Isaiah 13-18

Sargon II and dignitary. Low-relief from the L wall of the palace of Sargon II at Dur Sharrukin in Assyria (now Khorsabad in Iraq), c. 716–713 BC. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Isaiah 13-18

     13[1-5] The vision of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. Set up a flag on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand that they may go into the gates of the proud ones. I’ve told those who I have set aside to go; yes, I’ve called My soldiers to punish Babylon for My anger, even those who are very proud. The noise of an army is in the mountains, as of a great people; the noise of an uproar of the realms of the nations are gathered together! Yahweh, the God of All Creation is calling the army to the war. They come from a far country, from the farthest part of heaven from Yahweh, and are the weapons of God’s rightful anger, to destroy the whole land.

     [6-10] Scream; for the day of Yahweh is at hand! It’ll come as destruction from the Almighty. So everyone’s hands will be weak, and everyone’s heart will fail them for fear. They’ll be terribly upset. Pain and sorrows will overtake them like a woman giving birth. They’ll look in amazement at each other and their faces will burn with shame. Look, the day of Yahweh is coming! It’ll be cruel, with great punishment and fierce anger; to make the land deserted, and to destroy the sinners out of it. The stars of the sky and their constellations won’t shine. The sun will be darkened as it comes out, and the moon won’t shine either.

     [11-16] I’ll punish the world for their evil, and the sinners for their sin. I’ll cause the proud to stop thinking about themselves, and will take the pride of the terrible ones from them. I’ll make people more rare than the finest gold, a person will be more valuable than the pure gold of Ophir. I’ll make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place in the great anger of Yahweh, the God of All Creation, and in the day of My fierce anger. Like a hunted deer, and like sheep that no one takes care of, they’ll all turn back to their own people, and go back to their own land. Everyone who is found will be killed. Everyone who is captured will fall in war. Their babies will be killed right in front of them. Their houses will be trashed, and their wives raped.

     [17-22] Look, I’ll stir up the Medes against them, who won’t value silver, and as for gold, they won’t enjoy it. They’ll kill the little babies, having no compassion even on the youngest of them. They won’t even spare the children.Babylon, the best of the realms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It’ll never be lived again and will stay deserted forever. The Arabians won’t have their homes there, nor will shepherds let their flocks lie down there. But the wild animals of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of jackals. Ostriches will live there, and wild goats will play there. Wolves will howl in their great houses, and jackals will live in all their pleasant places. The time is near, and the days won’t be long in coming.

     14[1-6] Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and set them in their own land. The foreigner will join them, and they’ll unite with the family of Jacob. The people will take them, and bring them back to their land. The family of Israel will have them in Yahweh’s land for workers. They’ll take those who made them prisoners as prisoners; and they’ll rule over those who abused them. In the day that Yahweh will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard work you were forced to do, you’ll tell this story about the ruler of Babylon, and say, “The abuser has stopped and will never have power over us again!” Yahweh has broken the power and rule of the sinners and the rulers, who hit the people in great anger with many slaps, who ruled the nations in anger, with terrible troubles, which they didn’t restrain.

     [7-10] The whole earth will be at rest, and quiet. They break out in song. Yes, the fir trees will celebrate with you, and with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, “Since the evil ones are humbled, no axe has hit us.” Hell below has moved to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up all the rulers of the nations from off their thrones. They’ll all answer and ask you, “Have you also become as weak as we are? Have you become like us?”

     [11-14] Your self-importance is brought down to Hell, along with the music you made. Maggots fall from you, and worms cover you. How you’ve fallen from Heaven, morning star, creature of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who troubled the nations! You said in your heart, “I’ll go up into heaven and put my throne above the stars of God! I’ll sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north! I’ll go up higher than the clouds! I’ll make myself like the Most High God!”

