The Book of the Prophet Isaiah

⭑ Douay-Rheims :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 13 -

The burden of Babylon, which Isaias the son of Amos saw.

Upon the dark mountain lift ye up a banner, exalt the voice, lift up the hand, and let the rulers go into the gates.

I have commanded my sanctified ones, and have called my strong ones in my wrath, them that rejoice in my glory.

The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as it were of many people, the noise of the sound of kings, of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts hath given charge to the troops of war.

To them that come from a country afar off, from the end of heaven: tile Lord and the instruments of his wrath, to destroy the whole land.

Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is near: it shall come as a destruction from the Lord.

Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every heart of man shall melt,

And shall be broken. Gripings and pains shall take hold of them, they shall be in pain as a woman in labour. Every one shall be amazed at his neighbour, their countenances shall be as faces burnt.

Behold, the day of the Lord shall come, a cruel day, and full of indignation, and of wrath, and fury, to lay the land desolate, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

For the stars of heaven, and their brightness shall not display their light: the sun shall be darkened in his rising, and the moon shall not shine with her light.

And I will visit the evils of the world, and against the wicked for their iniquity: and I will make the pride of infidels to cease, and will bring down the arrogancy of the mighty.

A man shall be more precious than gold, yea a man than the finest of gold.

For this I will trouble the heaven: and the earth shall be moved out of her place, for the indignation of the Lord of hosts, and for the day of his tierce wrath.

And they shall be as a doe fleeing away, and as a sheep: and there shall be none to gather them together: every man shall turn to his own people, and every one shall flee to his own land.

Every one that shall be found, shall be slain: and every one that shall come to their aid, shall fall by the sword.

Their infants shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes: their houses shall be pillaged, and their wives shall be ravished.

Behold I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not seek silver, nor desire gold:

But with their arrows they shall kill the children, and shall have no pity upon the sucklings of the womb, and their eye shall not spare their sons.

And that Babylon, glorious among kingdoms, the famous pride of the Chaldeans, shall be even as the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha.

It shall no more be inhabited for ever, and it shall not be founded unto generation and generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch his tents there, nor shall shepherds rest there.

But wild beasts shall rest there, and their houses shall be filled with serpents, and ostriches shall dwell there, and the hairy ones shall dance there:

And owls shall answer one another there, in the houses thereof, and sirens in the temples of pleasure.

The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

Set up a banner on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my mighty men for my anger, even my proudly exulting ones.

The noise of a multitude is in the mountains, as of a great people; the noise of an uproar of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! The LORD of Armies is mustering the army for the battle.

They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

Wail, for the LORD’s day is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Therefore all hands will be feeble, and everyone’s heart will melt.

They will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame.

Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it.

For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.

I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the arrogance of the terrible.

I will make people more rare than fine gold, even a person than the pure gold of Ophir.

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place in the LORD of Armies’ wrath, and in the day of his fierce anger.

It will happen that like a hunted gazelle and like sheep that no one gathers, they will each turn to their own people, and will each flee to their own land.

Everyone who is found will be thrust through. Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be ransacked, and their wives raped.

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it.

Their bows will dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eyes will not spare children.

Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

But wild animals of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of jackals. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will frolic there.

Hyenas will cry in their fortresses, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.