Isaiah 13:2-5 New English Translation

²^[a] On a bare hill raise a signal flag;
shout to them,
wave your hand,
so they might enter the gates of the princes!
³I have given orders to my chosen soldiers;^[b]
I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger^[c]—
my boasting, arrogant ones.^[d]
⁴^[e] There is a loud noise on the mountains—
it sounds like a large army!^[f]
There is great commotion among the kingdoms^[g]—
nations are being assembled!
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is mustering
forces for battle.
⁵They come from a distant land,
from the horizon.^[h]
It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment,^[i]
coming to destroy the whole earth.^[j]

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Footnotes

Isaiah 13:2 sn The Lord is speaking here (see v. 3).
Isaiah 13:3 tn Heb “my consecrated ones,” i.e., those who have been set apart by God for the special task of carrying out his judgment.
Isaiah 13:3 tn Heb “my warriors with respect to my anger.”
Isaiah 13:3 tn Heb “the boasting ones of my pride”; cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV “my proudly exulting ones.”
Isaiah 13:4 sn In vv. 4-10 the prophet appears to be speaking, since the Lord is referred to in the third person. However, since the Lord refers to himself in the third person later in this chapter (see v. 13), it is possible that he speaks throughout the chapter.
Isaiah 13:4 tn Heb “a sound, a roar, [is] on the mountains, like many people.”
Isaiah 13:4 tn Heb “a sound, tumult of kingdoms.”
Isaiah 13:5 tn Heb “from the end of the sky.”
Isaiah 13:5 tn Or “anger”; cf. KJV, ASV “the weapons of his indignation.”
Isaiah 13:5 tn Or perhaps, “land” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT). Even though the heading and subsequent context (see v. 17) indicate Babylon’s judgment is in view, the chapter has a cosmic flavor suggesting that the coming judgment is universal in scope. Perhaps Babylon’s downfall occurs in conjunction with a wider judgment, or the cosmic style is poetic hyperbole used to emphasize the magnitude and importance of the coming event.

New English Translation (NET)