Isaiah 13:1–22

A Prophecy Against Babylon

13A prophecy^f against Babylon^g that Isaiah son of Amoz^h saw:ⁱ

²Raise a banner^j on a bare hilltop,

shout to them;

beckon to them

to enter the gates^k of the nobles.

³I have commanded those I prepared for battle;

I have summoned my warriors^l to carry out my wrath^m—

those who rejoiceⁿ in my triumph.

⁴Listen, a noise on the mountains,

like that of a great multitude!^o

Listen, an uproar^p among the kingdoms,

like nations massing together!

The Lord Almighty^q is mustering^r

an army for war.

⁵They come from faraway lands,

from the ends of the heavens^s—

the Lord and the weapons^t of his wrath^u—

to destroy^v the whole country.

⁶Wail,^w for the day^x of the Lord is near;

it will come like destruction^y from the Almighty.^az

⁷Because of this, all hands will go limp,^a

every heart will melt with fear.^b

⁸Terror^c will seize them,

pain and anguish will grip^d them;

they will writhe like a woman in labor.^e

They will look aghast at each other,

their faces aflame.^f

⁹See, the day^g of the Lord is coming

—a cruel^h day, with wrathⁱ and fierce anger^j—

to make the land desolate

and destroy the sinners within it.

¹⁰The stars of heaven and their constellations

will not show their light.^k

The rising sun^l will be darkened^m

and the moon will not give its light.ⁿ

¹¹I will punish^o the world for its evil,

the wicked^p for their sins.

I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty^q

and will humble^r the pride of the ruthless.^s

¹²I will make people^t scarcer than pure gold,

more rare than the gold of Ophir.^u

¹³Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;^v

and the earth will shake^w from its place

at the wrath^x of the Lord Almighty,

in the day of his burning anger.^y

¹⁴Like a hunted^z gazelle,

like sheep without a shepherd,^a

they will all return to their own people,

they will flee^b to their native land.^c

¹⁵Whoever is captured will be thrust through;

all who are caught will fall^d by the sword.^e

¹⁶Their infants^f will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;

their houses will be looted and their wives violated.^g

¹⁷See, I will stir up^h against them the Medes,ⁱ

who do not care for silver

and have no delight in gold.^j

¹⁸Their bows^k will strike down the young men;^l

they will have no mercy^m on infants,

nor will they look with compassion on children.ⁿ

¹⁹Babylon,^o the jewel of kingdoms,^p

the pride and glory^q of the Babylonians,^b

will be overthrown^r by God

like Sodom and Gomorrah.^s

²⁰She will never be inhabited^t

or lived in through all generations;

there no nomads^u will pitch their tents,

there no shepherds will rest their flocks.

²¹But desert creatures^v will lie there,

jackals^w will fill her houses;

there the owls^x will dwell,

and there the wild goats^y will leap about.

²²Hyenas^z will inhabit her strongholds,^a

jackals^b her luxurious palaces.

Her time is at hand,^c

and her days will not be prolonged.^d