New International Version | International Standard Version |
1A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw: | 1A message that Amoz's son Isaiah received about Babylon: |
2Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter 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. |
3I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath-- those who rejoice in my triumph. | 3I myself have commanded my consecrated ones; I have also summoned my warriors, those who rejoice in my triumph, to carry out my angry judgments. |
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. | 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. |
5They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens-- the LORD and the weapons of his wrath-- to destroy the whole country. | 5They're coming from a faraway land, from the distant horizon— the LORD and the weapons of his anger— to destroy the entire land." |
6Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. | 6Wail out loud, because 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. | 7Because of this, every hand will go limp, and every man's courage will melt. |
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. | 8They 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. |
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. | 9Watch 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. |
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. | 10For 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. |
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. | 11I'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. |
12I will make people scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir. | 12I'll make people scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than gold from 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. | 13Therefore 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. |
14Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, they will all return to their own people, they will flee to their native land. | 14They 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. |
15Whoever is captured will be thrust through; all who are caught will fall by the sword. | 15Whoever is captured will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall dead, killed by the sword. |
16Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives violated. | 16Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, and their houses will be looted, and their wives slept with. |
17See, I will stir up against them the Medes, who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. | 17Watch out! I'm stirring up the Medes against them, who care nothing for silver and take 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. | 18Their 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. |
19Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. | 19Babylon, that jewel of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah, when God overthrew them— |
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. | 20It 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. |
21But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. | 21But 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. |
22Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged. | 22Hyenas 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. |
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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