     [15-20] Yet you’ll be brought down to Hell, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you will stare at you and think, “this is the creature who made the earth to tremble, who shook realms; who made the world like an empty countryside, and overthrew its cities; who didn’t release the prisoners to go home?” All the rulers of the nations sleep in honor, everyone in their own house. But you are thrown away from your tomb like an evil offspring, clothed with the dead, who are killed in war, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body stomped under foot. You won’t join them in burial, because you’ve destroyed your land and killed your people. Evil-doers won’t have any descendants to be named after them.

     [21-27] Their children will be killed because of the sins of their fathers, so that they won’t rise up and take control over the earth, and fill the world with their evil cities. “I’ll rise up against them,” says Yahweh, the God of All Creation,“ and cut off their names forever from Babylon and they’ll have no descendants,” says Yahweh. “I’ll also make it a place for the porcupine, and pools of water. I’ll scry it clean with the broom of destruction,” says Yahweh, the God of All Creation. Yahweh, the God of All Creation has promised, saying, “Surely, as I’ve thought it out, so it’ll happen; and as I’ve planned it, so will it stand. I’ll break the Assyrian in My land, and stomp them under foot on My mountains. Then they’ll have no power over My people, and they won’t have to work for them any more. This is what I’ve planed for the whole earth. This is My power that will rule over all the nations. For what Yahweh, the God of All Creation has planned, who can stop? God’s hand holds the power, and who can stop it?”

     [28-32] This vision was in the year that the ruler Ahaz died (715-716 B.C.) Don’t celebrate, all you of Philistia, because the stick that beat you (Sargon of Assyria?) is broken; for out of that snake’s egg will come another snake (Babylon), whose egg will hatch a fiery flying dragon (Satan?). The firstborn of the poor will eat, and the needy will lie down in safety; and I’ll kill your people with famine, and what’s left of you will be killed as well. Howl, you people at the gate! Cry, people in the city! You are all destroyed,Philistia; see the soldiers are coming out of the north, and there are no weak ones in their ranks. What will they answer the messengers of the nation? That Yahweh has founded Zion(Jerusalem), and in it the troubled of God’s people will find safety.

     15[1-4] The vision of Moab(Jordan). In a night, Ar of Moab(Jordan) is laid waste, and brought to nothing; In a night Kir of Moab (Jordan) is laid waste, and brought to nothing. They’ve gone up to Bayith, and to Dibon, to the high places, to cry.Moab(Jordan) screams over Nebo and over Medeba. They’ve shaved their heads and every beard is cut off. In their streets, they dress themselves in mourning clothes. In their streets and on their housetops, everyone screams, crying terribly. Heshbon cries out with Elealeh. Their voice is heard even to Jahaz. Even the armed soldiers of Moab(Jordan) cry aloud. They shake in fear.

     [5-9] My heart cries out for Moab(Jordan)! The leaders go to Zoar, to Eglath Shelishiyah; they go up by the highway of Luhith with crying; and in the highway of Horonaim, they cry over their destruction. For the waters of Nimrim will be deserted; and the grass has withered away, the new grass burns up, and there is nothing green left. So they’ll carry away everything they own, and what they’ve stored up, over the brook of the willows. For the cry has gone around the borders of Moab(Jordan); its screaming is heard to Eglaim, and to Beer Elim. For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; I’ll bring yet more on Dimon, a lion on those of Moab (Jordan) who escape, and on whoever’s left in the land.

     16[1-5]Moab(Jordan) will send its lambs from Selah as a gift for the ruler of the land to the countryside, to the mountain of the city of Zion(Jerusalem). Their daughters will wait like wandering birds from a scattered nest, at the crossings of the Arnon river. Do what’s right; Counsel them and tell them what to do! Hide them in your shade, like the shadows at noonday! Hide those who are thrown out! Don’t turn against those who are running! Let My outcasts live with you! Be a safe haven for them from the face of their abuser. Those who abuse them will be brought to nothing and their abuse will stop. The abusers will be destroyed out of the land. Then One who will rule in loving kindness will come to power, who will rule in truth, in the family of David, judging, looking for justice, and quick to do what’s good.

