New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 The oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw.
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The word of the Lord about Babylon which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw.
2 On a bare hill raise a signal, cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.
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Put up a flag on a clear mountain-top, make a loud outcry to them, give directions with the hand, so that they may go into the doors of the great ones.
3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, have summoned my warriors, my proudly exulting ones, to execute my anger.
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I have given orders to my holy ones, I have sent out my men of war, those of mine who take pride in their power, to give effect to my wrath.
4 Listen, a tumult on the mountains as of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The Lord of hosts is mustering an army for battle.
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The noise of great numbers in the mountains, like the noise of a strong people! The noise of the kingdoms of the nations meeting together! The Lord of armies is numbering his forces for war.
5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the Lord and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole earth.
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They come from a far country, from the farthest part of heaven, even the Lord and the instruments of his wrath, with destruction for all the land.
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty!
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Send out a cry of grief; for the day of the Lord is near; it comes as destruction from the Most High.
7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt,
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For this cause all hands will be feeble, and every heart of man be turned to water;
8 and they will be dismayed. Pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.
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Their hearts will be full of fear; pains and sorrows will overcome them; they will be in pain like a woman in childbirth; they will be shocked at one another; their faces will be like flames.
9 See, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the earth a desolation, and to destroy its sinners from it.
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See, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with wrath and burning passion: to make the land a waste, driving the sinners in it to destruction.
10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.
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For the stars of heaven and its bright armies will not give their light: the sun will be made dark in his journey through the heaven, and the moon will keep back her light.
11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant, and lay low the insolence of tyrants.
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And I will send punishment on the world for its evil, and on the sinners for their wrongdoing; and I will put an end to all pride, and will make low the power of the cruel.
12 I will make mortals more rare than fine gold, and humans than the gold of Ophir.
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I will make men so small in number, that a man will be harder to get than gold, even the best gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.
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For this cause the heavens will be shaking, and the earth will be moved out of its place, in the wrath of the Lord of armies, and in the day of his burning passion.
14 Like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with no one to gather them, all will turn to their own people, and all will flee to their own lands.
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And it will be that, like a roe in flight, and like wandering sheep, they will go every man to his people and to his land.
15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.
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Everyone who is overtaken will have a spear put through him, and everyone who goes in flight will be put to the sword.
16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered, and their wives ravished.
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Their young children will be broken up before their eyes; their goods will be taken away, and their wives made the property of others.
17 See, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.
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See, I am driving the Medes against them, who put no value on silver and have no pleasure in gold.
18 Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.
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In their hands are bows and spears; they are cruel, violently putting the young men to death, and crushing the young women; they have no pity for children, and no mercy for the fruit of the body.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
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And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beautiful town which is the pride of the Chaldaeans, will be like God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; Arabs will not pitch their tents there, shepherds will not make their flocks lie down there.
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People will never be living in it again, and it will have no more men from generation to generation: the Arab will not put up his tent there; and those who keep sheep will not make it a resting-place for their flocks.
21 But wild animals will lie down there, and its houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will live, and there goat-demons will dance.
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But the beasts of the waste land will have their holes there; and the houses will be full of crying jackals, and ostriches will have their place there, and evil spirits will be dancing there.
22 Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand, and its days will not be prolonged.
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And wolves will be answering one another in their towers, and jackals in their houses of pleasure: her time is near, and her days of power will quickly be ended.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.