Isaiah 13

1The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

1This is the message concerning Babylon that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

2Set 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.

2Raise a signal flag on a bare hilltop! Shout to the soldiers, wave your hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.

3I have commanded my consecrated ones, yea, I have called my mighty men for mine anger, even my proudly exulting ones.

3I have given orders to my chosen warriors; I have called my mighty men to carry out my anger—those who rejoice in my triumph.

4The 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.

4Listen, there is a noise on the mountains like a huge crowd! It is the sound of kingdoms and nations gathering together. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is calling his troops together for war.

5They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Jehovah, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

5They are coming from a distant land, from the ends of the earth. It is the LORD and the weapons of his anger, coming to destroy the whole country.

6Wail ye; for the day of Jehovah is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

6Wail in grief, for the day of the LORD is near! It will come like destruction from the Almighty.

7Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt:

7Because of this, every hand will go limp, and every person’s heart will melt with fear.

8and 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.

8They will be terrified. Pain and agony will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at each other in shock, their faces red with shame and fear.

9Behold, 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.

9Look, the day of the LORD is coming—a cruel day of fury and fierce anger—to make the land a wasteland and to destroy the sinners within it.

10For 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.

10The stars in the sky and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shine.

11And 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.

11I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will put an end to the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of cruel people.

12I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir.

12I will make people scarcer than fine gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.

13Therefore 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.

13Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place by the wrath of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies on the day of his fierce anger.

14And 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.

14Like a hunted deer or like sheep with no shepherd, everyone will run back to their own people; everyone will flee to their own land.

15Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is taken shall fall by the sword.

15Anyone who is captured will be run through, and anyone who is caught will die by the sword.

16Their infants also shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be rifled, and their wives ravished.

16Their little children will be smashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives will be raped.

17Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not regard silver, and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

17Look, I am stirring up the Medes against them. They do not care about silver and take no pleasure in gold.

18Andtheirbows 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.

18Their bows will cut down the young men; they will show no mercy to nursing babies, nor will they look with pity on children.

19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

19And Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of the Chaldeans' pride, will be destroyed by God just like Sodom and Gomorrah.

20It 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.

20It will never be lived in again or inhabited through all generations. No Arab will pitch his tent there, and no shepherds will rest their flocks there.

21But 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.

21Instead, desert animals will lie there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures. Ostriches will live there, and wild goats will leap about.

22And 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.

22Hyenas will howl in its fortresses, and jackals will cry in its luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is almost up, and its days will not be extended.