Isaiah — Chapter 13

The “Babylon” Pronouncement, a prophecy of Isaiah son of Amoz.

“Raise a standard upon a bare hill,Cry aloud to them;Wave a hand, and let them enterThe gates of the nobles!

I have summoned My purified guestsTo execute My wrath;Behold, I have called My stalwarts,My proudly exultant ones.”aThe impending slaughter is spoken of as a sacrificial meal, for which the guests were notified to purify themselves ritually; cf. Zeph. 1.7.

Hark! a tumult on the mountains—As ofbAs of Meaning of Heb. uncertain. a mighty force;Hark! an uproar of kingdoms,Nations assembling! GOD of Hosts is musteringA host for war.

They come from a distant land,From the end of the sky— GOD with the weapons of divine wrath—To ravage all the earth!

Howl!For the day of GOD is near;It shall come like havoc from Shaddai.cShaddai Traditionally rendered “the Almighty.”

Therefore all hands shall grow limp,And every human heart shall sink;

And, overcome by terror,They shall be seized by pangs and throes,Writhe like a woman in travail.They shall gaze at each other in horror,Their faces livid with fright.dlivid with fright Taking the root lhb as a variant of bhl; in contrast to others “shall be faces of flame.”

Lo! The day of GOD is comingWith pitiless fury and wrath,To make the earth a desolation,To wipe out the sinners upon it.

The stars and constellations of heavenShall not give off their light;The sun shall be dark when it rises,And the moon shall diffuse no glow.

“And I will requite to the world its evil,And to the wicked their iniquity;I will put an end to the pride of the arrogantAnd humble the haughtiness of tyrants.

I will make people scarcer than fine gold,And mortals [more scarce] than gold of Ophir.”

Therefore shall heaven be shaken,eshall heaven be shaken Lit. “I will shake heaven.” And earth leap out of its place,At the fury of GOD of HostsOn the day of God’s burning wrath.

Then like gazelles that are chased,And like sheep that no one gathers,Each man shall turn back to his people,They shall flee every one to his land.

All who remain shall be pierced through,All who are caughtfare caught Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “flee.” Shall fall by the sword.

And their babes shall be dashed to pieces in their sight,Their homes shall be plundered,And their wives shall be raped.

“Behold,I stir up the Medes against them,Who do not value silverOr delight in gold.

Their bows shall shatter the young;They shall show no pity to infants,They shall not spare the children.”

And Babylon, glory of kingdoms,Proud splendor of the Chaldeans,Shall become like Sodom and GomorrahOverturned by God.

Nevermore shall it be settledNor dwelt in through all the ages.No Arab shall pitch his tent there,No shepherds make flocks lie down there.

But beastsgbeasts Meaning of Heb. uncertain. shall lie down there,And the houses be filled with owls;howls Meaning of Heb. uncertain. There shall ostriches make their home,And there shall satyrs dance.

And jackalsijackals Meaning of Heb. uncertain. shall abide in its castlesAnd dragonsjdragons Meaning of Heb. uncertain. in the palaces of pleasure.Her hour is close at hand;Her days will not be long.