An Oracle Against Babylon
2 Lift up the banner upon the high hill, call unto them; hold up your hand, that the princes may go in at the door.
2 Lift 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.
2 (D)Lift up a standard on the (b)(E)bare hill,Raise your voice to them,(F)Wave the hand that they may (G)enter the doors of the nobles.
2 Lift up a banner on a barren mountain.(C)Call out to them.Wave your hand, and they will gothrough the gates of the nobles.
2 "Raise a banner on a bare hilltop! Cry out loud to them! Give a wave of the hand, signaling for them to enter the gates of the nobles.
3 For I will send for my deputies and my giants, sayeth the LORD, and in my wrath I will call for such as triumph in my glory.
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
3 I have commanded My consecrated ones,I have even called My (H)mighty warriors,My proudly exulting ones,To execute My anger.
3 I have commanded My chosen ones;I have also called My warriors,who exult in My triumph,to execute My wrath.(D)
3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones; I have also summoned my warriors, those who rejoice in my triumph, to carry out my angry judgments.
4 There is a noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people, a rushing as though the kingdoms of all nations had come together. And the LORD of Hosts mustereth his army to battle.
4 The 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.
4 A (I)sound of tumult on the mountains,Like that of many people!A sound of the uproar of kingdoms,Of nations gathered together!The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.
4 Listen, a tumult on the mountains,like that of a mighty people!Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,like nations being gathered together!The Lord of Hosts is mobilizing an army for war.
4 "Listen! There's a noise on the mountains like that of a great multitude! Listen! There's an uproar among the kingdoms, like that of nations massing together! The LORD of the Heavenly Armies is mustering an army for battle.
5 They come not only out of far countries, but also from the ends of the heavens: Even the LORD himself with the ministers of his wrath, to destroy the whole land.
5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
5 They are coming from a far country,From the (c)(J)farthest horizons,The Lord and His instruments of (K)indignation,To (L)destroy the whole land.
5 They are coming from a far land,from the distant horizon—the Lord and the weapons of His wrath—to destroy the whole country.(a)
5 They're coming from a faraway land, from the distant horizon the LORD and the weapons of his anger to destroy the entire land."
7 Then shall all hands be letten down, and all men's hearts shall melt away;
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
7 Therefore everyone’s hands will become weak,and every man’s heart will melt.
7 Because of this, every hand will go limp, and every man's courage will melt.
8 they shall stand in fear, carefulness and sorrow shall come upon them, and they shall have pain, as a woman that travaileth with child. One shall ever be abashed of another, and their faces shall burn like the flame.
8 And 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.
8 They will be (Q)terrified,Pains and anguish will take hold of them;They will (R)writhe like a woman in labor,They will look at one another in astonishment,Their faces aflame.
8 They will be horrified;pain and agony will seize them;they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.(G)They will look at each other,their faces flushed with fear.
8 They will be terrified; pain and anguish will seize them; they'll writhe like a woman in labor. They'll look aghast at one another; and their faces will be ablaze with fear.
God's Judgment Against Babylon
9 For lo, the day of the LORD shall come: terrible, full of indignation and wrath, to make the land waste, and to root out the sinners thereof.
9 Behold, 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.
9 Behold, (S)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.
9 Look, the day(H) of the Lord is coming—cruel, with rage and burning anger—to make the earth a desolationand to destroy the sinners on it.(I)
9 Watch out! The Day of the LORD is coming cruel, with wrath and fierce anger to turn the entire inhabited earth into a desolation and to annihilate sinners from it.
10 For the stars and planets of heaven shall not give their light; the sun shall be quenched in the rising, and the moon will not shine with his light.
10 For 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.
10 For the (T)stars of heaven and their constellationsWill not flash forth their light;The (U)sun will be dark when it risesAnd the moon will not shed its light.
10 Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellations(b)will not give their light.The sun will be dark when it rises,and the moon will not shine.(J)
10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations won't shine their light; the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon won't shine its light.
11 And I will punish the wickedness of the world, and the sins of the ungodly, sayeth the LORD. The high stomachs of the proud will I take away, and will lay down the boasting of tyrants.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
11 Thus I will (V)punish the world for its evilAnd the (W)wicked for their iniquity;I will also put an end to the (X)arrogance of the proudAnd abase the (Y)haughtiness of the (e)(Z)ruthless.
11 I will bring disaster on the world,and their own iniquity,(K) on the wicked.I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant(L)and humiliate the insolence of tyrants.
