Isaiah 13:2-22

21Lift up a standard on the 23bare hill, Raise your voice to them, 4Wave the hand that they may 5enter the doors of the nobles.3I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have even called My 6mighty warriors, My proudly exulting ones, To execute My anger.4A 7sound 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 89farthest horizons, The Lord and His instruments of 10indignation, To 11destroy the whole land.6Wail, for the 12day of the Lord is near! It will come as 13destruction from 14the Almighty.7Therefore 15all hands will fall limp, And every man’s 16heart will melt.8They will be 17terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will 18writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.9Behold, 19the 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 20stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The 21sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.11Thus I will 22punish the world for its evil And the 23wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the 24arrogance of the proud And abase the 25haughtiness of the 2627ruthless.12I will make mortal man 2829scarcer than pure gold And mankind than the 30gold of Ophir.13Therefore I will make the 31heavens tremble, And 32the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of hosts In 33the day of His burning anger.14And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, Or like 34sheep 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 35thrust through, And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.16Their 36little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished.

17Behold, I am going to 37stir up the Medes against them, Who will not value silver or 38take pleasure in gold.18And their bows will 39mow down the 40young men, They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, Nor will their 41eye pity 42children.19And 43Babylon, the 44beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God 45overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.20It will 46never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the 47Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.21But 48desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of 49owls; Ostriches also will live there, and 50shaggy goats will frolic there.2251Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious 52palaces. Her fateful time also 53will soon come And her days will not be prolonged.