A prophecy against Babylon
1A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
2Raise a banner on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates of the nobles.
3I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath –
those who rejoice in my triumph.
4Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty is mustering
an army for war.
5They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens –
the Lord and the weapons of his wrath –
to destroy the whole country.
6Wail, for the day of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.13:6 Hebrew Shaddai
7Because of this, all hands will go limp,
every heart will melt with fear.
8Terror will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip them;
they will writhe like a woman in labour.
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.
9See, the day of the Lord is coming
– a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger –
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
10The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.
11I will punish the world for its evil,
the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
12I will make people scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the Lord Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger.
14Like a hunted gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,
they will all return to their own people,
they will flee to their native land.
15Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
all who are caught will fall by the sword.
16Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted and their wives violated.
17See, I will stir up against them the Medes,
who do not care for silver
and have no delight in gold.
18Their bows will strike down the young men;
they will have no mercy on infants,
nor will they look with compassion on children.
19Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the pride and glory of the Babylonians,13:19 Or Chaldeans
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20She will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads will pitch their tents,
there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
21But desert creatures will lie there,
jackals will fill her houses;
there the owls will dwell,
and there the wild goats will leap about.
22Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds,
jackals her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,
and her days will not be prolonged.
预言审判巴比伦
1以下是亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚得到有关巴比伦的预言：
2要在光秃的山顶上竖立旗帜，
向战士高呼，
挥手示意他们进攻贵族居住的城。
3我已向我拣选的士兵发出命令，
我已号召我的勇士去倾倒我的烈怒，
他们因我的胜利而欢喜。
4听啊，山上人声鼎沸，
像是大军的声音。
那是列邦列国聚集呐喊的声音。
万军之耶和华正在召集军队，
准备作战。
5他们从地极，从天边而来。
那是耶和华及倾倒祂烈怒的兵器，
要来毁灭大地。
6哀号吧！
耶和华的日子近了，
全能者施行毁灭的时候到了。
7人们都必双手发软，胆战心惊，
8惊恐万状，
痛苦不堪如同分娩的妇人。
他们必面面相觑，
羞愧得面如火烧。
9看啊，耶和华的日子来临了，
是充满愤恨和烈怒的残酷之日，
要使大地荒凉，
毁灭地上的罪人。
10天上的星辰不再发光，
太阳刚出来就变黑，
月亮也暗淡无光。
11我必惩罚这罪恶的世界，
惩治邪恶的世人，
制止骄横之人的狂妄，
压下残暴之徒的骄傲。
12我必使人比精炼的金子还稀少，
比俄斐的纯金更罕见。
13我万军之耶和华发烈怒的日子，
必震动诸天，
摇撼大地。
14人们都投奔亲族，
逃回故乡，
好像被追赶的鹿，
又如走散的羊。
15被捉住的人都会被刺死，
被逮住的人都会丧身刀下。
16他们的婴孩将被摔死在他们眼前，
家园遭劫掠，
妻子被蹂躏。
17看啊，我要驱使玛代人来攻击他们。
玛代人不在乎金子，
也不看重银子，
18他们必用弓箭射死青年，
不怜悯婴儿，
也不顾惜孩童。
19巴比伦在列国中辉煌无比，
是迦勒底人的荣耀，
但上帝必毁灭她，
好像毁灭所多玛和蛾摩拉一样。
20那里必人烟绝迹，
世世代代无人居住，
没有阿拉伯人在那里支搭帐篷，
也无人牧放羊群。
21那里躺卧着旷野的走兽，
咆哮的猛兽占满房屋；
鸵鸟住在那里，
野山羊在那里跳跃嬉戏。
22豺狼在城楼上嚎叫，
野狗在宫殿里狂吠。
巴比伦的结局近了，
它的时候不多了！
