¶ The burden¹ of Babylon², which Isaiah³ the son of Amoz did see.

Lift ye up⁴ a banner upon the high⁵ mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake⁶ the hand, that they may go into⁷ the gates of the nobles.

I have commanded⁸ my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones⁹ for mine anger, even them that¹⁰ rejoice in my highness.

The noise¹¹ of a multitude in the mountains, like as¹² of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD¹³ of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.

They come from a far¹⁴ country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons¹⁵ of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

¶ Howl ye;¹⁶ for the day¹⁷ of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a¹⁸ destruction from the Almighty.

Therefore shall all¹⁹ hands be faint²⁰, and every man's heart shall melt:

And they shall be afraid: pangs²¹ and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another²²; their faces shall be as flames.

Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel²³ both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall²⁴ destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

¶²⁵For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

And I will punish²⁶ the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause²⁷ the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

²⁸I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

Therefore I will²⁹ shake the heavens, and the earth³⁰ shall remove out of her place, in the wrath³¹ of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

And it shall be as the³² chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall³³ every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.

³⁴Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.

Their children³⁵ also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their³⁶ wives ravished.

Behold, I will³⁷ stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard³⁸ silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.

Their bows also shall dash³⁹ the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye⁴⁰ shall not spare children.

¶ And Babylon⁴¹, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

¶⁴³It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

But⁴⁴ wild beasts⁴⁵ of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls⁴⁶ shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.

And the wild beasts⁴⁷ of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time⁴⁸ is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.