Isaiah

¹ An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:

² shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.

³ I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath— those who rejoice in my triumph.

⁴ like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.

⁵ from the ends of the heavens— the Lord and the weapons of his wrath— to destroy the whole country.

⁶ it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

⁷ every man’s heart will melt.

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

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

¹⁰ will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.

¹¹ the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

¹² more rare than the gold of Ophir.

¹³ and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger.

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

¹⁵ all who are caught will fall by the sword.

¹⁶ their houses will be looted and their wives ravished.

¹⁷ who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold.

¹⁸ they will have no mercy on infants nor will they look with compassion on children.

¹⁹ the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.

²⁰ or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there.

²¹ jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about.

²² jackals in her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.