The burden of Bavel, which Yesha῾yahu the son of Amoż did see.

Lift up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, wave the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my warriors for my anger, my proudly exalting ones.

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 musters the host of the battle.

They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

Howl; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

Therefore shall all hands be slack, and every man’s heart shall melt:

and they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall be amazed at one another; their faces shall be as flames.

Behold, the day of the Lord comes, a day of cruelty, wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy its sinners from out of it.

For the stars of heaven and its constellations shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not shed her light.

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 tyrants.

I will make men more rare than fine gold; and mankind, than the pure gold of Ofir.

Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, by the wrath of the Lord of host, and on the day of his fierce anger.

And it shall be like the outcast gazelle, and the sheep that no man takes up; they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.

Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is caught shall fall by the sword.

Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

Behold, I will stir up the Maday against them, who shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

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.

And Bavel, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the pride of the Kasdim, shall be as when God overthrew Sedom and ῾Amora.

It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the ῾Aravi pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their flock lie down there.

But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of owls; and ostriches shall dwell there, and the scops owl shall hop about there.

And jackals shall cry in their castles, and wild dogs in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near at hand, and her days shall not be prolonged.