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Isaiah 13-15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Isaiah 13-15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proclamation against Babylon
13 The oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw.(A)
2 On a bare hill raise a signal;
cry aloud to them;
wave the hand for them to enter
the gates of the nobles.(B)
3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,
have summoned my warriors, my proudly exulting ones,
to execute my anger.[a](C)
4 Listen, a tumult on the mountains
as of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar of kingdoms,
of nations gathering together!
The Lord of hosts is mustering
an army for battle.(D)
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 earth.(E)
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty
7 Therefore all hands will be feeble,
and every human heart will melt,(G)
8 and they will be terrified.
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.(H)
9 See, the day of the Lord is coming,
cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
to make the earth a desolation
and to destroy its sinners from it.(I)
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.(J)
11 I will punish the world for its evil
and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant
and lay low the insolence of tyrants.(K)
12 I will make mortals more rare than fine gold
and humans than the gold 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.(L)
14 Like a gazelle on the run
or like sheep with no one to gather them,
all will turn back to their own people,
and all will flee to their own lands.(M)
15 Whoever is found will be thrust through,
and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.
16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces
before their eyes;
their houses will be plundered
and their wives raped.(N)
17 See, I am stirring up the Medes against them,
who have no regard for silver
and do not delight in gold.(O)
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.(P)
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when God overthrew them.(Q)
20 It will never be inhabited
or lived in for all generations;
Arabs will not pitch their tents there;
shepherds will not make their flocks lie down there.(R)
21 But wild animals will lie down there,
and its houses will be full of howling creatures;
there ostriches will live,
and there goat-demons will dance.(S)
22 Hyenas will cry in its towers
and jackals in the pleasant palaces;
its time is close at hand;
and its days will not be prolonged.(T)
Restoration of Judah
14 But the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel and will settle them in their own land, and aliens will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.(U) 2 And the nations will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess the nations[c] as male and female slaves in the Lord’s land; they will take captive those who were their captors and rule over those who oppressed them.(V)
Downfall of the King of Babylon
3 When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve,(W) 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:
How the oppressor has ceased!
How his insolence[d] has ceased!(X)
5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers,
6 that struck down the peoples in wrath
with unceasing blows,
that ruled the nations in anger
with unrelenting persecution.(Y)
7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet;
they break forth into singing.
8 The cypresses exult over you,
the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
“Since you were laid low,
no one comes to cut us down.”(Z)
9 Sheol beneath is stirred up
to meet you when you come;
it rouses the shades to greet you,
all who were leaders of the earth;
it raises from their thrones
all who were kings of the nations.(AA)
10 All of them will speak
and say to you:
“You, too, have become as weak as we!
You have become like us!”
11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
and the sound of your harps;
maggots are the bed beneath you,
and worms are your covering.(AB)
12 How you are fallen from heaven,
O Morning Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!(AC)
13 You said to yourself,
“I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
on the heights of Zaphon;[e](AD)
14 I will ascend to the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”(AE)
15 But you are brought down to Sheol,
to the depths of the Pit.(AF)
16 Those who see you will stare at you
and ponder over you:
“Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
who shook kingdoms,(AG)
17 who made the world like a desert
and overthrew its cities,
who would not let his prisoners go home?”(AH)
18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
each in his own tomb,
19 but you are cast out, away from your grave,
like loathsome carrion,[f]
clothed with the dead, those pierced by the sword,
who go down to the stones of the Pit
like a corpse trampled underfoot.(AI)
20 You will not be joined with them in burial
because you have destroyed your land;
you have killed your people.
May the descendants of evildoers
nevermore be named!(AJ)
21 Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons
because of the guilt of their father.[g]
Let them never rise to possess the earth
or cover the face of the world with cities.(AK)
22 I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts, and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, offspring and posterity, says the Lord.(AL) 23 And I will make it a possession of the screech owl[h] and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, says the Lord of hosts.(AM)
An Oracle concerning Assyria
24 The Lord of hosts has sworn:
As I have designed,
so shall it be,
and as I have planned,
so shall it come to pass:(AN)
25 I will break the Assyrian in my land
and on my mountains trample him under foot;
his yoke shall be removed from them
and his burden from their shoulders.(AO)
26 This is the plan that is planned
concerning the whole earth,
and this is the hand that is stretched out
over all the nations.(AP)
27 For the Lord of hosts has planned,
and who will annul it?