11 I'll punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I'll put an end to the pomposity of the arrogant, and overthrow the insolence of tyrants.
13 Moreover, I will so shake the heaven, that the earth shall remove out of her place. Thus shall it go with Babylon in the wrath of the LORD of Hosts in the day of his fearful indignation.
13 Therefore 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.
13 Therefore I will make the (AC)heavens tremble,And (AD)the earth will be shaken from its placeAt the fury of the Lord of hostsIn (AE)the day of His burning anger.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,and the earth will shake from its foundations(N)at the wrath of the Lord of Hosts,on the day of His burning anger.
13 Therefore I'll make the heavens tremble. The earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, at the time of his burning anger.
14 And Babylon shall be as a hunted or chased doe, and as a flock without a shepherd. Every man shall turn to his own people, and flee each one into his own land.
14 And 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.
14 And it will be that like a hunted gazelle,Or like (AF)sheep with none to gather them,They will each turn to his own people,And each one flee to his own land.
14 Like wandering gazellesand like sheep without a shepherd,(O)each one will turn to his own people,each one will flee to his own land.
14 They will be like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with no one to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.
15 Whoso is found alone, shall be shot through: And whoso gather together, shall be destroyed with the sword.
15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
15 Anyone who is found will be (AG)thrust through,And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
15 Whoever is found will be stabbed,and whoever is caught will die by the sword.
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall dead, killed by the sword.
16 Their children shall be slain before their eyes, their houses spoiled, and their wives ravished.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
16 Their (AH)little ones also will be dashed to piecesBefore their eyes;Their houses will be plunderedAnd their wives ravished.
16 Their children will be smashed to death before their eyes;(P)their houses will be looted,and their wives raped.
16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, and their houses will be looted, and their wives slept with.
17 For lo, I shall bring up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver, nor be desirous of gold.
17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
17 Behold, I am going to (AI)stir up the Medes against them,Who will not value silver or (AJ)take pleasure in gold.
17 Look! I am stirring up the Medes against them,(Q)who cannot be bought off with(c) silverand who have no desire for gold.
17 Watch out! I'm stirring up the Medes against them, who care nothing for silver and take no delight in gold.
18 Then shall young men's bows be knapped asunder. The Medes shall have no pity upon women with child, and their faces shall not spare the children.
18 Their 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.
18 And their bows will (g)mow down the (AK)young men,They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb,Nor will their (AL)eye pity (h)children.
18 Their bows will cut young men to pieces.They will have no compassion on little ones;they will not look with pity on children.
18 Their bows will dash the young men to pieces; they'll show no pity on those not yet born, and their eyes will not spare children.
19 And Babylon, that glory of kingdoms and beauty of the Chaldeans' honor, shall be destroyed, even as God destroyed Sodom and Gomorra.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
19 And (AM)Babylon, the (AN)beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride,Will be as when God (AO)overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
19 And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms,the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans,will be like Sodom and Gomorrahwhen God overthrew them.(R)
19 Babylon, that jewel of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah, when God overthrew them
20 It shall never be more inhabited; neither shall there be any more dwelling there, from generation to generation. The Arabians shall make no more tents there; neither shall the shepherds make their folds there any more;
20 It 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.
20 It will (AP)never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;Nor will the (AQ)Arab pitch his tent there,Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
20 It will never be inhabitedor lived in from generation to generation;(S)a nomad will not pitch his tent there,and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there.
20 It will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Bedouin will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.
21 but wild beasts shall lie there, and the houses shall be full of great owls. Ostriches shall dwell there, and apes shall dance there:
21 But 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.
21 But (AR)desert creatures will lie down there,And their houses will be full of (i)owls;Ostriches also will live there, and (j)shaggy goats will frolic there.
21 But desert creatures will lie down there,and owls will fill the houses.Ostriches will dwell there,and wild goats will leap about.(T)
21 But desert beasts will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there owls will dwell, and goat-demons will dance there.
22 the little owls shall cry in the palaces, one after another, and Dragons shall be in their pleasant parlors. And as for Babylon's time, it is at hand, and her days shall not be prolonged.
22 And 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.
22 (k)Hyenas will howl in their fortified towersAnd jackals in their luxurious (AS)palaces.Her fateful time also (l)will soon comeAnd her days will not be prolonged.
22 Hyenas will howl in the fortresses,and jackals, in the luxurious palaces.Babylon’s time is almost up;her days are almost over.
22 Hyenas will howl in its strongholds, and jackals will make their dens in its citadels. Its time is close at hand, and its days will not be extended any further.