The Destruction of Babylon

1A messagea that Amoz’s son Isaiah receivedb about Babylon:

2“Raise a banner on a bare hilltop!

Cry out loud to them!

Give a wave of the hand,

signalingc for them to enterd

the gates of the nobles.

3I myself have commanded my consecrated ones;

I have also summoned my warriors,

those who rejoice in my triumph,

to carry out my angry judgments.e

4“Listen! There’s a noise on the mountains

like that of a great multitude!

Listen! There’s an uproar among the kingdoms,

like that of nations massing together!

The LORD of the Heavenly Armies is mustering

an army for battle.

5They’re coming from a faraway land,

from the distant horizon—f

the LORD and the weapons of his anger—

to destroy the entire land.”g

The Day of the LORD

6Wail out loud, because the Day of the LORD is near.

It will come like destruction from the Almighty!

7Because of this, every handh will go limp,

and every man’s couragei will melt.

8They will be terrified;

pain and anguish will seize them;

they’ll writhe like a woman in labor.

They’ll look aghast at one another;

andj their faces will be ablaze with fear.k

9Watch out! The Day of the LORD is coming—

cruel, with wrath and fierce anger—

to turn the entire inhabitedl earthm into a desolation

and to annihilate sinnersn from it.

10For the stars of the heavens and their constellations

won’t shineo their light;

the sun will be dark when it rises,

and the moon won’t shine its light.

11I’ll punish the world for its evil,

and the wicked for their iniquity;

I’ll put an end to the pomposity of the arrogant,

and overthrow the insolence of tyrants.

12I’ll make people scarcerp than pure gold,

and mankind rarerq than gold from Ophir.

13Therefore I’ll make the heavens tremble.

The earth will shake from its place

at the wrath of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies,

at the timer of his burning anger.s

14Theyt will be like a hunted gazelle,

or like sheep with no one to gather them,u

each will turn to his own people,

and each will flee to his own land.

15Whoever is captured will be thrust through,

and whoever is caught will fall dead, killedv by the sword.

16Their infants will be dashed to pieces

before their eyes,

andw their houses will be looted,

and their wives slept with.x

Babylon Falls

17Watch out! I’m stirring up the Medes against them,

who care nothing for silver

and take no delight in gold.

18Their bows will dash the young men to pieces;

they’ll show no pity on those not yet born,y

andz their eyes will not spare children.

19Babylon, that jewel of kingdoms,

the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans,

will be like Sodom and Gomorrah,

when God overthrew them—

20It will never be inhabited

or lived in through all generations;

no Bedouinaa will pitch his tent there;

no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.

21But desert beasts will lie down there,

and their houses will be full of howling creatures;

there owlsbb will dwell,

and goat-demonscc will dance there.

22Hyenas will howl in its strongholds,dd

and jackals will make their dens in its citadels.ee

Itsff time is close at hand,

and its days will not be extended any further.gg