His hand is stretched out,
and who will turn it back?(AQ)
An Oracle concerning Philistia
28 In the year that King Ahaz died this oracle came:(AR)
29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,
that the rod that struck you is broken,
for from the root of the snake will come forth an adder,
and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.(AS)
30 In my pastures the poor[i] will graze
and the needy lie down in safety,
but I will make your root die of famine,
and your remnant I[j] will kill.(AT)
31 Wail, O gate; cry, O city;
melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you!
For smoke comes out of the north,
and there is no straggler in its ranks.(AU)
32 What will one answer the messengers of the nation?
“The Lord has founded Zion,
and the needy among his people
will find refuge in her.”(AV)
An Oracle concerning Moab
15 An oracle concerning Moab.
Because Ar is laid waste in a night,
Moab is undone;
because Kir is laid waste in a night,
Moab is undone.(AW)
2 Daughter Dibon[k] has gone up
to the high places to weep;
over Nebo and over Medeba
Moab wails.
Every head is shaved;
every beard is shorn;(AX)
3 in the streets they bind on sackcloth;
on the housetops and in the squares
everyone wails and melts in tears.(AY)
4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out;
their voices are heard as far as Jahaz;
therefore the loins of Moab quiver;[l]
his soul trembles.
5 My heart cries out for Moab;
his fugitives flee to Zoar,
to Eglath-shelishiyah.
For at the ascent of Luhith
they go up weeping;
on the road to Horonaim
they raise a cry of destruction;(AZ)
6 the waters of Nimrim
are a desolation;
the grass is withered; the new growth fails;
vegetation is no more.(BA)
7 Therefore the abundance they have gained
and what they have laid up
they carry away
over the Wadi of the Willows.(BB)
8 For a cry has gone
around the land of Moab;
the wailing reaches to Eglaim;
the wailing reaches to Beer-elim.
9 For the waters of Dibon[m] are full of blood,
yet I will bring upon Dibon[n] even more—
a lion for those of Moab who escape,
for the remnant of the land.(BC)
Footnotes
- 13.3 Gk: Heb for my anger
- 13.6 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
- 14.2 Heb them
- 14.4 Q ms Compare Gk Syr Vg: Meaning of MT uncertain
- 14.13 Or assembly in the far north
- 14.19 Cn Compare Gk: Heb like a loathed branch
- 14.21 Syr Compare Gk: Heb fathers
- 14.23 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 14.30 Heb mss: MT the firstborn of the poor
- 14.30 Q ms Vg: MT he
- 15.2 Cn: Heb the house and Dibon
- 15.4 Or the armed men of Moab cry aloud
- 15.9 Q ms Vg: MT Dimon
- 15.9 Q ms Vg: MT Dimon
Isaiah 13-15
New International Version
Isaiah 13-15
New International Version
A Prophecy Against Babylon
13 A prophecy(A) against Babylon(B) that Isaiah son of Amoz(C) saw:(D)
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(BZ) on Jacob;
once again he will choose(CA) Israel
and will settle them in their own land.(CB)
Foreigners(CC) will join them
and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
2 Nations will take them
and bring(CD) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations(CE)
and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives(CF) of their captors
and rule over their oppressors.(CG)
3 On the day the Lord gives you relief(CH) from your suffering and turmoil(CI) and from the harsh labor forced on you,(CJ) 4 you will take up this taunt(CK) against the king of Babylon:(CL)
How the oppressor(CM) has come to an end!
How his fury[c] has ended!
