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Isaiah chapter 13

English Standard Version

1The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles. 3I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones. 4The 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. 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. 6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! 7Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. 8They 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. 9Behold, 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. 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. 11I 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. 12I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13Therefore 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. 14And 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. 15Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught 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. 17Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold. 18 Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children. 19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. 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. 21But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there wild goats will dance. 22Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.
New International Version

1A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
2Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.
3I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath— those who rejoice in my triumph. 4Listen, a noise on the mountains, 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.
5They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens— the Lord and the weapons of his wrath— to destroy the whole country. 6Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. 7Because of this, all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear.
8Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame. 9See, the day of the Lord is coming —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger— to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. 10The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. 11I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. 12I will make people scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger. 14Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, they will all return to their own people, they will flee to their native land. 15Whoever is captured will be thrust through; all who are caught will fall by the sword.
16Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives violated. 17See, I will stir up against them the Medes, who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. 18Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants, nor will they look with compassion on children. 19Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. 20She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; there no nomads will pitch their tents, there no shepherds will rest their flocks. 21But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. 22Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.
New American Standard Bible

1The pronouncement concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:
2Lift up a flag on the bare hill, Raise your voice to them, Wave the hand that they may enter the doors of the nobles. 3I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have also called for My warriors Who boast in My eminence, To execute My anger. 4A sound of a roar on the mountains, Like that of many people! A sound of an uproar of kingdoms, Of nations gathered together! The Lord of armies is mustering the army for battle. 5They are coming from a distant country, From the farthest horizons, The Lord and the weapons of His indignation, To destroy the whole land. 6Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every human heart will melt. 8They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame. 9Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 10For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light. 11So I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their wrongdoing; I will also put an end to the audacity of the proud And humiliate the arrogance of the tyrants. 12I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold And mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of armies In the day of His burning anger. 14And it will be that, like a hunted gazelle, Or like sheep with no one to gather them, Each of them will turn to his own people, And each of them will flee to his own land. 15Anyone who is found will be thrust through, And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword. 16Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives raped. 17Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them, Who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold. 18And their bows will mow down the young men, They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, Nor will their eye pity children. 19And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds allow their flocks to lie down there. 21But desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there. 22 Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come, And her days will not be prolonged.
Christian Standard Bible

1A pronouncement concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
2Lift up a banner on a barren mountain. Call out to them. Signal with your hand, and they will go through the gates of the nobles. 3I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my warriors, who celebrate my triumph, to execute my wrath. 4Listen, a commotion on the mountains, like that of a mighty people! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations being gathered together! The Lord of Armies is mobilizing an army for war. 5They are coming from a distant land, from the farthest horizon— the Lord and the weapons of his wrath— to destroy the whole country. 6Wail! For the day of the Lord is near. It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7Therefore everyone’s hands will become weak, and every man will lose heart. 8They will be horrified; pain and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look at each other, their faces flushed with fear. 9Look, the day of the Lord is coming— cruel, with rage and burning anger— to make the earth a desolation and to destroy its sinners. 10Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shine. 11I will punish the world for its evil, and wicked people for their iniquities. I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant and humiliate the insolence of tyrants. 12I will make a human more scarce than fine gold, and mankind more rare than the gold of Ophir. 13Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will shake from its foundations at the wrath of the Lord of Armies, on the day of his burning anger. 14Like wandering gazelles and like sheep without a shepherd, each one will turn to his own people, each one will flee to his own land. 15Whoever is found will be stabbed, and whoever is caught will die by the sword. 16Their children will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted, and their wives raped. 17Look! I am stirring up the Medes against them, who cannot be bought off with silver and who have no desire for gold.
18Their bows will cut young men to pieces. They will have no compassion on offspring; they will not look with pity on children. 19And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. 20It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; a nomad will not pitch his tent there, and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there. 21But desert creatures will lie down there, and owls will fill the houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. 22Hyenas will howl in the fortresses, and jackals, in the luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is almost up; her days are almost over.
New Living Translation

1Isaiah son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon:
2'Raise a signal flag on a bare hilltop. Call up an army against Babylon. Wave your hand to encourage them as they march into the palaces of the high and mighty. 3I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.'
4Hear the noise on the mountains! Listen, as the vast armies march! It is the noise and shouting of many nations. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has called this army together. 5They come from distant countries, from beyond the farthest horizons. They are the Lord’s weapons to carry out his anger. With them he will destroy the whole land.
6Scream in terror, for the day of the Lord has arrived — the time for the Almighty to destroy. 7Every arm is paralyzed with fear. Every heart melts, 8and people are terrified. Pangs of anguish grip them, like those of a woman in labor. They look helplessly at one another, their faces aflame with fear.
9For see, the day of the Lord is coming — the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be made desolate, and all the sinners destroyed with it. 10The heavens will be black above them; the stars will give no light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will provide no light.
11'I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty. 12I will make people scarcer than gold — more rare than the fine gold of Ophir. 13For I will shake the heavens. The earth will move from its place when the Lord of Heaven’s Armies displays his wrath in the day of his fierce anger.'
14Everyone in Babylon will run about like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd. They will try to find their own people and flee to their own land. 15Anyone who is captured will be cut down — run through with a sword. 16Their little children will be dashed to death before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked, and their wives will be raped.
17'Look, I will stir up the Medes against Babylon. They cannot be tempted by silver or bribed with gold. 18The attacking armies will shoot down the young men with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for children.'
19Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean pride, will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them. 20Babylon will never be inhabited again. It will remain empty for generation after generation. Nomads will refuse to camp there, and shepherds will not bed down their sheep. 21Desert animals will move into the ruined city, and the houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Owls will live among the ruins, and wild goats will go there to dance. 22Hyenas will howl in its fortresses, and jackals will make dens in its luxurious palaces. Babylon’s days are numbered; its time of destruction will soon arrive.
King James Version