     [6-9] We’ve heard of the pride of Moab(Jordan), who is very proud; even of their pride, and great anger, whose bragging means nothing. So Moab will scream for their people. Everyone will cry. They’ll cry for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth, which are all gone. The fields of Heshbon, along with the vine of Sibmah, will wither. The God of all the nations has broken down its best branches, which reached even to Jazer, and wandered into the countryside. Its shoots were spread out all over it. They even crossed over the sea. So I’ll cry with the screaming of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah. I’ll water you with My tears, Heshbon, and Elealeh, because I have judged you and My judgment has fallen on your summer fruits and on your harvest.

     [10-14] You won’t be glad and happy over the fruitful field and the vineyards. There won’t be any singing, or noise of celebration. Nobody will press the wine out in the presses. I’ve made all the happy shouting stop. So My heart sounds like a harp for Moab(Jordan), and My soul cries for Kir Heres. Then when Moab(Jordan) goes up to worship, and tires out in the place of worship, and comes to their place of worship to pray, they won’t succeed. This is the word that Yahweh spoke concerning Moab(Jordan) in time past. But now Yahweh has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as a worker bound by contract would count them, the pride of Moab (Jordan) will be brought into judgment, with all the people; and what’s left will be very small and weak.”

     17[1-7] This is the vision of Damascus. “Look,Damascus is destroyed from being a city, and will be a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer are left. They’ll be for the people, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid. Ephraim (northern Israel) will fall, along with those from Damascus, and what’s left of Syria. They’ll be just like the people of Israel,” says Yahweh, the God of All Creation. “Then all the beauty of Jacob will be gone, and the people will grow thin from hunger. It’ll be like when the harvester gathers the wheat, whose arm reaps the grain. Yes, it’ll be like when one gathers what’s left of the grain in the valley of Rephaim. Yet some will be left there, like the shaking of an olive tree, two or three olives in the top of the branches, four or five in the outermost branches of a fruitful tree,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel. Then, people will look to their Maker, and they’ll have respect for the Holy One of Israel.

     [8-14] They won’t worship their false gods that they’ve made with their own hands; nor will they have respect for what their fingers have made, either the Asherim (fertility goddess, mother of Baal), or their incense altars. Then, their strong cities will be like the deserted places in the woods and on the mountain top, which were deserted by the people of Israel. It’ll be empty. For you’ve forgotten the God, who saves you with grace, and haven’t remembered the Rock of your strength. So you plant good plants, and set out strange seedlings. In the day you plant, you hedge it in. In the morning, you make your seed blossom, but the harvest goes away in the heat of the day of grief and you’re desperately sorry. Ah, the uproar of many peoples, who roar like the roaring seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing waters! The nations will rush like the rushing of much water, but God will turn them back, and they’ll go far off, and will be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before a storm. At evening, they’ll be terrified and before the morning, they’ll be gone. This is the judgment of those who abuse us, and take everything we have.

     18[1-3] Ah, the land of the rustling wings of insects, which is beyond the rivers of Cush (Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt); that sends messengers by the sea, even in ships of papyrus on the waters, saying, “Go quickly, you messengers, to a nation whose people are tall and fierce, to a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that is measured out and shaken down, whose land the rivers divide!” All you people of the world, and you who live on the earth, when a flag is lifted up on the mountains, look! When the trumpet is blown, listen!

     [4-7] Yahweh said to Me, “I’ll be still, and I’ll see where I am, like the shimmering heat in sunshine, like a mist of dew in the heat of harvest.” For before the harvest, when the blossoming is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, I’ll cut off the sprigs with pruning tools, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. They’ll be left together for the hungry birds of the mountains, and for the animals of the earth. The hungry birds will feed on them all summer, and all the animals of the earth will feed on them all winter. In that time, a present will be brought to Yahweh, the God of All Creation, from a land of tall and fierce people, even from a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that is measured out and shaken down, whose land the rivers divide, to the place of the Name of Yahweh, the God of All Creation, Mount Zion (Jerusalem).

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