1 T he oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

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

2 L ift up a standard on the bare hill, Raise your voice to them, Wave the hand that they may enter the doors of the nobles.

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, I have even called My mighty warriors, My proudly exulting ones, To execute My anger.

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

4 A sound of tumult on the mountains, Like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, Of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.

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 T hey are coming from a far country, From the farthest horizons, The Lord and His instruments of indignation, To destroy the whole land. Judgment on the Day of the Lord

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 W ail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

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

7 T herefore all hands will fall limp, And every man’s heart will melt.

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

8 T hey will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.

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 B ehold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it.

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 F or the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.

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 T hus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.

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 mortal man scarcer than pure gold And mankind than the gold of Ophir.

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

13 T herefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of hosts In the day of His burning anger.

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 A nd it will be that like a hunted gazelle, Or like sheep with none to gather them, They will each turn to his own people, And each one flee to his own land.

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 A nyone who is found will be thrust through, And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

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

16 T heir little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished. Babylon Will Fall to the Medes

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

17 B ehold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them, Who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold.

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 A nd their bows will mow down the young men, They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, Nor will their eye pity children.

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 A nd Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

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

20 I t will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

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 B ut desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there.

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 H yenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come And her days will not be prolonged.

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.