The Assyrians Conquer Babylon

This is the demise of Babylon that Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw: “To the Assyrian king the Lord says, ‘Lift your banner against the great nation. Sound the advance and give the signal to go in to their capital. I, the Lord, have already commanded my sanctified ones to leave. I have called out my mighty ones from among the wicked because my anger is not upon those who rejoice in my highness.’

“Then the Lord of Hosts will stir up many nations to gather in battle, and their noise will be tremendous. They will come from a far country, from beyond the horizon, as the Lord’s weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole land. Cry out, for the day of the Lord is very near, that comes with destruction from the Almighty. Because of this invasion, all will be faint and every man’s heart will pound with fear. They will be filled with sorrow, amazed at the scope of the destruction, and their faces will burn from the heat of the blasts.

“Watch for this day of the Lord, which will be cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, for He will destroy the sinners from the face of it. Because of the darkness over the land, the stars, the moon, and even the sun will not be visible.

“The Lord says, ‘I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sins, and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to end. So many will be destroyed, that a man will be as scarce as fine gold. In my fierce anger, I, the Lord of Hosts, will shake the heavens, and the earth will be moved out of her orbit. Then, like a hunted deer or wandering lamb, every man will return to his own people, running back to his homeland. All the proud and the wicked will die by the sword. Their children will be dashed to pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be spoiled and their wives ravished.

“ ‘I will stir up their enemies against them, who will not come for riches, but to kill. They will not spare young men, pregnant women, nor children.

“ ‘Then Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew it. It will never be lived in again from generation to generation. Nomads will not camp there nor shepherds herd their flocks there. Only wild beasts of the desert will live there. The houses of Babylon will be full of owls, and idle, demonic creatures. The wild beasts of the islands will howl in their desolate houses and reptiles in their pleasant palaces. This time soon comes, for Babylon’s days will not be extended.’ ”