^{1 Ref} The word of the Lord about Babylon which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw.

^{2 Ref} Put up a flag on a clear mountain-top, make a loud outcry to them, give directions with the hand, so that they may go into the doors of the great ones.

^{3 Ref} I have given orders to my holy ones, I have sent out my men of war, those of mine who take pride in their power, to give effect to my wrath.

^{4 Ref} The noise of great numbers in the mountains, like the noise of a strong people! The noise of the kingdoms of the nations meeting together! The Lord of armies is numbering his forces for war.

^{5 Ref} They come from a far country, from the farthest part of heaven, even the Lord and the instruments of his wrath, with destruction for all the land.

^{6 Ref} Send out a cry of grief; for the day of the Lord is near; it comes as destruction from the Most High.

^{7 Ref} For this cause all hands will be feeble, and every heart of man be turned to water;

^{8 Ref} Their hearts will be full of fear; pains and sorrows will overcome them; they will be in pain like a woman in childbirth; they will be shocked at one another; their faces will be like flames.

^{9 Ref} See, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with wrath and burning passion: to make the land a waste, driving the sinners in it to destruction.

^{10 Ref} For the stars of heaven and its bright armies will not give their light: the sun will be made dark in his journey through the heaven, and the moon will keep back her light.

^{11 Ref} And I will send punishment on the world for its evil, and on the sinners for their wrongdoing; and I will put an end to all pride, and will make low the power of the cruel.

^{12 Ref} I will make men so small in number, that a man will be harder to get than gold, even the best gold of Ophir.

^{13 Ref} For this cause the heavens will be shaking, and the earth will be moved out of its place, in the wrath of the Lord of armies, and in the day of his burning passion.

^{14 Ref} And it will be that, like a roe in flight, and like wandering sheep, they will go every man to his people and to his land.

^{15 Ref} Everyone who is overtaken will have a spear put through him, and everyone who goes in flight will be put to the sword.

^{16 Ref} Their young children will be broken up before their eyes; their goods will be taken away, and their wives made the property of others.

^{17 Ref} See, I am driving the Medes against them, who put no value on silver and have no pleasure in gold.

^{18 Ref} In their hands are bows and spears; they are cruel, violently putting the young men to death, and crushing the young women; they have no pity for children, and no mercy for the fruit of the body.

^{19 Ref} And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beautiful town which is the pride of the Chaldaeans, will be like God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

^{20 Ref} People will never be living in it again, and it will have no more men from generation to generation: the Arab will not put up his tent there; and those who keep sheep will not make it a resting-place for their flocks.

^{21 Ref} But the beasts of the waste land will have their holes there; and the houses will be full of crying jackals, and ostriches will have their place there, and evil spirits will be dancing there.

^{22 Ref} And wolves will be answering one another in their towers, and jackals in their houses of pleasure: her time is near, and her days of power will quickly be ended.

^{1 Ref} The burden of Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz hath seen:

^{2 Ref} `On a high mountain lift ye up an ensign, Raise the voice to them, wave the hand, And they go in to the openings of nobles.

^{3 Ref} I have given charge to My sanctified ones, Also I have called My mighty ones for Mine anger, Those rejoicing at Mine excellency.'

^{4 Ref} A voice of a multitude in the mountains, A likeness of a numerous people, A voice of noise from the kingdoms of nations who are gathered, Jehovah of Hosts inspecting a host of battle!

^{5 Ref} They are coming in from a land afar off, From the end of the heavens, Jehovah and the instruments of His indignation, To destroy all the land.

^{6 Ref} Howl ye, for near `is' the day of Jehovah, As destruction from the Mighty it cometh.

^{7 Ref} Therefore, all hands do fail, And every heart of man doth melt.

^{8 Ref} And they have been troubled, Pains and pangs they take, As a travailing woman they are pained, A man at his friend they marvel, The appearance of flames -- their faces!

^{9 Ref} Lo, the day of Jehovah doth come, Fierce, with wrath, and heat of anger, To make the land become a desolation, Yea, its sinning ones He destroyeth from it.

^{10 Ref} For the stars of the heavens, and their constellations, Cause not their light to shine, Darkened hath been the sun in its going out, And the moon causeth not its light to come forth.

^{11 Ref} And I have appointed on the world evil, And on the wicked their iniquity, And have caused to cease the excellency of the proud, And the excellency of the terrible I make low.

^{12 Ref} I make man more rare than fine gold, And a common man than pure gold of Ophir.

^{13 Ref} Therefore the heavens I cause to tremble, And the earth doth shake from its place, In the wrath of Jehovah of Hosts, And in a day of the heat of his anger.

^{14 Ref} And it hath been, as a roe driven away, And as a flock that hath no gatherer, Each unto his people -- they turn, And each unto his land -- they flee.

^{15 Ref} Every one who is found is thrust through, And every one who is added falleth by sword.

^{16 Ref} And their sucklings are dashed to pieces before their eyes, Spoiled are their houses, and their wives lain with.

^{17 Ref} Lo, I am stirring up against them the Medes, Who silver esteem not, And gold -- they delight not in it.

^{18 Ref} And bows dash young men to pieces, And the fruit of the womb they pity not, On sons their eye hath no pity.

^{19 Ref} And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, The glory, the excellency of the Chaldeans, Hath been as overthrown by God, With Sodom and with Gomorrah.

^{20 Ref} She doth not sit for ever, Nor continueth unto many generations, Nor doth Arab pitch tent there, And shepherds lie not down there.

^{21 Ref} And Ziim have lain down there, And full have been their houses of howlings, And dwelt there have daughters of an ostrich, And goats do skip there.

^{22 Ref} And Aiim have responded in his forsaken habitations, And dragons in palaces of delight, And near to come `is' her time, And her days are not drawn out!

^{1 Ref} The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

^{2 Ref} Set up an ensign on the bare mountain, lift up the voice to them, wave the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

^{3 Ref} I have commanded my consecrated ones, yes, I have called my mighty men for my anger, even my proudly exulting ones.

^{4 Ref} The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as of a great people! the noise of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Yahweh of Hosts is mustering the host for the battle.

^{5 Ref} 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 Ref} Wail; for the day of Yahweh is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

^{7 Ref} Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt:

^{8 Ref} and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold [of them]; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall look in amazement one at another; their faces [shall be] faces of flame.

^{9 Ref} Behold, the day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners of it out of it.

^{10 Ref} For the stars of the sky and the constellations of it shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine.

^{11 Ref} I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for their iniquity: and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

^{12 Ref} I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir.

^{13 Ref} Therefore I will make the heavens to tremble, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place, in the wrath of Yahweh of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

^{14 Ref} It shall happen, that as the chased roe, and as sheep that no man gathers, they shall turn every man to his own people, and shall flee every man to his own land.

^{15 Ref} Everyone who is found shall be thrust through; and everyone who is taken shall fall by the sword.

^{16 Ref} Their infants also shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be rifled, and their wives ravished.

^{17 Ref} Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not regard silver, and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

^{18 Ref} [Their] bows shall dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

^{19 Ref} Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

^{20 Ref} It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be lived in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there.

^{21 Ref} But wild animals of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there.

^{22 Ref} Wolves shall cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.