1The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2Lift 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.
3I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
4The 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.
5They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
8And 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.
9Behold, 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.
10For 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.
11And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13Therefore 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.
14And 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.
15Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
16Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
17Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
18Their 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.
19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20It 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.
21But 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.
22And 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.
New King James Version

1The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2“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. 3I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones for My anger— Those who rejoice in My exaltation.” 4The 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. 5They come from a far country, From the end of heaven— The Lord and His weapons of indignation, To destroy the whole land. 6Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man’s heart will melt, 8And they will be afraid. Pangs 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. 9Behold, 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. 10For 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 halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. 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. 14It shall be as the hunted gazelle, And as a sheep that no man takes up; Every man will turn to his own people, And everyone will flee to his own land. 15Everyone who is found will be thrust through, And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. 16Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished. 17“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. 18Also 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 beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 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 beasts of the desert will lie there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches will dwell there, And wild goats will caper there. 22The 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.”

What does Isaiah chapter 13 mean?

Chapter 13 begins a new section of Isaiah's book that continues through chapter 23. This segment contains oracles or prophecies about and against other nations. These are revelations from the Lord, through Isaiah, about events and judgments to come against the enemies of and around Israel. These prophecies are repeated or echoed by other Old Testament prophets as well. These oracles were not written for the nations which they condemn. They were written for Israel. Their purpose was to urge God's people to continue to put their trust in Him alone and not in other kings, kingdoms, or their gods. The Lord God of Israel was the God of all nations. These oracles show that He would do with, and to, each of them as He chose.

Isaiah begins with an oracle against Babylon. The ruins of this ancient city-state of Babylon are currently being excavated about 50 miles south of Baghdad in modern Iraq. This city, built up on both sides of the Euphrates River, was thought to be the pinnacle of beauty, culture, and human achievement in the ancient Near East (Isaiah 13:1).

Babylon, along with the Medes, helped put an end to the Assyrian Empire and became the primary world power for a time. It is Babylon, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, that finally destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC after a long siege of the city (2 Kings 25). Isaiah writes in this chapter about the destruction of Babylon. This event did not take place until after Isaiah's lifetime. Scholars disagree about whether the destruction described by Isaiah happened in 539 BC or at some other time. In any case, this prophecy was fulfilled: Babylon was destroyed.

The oracle begins with the Lord describing how He has gathered a multi-nation army to attack Babylon. He poetically signals to begin an attack against the important people of the city. The Lord reveals that He is the one who has summoned and consecrated this massive army to execute His angry judgment against Babylon. Regardless of the reasons the leaders of the assembled kingdoms may think they have for joining in this battle, it is the Lord who has called them (Isaiah 13:2–3).

The armies the Lord has called from near and far are gathered in the hills around the city. They are creating an uproar that can be heard in Babylon as they prepare for battle. God will wield these armies as His personal weapons for destroying the entire region (Isaiah 13:4–5).

The Lord tells the people of Babylon to wail or "howl" about the destruction that is coming. He says their hands will go limp and their hearts will melt. They will look at each other in dismay, seized by agony. There will be no escape from the horrors that are to come (Isaiah 13:6–8).

The phrase "the day of the Lord" is often used to describe the moment of God's judgment on sinful people. His fierce wrath and anger will fall on Babylon. All light from the stars, sun, and moon will be blotted out. He will bring an end to the arrogance and the pride of the ruthless of the nation (Isaiah 13:9–11).

The Lord's destruction will be absolute, making living people rarer in Babylon than the purest gold. Storms and earthquakes will come. Those who flee will be hunted down and run through. The human armies who attack, based on their own motivations, will bring immense human suffering. The people of Babylon will experience terrible atrocities at the hands of these invaders (Isaiah 13:12–16).

The Medes will lead the attack, and they will be merciless. Not even pregnant women and children will be spared. The once glorious city of Babylon will be as thoroughly destroyed as Sodom and Gomorrah. This city that was once the height of human achievement reduced to essentially ashes. The city will be unoccupied for generations, at least, except for the wild animals that haunt the once-luxurious homes, towers, and public spaces (Isaiah 13:17–22).
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