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27 Raise a banner in the land;
    blow a horn among the nations;
prepare for holy war against her;
    summon the nations against her,
the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz;
    summon against her an official;
    bring up horses[a] like bristling creeping locusts.[b]
28 Prepare the nations for holy war against her,
    the kings of the Medes,
with their governors and all their officials,
    and every land of their dominion.
29 And the land quakes and writhes,
    for the plans of Yahweh against Babylon stand,
to make the land of Babylon as a horror,
    without[c] inhabitant.
30 The warriors of Babylon have ceased to fight,
    they remain in the strongholds,
their power has dried up,
    they have become as women.
Her dwelling places are set on fire,
    her bars are broken.
31 one runner runs to meet another runner,
    and one messenger to meet another messenger,
to tell the king of Babylon that his city has been captured,
    from end to end.[d]
32 And the fords have been seized,
    and the reed marshes have been burned with fire,
    and the soldiers[e] are horrified.

33 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel,

“The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor
    at the time it is trodden down,
just a little while[f]
    and the time of the harvest will come for her.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 51:27 Hebrew “horse”
  2. Jeremiah 51:27 Hebrew “locust”
  3. Jeremiah 51:29 Literally “from there is not”
  4. Jeremiah 51:31 Literally “from end”
  5. Jeremiah 51:32 Literally “the men of the war”
  6. Jeremiah 51:33 Literally “still a little”

27 Set up a flag in the land;
    sound the alarm among the nations!
Prepare them for war against her;
    summon kingdoms against her—
        Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.
Appoint a commander against her;
    call up the troops,
        like swarms of locusts!
28 Prepare the nations for war against her,
    the kings of Media,
    its governors, all its officials,
    and all the countries they rule.

29 The earth quakes and trembles
    because the Lord’s plans against Babylon are fulfilled:
        to reduce Babylon to a wasteland,
        with no one left in it.
30 Babylon’s warriors quit fighting;
    they hide in their fortifications.
Their strength is worn out;
    their courage is gone!
Babylon’s houses are burned down,
    and its gates are smashed.
31 Courier joins courier,
    messenger joins messenger
        to relate the news to the king of Babylon
        that his entire city has fallen.
32 The river crossings are blocked;
    the marshes are on fire;
    the soldiers are terrified.

33 The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims:

Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor
    ready to be trampled down.
        In a little while her harvest will come.

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