²⁵ “I am against^(C) you, you destroying mountain,
    you who destroy the whole earth,”^(D)
declares the Lord.
“I will stretch out my hand^(E) against you,
    roll you off the cliffs,
    and make you a burned-out mountain.^(F)
26 No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
    nor any stone for a foundation,
    for you will be desolate^(G) forever,”
declares the Lord.

²⁷ “Lift up a banner^(H) in the land!
    Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
    summon against her these kingdoms:^(I)
    Ararat,^(J) Minni and Ashkenaz.^(K)
Appoint a commander against her;
    send up horses like a swarm of locusts.^(L)
28 Prepare the nations for battle against her—
    the kings of the Medes,^(M)
their governors and all their officials,
    and all the countries they rule.^(N)
29 The land trembles^(O) and writhes,
    for the Lord’s purposes^(P) against Babylon stand—
to lay waste^(Q) the land of Babylon
    so that no one will live there.^(R)
30 Babylon’s warriors^(S) have stopped fighting;
    they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
    they have become weaklings.^(T)
Her dwellings are set on fire;^(U)
    the bars^(V) of her gates are broken.
³¹ One courier^(W) follows another
    and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
    that his entire city is captured,^(X)
32 the river crossings seized,
    the marshes set on fire,^(Y)
    and the soldiers terrified.^(Z)”

“Daughter Babylon^(AA) is like a threshing floor^(AB)
    at the time it is trampled;
    the time to harvest^(AC) her will soon come.^(AD)”

³⁴ “Nebuchadnezzar^(AE) king of Babylon has devoured^(AF) us,^(AG)
    he has thrown us into confusion,
    he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
    and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
    and then has spewed^(AH) us out.
³⁵ May the violence^(AI) done to our flesh^[b] be on Babylon,”
    say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
    says Jerusalem.^(AJ)

“See, I will defend your cause^(AK)
    and avenge^(AL) you;
I will dry up^(AM) her sea
    and make her springs dry.
³⁷ Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
    a haunt^(AN) of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,^(AO)
    a place where no one lives.^(AP)
38 Her people all roar like young lions,^(AQ)
    they growl like lion cubs.
³⁹ But while they are aroused,
    I will set out a feast for them
    and make them drunk,^(AR)
so that they shout with laughter—
    then sleep forever^(AS) and not awake,”
declares the Lord.^(AT)
40 “I will bring them down
    like lambs to the slaughter,
    like rams and goats.^(AU)

⁴¹ “How Sheshak^[c](AV) will be captured,^(AW)
    the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolate^(AX) Babylon will be
    among the nations!
⁴² The sea will rise over Babylon;
    its roaring waves^(AY) will cover her.
⁴³ Her towns will be desolate,
    a dry and desert^(AZ) land,
a land where no one lives,
    through which no one travels.^(BA)
44 I will punish Bel^(BB) in Babylon
    and make him spew out^(BC) what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
    And the wall^(BD) of Babylon will fall.

⁴⁵ “Come out^(BE) of her, my people!
    Run^(BF) for your lives!
    Run from the fierce anger^(BG) of the Lord.
⁴⁶ Do not lose heart^(BH) or be afraid^(BI)
    when rumors^(BJ) are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
    rumors of violence in the land
    and of ruler against ruler.
⁴⁷ For the time will surely come
    when I will punish the idols^(BK) of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced^(BL)
    and her slain will all lie fallen within her.^(BM)
48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
    will shout^(BN) for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north^(BO)
    destroyers^(BP) will attack her,”
declares the Lord.

⁴⁹ “Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain,
    just as the slain in all the earth
    have fallen because of Babylon.^(BQ)
50 You who have escaped the sword,
    leave^(BR) and do not linger!
Remember^(BS) the Lord in a distant land,^(BT)
    and call to mind Jerusalem.”

⁵¹ “We are disgraced,^(BU)
    for we have been insulted
    and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
    the holy places of the Lord’s house.”^(BV)

⁵² “But days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will punish her idols,^(BW)
and throughout her land
    the wounded will groan.^(BX)
53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens^(BY)
    and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
    I will send destroyers^(BZ) against her,”
declares the Lord.

⁵⁴ “The sound of a cry^(CA) comes from Babylon,
    the sound of great destruction^(CB)
    from the land of the Babylonians.^[d]
55 The Lord will destroy Babylon;
    he will silence^(CC) her noisy din.
Waves^(CD) of enemies will rage like great waters;
    the roar of their voices will resound.
⁵⁶ A destroyer^(CE) will come against Babylon;
    her warriors will be captured,
    and their bows will be broken.^(CF)
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
    he will repay^(CG) in full.
⁵⁷ I will make her officials^(CH) and wise^(CI) men drunk,^(CJ)
    her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep^(CK) forever and not awake,”
    declares the King,^(CL) whose name is the Lord Almighty.

“Babylon’s thick wall^(CM) will be leveled
    and her high gates^(CN) set on fire;
the peoples^(CO) exhaust^(CP) themselves for nothing,
    the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”^(CQ)