Isaiah 34:9–15

And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch,

and her soil into sulfur;

her land shall become burning pitch.

Night and day it shall not be quenched;

its smoke shall go up forever.

From generation to generation it shall lie waste;

none shall pass through it forever and ever.

But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it,

the owl and the raven shall dwell in it.

He shall stretch the line of confusion over it,

and the plumb line of emptiness.

Its nobles—there is no one there to call it a kingdom,

and all its princes shall be nothing.

Thorns shall grow over its strongholds,

nettles and thistles in its fortresses.

It shall be the haunt of jackals,

an abode for ostriches.

And wild animals shall meet with hyenas;

the wild goat shall cry to his fellow;

indeed, there the night bird settles

and finds for herself a resting place.

There the owl nests and lays

and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow;

indeed, there the hawks are gathered,

each one with her mate.

Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,

her dust into burning sulfur;

her land will become blazing pitch!

It will not be quenched night or day;

its smoke will rise forever.

From generation to generation it will lie desolate;

no one will ever pass through it again.

The desert owl and screech owl will possess it;

the great owl and the raven will nest there.

God will stretch out over Edom

the measuring line of chaos

and the plumb line of desolation.

Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,

all her princes will vanish away.

Thorns will overrun her citadels,

nettles and brambles her strongholds.

She will become a haunt for jackals,

a home for owls.

Desert creatures will meet with hyenas,

and wild goats will bleat to each other;

there the night creatures will also lie down

and find for themselves places of rest.

The owl will nest there and lay eggs,

she will hatch them, and care for her young

under the shadow of her wings;

there also the falcons will gather,

each with its mate.

Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,

her soil into sulfur;

her land will become burning pitch.

It will never go out—day or night.

Its smoke will go up forever.

It will be desolate, from generation to generation;

no one will pass through it forever and ever.

Eagle owls and herons will possess it,

and long-eared owls and ravens will dwell there.

The Lord will stretch out a measuring line

and a plumb line over her

for her destruction and chaos.

No nobles will be left to proclaim a king,

and all her princes will come to nothing.

Her palaces will be overgrown with thorns;

her fortified cities, with thistles and briers.

She will become a dwelling for jackals,

an abode for ostriches.

The desert creatures will meet hyenas,

and one wild goat will call to another.

Indeed, the night birds will stay there

and will find a resting place.

Sand partridges will make their nests there;

they will lay and hatch their eggs

and will gather their broods under their shadows.

Indeed, the birds of prey will gather there,

each with its mate.

And its streams shall be changed to pitch and its soil to sulfur,

and its land shall become like burning pitch.

Night and day it shall not be quenched;

its smoke shall go up forever.

From generation to generation it shall be in ruins;

forever and ever there will be no one who passes through her.

But the large bird and the hedgehog shall take possession of it,

and the owl and the raven shall live in it.

And he shall stretch the measuring line of confusion out over it,

and the plumb line of emptiness.

Its nobles—but no kingdom is there—shall call,

and all its princes shall be nothing.

And thorns shall go up her citadel fortress,

weeds and thistle plants in her fortresses;

and it shall be the settlement of jackals,

green grass for the daughters of an ostrich.

And desert creatures shall meet with hyenas,

and a goat-demon shall call to his neighbor;

surely there Lilith shall repose,

and she shall find a resting place for herself.

There the owl shall nest and lay

and hatch and care for her chicks in her shadow;

surely there the birds of prey shall be gathered,

each one with her mate.

And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch,

And the dust thereof into brimstone,

And the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

It shall not be quenched night nor day;

The smoke thereof shall go up for ever:

From generation to generation it shall lie waste;

None shall pass through it for ever and ever.

But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it;

The owl also and the raven shall dwell in it:

And he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.

They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there,

And all her princes shall be nothing.

And thorns shall come up in her palaces,

Nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof:

And it shall be an habitation of dragons,

And a court for owls.

The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island,

And the satyr shall cry to his fellow;

The screech owl also shall rest there,

And find for herself a place of rest.

There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay,

And hatch, and gather under her shadow:

There shall the vultures also be gathered,

Every one with her mate.