LEB ISA chapter 13

An Oracle against Babylon

13 The oracle of Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:

2 lift up your voice to them;
wave the hand and may they enter the gateways of the noblemen.
3  I have also summoned my mighty warriors concerning my anger,
the[fn] my majesty.
4 is on the mountains, the likeness of many people!

A sound of the roar of the kingdoms,
- of nations gathering!
Yahweh of hosts is mustering an army for battle.
- 5 They are coming from a distant land, from the end of the heavens,
Yahweh and the weapons of his indignation,
- to destroy[fn]
- 6 is near; it will come like destruction from Shaddai![fn]
- 7  and every human heart will melt,
8  Pangs and labor pains will seize them;
- they will tremble like a woman giving birth.
[fn]
- [fn]
- 9 is coming, cruel and wrath and the burning of anger,
to make the earth a desolation,
- and he will destroy its sinners from it.
- 10  the sun will keep back when it comes out,
- and the moon will not cause its light to shine.
- 11 the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity.
And I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant,
- and I will bring the haughtiness of tyrants low.
- 12  and humankind more than the gold of Ophir.
- 13 the heavens tremble, and the earth will quake from its place
because of the wrath of Yahweh of hosts,
- and in the day his anger burns.
14 And this shall happen:like a hunted gazelle or sheep[fn]
they will each turn to his own people,
- and they will each flee to his own land.
- 15  and everyone who is carried away will fall by the sword.
- 16  their houses will be plundered, and their wives will be raped.[fn]
17 am stirring the Medes up against them, who do not value silver
- and do not delight in gold.
- 18 their bows will shatter young men. And they will not show mercy on the fruit of the womb;
- their eyes will not look compassionately on children.

19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew[fn] Sodom and Gomorrah.

20 and it will not be dwelled in[fn]

and no Arab will pitch a tent there,
- and shepherds will not allow their flocks to lie down there.
- 21  and their houses will be full of howling creatures,
and the daughters of ostriches[fn] will live there,
- and goats will dance there.
- 22  and jackals in the pleasure palaces;
and its time[fn]
- and its days will not be prolonged.

?:? Literally “exultant of”

?:? Literally “all of the land/earth”

?:? Often translated “the Almighty”

?:? Literally “A man will stare at his neighbor”

?:? Literally “faces of flames”

?:? Literally “and without one who gathers”

?:? The reading tradition (Qere) softens this to “slept with”

?:? Literally “the overthrow by God of”

?:? Literally “until generation and generation”

?:? Hebrew “ostrich”

?:? Literally “close to come”

LEB ISA Chapter 13