⁵ They come from faraway lands,
    from the ends of the heavens^(A)—
the Lord and the weapons^(B) of his wrath^(C)—
    to destroy^(D) the whole country.

²⁰ “You are my war club,^(A)
    my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter^(B) nations,^(C)
    with you I destroy kingdoms,
²¹ with you I shatter horse and rider,^(D)
    with you I shatter chariot^(E) and driver,
²² with you I shatter man and woman,
    with you I shatter old man and youth,
    with you I shatter young man and young woman,^(F)
23 with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
    with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
    with you I shatter governors and officials.^(G)

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

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

“Daughter Babylon^(AH) is like a threshing floor^(AI)
    at the time it is trampled;
    the time to harvest^(AJ) her will soon come.^(AK)”

³⁴ “Nebuchadnezzar^(AL) king of Babylon has devoured^(AM) us,^(AN)
    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^(AO) us out.
³⁵ May the violence^(AP) 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.^(AQ)

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

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

⁴⁵ “Come out^(BL) of her, my people!
    Run^(BM) for your lives!
    Run from the fierce anger^(BN) of the Lord.
⁴⁶ Do not lose heart^(BO) or be afraid^(BP)
    when rumors^(BQ) are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
    rumors of violence in the land
    and of ruler against ruler.

⁹ For I will stir^(A) up and bring against Babylon
    an alliance of great nations^(B) from the land of the north.^(C)
They will take up their positions against her,
    and from the north she will be captured.^(D)
Their arrows^(E) will be like skilled warriors
    who do not return empty-handed.

¹¹ “Sharpen the arrows,^(A)
    take up the shields!^(B)
The Lord has stirred up the kings^(C) of the Medes,^(D)
    because his purpose^(E) is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,^(F)
    vengeance for his temple.^(G)

³ A nation from the north^(A) will attack her
    and lay waste her land.
No one will live^(B) in it;
    both people and animals^(C) will flee away.

¹⁷ See, I will stir up^(A) against them the Medes,^(B)
    who do not care for silver
    and have no delight in gold.^(C)