¶ He prophecyeth the destruction of Babilon, the captyuytye, and the commyng agayne of the people.
CAPI. XIII.
[ A] THis is the heuye burthen of Babylon, which Esay the sonne of Amos dyd se. Make some tokens to the hye hylles, call vnto them, holde vp your hande, that the prynces maye go in at the dore. For I wyll sende for my debites and my gyauntes (sayth the Lorde) and in my wrathe I wyll call for suche, as triumphe in my glorye.
With that, me thought I hearde in the mountaynes a noyse, lyke as it had bene of a greate people: and a rushynge, as thoughe the kyngdomes of all naciōs had come together. (And the Lorde of Hostes was the Captayne of the hole armye.) As they had come not on∣ly out of farre coūtrees, but also from the en∣des of the heauens. Euen the Lorde hymselfe with the ministers of his wrath, to destroye the hole lande. Mourne therfore, for the daye of the Lorde is at hande, and commeth as a destroyer frome the Almyghtye. Then shall all handes be letten downe, and all mens har¦tes shall melte awaye, they shall stande in feare, carefulnesse and sorowe shall come vpō them, and they shall haue payne, as a woman [ B] that trauayleth with chylde. One shall euer be abashed of another, and theyr faces shall burne lyke the flamme.
For lo, the daye of the lorde shall come, ter¦rible, full of indignacion and wrath, to make the lande waste, and to roote oute the synne therof. For the starres and planetes of heauē shall not geue theyr syght,* 1.1 the sunne shall be quenched in the rysynge, and the moone shall not shyne with his lyght. And I wyll punysh the wyckednesse of the worlde, and the syn∣nes of the vngodly, sayeth the Lord. The hys stomaches of the proude wyll I take awaye, and wyll laye downe the bostynge of tyraun¦tes. [ C] I wyll make a mā beater then fyne gold, and a man to be more worthe, then a golden wedge of Ophir. Moreouer I wyll shake the heauen, that the earthe shall remoue oute of her place.
Thus shal I go with Babylon, in ye wrath of the Lorde of Hostes in the daye of his fear¦full indignacion. And Babylon shall be as an hunted or chased Do, & as a flocke without a shepeherde. Euery mā shal turne to his owne people, and flee echone in to his owne lande. Who so is ••ounde alone, shalbe shot thorow. And who so gather together, shalbe destroyed with the swearde.* 1.2 Theyr chyldren shalbe slayne before theyr eyes, theyr houses spoyled, and theyr wyues rauyshed. For lo, I shall brynge vp the Medes agaynste them, whiche [ D] shall not regarde syluer, nor be desyrous of golde. Then shall yong mens bowes be knap¦ped asunder. The Medes shall haue no pytie vpon wemen with chylde, & theyr faces shall not spare the chyldren.* 1.3 And Babylon (that glorye of kyngdomes and veweye of the Cal∣dees honour) shalbe destroyed, euen as God destroyed Sodome and Gomorra. It shal ne∣uer be more inhabited, neyther shall there be any more dwellynge there, frome generacion to generacion.
The Arabians shall make no mo tentes there, neyther shall the shepeherdes make theyr foldes there any more, but wyld beastes shall lye there, and the houses shalbe full of greate Oules. Estriches shall dwell there, & Apes shall daunse there: the lytle Outes shal crye in the palaces, one after another, & Dra∣gons shalbe in the pleasaunte parlours. And as for Babylons tyme it is at hande, and her dayes maye not be longe absent.