² Raise a banner^(E) on a bare hilltop,
    shout to them;
beckon to them
    to enter the gates^(F) of the nobles.
³ I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
    I have summoned my warriors^(G) to carry out my wrath^(H)—
    those who rejoice^(I) in my triumph.

⁴ Listen, a noise on the mountains,
    like that of a great multitude!^(J)
Listen, an uproar^(K) among the kingdoms,
    like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty^(L) is mustering^(M)
    an army for war.
⁵ They come from faraway lands,
    from the ends of the heavens^(N)—
the Lord and the weapons^(O) of his wrath^(P)—
    to destroy^(Q) the whole country.

⁶ Wail,^(R) for the day^(S) of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction^(T) from the Almighty.^[a](U)
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,^(V)
    every heart will melt with fear.^(W)
8 Terror^(X) will seize them,
    pain and anguish will grip^(Y) them;
    they will writhe like a woman in labor.^(Z)
They will look aghast at each other,
    their faces aflame.^(AA)

⁹ See, the day^(AB) of the Lord is coming
    —a cruel^(AC) day, with wrath^(AD) and fierce anger^(AE)—
to make the land desolate
    and destroy the sinners within it.
¹⁰ The stars of heaven and their constellations
    will not show their light.^(AF)
The rising sun^(AG) will be darkened^(AH)
    and the moon will not give its light.^(AI)
11 I will punish^(AJ) the world for its evil,
    the wicked^(AK) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty^(AL)
    and will humble^(AM) the pride of the ruthless.^(AN)
12 I will make people^(AO) scarcer than pure gold,
    more rare than the gold of Ophir.^(AP)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;^(AQ)
    and the earth will shake^(AR) from its place
at the wrath^(AS) of the Lord Almighty,
    in the day of his burning anger.^(AT)

¹⁴ Like a hunted^(AU) gazelle,
    like sheep without a shepherd,^(AV)
they will all return to their own people,
    they will flee^(AW) to their native land.^(AX)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
    all who are caught will fall^(AY) by the sword.^(AZ)
16 Their infants^(BA) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
    their houses will be looted and their wives violated.^(BB)

¹⁷ See, I will stir up^(BC) against them the Medes,^(BD)
    who do not care for silver
    and have no delight in gold.^(BE)
18 Their bows^(BF) will strike down the young men;^(BG)
    they will have no mercy^(BH) on infants,
    nor will they look with compassion on children.^(BI)
19 Babylon,^(BJ) the jewel of kingdoms,^(BK)
    the pride and glory^(BL) of the Babylonians,^[b]
will be overthrown^(BM) by God
    like Sodom and Gomorrah.^(BN)
20 She will never be inhabited^(BO)
    or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads^(BP) will pitch their tents,
    there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
²¹ But desert creatures^(BQ) will lie there,
    jackals^(BR) will fill her houses;
there the owls^(BS) will dwell,
    and there the wild goats^(BT) will leap about.
²² Hyenas^(BU) will inhabit her strongholds,^(BV)
    jackals^(BW) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,^(BX)
    and her days will not be prolonged.^(BY)

14 The Lord will have compassion^(A) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(B) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(C)
Foreigners^(D) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
² Nations will take them
    and bring^(E) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(F)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(G) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(H)

How the oppressor^(N) has come to an end!
    How his fury^[a] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(O) of the wicked,^(P)
    the scepter^(Q) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(R)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(S) nations
    with relentless aggression.^(T)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(U)
    they break into singing.^(V)
8 Even the junipers^(W) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”^(X)

⁹ The realm of the dead^(Y) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed^(Z) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders^(AA) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.^(AB)
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”^(AC)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^(AD)
    along with the noise of your harps;^(AE)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms^(AF) cover you.^(AG)

¹² How you have fallen^(AH) from heaven,
    morning star,^(AI) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!^(AJ)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend^(AK) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(AL)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(AM)
    on the utmost heights^(AN) of Mount Zaphon.^[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(AO)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”^(AP)
15 But you are brought down^(AQ) to the realm of the dead,^(AR)
    to the depths^(AS) of the pit.^(AT)

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:^(AU)
“Is this the man who shook^(AV) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,^(AW)
    who overthrew^(AX) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”^(AY)

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.^(AZ)
19 But you are cast out^(BA) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,^(BB)
    with those pierced by the sword,^(BC)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.^(BD)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
²⁰     you will not join them in burial,^(BE)
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring^(BF) of the wicked^(BG)
    never be mentioned^(BH) again.
²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(BI)
    for the sins of their ancestors;^(BJ)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up^(BK) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(BL) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,^(BM)”
declares the Lord.
²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(BN)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(BO)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(BP)

“Surely, as I have planned,^(BR) so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.^(BS)
25 I will crush the Assyrian^(BT) in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke^(BU) will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.^(BV)”

²⁶ This is the plan^(BW) determined for the whole world;
    this is the hand^(BX) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(BY) and who can thwart him?
    His hand^(BZ) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(CA)

²⁹ Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(CE)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(CF)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(CG)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy^(CH) will lie down in safety.^(CI)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(CJ)
    it will slay^(CK) your survivors.^(CL)

³¹ Wail,^(CM) you gate!^(CN) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!^(CO)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(CP)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(CQ)
32 What answer shall be given
    to the envoys^(CR) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,^(CS)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(CT)”

Ar^(D) in Moab is ruined,^(E)
    destroyed in a night!
Kir^(F) in Moab is ruined,
    destroyed in a night!
² Dibon^(G) goes up to its temple,
    to its high places^(H) to weep;
    Moab wails^(I) over Nebo^(J) and Medeba.
Every head is shaved^(K)
    and every beard cut off.^(L)
3 In the streets they wear sackcloth;^(M)
    on the roofs^(N) and in the public squares^(O)
they all wail,^(P)
    prostrate with weeping.^(Q)
4 Heshbon^(R) and Elealeh^(S) cry out,
    their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.^(T)
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
    and their hearts are faint.

⁵ My heart cries out^(U) over Moab;^(V)
    her fugitives^(W) flee as far as Zoar,^(X)
    as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the hill to Luhith,
    weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim^(Y)
    they lament their destruction.^(Z)
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up^(AA)
    and the grass is withered;^(AB)
the vegetation is gone^(AC)
    and nothing green is left.^(AD)
7 So the wealth they have acquired^(AE) and stored up
    they carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.
⁸ Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;
    their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
    their lamentation as far as Beer^(AF) Elim.
⁹ The waters of Dimon^[a] are full of blood,
    but I will bring still more upon Dimon^[b]—
a lion^(AG) upon the fugitives of Moab^(AH)
    and upon those who remain in the land.