_Oracle concerning the Chaldeans, the Heirs
of the Assyrians._--CHAP. XIII. 1-XIV. 17.
XIII.--1. Oracle concerning Babel, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did
see.
2. On woodless mountain lift ye up a banner, call to them with a loud
sounding voice, shake the hand, that they may enter into the gates of
princes! 3. I, I have summoned My sanctified ones, also called My
heroes to My wrath, My proudly rejoicing ones. 4. Hark, a rumbling on
the mountains after the manner of a great people! hark, a rumbling of
kingdoms met together! Jehovah of hosts musters an army, 5. those
that have come out of a distant land, from the end of heaven: Jehovah
and His instruments of wrath, to destroy the whole earth. 6. Howl;
for the day of Jehovah is near; like a destructive force from the
Almighty it comes. 7. Therefore all arms hang loosely down, and every
human heart melts away. 8. And they are troubled: they fall into
cramps and pangs; like a woman in labour they twist themselves: one
stares at the other; their faces are faces of flame. 9. Behold, the
day of Jehovah cometh, a cruel one, and wrath and fierce anger, to
turn the earth into a wilderness: and its sinners He destroys out of
it.
10. For the stars of heaven, and its Orions, will not let their light
shine: the sun darkens itself at its rising, and the moon does not
let its light shine. 11. And I visit the evil upon the world, and
upon sinners their guilt, and sink into silence the pomp of the
proud; and the boasting of tyrants I throw to the ground. 12. I make
men more precious than fine gold, and people than a jewel of Ophir.
13. Therefore I shake the heavens, and the earth trembles away from
its place, because of the wrath of Jehovah of hosts, and because of
the day of His fierce anger. 14. And it comes to pass as a gazelle
which is scared, and as a flock without gatherers: they turn every
one to his people, and they flee every one to his land. 15. Every one
that is found is pierced through, and every one that is caught falls
by the sword. 16. And their infants are dashed to pieces before their
eyes, their homes plundered, and their wives ravished. 17. Behold, I
rouse up the Medes over them, who do not regard silver, and take no
pleasure in gold. 18. And bows dash down young men; and they have no
compassion on the fruit of the womb: their eye has no pity on
children.
19. And Babel, the ornament of kingdoms, the proud boast of the
Chaldeans, becomes like Elohim's overthrowing judgments upon Sodom
and Gomorrah. 20. She remains uninhabited for ever, and unoccupied
into generation of generations; and not an Arab pitches his tent
there, and shepherds do not make their folds there. 21. And there lie
beasts of the desert, and horn-owls fill their houses; and ostriches
dwell there, and field-devils hop about there. 22. And jackals howl
in her castles, and wild dogs in palaces of pleasure; and her time is
near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.
XIV.--1. For Jehovah will have mercy on Jacob, and will once more
choose Israel, and will settle them down in their own land: and the
foreigner will associate with them, and they will cleave to the house
of Jacob. 2. And nations take them, and accompany them to their
place; and the house of Israel takes them to itself in the land of
Jehovah for servants and maid-servants: and they hold in captivity
those who led them away captive; and become lords over their
oppressors. 3. And it cometh to pass, on the day that Jehovah giveth
thee the rest from thy plague, and from thy cares, and from the heavy
bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, 4. that thou shalt raise
such a song of triumph concerning the king of Babel and say--
How hath the oppressor ceased! the place of torture ceased!
5. Jehovah hath broken the rod of the wicked, the ruler's staff,
6. which smote nations in wrath with strokes without ceasing,
subjugated nations wrathfully with hunting that never stays. 7. The
whole earth rests, is quiet: they break forth into singing. 8. Even
the cypresses rejoice at thee, the cedars of Lebanon: "Since thou
hast gone to sleep, no one will come up to lay axe upon us."
9. The kingdom of the dead below is all in uproar on account of thee,
to meet thy coming; it stirs up the shades for thee, all the he-goats
of the earth; it raiseth up from their throne-seats all the kings of
the nations. 10. They all rise up and say to thee, Art thou also made
weak like us? Art thou become like us? 11. Thy pomp is cast down to
the region of the dead, the noise of the harps: maggots are spread
under thee, and they that cover thee are worms. 12. How art thou
fallen from the sky, thou star of light, son of the dawn, hurled down
to the earth, thou that didst throw down nations from above! 13. And
thou, thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend unto heaven, I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and sit down on the
mount of the assembly of gods in the corner of the earth; 14. I will
ascend to the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most
High. 15. Nevertheless, thou wilt be cast down into the region of the
dead, into the corner of the pit. 16. They that see thee look,
considering thee, look at thee thoughtfully: "Is this the man that
set the earth trembling, and kingdoms shaking, 17. that made the
world a wilderness, and destroyed its cities, and did not release its
prisoners (to their) home?"
18. All the kings of the nations, they are all interred in honour,
every one in his house: 19. but thou art cast away far from thy
sepulchre like a shoot hurled away, clothed with slain, with those
pierced through with the sword, those that go down to the stones of
the pit; like a carcass trodden under feet. 20. Thou art not united
with them in burial, for thou hast destroyed thy land, murdered thy
people.
The seed of evil-doers will not be named for ever. 21. Prepare a
slaughter-house for his sons, because of the iniquity of their
fathers! They shall not rise and conquer lands, and fill the face of
the earth with cities.
22. And I will rise up against them, saith Jehovah of hosts, and root
out in Babel name and remnant, sprout and shoot, saith Jehovah.
23. And I will make it the possession of hedgehogs and marshes of
water, and sweep it away with the besom of destruction, saith Jehovah
of hosts.
24. Jehovah of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so
shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, that takes place;
25. to break Asshur in pieces in My land, and upon My mountain will I
tread him under foot; then his yoke departs from them, and his burden
will depart from their neck. 26. This is the purpose that is purposed
over the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out over
all nations. 27. For Jehovah of hosts hath purposed, and who could
bring it to nought? and His hand that is stretched out, who can turn
it back?