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

¶ The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

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.

Lift ye up a banner as an example upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, raise the hand, that they may enter in by gates of princes.

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 sanctified ones; I have also called my mighty ones for my anger that they might rejoice with my glory.

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 like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of kingdoms, of Gentiles gathered together: the LORD of the hosts orders the host of 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 land, from the end of the heavens, even the LORD, and the instruments of his indignation, to destroy the whole earth.

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

¶ Howl; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty.

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

Therefore all hands shall be faint, 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 filled with terror; anguish and pain shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

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 the LORD comes, cruel and with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the earth desolate; and he shall 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 this reason the stars of the heavens and the lights thereof shall not shine: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not give forth her light.

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 visit evil upon the world and iniquity upon the wicked, and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the strong.

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

I will make the noble man more precious than fine gold and man more than the 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.

Because I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall be moved out of her place, in the indignation of the LORD of the 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 be as the chased roe, and as a sheep without a shepherd: they shall each man look unto his own people, and flee each one unto 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 joined unto them 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 children shall also be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, 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, which shall not look for silver, nor covet gold.

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.

They shall shoot at the young boys with bows, and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare the sons.

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 Chaldees’ excellency, 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 again be inhabited; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, neither shall the shepherds make their fold 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 owls shall dwell there, and satyrs 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 the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their palaces, and dragons in their pleasant palaces; and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.