² Raise a banner^(E) on a bare hilltop,
    shout to them;
beckon to them
    to enter the gates^(F) of the nobles.
³ I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
    I have summoned my warriors^(G) to carry out my wrath^(H)—
    those who rejoice^(I) in my triumph.

⁴ Listen, a noise on the mountains,
    like that of a great multitude!^(J)
Listen, an uproar^(K) among the kingdoms,
    like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty^(L) is mustering^(M)
    an army for war.
⁵ They come from faraway lands,
    from the ends of the heavens^(N)—
the Lord and the weapons^(O) of his wrath^(P)—
    to destroy^(Q) the whole country.

⁶ Wail,^(R) for the day^(S) of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction^(T) from the Almighty.^[a](U)
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,^(V)
    every heart will melt with fear.^(W)
8 Terror^(X) will seize them,
    pain and anguish will grip^(Y) them;
    they will writhe like a woman in labor.^(Z)
They will look aghast at each other,
    their faces aflame.^(AA)

⁹ See, the day^(AB) of the Lord is coming
    —a cruel^(AC) day, with wrath^(AD) and fierce anger^(AE)—
to make the land desolate
    and destroy the sinners within it.
¹⁰ The stars of heaven and their constellations
    will not show their light.^(AF)
The rising sun^(AG) will be darkened^(AH)
    and the moon will not give its light.^(AI)
11 I will punish^(AJ) the world for its evil,
    the wicked^(AK) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty^(AL)
    and will humble^(AM) the pride of the ruthless.^(AN)
12 I will make people^(AO) scarcer than pure gold,
    more rare than the gold of Ophir.^(AP)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;^(AQ)
    and the earth will shake^(AR) from its place
at the wrath^(AS) of the Lord Almighty,
    in the day of his burning anger.^(AT)

¹⁴ Like a hunted^(AU) gazelle,
    like sheep without a shepherd,^(AV)
they will all return to their own people,
    they will flee^(AW) to their native land.^(AX)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
    all who are caught will fall^(AY) by the sword.^(AZ)
16 Their infants^(BA) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
    their houses will be looted and their wives violated.^(BB)

¹⁷ See, I will stir up^(BC) against them the Medes,^(BD)
    who do not care for silver
    and have no delight in gold.^(BE)
18 Their bows^(BF) will strike down the young men;^(BG)
    they will have no mercy^(BH) on infants,
    nor will they look with compassion on children.^(BI)
19 Babylon,^(BJ) the jewel of kingdoms,^(BK)
    the pride and glory^(BL) of the Babylonians,^[b]
will be overthrown^(BM) by God
    like Sodom and Gomorrah.^(BN)
20 She will never be inhabited^(BO)
    or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads^(BP) will pitch their tents,
    there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
²¹ But desert creatures^(BQ) will lie there,
    jackals^(BR) will fill her houses;
there the owls^(BS) will dwell,
    and there the wild goats^(BT) will leap about.
²² Hyenas^(BU) will inhabit her strongholds,^(BV)
    jackals^(BW) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,^(BX)
    and her days will not be prolonged.^(BY)

14 The Lord will have compassion^(BZ) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(CA) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(CB)
Foreigners^(CC) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
² Nations will take them
    and bring^(CD) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(CE)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(CF) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(CG)

How the oppressor^(CM) has come to an end!
    How his fury^[c] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(CN) of the wicked,^(CO)
    the scepter^(CP) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(CQ)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(CR) nations
    with relentless aggression.^(CS)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(CT)
    they break into singing.^(CU)
8 Even the junipers^(CV) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”^(CW)

⁹ The realm of the dead^(CX) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed^(CY) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders^(CZ) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.^(DA)
10 They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”^(DB)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^(DC)
    along with the noise of your harps;^(DD)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms^(DE) cover you.^(DF)

¹² How you have fallen^(DG) from heaven,
    morning star,^(DH) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!^(DI)
13 You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend^(DJ) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(DK)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(DL)
    on the utmost heights^(DM) of Mount Zaphon.^[d]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(DN)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”^(DO)
15 But you are brought down^(DP) to the realm of the dead,^(DQ)
    to the depths^(DR) of the pit.^(DS)

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:^(DT)
“Is this the man who shook^(DU) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,^(DV)
    who overthrew^(DW) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”^(DX)

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.^(DY)
19 But you are cast out^(DZ) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,^(EA)
    with those pierced by the sword,^(EB)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.^(EC)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
²⁰     you will not join them in burial,^(ED)
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring^(EE) of the wicked^(EF)
    never be mentioned^(EG) again.
²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(EH)
    for the sins of their ancestors;^(EI)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up^(EJ) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(EK) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,^(EL)”
declares the Lord.
²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(EM)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(EN)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(EO)

“See how the waters are rising in the north;^(C)
    they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
    the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
    all who dwell in the land will wail^(D)
3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,
    at the noise of enemy chariots^(E)
    and the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not turn to help their children;
    their hands will hang limp.^(F)
4 For the day has come
    to destroy all the Philistines
and to remove all survivors
    who could help Tyre^(G) and Sidon.^(H)
The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines,^(I)
    the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.^[a](J)
5 Gaza will shave^(K) her head in mourning;
    Ashkelon^(L) will be silenced.
You remnant on the plain,
    how long will you cut^(M) yourselves?

⁶ “‘Alas, sword^(N) of the Lord,
    how long till you rest?
Return to your sheath;
    cease and be still.’^(O)
7 But how can it rest
    when the Lord has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
    to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”^(P)