English Standard Version

New King James Version

The Judgment of Babylon

The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

Proclamation Against Babylon

The burden[a] against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

On a bare hill raise a signal;
cry aloud to them;
wave the hand for them to enter
the gates of the nobles.

“Lift up a banner on the high mountain,
Raise your voice to them;
Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.

3

I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,
and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger,
my proudly exulting ones.a

3

I have commanded My [b]sanctified ones;
I have also called My mighty ones for My anger —
Those who rejoice in My exaltation.”

4

The sound of a tumult is on the mountains
as of a great multitude!
The sound of an uproar of kingdoms,
of nations gathering together!
The Lord of hosts is mustering
a host for battle.

4

The noise of a multitude in the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts musters
The army for battle.

5

They come from a distant land,
from the end of the heavens,
the Lord and the weapons of his indignation,
to destroy the whole land.b

5

They come from a far country,
From the end of heaven —
The Lord and His [c]weapons of indignation,
To destroy the whole land.

6

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
as destruction from the Almightyc it will come!

6

Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

7

Therefore all hands will be feeble,
and every human heart will melt.

7

Therefore all hands will be limp,
Every man’s heart will melt,

8

They will be dismayed:
pangs and agony will seize them;
they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at one another;
their faces will be aflame.

8

And they will be afraid.
Pangs[d] and sorrows will take hold of them;
They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;
They will be amazed at one another;
Their faces will be like flames.

9

Behold, the day of the Lord comes,
cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
to make the land a desolation
and to destroy its sinners from it.

9

Behold, the day of the Lord comes,
Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,
To lay the land desolate;
And He will destroy its sinners from it.

10

For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising,
and the moon will not shed its light.

10

For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not give their light;
The sun will be darkened in its going forth,
And the moon will not cause its light to shine.

11

I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,
and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.

11

“I will punish the world for its evil,
And the wicked for their iniquity;
I will halt the arrogance of the proud,
And will lay low the haughtiness of the [e]terrible.

12

I will make people more rare than fine gold,
and mankind than the gold of Ophir.

12

I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold,
A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.

13

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the Lord of hosts
in the day of his fierce anger.

13

Therefore I will shake the heavens,
And the earth will move out of her place,
In the wrath of the Lord of hosts
And in the day of His fierce anger.

14

And like a hunted gazelle,
or like sheep with none to gather them,
each will turn to his own people,
and each will flee to his own land.

14

It shall be as the hunted gazelle,
And as a sheep that no man [f]takes up;
Every man will turn to his own people,
And everyone will flee to his own land.

15

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

15

Everyone who is found will be thrust through,
And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

16

Their infants will be dashed in pieces
before their eyes;
their houses will be plundered
and their wives ravished.

16

Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives ravished.

17

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

17

“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not [g]regard silver;
And as for gold, they will not delight in it.

18

Their bows will slaughterd the young men;
they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;
their eyes will not pity children.

18

Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces,
And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
Their eye will not spare children.

19

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when God overthrew them.

19

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

20

It will never be inhabited
or lived in for all generations;
no Arab will pitch his tent there;
no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.

20

It will never be inhabited,
Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,
Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.

21

But wild animals will lie down there,
and their houses will be full of howling creatures;
there ostrichese will dwell,
and there wild goats will dance.

21

But wild beasts of the desert will lie there,
And their houses will be full of [h]owls;
Ostriches will dwell there,
And wild goats will caper there.

22

Hyenasf will cry in its towers,
and jackals in the pleasant palaces;
its time is close at hand
and its days will not be prolonged.

22

The hyenas will howl in their citadels,
And jackals in their pleasant palaces.
Her time is near to come,
And her days will not be prolonged.”

Parallel

English Standard Version

New King James Version

Isaiah 13

Isaiah 13