Isaiah 34:11-15

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The desert owl^(a) and the screech owl^(b) will possess it,
and the great owl and the raven will dwell there.^(A)
The Lord will stretch out a measuring line
and a plumb line over her
for her destruction and chaos.^(B)

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No nobles will be left to proclaim a king,
and all her princes will come to nothing.

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Her palaces will be overgrown with thorns;
her fortified cities, with thistles and briers.^(C)
She will become a dwelling for jackals,
an abode^(c) for ostriches.^(D)

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The desert creatures will meet hyenas,
and one wild goat will call to another.
Indeed, the screech owl will stay there
and will find a resting place for herself.

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The sand partridge^(d) will make her nest there;
she will lay and hatch her eggs
and will gather her brood under her shadow.
Indeed, the birds of prey will gather there,
each with its mate.^(E)

Footnotes:

a. Isaiah 34:11: Or The pelican

b. Isaiah 34:11: Or the hedgehog

c. Isaiah 34:13: DSS, LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads jackals, grass

d. Isaiah 34:15: Or The arrow snake, or The owl

Cross references:

A. Isaiah 34:11: Isaiah 13:21-22; Isaiah 14:23

B. Isaiah 34:11: Isaiah 24:10

C. Isaiah 34:13: Isaiah 32:13

D. Isaiah 34:13: Psalm 44:19; Isaiah 13:22; Jeremiah 9:11; Jeremiah 10:22; Malachi 1:3

E. Isaiah 34:15: Deuteronomy 14:13