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

The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

2 Lift up a banner on a bare hill; shout to them. Wave your hand so they may enter the gates of the nobles.

Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

3 I have commanded My consecrated ones; I have also summoned My mighty ones, those who exult in My majesty, to carry out My anger.

I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.

4 Listen! A tumult on the mountains, like that of a great multitude. Listen! An uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together. The LORD of Hosts is mustering an army for battle.

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

5 They come from a distant land, from the ends of the heavens—the LORD and the weapons of His wrath—to destroy the whole earth.

They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

7 Because of this, every hand will go limp and every human heart will melt with fear.

Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:

8 They will be terrified; pain and anguish will grip them. They will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at each other in dismay, their faces aflame.

And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

9 See, the day of the LORD is coming—a cruel day with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and to destroy the sinners within it.

Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened as it rises, and the moon will not shine its light.

For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

11 I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the ruthless.

And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

12 I will make people scarcer than fine gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.

I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD of Hosts, on the day of His fierce anger.

Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

14 Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his own land.

And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.

15 Whoever is found will be pierced through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.

Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered, and their wives will be violated.

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

17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who do not value silver and have no delight in gold.

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

18 Their bows will strike down the young men; they will show no mercy to the offspring of the womb, nor will they pity children.

Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

19 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.

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

20 It will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, and no shepherds will let their flocks lie down there.

It shall never 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 desert creatures will lie there; their houses will be full of howling creatures. Owls will dwell there, and goat-demons will dance there.

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 Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in its luxurious palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.

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