Isaiah 13: The Burden of Babylon
Isaiah announces the day of the LORD against proud Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, which God will overthrow like Sodom and leave forever desolate.
Isaiah 13 (WEB)
1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:
2 Set up a banner on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my mighty men for my anger, even my proudly exulting ones.
4 The noise of a multitude is in the mountains, as of a great people; the noise of an uproar of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Yahweh of Armies is mustering the army for the battle.
5 They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Yahweh, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Wail; for the day of Yahweh is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and everyone’s heart will melt.
8 They will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame.
9 Behold, the day of Yahweh comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy its sinners out of it.
10 For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.
11 I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, even a person than the pure gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place in the wrath of Yahweh of Armies, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14 It will happen that like a hunted gazelle, and like sheep that no one gathers, they will each turn to their own people, and will each flee to their own land.
15 Everyone who is found will be thrust through. Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their infants also will be dashed in pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be ransacked, and their wives raped.
17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it.
18 Their bows will dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eyes will not spare children.
19 Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
21 But wild animals of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of jackals. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will frolic there.
22 Wolves will cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.
Isaiah 13 (KJV)
1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt:
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For 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.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.
15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It 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.
21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
Isaiah 13 (ASV)
1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2 Set ye up an ensign upon the bare mountain, lift up the voice unto them, wave the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my consecrated ones, yea, I have called my mighty men for mine anger, even my proudly exulting ones.
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as of a great people! the noise of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Jehovah of hosts is mustering the host for the battle.
5 They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Jehovah, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Wail ye; for the day of Jehovah is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
7 Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt:
8 and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall look in amazement one at another; their faces shall be faces of flame.
9 Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity: and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens to tremble, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place, in the wrath of Jehovah of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14 And it shall come to pass, that as the chased roe, and as sheep that no man gathereth, they shall turn every man to his own people, and shall flee every man to his own land.
15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is taken shall fall by the sword.
16 Their infants also shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be rifled, and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not regard silver, and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
18 Andtheirbows shall dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there.
21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there.
22 And wolves shall cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
Summary
Isaiah sees the burden of Babylon, the first of a series of oracles against the nations. God summons an army, raising a banner on a bare mountain and calling his consecrated warriors to execute his anger. The noise of a great multitude gathers in the mountains as the LORD of Armies musters a host from distant lands to destroy the whole land. The prophet announces that the day of the LORD is at hand, coming as destruction from the Almighty: hands grow feeble, every heart melts, people writhe in terror like a woman in labor, and faces are aflame. It is a cruel day of wrath and fierce anger to make the land a desolation and destroy its sinners, when even the stars, sun, and moon withhold their light. God declares he will punish the world for its evil and humble the arrogance of the proud, making people rarer than fine gold. He will stir up the Medes, who care nothing for silver or gold, to fall upon Babylon without pity. Babylon, the glory of kingdoms and the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah, never again inhabited, home only to desert creatures and jackals, its time near and its days not prolonged.
Key Figures
- Babylon — The glory of kingdoms and the pride of the Chaldeans, symbol of arrogant human power, marked for total overthrow like Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Yahweh of Armies — The sovereign Lord who musters armies, brings the day of his wrath, and punishes the proud of the whole world for their evil.
- The Medes — The instrument God stirs up against Babylon, who care nothing for plunder and show no pity as they execute judgment.
Key Verse
Isaiah 13:11 (WEB)
I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will humble the haughtiness of the terrible.
Lessons Learned
- God is sovereign over the rise and fall of even the mightiest empires (Isaiah 13:1-5).
- The day of the LORD is a real day of reckoning against the world's evil (Isaiah 13:6-9).
- God especially opposes and humbles human pride and arrogance (Isaiah 13:11).
- No earthly glory is permanent; what seems unshakable can be brought to nothing (Isaiah 13:19-22).
- God commands the armies of history. “Yahweh of Armies is mustering the army for the battle” (Isaiah 13:4, WEB). Nations rise and fall at his command, not by chance.
- The day of the LORD is certain. “The day of Yahweh is at hand!” (Isaiah 13:6, WEB). A day of reckoning is coming for all the earth's evil, and it will not be delayed forever.
- God brings down human arrogance. “I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease” (Isaiah 13:11, WEB). The proud may seem invincible, but God humbles every haughty power.
- Worldly glory is fleeting. “Babylon, the glory of kingdoms… will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah” (Isaiah 13:19, WEB). The grandest empire becomes a ruin for jackals.
- What does it mean that God musters and commands the armies that come against Babylon (13:2-5)?
- How is the day of the LORD described in verses 6-10, and what is its purpose?
- Why does God single out pride and arrogance for judgment (13:11)?
- What is the significance of Babylon's complete and lasting desolation (13:19-22)?
- How does knowing that God humbles proud empires and judges evil bring both warning and comfort to you?
- God calls his “consecrated ones” and “mighty men” to carry out his anger, mustering the army himself (13:3-4). It shows that even pagan armies and the fall of empires are under God's sovereign direction. History is not random; the Lord of Armies governs the nations.
- The day of the LORD is portrayed as a day of terror, wrath, and cosmic upheaval, with hearts melting and even the heavenly lights darkened (13:6-10). Its purpose is to punish the world for its evil and destroy unrepentant sinners. It is a sobering picture of God's righteous judgment against entrenched wickedness.
- Pride is the root sin that exalts itself against God and tramples others; Babylon embodied it as the glory of kingdoms (13:11, 19). God opposes the proud because arrogance refuses to acknowledge him as Lord. Help the group see that humbling the proud is part of God setting the world right.
- Babylon, seemingly eternal, becomes a permanent ruin fit only for desert creatures and jackals (13:19-22). The completeness of its fall proves that no human glory is secure apart from God. It warns every age against trusting in power and wealth that God can sweep away.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to feel both the warning—that God judges pride and evil—and the comfort—that no oppressive power escapes his justice. Encourage them to walk humbly before God and to trust that he will one day set every wrong right.