1 The oracle concerning *ver. 19;ch. 14:4;21:9;47:1;See Jer. 51–52Babylon which *ch. 1:1Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

2 On a bare hill *ch. 5:26raise a signal;

cry aloud to them;

wave the hand for *[ch. 41:25]them to enter

the gates of the nobles.

3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,

and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger,

my proudly exulting ones.*13:3 Or those who exult in my majesty

4 The sound *[ch. 22:5] of a tumult is on the mountains

as of a great multitude!

The sound of an uproar of kingdoms,

of nations gathering together!

*[Josh. 5:13,14]The Lord of hosts is mustering

a host for battle.

5 *[ch. 46:11]They come from a distant land,

from the end of the heavens,

the Lord and the weapons of his indignation,

to destroy the whole land.*13:5 Or earth; also verse 9

6 *ch. 14:31;15:2,3,8;16:7;Jer. 51:8;Ezek. 30:2Wail, for *ch. 2:12;Joel 1:15;Zeph. 1:7the day of the Lord is near;

as destruction from the Almighty*13:6 The Hebrew words for destruction and almighty sound alike it will come!

7 Therefore all hands will be feeble,

and every human heart *See Josh. 2:11will melt.

8 They will be dismayed:

*[Nah. 2:10] pangs and agony will seize them;

*ch. 26:17;Jer. 4:31;6:24;Mic. 4:9,10;John 16:21they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.

They will look aghast at one another;

their faces will be aflame.

9 Behold, *[See ver. 6above] the day of the Lord comes,

cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,

to make the land a desolation

and *[Ps. 104:35]to destroy its sinners from it.

10 *[ch. 34:4] For the stars of the heavens and their constellations

will not give their light;

*Ezek. 32:7;Joel 2:31;3:15;Matt. 24:29;Mark 13:24;Luke 21:25the sun will be dark at its rising,

and the moon will not shed its light.

11 I will punish *ch. 24:21the world for its evil,

and the wicked for their iniquity;

I will *[ch. 24:4] put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,

*[ch. 2:11,17]and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.

12 I will make *ch. 24:6people more rare than fine gold,

and mankind than the *1 Kgs. 10:11;Job 28:16gold of Ophir.

13 Therefore *Hag. 2:6I will make the heavens tremble,

and the earth will be shaken out of its place,

at the wrath of the Lord of hosts

in the day of his fierce anger.

14 And like a hunted gazelle,

or like sheep with none to gather them,

*Jer. 50:16;51:9;[1 Kgs. 22:36]each will turn to his own people,

and each will flee to his own land.

15 Whoever is found will be thrust through,

and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.

16 *Ps. 137:9;Nah. 3:10Their infants will be dashed in pieces

before their eyes;

their houses will be plundered

and their wives ravished.

17 Behold, *ch. 21:2;Jer. 51:11,28;Dan. 5:28,31I am stirring up the Medes against them,

who have no regard for silver

and do not delight in gold.

18 *Jer. 50:14,29;51:3Their bows will slaughter*13:18 Hebrew dash in pieces the young men;

they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;

their eyes will not pity children.

19 And Babylon, *[ch. 47:5] the glory of kingdoms,

the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans,

will be *ch. 1:9;Gen. 19:24;Jer. 50:40;Amos 4:11like Sodom and Gomorrah

when God overthrew them.

20 *Jer. 51:37,43It will never be inhabited

or lived in for all generations;

no *Jer. 3:2Arab will pitch his tent there;

no *Jer. 33:12shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.

21 But *[ch. 34:13,14] wild animals will lie down there,

and their houses will be full of howling creatures;

there *ch. 34:13;Jer. 50:39ostriches*13:21 Or owls will dwell,

and there wild goats will dance.

22 Hyenas*13:22 Or foxes will cry in its towers,

and *ch. 35:7;Jer. 51:37jackals in *[ch. 25:2;Amos 3:15]the pleasant palaces;

its time is close at hand

and its days will not be prolonged.