²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(A)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(B)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(C)

³⁹ “So desert creatures^(A) and hyenas will live there,
    and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
    or lived in from generation to generation.^(B)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah^(C)
    along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
    no people will dwell in it.^(D)

¹¹ The desert owl^[a](A) and screech owl^[b] will possess it;
    the great owl^[c] and the raven^(B) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom^(C)
    the measuring line of chaos^(D)
    and the plumb line^(E) of desolation.
¹² Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
    all her princes^(F) will vanish^(G) away.
¹³ Thorns^(H) will overrun her citadels,
    nettles and brambles her strongholds.^(I)
She will become a haunt for jackals,^(J)
    a home for owls.^(K)
14 Desert creatures^(L) will meet with hyenas,^(M)
    and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures^(N) will also lie down
    and find for themselves places of rest.
¹⁵ The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
    she will hatch them, and care for her young
    under the shadow of her wings;^(O)
there also the falcons^(P) will gather,
    each with its mate.

²¹ But desert creatures^(A) will lie there,
    jackals^(B) will fill her houses;
there the owls^(C) will dwell,
    and there the wild goats^(D) will leap about.
²² Hyenas^(E) will inhabit her strongholds,^(F)
    jackals^(G) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,^(H)
    and her days will not be prolonged.^(I)

“With such violence
    the great city^(C) of Babylon will be thrown down,
    never to be found again.
²² The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
    will never be heard in you again.^(D)
No worker of any trade
    will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
    will never be heard in you again.^(E)
23 The light of a lamp
    will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
    will never be heard in you again.^(F)
Your merchants were the world’s important people.^(G)
    By your magic spell^(H) all the nations were led astray.

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’^[a](A)
    She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,^(B)
    a haunt for every unclean bird,
    a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.^(C)