Isaiah 34

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.footnote a

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.footnote bfootnote c

8For it is the day of the LORD’s 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.footnote d

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.footnote e

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.footnote ffootnote gfootnote h

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.

Judgment on the Nations

1Come near, O nations, to listen;pay attention, O peoples.Let the earth hear, and all that fills it,the world and all that springs from it. 2The LORD is angry with all the nationsand furious with all their armies.He will devote them to destruction;footnote aHe will give them over to slaughter. 3Their slain will be left unburied,and the stench of their corpses will rise;the mountains will flow with their blood. 4All the stars of heaven will be dissolved.The skies will be rolled up like a scroll,and all their stars will falllike withered leaves from the vine,like foliage from the fig tree.

Judgment on Edom

5When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens,then it will come down upon Edom,upon the people I have devoted to destruction. 6The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood.It drips 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. 7And the wild oxen will fall with them,the young bulls with the strong ones.Their land will be drenched with blood,and their soil will be soaked with fat.

8For the LORD has a day of vengeance,a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.footnote b 9Edom’s streams will be turned to tar,and her soil to sulfur;her land will become a blazing pitch. 10It will not be quenched—day or night.Its smoke will ascend forever.From generation to generation it will lie desolate;no one will ever again pass through it. 11The desert owl and screech owl will possess it,and the great owl and raven will dwell in it.footnote cThe LORD will stretch out over Edoma measuring line of chaosand a plumb line of destruction. 12No nobles will be left to proclaim a king,and all her princes will come to nothing. 13Her towers will be overgrown with thorns,her fortresses with thistles and briers.She will become a haunt for jackals,footnote dan abode for ostriches.footnote e 14The desert creatures will meet with hyenas,and one wild goat will call to another.There the night creaturefootnote fwill settleand find her place of repose. 15There the owl will make her nest;she will lay and hatch her eggsand gather her brood under her shadow.Even there the birds of prey will gather,each with its mate.

16Search and read the scroll of the LORD:Not one of these will go missing,not one will lack her mate,because He has ordered it by His mouth,and He will gather them by His Spirit. 17He has allotted their portion;His hand has distributed it by measure.They will possess it forever;they will dwell in it from generation to generation.