# Isaiah 13 ## The Burden against Babylon 1 This is the burden against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received: - 2 Raise a banner on a barren hilltop; - call aloud to them. - Wave your hand, - that they may enter the gates of the nobles. - 3 I have commanded My sanctified ones; - I have even summoned My warriors - to execute My wrath - and exult in My triumph. - 4 Listen, a tumult on the mountains, - like that of a great multitude! - Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, - like nations gathered together! - The LORD of Hosts is mobilizing - an army for war. - 5 They are coming from faraway lands, - from the ends of the heavens — - the LORD and the weapons of His wrath — - to destroy the whole country. - 6 Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; - it will come as destruction from the Almighty. {[[#^23-13-a| a ]]} - 7 Therefore all hands will fall limp, - and every man’s heart will melt. - 8 Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; - they will writhe like a woman in labor. - They will look at one another, - their faces flushed with fear. - 9 Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming — - cruel, with fury and burning anger — - to make the earth a desolation - and to destroy the sinners within it. - 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations - will not give their light. - The rising sun will be darkened, - and the moon will not give its light. - 11 I will punish the world for its evil - and the wicked for their iniquity. - I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant - and lay low the pride of the ruthless. - 12 I will make man scarcer than pure gold, - and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir. - 13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, - and the earth will be shaken from its place - at the wrath of the LORD of Hosts - on the day of His burning anger. - 14 Like a hunted gazelle, - like a sheep without a shepherd, - each will return to his own people, - each will flee to his native land. - 15 Whoever is caught will be stabbed, - and whoever is captured will die by the sword. - 16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces - before their eyes, - their houses will be looted, - and their wives will be ravished. - 17 Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, - who have no regard for silver - and no desire for gold. - 18 Their bows will dash young men to pieces; - they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; - they will not look with pity on the children. - 19 And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, - the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, - will be overthrown by God - like Sodom and Gomorrah. - 20 She will never be inhabited - or settled from generation to generation; - no nomad will pitch his tent there, - no shepherd will rest his flock there. - 21 But desert creatures will lie down there, - and howling creatures will fill her houses. - Ostriches {[[#^23-13-b| b ]]} will dwell there, - and wild goats will leap about. - 22 Hyenas will howl in her fortresses - and jackals {[[#^23-13-c| c ]]} in her luxurious palaces. - Babylon’s time is at hand, - and her days will not be prolonged. --- ### Footnotes: - 6 a Hebrew "Shaddai"  ^23-13-a - 21 b Literally "Daughters of an ostrich"  or "Daughters of an owl"   ^23-13-b - 22 c Or "serpents"  or "dragons"  ^23-13-c --- - Previous chapter: [[Isaiah_12]] - Next chapter: [[Isaiah_14]] - TOC: [[TOC_Isaiah]] --- ###### The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible (https://bereanbible.com), BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub (https://biblehub.com), Discovery Bible (https://discoverybible.com), OpenBible.com (https://openbible.com), and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0). ---