1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

2 Set up a banner on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. 3 I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my mighty men for my anger, even my proudly exulting ones. 4 The noise of a multitude is in the mountains, as of a great people; the noise of an uproar of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Yahweh of Armies is mustering the army for the battle. 5 They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Yahweh, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

6 Wail, for Yahweh’s day is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and everyone’s heart will melt. 8 They will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame. 9 Behold, the day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it. 10 For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. 11 I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the arrogance of the terrible. 12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, even a person than the pure gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place in Yahweh of Armies’ wrath, and in the day of his fierce anger. 14 It will happen that like a hunted gazelle and like sheep that no one gathers, they will each turn to their own people, and will each flee to their own land. 15 Everyone who is found will be thrust through. Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. 16 Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be ransacked, and their wives raped.

17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it. 18 Their bows will dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eyes will not spare children. 19 Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there. 21 But wild animals of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of jackals. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will frolic there. 22 Hyenas will cry in their fortresses, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.

1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

2 Lift ye up [a] banner [as an example] upon [the] high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, raise the hand, that they may enter in by gates of princes.

3 I have commanded my sanctified ones; I have also called my mighty ones for my anger that they [might] rejoice with my glory.

4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of kingdoms, of Gentiles gathered together: the LORD of the hosts orders the host of the battle.

5 They come from a far land, from the end of the heavens, [even] the LORD, and the instruments of his indignation, to destroy the whole earth.

6 Howl; for the day of the LORD [is] at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty.

7 Therefore all hands shall be faint, and every heart of man shall melt:

8 And they shall be filled with terror; anguish and pain shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces [shall be as] flames.

9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel and with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the earth desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

10 For this reason the stars of the heavens and the lights thereof shall not shine: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not give forth her light.

11 And I will visit evil upon the world and iniquity upon the wicked, and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the strong.

12 I will make the [noble] man more precious than fine gold and man more than the gold of Ophir.

13 Because I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall be moved out of her place, in the indignation of the LORD of the hosts and in the day of his fierce anger.

14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep without a shepherd: they shall each man look unto his own people, and flee each one unto his own land.

15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through, and every one that is joined [unto them] shall fall by the sword.

16 Their children shall also be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not look for silver, nor covet gold.

18 They shall shoot at the young boys with bows, and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare [the] sons.

19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

20 It shall never again be inhabited; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.

22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their palaces, and dragons in [their] pleasant palaces; and her time [is] near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.: