A Prophecy Against Babylon
1Here is the prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw.
2Lift up a banner on the top of a bare hill.
Shout to the enemy soldiers.
Wave for them to enter the gates
that are used by the nobles of Babylon.
3The Lord has commanded the soldiers he prepared for battle.
He has sent for them to carry out his anger against Babylon.
They will be happy when he wins the battle for them.
4Listen! I hear a noise in the mountains.
It sounds like a huge crowd.
Listen! I hear a loud noise among the kingdoms.
It sounds like nations gathering together.
The Lord who rules over all is bringing
an army together for war.
5They come from lands far away.
They come from the farthest places on earth.
The Lord and those weapons of his anger
are coming to destroy the whole country of Babylon.
6Cry out! The day of the Lord is near.
The Mighty One is coming to destroy the Babylonians.
7Their hands won’t be able to help them.
Everyone’s heart will melt away in fear.
8The people will be filled with terror.
Pain and suffering will grab hold of them.
They will groan with pain like a woman having a baby.
They’ll look at one another in terror.
Their faces will burn with shame.
9The day of the Lord is coming.
It will be a terrible day.
The Lord’s burning anger will blaze out.
He will make the land dry and empty.
He’ll destroy the sinners in it.
10All the stars in the sky
will stop giving their light.
The sun will be darkened as soon as it rises.
The moon will not shine.
11The Lord will punish the world because it is so evil.
He will punish evil people for their sins.
He’ll put an end to the bragging of those who are proud.
He’ll bring down the pride of those who don’t show any pity.
12He’ll make people harder to find than pure gold.
They will be harder to find than gold from Ophir.
13He will make the heavens tremble.
He’ll shake the earth out of its place.
The Lord who rules over all will show how angry he is.
At that time his burning anger will blaze out.
14Outsiders who live in Babylon will scatter
like antelope that are chased by a hunter.
They are like sheep that don’t have a shepherd.
All of them will return to their own people.
They will run back to their own countries.
15Those who are captured will have spears stuck through them.
Those who are caught will be killed by swords.
16Their babies will be smashed to pieces
right in front of their eyes.
Their houses will be robbed.
Their wives will be raped.
17The Lord will stir up the Medes to attack the Babylonians.
They aren’t interested in getting silver.
They don’t want gold.
18Instead, they will use their bows and arrows
to strike down the young men.
They won’t even show any mercy to babies.
They won’t take pity on children.
19The city of Babylon is the jewel of kingdoms.
It is the pride and glory of the Babylonians.
But God will destroy it
just as he did Sodom and Gomorrah.
20No one will ever live in Babylon again.
No one will live there for all time to come.
Those who wander in the desert will never set up their tents there.
Shepherds will never rest their flocks there.
21But desert creatures will lie down there.
Wild dogs will fill its houses.
Owls will live there.
Wild goats will jump around in it.
22Hyenas will live in its forts.
Wild dogs will live in its beautiful palaces.
The time for Babylon to be punished is near.
Its days are numbered.
Unabii Dhidi Ya Babeli
113:1 Isa 14:28; 21:9; 48:14; Ufu 14:8; Mwa 10:10; Mal 1:1; Isa 14:4; 46:1-2Neno kuhusu Babeli ambalo Isaya mwana wa Amozi aliliona:
213:2 Za 20:5; 50:2; Yer 51:27; 51:58; 50:2; Isa 24:12; 45:2; 24:2Twekeni bendera juu ya mlima usio na kitu,
wapazieni sauti,
wapungieni mkono waingie
katika malango ya wenye heshima.
313:3 Yer 51:11; Yoe 3:11; Za 149:2; Isa 21:2; Kum 5:28; Ay 40:11Nimewaamuru watakatifu wangu;
nimewaita mashujaa wangu waitimize hasira yangu:
wale wanaoshangilia ushindi wangu.
413:4 Yoe 3:14; Za 46:6; Isa 42:13; 47:4; Yer 50:41Sikilizeni kelele juu ya milima,
kama ile ya umati mkubwa wa watu!
Sikilizeni, makelele katikati ya falme,
kama mataifa yanayokusanyika pamoja!
Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote anakusanya
jeshi kwa ajili ya vita.
513:5 Yos 6:17; Isa 5:26; 34:2; 54:16; 10:25; 34:2; Yer 50:25Wanakuja kutoka nchi za mbali sana,
kutoka miisho ya mbingu,
Bwana na silaha za ghadhabu yake,
kuangamiza nchi yote.
613:6 Amo 5:18; Eze 30:2; Yak 5:1; Isa 2:12; 14:31; 10:3; 15:2Ombolezeni, kwa maana siku ya Bwana i karibu,
itakuja kama uharibifu kutoka kwa Mwenyezi.13:6 Mwenyezi hapa ina maana ya Shaddai kwa Kiebrania.
713:7 Eze 21:7; Yos 2:11; 2Fal 19:26; Ay 4:3; Yer 47:3Kwa sababu ya hili, mikono yote italegea,
moyo wa kila mtu utayeyuka.
813:8 Nah 2:10; Yoe 2:6; Za 31:13; Isa 21:4; Za 48:5; Kut 15:14; Mwa 3:16; Yn 16:21Hofu itawakamata,
uchungu na maumivu makali yatawashika,
watagaagaa kama mwanamke aliye na utungu wa kuzaa.
Watatazamana kwa hofu kila mtu na mwenzake,
nyuso zao zikiwaka kama moto.
913:9 Isa 2:12; Yer 6:23; 51:2; Isa 9:19; 66:16; Yer 25:31; Yoe 3:2Tazameni, siku ya Bwana inakuja,
siku katili, yenye ghadhabu na hasira kali,
kuifanya nchi kuwa ukiwa
na kuwaangamiza wenye dhambi waliomo ndani yake.
1013:10 Kut 10:22; Ufu 8:12; Amo 5:20; Zek 14:7; Ay 9:7; Mt 24:29; Isa 5:30; 24:23Nyota za mbinguni na makundi ya nyota
havitatoa mwanga wake.
Jua linalochomoza litatiwa giza
na mwezi hautatoa nuru yake.
1113:11 Isa 3:11; 26:21; 65:6-7; 49:25-26; Za 125:3; Mit 16:18; Dan 5:23; 4:37; Eze 28:2Nitauadhibu ulimwengu kwa ajili ya uovu wake,
waovu kwa ajili ya dhambi zao.
Nitakomesha majivuno ya wenye kiburi,
na nitakishusha kiburi cha watu wakatili.
1213:12 Isa 4:1; Mwa 10:29Nitawafanya wanadamu kuwa adimu kuliko dhahabu safi,
watakuwa wachache sana kuliko dhahabu ya Ofiri.
1313:13 Hag 2:6; Za 102:26; Isa 9:19; 14:16; 34:4; Mt 24:7; Ay 9:5; 9:6; Mk 13:8Kwa hiyo nitazifanya mbingu zitetemeke,
nayo dunia itatikisika kutoka mahali pake
katika ghadhabu ya Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote,
katika siku ya hasira yake iwakayo.
1413:14 Nah 3:7; Yn 10:11; Yer 51:9; 46:16; 4:9; Mit 6:5; Isa 17:13; 21:15; 33:3; Mt 9:36Kama swala awindwaye,
kama kondoo wasio na mchungaji,
kila mmoja atarudi kwa watu wake mwenyewe,
kila mmoja atakimbilia nchi yake ya kuzaliwa.
1513:15 Yer 50:25; 51:4; Isa 14:19Yeyote atakayetekwa atapasuliwa tumbo,
wote watakaokamatwa watauawa kwa upanga.
1613:16 Nah 3:10; Hes 16:27; 13:16; Mwa 34:29; 2Fal 8:12Watoto wao wachanga watavunjwa vipande vipande
mbele ya macho yao;
nyumba zao zitatekwa
na wake zao watatendwa jeuri.
1713:17 2Fal 18:14-16; Mit 19:24-25; Yer 51:11; 50:9, 41Tazama, nitawachochea Wamedi dhidi yao,
ambao hawajali fedha
wala hawafurahii dhahabu.
1813:18 Za 7:12; Isa 41:2; Yer 49:26Mishale yao itawaangusha vijana,
hawatakuwa na huruma kwa watoto wachanga
wala hawataangalia watoto kwa huruma.
1913:19 Dan 4:30; Za 137:8; Ufu 14:8; Mwa 19:24-25; Rum 9:29; Isa 47:5; Dan 2:37-38Babeli, johari ya falme,
utukufu wa kiburi cha Wababeli,13:19 Wababeli hapa maana yake ni Wakaldayo.
itaangushwa na Mungu
kama Sodoma na Gomora.
2013:20 Isa 14:23; 34:10-15; 2Nya 17:11; Yer 51:29, 37-43, 62Hautakaliwa na watu kamwe
wala watu hawataishi humo kwa vizazi vyote.
Hakuna Mwarabu atakayepiga hema lake huko,
hakuna mchungaji atakayepumzisha makundi yake huko.
2113:21 Za 74:14; Ufu 18:2; Yer 14:6; Law 11:16-18; Kum 14:15-17; 2Nya 11:15Lakini viumbe wa jangwani watalala huko,
mbweha watajaza nyumba zake,
bundi wataishi humo
nao mbuzi-mwitu watarukaruka humo.
2213:22 Isa 34:14; Kum 32:25; Yer 48:16; 9:11; Isa 25:2; 32:14; Yer 50:39; Mal 1:3Fisi watalia ndani ya ngome zake,
mbweha ndani ya majumba yake ya kifahari.
Wakati wake umewadia,
na siku zake hazitaongezwa.