5 The Lord has broken the rod(CN) of the wicked,(CO)
the scepter(CP) of the rulers,
6 which in anger struck down peoples(CQ)
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued(CR) nations
with relentless aggression.(CS)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;(CT)
they break into singing.(CU)
8 Even the junipers(CV) and the cedars of Lebanon
gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
no one comes to cut us down.”(CW)
9 The realm of the dead(CX) below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed(CY) to greet you—
all those who were leaders(CZ) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.(DA)
10 They will all respond,
they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.”(DB)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,(DC)
along with the noise of your harps;(DD)
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms(DE) cover you.(DF)
12 How you have fallen(DG) from heaven,
morning star,(DH) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!(DI)
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend(DJ) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne(DK)
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,(DL)
on the utmost heights(DM) of Mount Zaphon.[d]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;(DN)
I will make myself like the Most High.”(DO)
15 But you are brought down(DP) to the realm of the dead,(DQ)
to the depths(DR) of the pit.(DS)
16 Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:(DT)
“Is this the man who shook(DU) the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a wilderness,(DV)
who overthrew(DW) its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”(DX)
18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.(DY)
19 But you are cast out(DZ) of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,(EA)
with those pierced by the sword,(EB)
those who descend to the stones of the pit.(EC)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20 you will not join them in burial,(ED)
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
Let the offspring(EE) of the wicked(EF)
never be mentioned(EG) again.
21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children(EH)
for the sins of their ancestors;(EI)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
and cover the earth with their cities.
22 “I will rise up(EJ) against them,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name(EK) and survivors,
her offspring and descendants,(EL)”
declares the Lord.
23 “I will turn her into a place for owls(EM)
and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,(EN)”
declares the Lord Almighty.(EO)
24 The Lord Almighty has sworn,(EP)
“Surely, as I have planned,(EQ) so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will happen.(ER)
25 I will crush the Assyrian(ES) in my land;
on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke(ET) will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders.(EU)”
26 This is the plan(EV) determined for the whole world;
this is the hand(EW) stretched out over all nations.
27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed,(EX) and who can thwart him?
His hand(EY) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?(EZ)
A Prophecy Against the Philistines
28 This prophecy(FA) came in the year(FB) King Ahaz(FC) died:
29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,(FD)
that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,(FE)
its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.(FF)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
and the needy(FG) will lie down in safety.(FH)
But your root I will destroy by famine;(FI)
it will slay(FJ) your survivors.(FK)
31 Wail,(FL) you gate!(FM) Howl, you city!
Melt away, all you Philistines!(FN)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,(FO)
and there is not a straggler in its ranks.(FP)
32 What answer shall be given
to the envoys(FQ) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,(FR)
and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.(FS)”
A Prophecy Against Moab(FT)
15 A prophecy(FU) against Moab:(FV)
Ar(FW) in Moab is ruined,(FX)
destroyed in a night!
Kir(FY) in Moab is ruined,
destroyed in a night!
2 Dibon(FZ) goes up to its temple,
to its high places(GA) to weep;
Moab wails(GB) over Nebo(GC) and Medeba.
Every head is shaved(GD)
and every beard cut off.(GE)
3 In the streets they wear sackcloth;(GF)
on the roofs(GG) and in the public squares(GH)
they all wail,(GI)
prostrate with weeping.(GJ)
4 Heshbon(GK) and Elealeh(GL) cry out,
their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.(GM)
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
and their hearts are faint.
5 My heart cries out(GN) over Moab;(GO)
her fugitives(GP) flee as far as Zoar,(GQ)
as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the hill to Luhith,
weeping as they go;
on the road to Horonaim(GR)
they lament their destruction.(GS)
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up(GT)
and the grass is withered;(GU)
the vegetation is gone(GV)
and nothing green is left.(GW)
7 So the wealth they have acquired(GX) 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(GY) Elim.
9 The waters of Dimon[e] are full of blood,
but I will bring still more upon Dimon[f]—
a lion(GZ) upon the fugitives of Moab(HA)
and upon those who remain in the land.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 13:6 Hebrew Shaddai
- Isaiah 13:19 Or Chaldeans
- Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
- Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.
- Isaiah 15:9 Dimon, a wordplay on Dibon (see verse 2), sounds like the Hebrew for blood.
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