1Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.2For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.3Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.4And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.5For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.6The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.7And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.8For it is the day of the LORD' vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.9And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.10It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.11But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.12They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.13And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.14The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.15There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.16Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.17And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.
Isaiah 34
English Standard Version
Judgment on the Nations
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)