1 T he burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:

The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

2 S et up a banner on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

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

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

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

4 T he noise of a multitude is in the mountains, as of a great people; the noise of an uproar of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Yahweh of Armies is mustering the army for the battle.

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.

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

They 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

6 W ail; for the day of Yahweh is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

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

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

Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man’s heart will melt.

8 T hey will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame.

They 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.

9 B ehold, the day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it.

Behold, 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.

10 F or the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.

For 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.

11 I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the haughtiness of the terrible.

Thus 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.

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

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

13 T herefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place in Yahweh of Armies’ wrath, and in the day of his fierce anger.

Therefore 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.

14 I t will happen that like a hunted gazelle, and like sheep that no one gathers, they will each turn to their own people, and will each flee to their own land.

And 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.

15 E veryone who is found will be thrust through. Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

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

16 T heir infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be ransacked, and their wives raped.

Their 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

17 B ehold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it.

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

18 T heir bows will dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eyes will not spare children.

And 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.

19 B abylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

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

20 I t will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

It 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.

21 B ut wild animals of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of jackals. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will frolic there.

But 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.

22 W olves will cry in their fortresses, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.

Hyenas 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.