1 T he burden of Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz hath seen:

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

2 ` 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.

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

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

4 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!

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

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

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

7 T herefore, all hands do fail, And every heart of man doth melt.

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

8 A nd 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!

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 L o, 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.

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 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.

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 A nd 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.

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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, the excellency of the Chaldeans, Hath been as overthrown by God, With Sodom and with Gomorrah.

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

20 S he doth not sit for ever, Nor continueth unto many generations, Nor doth Arab pitch tent there, And shepherds lie not 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 A nd 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.

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 A nd 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!

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.