1The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah son of Amoz saw.
2Upon a bare mountain raise an ensign, lift up the voice to them, wave the hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
3I have commanded (tzivvah) my consecrated ones; also I have called my mighty ones for my anger, my proudly exulting ones.
4A sound of tumult on the mountains, like a great people! A sound of uproar of kingdoms of nations gathered together! YHWH of hosts (tzevaot) musters the host of battle.
5They come from a far land, from the end of the heavens — YHWH and the weapons of his indignation — to destroy all the earth.
6Howl, for the day of YHWH is near; like destruction from Shaddai it comes.
7Therefore all hands shall grow slack, and every heart of man shall melt.
8And they shall be terrified; pangs and throes shall seize them; like a woman in labor they shall writhe; each man (ish) at his neighbor they shall look aghast; their faces are faces of flame.
9Behold, the day of YHWH comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the earth a desolation; and its sinners he shall destroy from it.
10For the stars of the heavens and their constellations shall not give their light; the sun is darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not shine its light.
11And I will visit upon the world its evil, and upon the wicked their iniquity; and I will cause the pride of the arrogant to shabbat, and the haughtiness of the ruthless I will lay low.
12I will make man more precious than fine gold, and a man (adam) than the pure gold of Ophir.
13Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth shall quake from its place, in the wrath of YHWH of hosts (tzevaot) and in the day of his fierce anger.
14And it shall be, like a hunted gazelle, and like sheep with none to gather, each man (ish) to his people they shall turn, and each man (ish) to his land they shall flee.
15Everyone who is found shall be thrust through, and everyone who is caught shall fall by the sword.
16And their infants shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be plundered, and their wives (ishah) shall be lain with.
17Behold, I am stirring up against them the Medes, who do not regard silver, and gold — they do not delight in it.
18And bows shall dash the young men to pieces; and on the fruit of the womb they shall have no compassion; on children their eye shall not spare.
19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the pride of the Chaldeans, shall be like God's overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.
20It shall not be inhabited forever, nor dwelt in from generation to generation; and the Arab shall not pitch tent there, nor shall shepherds make flocks lie down there.
21But desert-creatures shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of howling-creatures; and daughters of the ostrich shall dwell there, and shaggy-goats shall dance there.
22And jackals shall howl in its widowed houses, and great sea-creatures (tannin) in the palaces of pleasure; and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.