^2 (D)Lift up a flag on the ^[a](E)bare hill,
Raise your voice to them,
^(F)Wave the hand that they may ^(G)enter the doors of the nobles.
³ I have commanded My consecrated ones,
I have also called for My ^(H)warriors
Who boast in My eminence,
To execute My anger.
⁴ A ^(I)sound of a roar on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of an uproar of kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
The Lord of armies is mustering the army for battle.
⁵ They are coming from a distant country,
From the ^[b](J)farthest horizons,
The Lord and the weapons of His ^(K)indignation,
To ^(L)destroy the whole land.

¹⁷ Behold, I am going to ^(A)stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not value silver or ^(B)take pleasure in gold.
¹⁸ And their bows will ^[a]mow down the ^(C)young men,
They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb,
Nor will their ^(D)eye pity ^[b]children.
¹⁹ And ^(E)Babylon, the ^(F)beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God ^(G)overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
²⁰ It will ^(H)never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;
Nor will the ^(I)Arab pitch his tent there,
Nor will shepherds allow their flocks to lie down there.
²¹ But ^(J)desert creatures will lie down there,
And their houses will be full of ^[c]owls;
Ostriches also will live there, and ^[d]shaggy goats will frolic there.
^22 [e]Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers
And jackals in their luxurious ^(K)palaces.
Her fateful time also ^[f]will soon come,
And her days will not be prolonged.