An Oracle against Babylon

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

• 2 Raise a signal on a bare hill, lift up your voice to them;
• wave the hand and may they enter the gateways of the noblemen.
• 3 I myself I have commanded my consecrated ones, I have also summoned my mighty warriors concerning my anger,
• the ones who exalt over[fn] my majesty.
• 4 A sound, a noise 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 the whole earth .[fn]
  • 6 Wail, for the day of Yahweh is near; it will come like destruction from Shaddai![fn]
  • 7 Therefore all hands will grow slack, and every human heart will melt,
• 8 and they will be dismayed. Pangs and labor pains will seize them;
  • they will tremble like a woman giving birth.
• They will stare at one another ,[fn]
  • their faces flushing .[fn]
  • 9 Look! The day of Yahweh 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 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will keep back when it comes out,
  • and the moon will not cause its light to shine.
  • 11 And I will punish 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 I will make humanity more rare than gold and humankind more than the gold of Ophir.
  • 13 Therefore I will make 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 with none to gather them ,[fn]
• they will each turn to his own people,
  • and they will each flee to his own land.
  • 15 Everyone who is found will be pierced through, and everyone who is carried away will fall by the sword.
  • 16 And their children will be dashed into pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered, and their wives will be raped.[fn]
• 17 Look! I am stirring the Medes up against them, who do not value silver
  • and do not delight in gold.
  • 18 And 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 It will not be inhabited forever, and it will not be dwelled in forever ;[fn]
• and no Arab will pitch a tent there,
  • and shepherds will not allow their flocks to lie down there.
  • 21 But wild animals will lie down there, 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 hyenas will answer in its palaces, and jackals in the pleasure palaces;
• and its time is coming soon ,[fn]
  • and its days will not be prolonged.