1 T he mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Babylon which Isaiah son of Amoz saw:

The burden of Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz hath seen:

2 R aise up a signal banner upon the high and bare mountain, summon them with loud voice and beckoning hand that they may enter the gates of the nobles.

`On a high mountain lift ye up an ensign, Raise the voice to them, wave the hand, And they go in to the openings of nobles.

3 I Myself have commanded My designated ones and have summoned My mighty men to execute My anger, even My proudly exulting ones —those who are made to triumph for My honor.

I have given charge to My sanctified ones, Also I have called My mighty ones for Mine anger, Those rejoicing at Mine excellency.'

4 H ark, the uproar of a multitude in the mountains, like that of a great people! The noise of the tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathering together! The Lord of hosts is mustering the host for the battle.

A voice of a multitude in the mountains, A likeness of a numerous people, A voice of noise from the kingdoms of nations who are gathered, Jehovah of Hosts inspecting a host of battle!

5 T hey come from a distant country, from the uttermost part of the heavens —even the Lord and the weapons of His indignation—to seize and destroy the whole land.

They are coming in from a land afar off, From the end of the heavens, Jehovah and the instruments of His indignation, To destroy all the land.

6 W ail, for the day of the Lord is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty and Sufficient One will it come!

Howl ye, for near the day of Jehovah, As destruction from the Mighty it cometh.

7 T herefore will all hands be feeble, and every man’s heart will melt.

Therefore, all hands do fail, And every heart of man doth melt.

8 A nd they shall be dismayed and terrified, pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in childbirth. They will gaze stupefied and aghast at one another, their faces will be aflame.

And they have been troubled, Pains and pangs they take, As a travailing woman they are pained, A man at his friend they marvel, The appearance of flames -- their faces!

9 B ehold, the day of the Lord is coming!—fierce, with wrath and raging anger—to make the land and the earth a desolation and to destroy out of it its sinners.

Lo, the day of Jehovah doth come, Fierce, with wrath, and heat of anger, To make the land become a desolation, Yea, its sinning ones He destroyeth from it.

10 F or the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened at its rising and the moon will not shed its light.

For the stars of the heavens, and their constellations, Cause not their light to shine, Darkened hath been the sun in its going out, And the moon causeth not its light to come forth.

11 A nd I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their guilt and iniquity; I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible and the boasting of the violent and ruthless.

And I have appointed on the world evil, And on the wicked their iniquity, And have caused to cease the excellency of the proud, And the excellency of the terrible I make low.

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

I make man more rare than fine gold, And a common man than pure gold of Ophir.

13 T herefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth shall be shaken out of its place at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of His fierce anger.

Therefore the heavens I cause to tremble, And the earth doth shake from its place, In the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts, And in a day of the heat of his anger.

14 A nd like the chased roe or gazelle, and like sheep that no man gathers, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.

And it hath been, as a roe driven away, And as a flock that hath no gatherer, Each unto his people -- they turn, And each unto his land -- they flee.

15 E veryone who is found will be thrust through, and everyone who is connected with the slain and is caught will fall by the sword.

Every one who is found is thrust through, And every one who is added falleth by sword.

16 T heir infants also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished.

And their sucklings are dashed to pieces before their eyes, Spoiled are their houses, and their wives lain with.

17 B ehold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.

Lo, I am stirring up against them the Medes, Who silver esteem not, And gold -- they delight not in it.

18 T heir bows will cut down the young men; and they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb, their eyes will not spare children.

And bows dash young men to pieces, And the fruit of the womb they pity not, On sons their eye hath no pity.

19 A nd Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, shall be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.

And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, The glory, the excellency of the Chaldeans, Hath been as overthrown by God, With Sodom and with Gomorrah.

20 s hall never be inhabited or dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arab pitch his tent there, nor shall the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.

She doth not sit for ever, Nor continueth unto many generations, Nor doth Arab pitch tent there, And shepherds lie not down there.

21 B ut wild beasts of the desert will lie down there, and the people’s houses will be full of dolefully howling creatures; and ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will dance there.

And Ziim have lain down there, And full have been their houses of howlings, And dwelt there have daughters of an ostrich, And goats do skip there.

22 A nd wolves and howling creatures will cry and answer in the deserted castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. And time has nearly come, and her days will not be prolonged.

And Aiim have responded in his forsaken habitations, And dragons in palaces of delight, And near to come her time, And her days are not drawn out!