Isaiah 13:4–10

The sound of a tumult is on the mountains

as of a great multitude!

The sound of an uproar of kingdoms,

of nations gathering together!

The Lord of hosts is mustering

a host for battle.

They come from a distant land,

from the end of the heavens,

the Lord and the weapons of his indignation,

to destroy the whole land.

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;

as destruction from the Almighty it will come!

Therefore all hands will be feeble,

and every human heart will melt.

They will be dismayed:

pangs and agony will seize them;

they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.

They will look aghast at one another;

their faces will be aflame.

Behold, the day of the Lord comes,

cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,

to make the land a desolation

and to destroy its sinners from it.

For the stars of the heavens and their constellations

will not give their light;

the sun will be dark at its rising,

and the moon will not shed its light.

Listen, a noise on the mountains,

like that of a great multitude!

Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,

like nations massing together!

The Lord Almighty is mustering

an army for war.

They come from faraway lands,

from the ends of the heavens—

the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—

to destroy the whole country.

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;

it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

Because of this, all hands will go limp,

every heart will melt with fear.

Terror will seize them,

pain and anguish will grip them;

they will writhe like a woman in labor.

They will look aghast at each other,

their faces aflame.

See, the day of the Lord is coming

—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—

to make the land desolate

and destroy the sinners within it.

The stars of heaven and their constellations

will not show their light.

The rising sun will be darkened

and the moon will not give its light.

Hear the noise on the mountains!

Listen, as the vast armies march!

It is the noise and shouting of many nations.

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has called this army together.

They come from distant countries,

from beyond the farthest horizons.

They are the Lord’s weapons to carry out his anger.

With them he will destroy the whole land.

Scream in terror, for the day of the Lord has arrived—

the time for the Almighty to destroy.

Every arm is paralyzed with fear.

Every heart melts,

and people are terrified.

Pangs of anguish grip them,

like those of a woman in labor.

They look helplessly at one another,

their faces aflame with fear.

For see, the day of the Lord is coming—

the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger.

The land will be made desolate,

and all the sinners destroyed with it.

The heavens will be black above them;

the stars will give no light.

The sun will be dark when it rises,

and the moon will provide no light.

A sound, a noise is on the mountains,

the likeness of many people!

A sound of the roar of the kingdoms,

of nations gathering!

Yahweh of hosts is mustering an army for battle.

They are coming from a distant land,

from the end of the heavens,

Yahweh and the weapons of his indignation,

to destroy the whole earth.

Wail, for the day of Yahweh is near;

it will come like destruction from Shaddai!

Therefore all hands will grow slack,

and every human heart will melt,

and they will be dismayed.

Pangs and labor pains will seize them;

they will tremble like a woman giving birth.

They will stare at one another,

their faces flushing.

Look! The day of Yahweh is coming,

cruel and wrath and the burning of anger,

to make the earth a desolation,

and he will destroy its sinners from it.

For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not flash forth their light;

the sun will keep back when it comes out,

and the moon will not cause its light to shine.

The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people;

A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together:

The Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.

They come from a far country, from the end of heaven,

Even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation,

To destroy the whole land.

Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand;

It shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

Therefore shall all hands be faint,

And every man’s heart shall melt:

And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them;

They shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth:

They shall be amazed one at another;

Their faces shall be as flames.

Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,

Cruel both with wrath and fierce anger,

To lay the land desolate:

And he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light:

The sun shall be darkened in his going forth,

And the moon shall not cause her light to shine.