Isaiah 13:4-22

4A 1sound 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 23farthest horizons, The Lord and His instruments of 4indignation, To 5destroy the whole land.6Wail, for the 6day of the Lord is near! It will come as 7destruction from 8the Almighty.7Therefore 9all hands will fall limp, And every man’s 10heart will melt.8They will be 11terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will 12writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.9Behold, 13the 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 14stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The 15sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.11Thus I will 16punish the world for its evil And the 17wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the 18arrogance of the proud And abase the 19haughtiness of the 2021ruthless.12I will make mortal man 2223scarcer than pure gold And mankind than the 24gold of Ophir.13Therefore I will make the 25heavens tremble, And 26the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of hosts In 27the day of His burning anger.14And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, Or like 28sheep 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 29thrust through, And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.16Their 30little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished.

17Behold, I am going to 31stir up the Medes against them, Who will not value silver or 32take pleasure in gold.18And their bows will 33mow down the 34young men, They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, Nor will their 35eye pity 36children.19And 37Babylon, the 38beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God 39overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.20It will 40never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the 41Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.21But 42desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of 43owls; Ostriches also will live there, and 44shaggy goats will frolic there.2245Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious 46palaces. Her fateful time also 47will soon come And her days will not be prolonged.