Isaiah 13

Prophecies about Babylon

1The 12oracle concerning 3Babylon which 4Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.25Lift up a standard on the 67bare hill, Raise your voice to them, 8Wave the hand that they may 9enter the doors of the nobles.3I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have even called My 10mighty warriors, My proudly exulting ones, To execute My anger.4A 11sound of tumult on the mountains, Like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, Of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.5They are coming from a far country, From the 1213farthest horizons, The Lord and His instruments of 14indignation, To 15destroy the whole land.

Judgment on the Day of the Lord

6Wail, for the 16day of the Lord is near! It will come as 17destruction from 18the Almighty.7Therefore 19all hands will fall limp, And every man’s 20heart will melt.8They will be 21terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will 22writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.9Behold, 23the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it.10For the 24stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The 25sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.11Thus I will 26punish the world for its evil And the 27wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the 28arrogance of the proud And abase the 29haughtiness of the 3031ruthless.12I will make mortal man 3233scarcer than pure gold And mankind than the 34gold of Ophir.13Therefore I will make the 35heavens tremble, And 36the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of hosts In 37the day of His burning anger.14And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, Or like 38sheep with none to gather them, They will each turn to his own people, And each one flee to his own land.15Anyone who is found will be 39thrust through, And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.16Their 40little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished.

Babylon Will Fall to the Medes

17Behold, I am going to 41stir up the Medes against them, Who will not value silver or 42take pleasure in gold.18And their bows will 43mow down the 44young men, They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, Nor will their 45eye pity 46children.19And 47Babylon, the 48beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God 49overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.20It will 50never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the 51Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.21But 52desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of 53owls; Ostriches also will live there, and 54shaggy goats will frolic there.2255Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious 56palaces. Her fateful time also 57will soon come And her days will not be prolonged.