1Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it. (Ps 49:1; Joe 3:1)2For the Lord is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction,[1] has given them over for slaughter. (Jos 6:21)3Their slain shall be cast out, and the stench of their corpses shall rise; the mountains shall flow with their blood. (Eze 39:4; Joe 2:20)4All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree. (Ps 102:26; Joe 2:31; Joe 3:15; Mt 24:29; Ac 2:20; Heb 1:11; Re 6:13)5For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. (Isa 34:2; Isa 63:1; Jer 49:7; Ob 1:1; Mal 1:2)6The Lord has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. (Isa 63:1)7Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood, and their soil shall be gorged with fat. (Nu 23:22; Ps 22:12; Isa 47:1)8For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. (Ps 137:7; Isa 61:2; Isa 63:4)9And the streams of Edom[2] shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch. (De 29:23)10Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. (Isa 66:24; Mal 1:4; Re 14:11; Re 18:18; Re 19:3)11But the hawk and the porcupine[3] shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion[4] over it, and the plumb line of emptiness. (2Ki 21:13; Isa 14:23; Isa 24:10; La 2:8; Am 7:7; Zep 2:14; Re 18:2)12Its nobles—there is no one there to call it a kingdom, and all its princes shall be nothing.13Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches.[5] (Ps 44:19; Isa 13:22; Isa 32:13; Mal 1:3)14And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night bird[6] settles and finds for herself a resting place. (Isa 13:21)15There the owl nests and lays and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow; indeed, there the hawks are gathered, each one with her mate. (De 14:13)16Seek and read from the book of the Lord: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate. For the mouth of the Lord has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them.17He has cast the lot for them; his hand has portioned it out to them with the line; they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it. (Ps 78:55)
Isaiah 34
New International Version
Judgment against the nations
1Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it!2The Lord is angry with all nations; his wrath is on all their armies. He will totally destroy[1] them, he will give them over to slaughter.3Their slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will stink; the mountains will be soaked with their blood.4All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shrivelled figs from the fig-tree.5My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; see, it descends in judgment on Edom, the people I have totally destroyed.6The sword of the Lord is bathed in blood, it is covered with fat – the blood of lambs and goats, fat from the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.7And the wild oxen will fall with them, the bull calves and the great bulls. Their land will be drenched with blood, and the dust will be soaked with fat.8For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause.9Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulphur; her land will become blazing pitch!10It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise for ever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no-one will ever pass through it again.11The desert owl[2] and screech owl[3] will possess it; the great owl[4] and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb-line of desolation.12Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom, all her princes will vanish away.13Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls.14Desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also lie down and find for themselves places of rest.15The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather, each with its mate.16Look in the scroll of the Lord and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together.17He allots their portions; his hand distributes them by measure. They will possess it for ever and dwell there from generation to generation.