Isaiah 13

1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.2 Set ye up an ensign upon the bare mountain, lift up the voice unto them, wave the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.3 I have commanded my consecrated ones, yea, I have called my mighty men for mine anger, even my proudly exulting ones.4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as of a great people! the noise of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Jehovah of hosts is mustering the host for the battle.5 They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Jehovah, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.6 Wail ye; for the day of Jehovah is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.7 Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt:8 and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall look in amazement one at another; their faces shall be faces of flame.9 Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine.11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity: and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.12 I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir.13 Therefore I will make the heavens to tremble, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place, in the wrath of Jehovah of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.14 And it shall come to pass, that as the chased roe, and as sheep that no man gathereth, they shall turn every man to his own people, and shall flee every man to his own land.15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is taken shall fall by the sword.16 Their infants also shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be rifled, and their wives ravished.17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not regard silver, and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.18 And their bows shall dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there.21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there.22 And wolves shall cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

ISAIAH 13

Babylon Will Be Punished

1  t This is the messaget that I was given about Babylon:

2 From high on a barren hill
give a signal, shout the orders,
and point the way
to enter the gates
of Babylon's proud rulers.

3 The [Lord] has commanded
his very best warriors
and his proud heroes
to show how angry he is.

4 Listen to the noisy crowds
on the mountains!
Kingdoms and nations
are joining forces.
The [Lord] All-Powerful
is bringing together
an army for battle.

5 From a distant land
the [Lord] is coming
fierce and furious—
he brings his weapons
to destroy the whole earth.

6  t Cry and weep!
The day is coming
when the mighty [Lord]
will bring destruction.
*

7 All people will be terrified.
Hands will grow limp;
courage will melt away.

8 Everyone will tremble with pain
like a woman giving birth;
they will stare at each other
with horror on their faces.

There Will Be No Mercy

9 I, the [Lord],
will show no mercy or pity
when that time comes.
In my anger I will destroy
the earth and every sinner
who lives on it.

10  t Light will disappear
from the stars in the sky;
the dawning sun will turn dark,
and the moon
will lose its brightness.

11 I will punish this evil world
and its people
because of their sins.
I will crush the horrible pride
of those who are cruel.

12 Survivors will be harder to find
than the purest gold.

13 I, the [Lord] All-Powerful,
am terribly angry—
I will make the sky tremble
and the earth shake loose.

14 Everyone will run
to their homelands,
just as hunted deer run,
and sheep scatter
when they have no shepherd.

15 Those men who are captured
will be killed by a sword.

16 They will see their children
beaten against rocks,
their homes robbed,
and their wives abused.

17 The Medest can't be bought off
with silver or gold,
and I'm sending them
to attack Babylonia.

18 Their arrows will slaughter
the young men;
no pity will be shown
to babies and children.

The [Lord] Will Destroy //Babylon

19  t The city of Babylon
is glorious and powerful,
the pride of the nation.
But it will be like the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah
after I, the Lord,
destroyed them.

20 No one will live in Babylon.
Even nomads won't camp nearby,
and shepherds won't let
their sheep rest there.

21  t Only desert creatures,
hoot owls, and ostriches
will live in its ruins,
and goatst will leap about.

22 Hyenas and wolves will howl
from Babylon's fortresses
and beautiful palaces.
Its time is almost up!