Isaiah 13:15–22

Whoever is found will be thrust through,

and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.

Their infants will be dashed in pieces

before their eyes;

their houses will be plundered

and their wives ravished.

Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them,

who have no regard for silver

and do not delight in gold.

Their bows will slaughter the young men;

they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;

their eyes will not pity children.

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,

the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans,

will be like Sodom and Gomorrah

when God overthrew them.

It will never be inhabited

or lived in for all generations;

no Arab will pitch his tent there;

no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.

But wild animals will lie down there,

and their houses will be full of howling creatures;

there ostriches will dwell,

and there wild goats will dance.

Hyenas will cry in its towers,

and jackals in the pleasant palaces;

its time is close at hand

and its days will not be prolonged.

Whoever is captured will be thrust through;

all who are caught will fall by the sword.

Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;

their houses will be looted and their wives violated.

See, I will stir up against them the Medes,

who do not care for silver

and have no delight in gold.

Their bows will strike down the young men;

they will have no mercy on infants,

nor will they look with compassion on children.

Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,

the pride and glory of the Babylonians,

will be overthrown by God

like Sodom and Gomorrah.

She will never be inhabited

or lived in through all generations;

there no nomads will pitch their tents,

there no shepherds will rest their flocks.

But desert creatures will lie there,

jackals will fill her houses;

there the owls will dwell,

and there the wild goats will leap about.

Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds,

jackals her luxurious palaces.

Her time is at hand,

and her days will not be prolonged.

Whoever is found will be stabbed,

and whoever is caught will die by the sword.

Their children will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;

their houses will be looted,

and their wives raped.

Look! I am stirring up the Medes against them,

who cannot be bought off with silver

and who have no desire for gold.

Their bows will cut young men to pieces.

They will have no compassion on offspring;

they will not look with pity on children.

And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms,

the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans,

will be like Sodom and Gomorrah

when God overthrew them.

It will never be inhabited

or lived in from generation to generation;

a nomad will not pitch his tent there,

and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there.

But desert creatures will lie down there,

and owls will fill the houses.

Ostriches will dwell there,

and wild goats will leap about.

Hyenas will howl in the fortresses,

and jackals, in the luxurious palaces.

Babylon’s time is almost up;

her days are almost over.

Anyone who is captured will be cut down—

run through with a sword.

Their little children will be dashed to death before their eyes.

Their homes will be sacked, and their wives will be raped.

“Look, I will stir up the Medes against Babylon.

They cannot be tempted by silver

or bribed with gold.

The attacking armies will shoot down the young men with arrows.

They will have no mercy on helpless babies

and will show no compassion for children.”

Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms,

the flower of Chaldean pride,

will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah

when God destroyed them.

Babylon will never be inhabited again.

It will remain empty for generation after generation.

Nomads will refuse to camp there,

and shepherds will not bed down their sheep.

Desert animals will move into the ruined city,

and the houses will be haunted by howling creatures.

Owls will live among the ruins,

and wild goats will go there to dance.

Hyenas will howl in its fortresses,

and jackals will make dens in its luxurious palaces.

Babylon’s days are numbered;

its time of destruction will soon arrive.

Everyone who is found will be pierced through,

and everyone who is carried away will fall by the sword.

And their children will be dashed into pieces before their eyes;

their houses will be plundered, and their wives will be raped.

Look! I am stirring the Medes up against them,

who do not value silver

and do not delight in gold.

And their bows will shatter young men.

And they will not show mercy on the fruit of the womb;

their eyes will not look compassionately on children.

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

It will not be inhabited forever,

and it will not be dwelled in forever;

and no Arab will pitch a tent there,

and shepherds will not allow their flocks to lie down there.

But wild animals will lie down there,

and their houses will be full of howling creatures,

and the daughters of ostriches will live there,

and goats will dance there.

And hyenas will answer in its palaces,

and jackals in the pleasure palaces;

and its time is coming soon,

and its days will not be prolonged.

Every one that is found shall be thrust through;

And every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes;

Their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them,

Which shall not regard silver;

And as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces;

And they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb;

Their eye shall not spare children.

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,

The beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency,

Shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

It shall never 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.

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.

And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses,

And dragons in their pleasant palaces:

And her time is near to come,

And her days shall not be prolonged.