single night,
Moab is ruined!
2 He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon,
to the high places to weep;
over Nebo and over Medeba
Moab wails.
His head is completely[ck] bald,
and[cl] every beard is shaved off.
3 In its streets they wear sackcloth;
on its rooftops and in its squares
everyone wails and falls down[cm] weeping.
4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out,
their voices are heard as far as Jahaz;
therefore the loins[cn] of Moab cry aloud;
its heart quakes for itself.
5 My heart cries out over Moab;
her fugitives flee as far as Zoar,
as far as Eglath-shelishiyah.
For at the ascent to Luhith
they go up weeping;
on the road to Horonaim
they raise a cry of destruction.
6 The Nimrim waters are desolate;
the grass is withered,
its vegetation gone;
there is[co] no foliage left.
7 Therefore the wealth they have acquired
and what they have stored up—
they carry them away
over the Arab[cp] Wadi.[cq]
8 For the cry has gone out
along the border of Moab;
her wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
her wailing reaches as far as Beer-elim.
9 The Dibon[cr] streams are full of blood;
but I will bring upon Dibon[cs] even more—
a lion will pounce[ct] upon those of Moab who escape,
upon[cu] those who remain in the land.”
Moab’s Destruction
16 “Send a lamb to the ruler of the land,
from Selah,[cv] by way of the desert,
to the mountain of the Daughter of Zion.[cw]
2 Like fluttering birds,
like an abandoned nest,
so are the daughters of Moab
at the fords of the Arnon River.[cx]
3 “Give us advice;
reach a decision!
Cast your shadow as if night had come
at high noon.
Shelter the fugitives,
And don’t betray a single refugee.
4 Let the fugitives[cy] from Moab
settle among you;
be a shelter to them
from the destroyer.
When the oppressor comes to an end,
and destruction has[cz] ceased,
and the marauder[da] has[db] vanished from the land,
5 then a throne will be established in gracious love,
and there will sit in faithfulness—
in the Tent of David—
one who judges, seeks justice,
and is swift to do what is right.”
6 “We’ve heard about Moab’s pride—
so very proud he became!—[dc]
his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence;
therefore he is alone.[dd]
7 Therefore, let Moab not[de] wail,
let everyone wail for Moab.
Lament and grieve deeply
for the ruined remains[df] of Kir-hareseth.
8 For the fields of Heshbon wither,
as well as the vines of Sibmah.[dg]
The rulers of the nations
have struck down its choicest vines,
which once reached Jazer
and pushed to the desert.
Its shoots spread out
and passed over the sea.”
Isaiah Weeps for Moab
9 “Therefore I weep with the tears of Jazer
for the vines of Sibmah.
I drench you with my tears,
O Heshbon and Elealeh—
for the shouts of joy over your summer fruit
and your grain harvest have ended.
10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards,
in the vineyards people will sing no songs,[dh]
and[di] no cheers are raised.
No vintner[dj] treads out wine in the presses,
because I’ve put an end to the shouting.
11 Therefore my insides[dk] moan like a lyre for Moab,
and my innermost being[dl] for Kir-hareseth.
12 When Moab appears,
when he arrives[dm] upon the high place
and comes to his sanctuary to pray,
he will not prevail.”
13 This was the message that the Lord spoke concerning Moab in the past. 14 But now the Lord has spoken again: “Within three years, like the years of a contract worker,[dn] Moab’s glory will be brought into contempt, in spite of all its great multitude, and its survivors will be very few and[do] of no importance.”
A Rebuke to Damascus
17 A message[dp] about Damascus:[dq]
“Look! Damascus[dr] will cease to be a city.
Instead, it will become a pile of ruins.
2 The cities of Oraru[ds] will be deserted—
they will be devoted to herds that will lay at rest,
and terrorism will be no more.[dt]
3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim,
and royal authority from Damascus;[du]
the survivors[dv] from Aram[dw] will be like the glory of the Israelis,”
declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
A Time of Weakness for Israel
4 “At that time,[dx] Jacob’s glory will have become weakened,
and his strong[dy] flesh will turn gaunt;
5 it will be as if harvesters gather standing grain,
reaping the ears by hand,[dz]
or it will be as if grain is harvested
in the valley of Rephaim.[ea]
6 Nevertheless, gleanings will remain in Israel,[eb]
as when an olive tree is beaten—[ec]
two or three ripe olives left in the topmost branches,
four or five left among the branches of a fruit-filled tree,”[ed]
declares the Lord God of Israel.
Revival to Come to Israel
7 At that time, men will look upon[ee] their Maker, and their eyes will honor the Holy One of Israel. 8 They will not look upon[ef] the altars, the products[eg] that their own fingers[eh] have made, and they will have no regard for Asherah poles[ei] or incense altars.[ej]
Desolation to the Nations
9 “At that time,[ek] their fortified cities
that they abandoned because of the Israelis
will be like desolate places[el] of the forests and hilltops—[em]
there will be desolation.
10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation
and have not remembered the Rock
that is your strength.
Therefore even though you plant delightful plants,
sowing them with imported vine-seedlings,
11 at the time that you plant them,
carefully making them grow,
the very morning you make your seed to sprout,
your harvest will be ruined[en]
in a time of grief and unbearable pain.”[eo]
12 “How terrible it will be for many peoples,
who rage like the roaring sea!
Oh, how the uproar of nations
is like the sound of rushing, mighty water—
How they roar!
13 The nations roar like the rushing of many waters,[ep]
but the Lord[eq] will rebuke them,
and they will run far away,
chased like chaff blown down from the mountains
or like thick dust[er] that rolls along,
blown along by a wind storm.
14 When the evening arrives, watch out—sudden terror!
By morning they will be there no longer!
So it will be for those who plunder us
and what will happen to those who rob us.”
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