Isaiah 13
13
Babylon.#Although attributed to Isaiah (v. 1), this oracle does not reflect conditions of Isaiah’s time. Babylon did not achieve imperial status until a century later, after its victory over Assyria in 609 B.C. The mention of the Medes (v. 17) rather than Persia suggests a date prior to 550 B.C., when the Median empire of Astyages fell to Cyrus the Persian. Tension is created in that the attackers are not named until v. 17 and the foe to be attacked until v. 19. 1An oracle#Oracle: Heb. massa’; used eight more times in this collection. concerning Babylon; a vision of Isaiah, son of Amoz.
2Upon the bare mountains set up a signal;
cry out to them,#To them: the Medes (v. 17), who are being summoned to destroy Babylon. Gates of the nobles: the reference is apparently to the gates of Babylon and involves a wordplay on the city name (Babylon = bab ilani, “gate of the gods”).
Beckon for them to enter
the gates of the nobles.#Is 5:26; Jer 50:2.
3I have commanded my consecrated ones,#Consecrated ones: in the sense that they will wage a “holy war” and carry out God’s plan.
I have summoned my warriors,
eager and bold to carry out my anger.#Jl 4:9.
4Listen! the rumble on the mountains:
that of an immense throng!
Listen! the noise of kingdoms, nations assembled!
The Lord of hosts is mustering
an army for battle.#Jer 50:9.
5They come from a far-off country,
and from the end of the heavens,
The Lord and the instruments of his wrath,
to destroy all the land.
6Howl, for the day of the Lord#Day of the Lord: described often in prophetic writings, it generally signified the coming of the Lord in power and majesty to destroy his enemies. The figures used convey the idea of horror and destruction (Am 5:18–20). The Almighty: Heb. shaddai; there is a play on words between destruction (shod) and Shaddai, a title for God traditionally rendered as “the Almighty” (cf. Gn 17:1; Ex 6:3). is near;
as destruction from the Almighty it comes.#Is 2:12–21; Jer 46:10; Am 5:18–20; Jl 1:15; Zep 1:7; Rev 6:17.
7Therefore all hands fall helpless,#Jer 6:24; Ez 7:17.
every human heart melts,
8and they are terrified,
Pangs and sorrows take hold of them,
like a woman in labor they writhe;
They look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.#Is 21:3; Ps 48:7; Mi 4:9.
9Indeed, the day of the Lord comes,
cruel, with wrath and burning anger;
To lay waste the land
and destroy the sinners within it!#Jer 4:7; 18:16; Mal 3:19.
10The stars of the heavens and their constellations
will send forth no light;
The sun will be dark at its rising,
and the moon will not give its light.#Is 24:23; Jer 4:23; Zep 1:15; Mt 24:29.
11Thus I will punish the world for its evil
and the wicked for their guilt.
I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant,
the insolence of tyrants I will humble.#Is 2:17; Jer 50:32.
12I will make mortals more rare than pure gold,
human beings, than the gold of Ophir.#Ophir: cf. note on Ps 45:10. #1 Kgs 9:28; Jb 22:24.
13For this I will make the heavens tremble
and the earth shall be shaken from its place,
At the wrath of the Lord of hosts
on the day of his burning anger.#Hg 2:6; Lam 1:12.
14Like a hunted gazelle,
or a flock that no one gathers,
They shall turn each to their own people
and flee each to their own land.#1 Kgs 22:17; Jer 50:16; 51:9.
15Everyone who is taken shall be run through;
and everyone who is caught shall fall by the sword.
16Their infants shall be dashed to pieces in their sight;
their houses shall be plundered
and their wives ravished.#2 Kgs 8:12; Ps 137:9; Na 3:10.
17I am stirring up against them the Medes,
who think nothing of silver
and take no delight in gold.#Is 21:2; Jer 51:11, 28.
18With their bows they shall shatter the young men,
And the fruit of the womb they shall not spare,
nor shall their eye take pity on children.
19And Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the glory and pride of the Chaldeans,
Shall become like Sodom and Gomorrah,
overthrown by God.#Dt 29:22; Is 1:7; Jer 49:18; 50:40; Am 4:11.
20It shall never be inhabited,
nor dwelt in, from age to age;
Arabians shall not pitch their tents there,
nor shepherds rest their flocks there.#Jer 51:62.
21But desert demons shall rest there
and owls shall fill the houses;
There ostriches shall dwell,
and satyrs#Satyrs: in the popular mind, demons of goatlike form dwelling in ruins, symbols of immorality; cf. Lv 17:7; Is 34:14. shall dance.#Is 34:13–14; 35:7.
22Wild dogs shall dwell in its castles,
and jackals in its luxurious palaces.
Its time is near at hand
and its days shall not be prolonged.#Ez 32:23.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Isaiah 13
13
An Oracle against Babylon
1The oracle of Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
2Raise a signal on a bare hill,
lift up your voice to them;
wave the hand and may they enter the gateways of the noblemen.
3I myself I have commanded my consecrated ones,
I have also summoned my mighty warriors concerning my anger,
the ones who exalt over#Literally “exultant of” my majesty.
4A sound, a noise is on the mountains,
the likeness of many people!
A sound of the roar of the kingdoms,
of nations gathering!
Yahweh of hosts is mustering an army for battle.
5They are coming from a distant land,
from the end of the heavens,
Yahweh and the weapons of his indignation,
to destroy the whole earth.#Literally “all of the land/earth”
6Wail, for the day of Yahweh is near;
it will come like destruction from Shaddai!#Often translated “the Almighty”
7Therefore all hands will grow slack,
and every human heart will melt,
8and they will be dismayed.
Pangs and labor pains will seize them;
they will tremble like a woman giving birth.
They will stare at one another,#Literally “A man will stare at his neighbor”
their faces flushing.#Literally “faces of flames”
9Look! The day of Yahweh is coming,
cruel and wrath and the burning of anger,
to make the earth a desolation,
and he will destroy its sinners from it.
10For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not flash forth their light;
the sun will keep back when it comes out,
and the moon will not cause its light to shine.
11And I will punish the world for its evil
and the wicked for their iniquity.
And I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant,
and I will bring the haughtiness of tyrants low.
12I will make humanity more rare than gold
and humankind more than the gold of Ophir.
13Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will quake from its place
because of the wrath of Yahweh of hosts,
and in the day his anger burns.
14And this shall happen:
like a hunted gazelle or sheep with none to gather them,#Literally “and without one who gathers”
they will each turn to his own people,
and they will each flee to his own land.
15Everyone who is found will be pierced through,
and everyone who is carried away will fall by the sword.
16And their children will be dashed into pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be plundered, and their wives will be raped.#The reading tradition (Qere) softens this to “slept with”
17Look! I am stirring the Medes up against them,
who do not value silver
and do not delight in gold.
18And their bows will shatter young men.
And they will not show mercy on the fruit of the womb;
their eyes will not look compassionately on children.
19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew#Literally “the overthrow by God of” Sodom and Gomorrah.
20It will not be inhabited forever,
and it will not be dwelled in forever;#Literally “until generation and generation”
and no Arab will pitch a tent there,
and shepherds will not allow their flocks to lie down there.
21But wild animals will lie down there,
and their houses will be full of howling creatures,
and the daughters of ostriches#Hebrew “ostrich” will live there,
and goats will dance there.
22And hyenas will answer in its palaces,
and jackals in the pleasure palaces;
and its time is coming soon,#Literally “close to come”
and its days will not be prolonged.
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