¹² your mother will be greatly ashamed;
    she who gave you birth will be disgraced.^(A)
She will be the least of the nations—
    a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.^(B)

⁴³ Her towns will be desolate,
    a dry and desert^(A) land,
a land where no one lives,
    through which no one travels.^(B)

“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.

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

³⁵ “A sword^(A) against the Babylonians!”^(B)
    declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
    and against her officials and wise^(C) men!
³⁶ A sword against her false prophets!
    They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!^(D)
    They will be filled with terror.^(E)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots^(F)
    and all the foreigners in her ranks!
    They will become weaklings.^(G)
A sword against her treasures!^(H)
    They will be plundered.
³⁸ A drought on^[a] her waters!^(I)
    They will dry^(J) up.
For it is a land of idols,^(K)
    idols that will go mad with terror.

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

² But the days are coming,”
    declares the Lord,
“when I will sound the battle cry^(A)
    against Rabbah^(B) of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,^(C)
    and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
    those who drove her out,^(D)”
says the Lord.