⁸ Like a bear robbed of her cubs,^(A)
    I will attack them and rip them open;
like a lion^(B) I will devour them—
    a wild animal will tear them apart.^(C)

²¹ “Attack the land of Merathaim
    and those who live in Pekod.^(A)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy^[a] them,”
declares the Lord.
    “Do everything I have commanded you.
²² The noise^(B) of battle is in the land,
    the noise of great destruction!
²³ How broken and shattered
    is the hammer^(C) of the whole earth!^(D)
How desolate^(E) is Babylon
    among the nations!
²⁴ I set a trap^(F) for you, Babylon,
    and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured^(G)
    because you opposed^(H) the Lord.
²⁵ The Lord has opened his arsenal
    and brought out the weapons^(I) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
    in the land of the Babylonians.^(J)
26 Come against her from afar.^(K)
    Break open her granaries;
    pile her up like heaps of grain.^(L)
Completely destroy^(M) her
    and leave her no remnant.
²⁷ Kill all her young bulls;^(N)
    let them go down to the slaughter!^(O)
Woe to them! For their day^(P) has come,
    the time^(Q) for them to be punished.
²⁸ Listen to the fugitives^(R) and refugees from Babylon
    declaring in Zion^(S)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,^(T)
    vengeance for his temple.^(U)

²⁹ “Summon archers against Babylon,
    all those who draw the bow.^(V)
Encamp all around her;
    let no one escape.^(W)
Repay^(X) her for her deeds;^(Y)
    do to her as she has done.
For she has defied^(Z) the Lord,
    the Holy One^(AA) of Israel.
³⁰ Therefore, her young men^(AB) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
³¹ “See, I am against^(AC) you, you arrogant one,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day^(AD) has come,
    the time for you to be punished.
³² The arrogant^(AE) one will stumble and fall^(AF)
    and no one will help her up;^(AG)
I will kindle a fire^(AH) in her towns
    that will consume all who are around her.”