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A Message to Babylon

50 This is the message the Lord spoke to Babylon and the ·Babylonian people [L Chaldeans] through Jeremiah the prophet.

“·Announce [Proclaim] this to the nations [L and let them hear].
    Lift up a banner [C a battle standard] and ·tell them [make them hear].
    ·Speak the whole message [L Do not conceal anything] and say:
‘Babylon will be captured.
    The god Bel [C another name for Marduk] will be ·put to shame [humiliated],
    and the god Marduk [C the chief god of the Babylonians] will be ·afraid [terrified].
·Babylon’s gods [L Its images] will be ·put to shame [humiliated],
    and her idols will be ·afraid [terrified]!’
A nation from the north will attack Babylon [C Persia]
    and make it like an ·empty desert [desolation].
No one will live there;
    both people and animals will ·run away [flee].”

The Lord says, “At that time [L and in those days]
    the ·people [L sons] of Israel and Judah will come together.
    They will cry and ·look for [L seek] the Lord their God.
Those people will ask ·how to go [L the way/path] to ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]
    and will start in that direction.
They will come and join themselves to the Lord.
    They will make an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with him that will last forever,
an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] that will never be forgotten [31:31–34].

“My people have been like lost sheep.
    Their ·leaders [L shepherds] have led them ·in the wrong way [astray]
and made them wander around in the mountains and hills.
    They forgot where their ·resting place [fold] was [Ps. 23].
Whoever ·saw [L found] my people ·hurt [L devoured] them.
    And those ·enemies [foes] said, ‘We ·did nothing wrong [are not guilty].
Those people sinned against the Lord, their ·true [L righteous] ·resting place [fold],
    the God their fathers ·trusted [hoped in].’

“·Run away [Flee] from Babylon,
    and leave the land of the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans].
    Be like the goats that lead the flock.
I will soon ·arouse [L stir up] and bring against Babylon
    ·many great nations [a large assembly of nations] from the north [C led by Persia].
They will take their places for war against it,
    and it will be captured ·by people from the north [L from there].
Their arrows are like trained soldiers
    who do not return [C from war] with empty hands.
10 The ·enemy will take all the wealth from the Babylonians [L Chaldeans will be plundered].
    ·Those enemy soldiers will get all they want [L The plunderers will be satisfied/sated],” says the Lord.

11 “Babylon, you are excited and happy,
    because you took my ·land [L inheritance; C Israel].
You ·dance around [run free] like a young cow ·in the grain [during the threshing; Deut. 25:4].
    ·Your laughter is like the neighing of male horses [L You neigh like a stallion].
12 Your mother will be ·very ashamed [humiliated];
    the woman who gave birth to you will be disgraced.
·Soon Babylonia will be the least important of all [L It brings up the backside of] the nations.
    She will be an empty, dry ·desert [wilderness].
13 Because of the Lord’s anger,
    no one will live there.
    She will be completely ·empty [desolate].
Everyone who passes by Babylon will be shocked.
    They will shake their heads when they see all her injuries.

14 “Take your positions for war against Babylon,
    all ·you soldiers with [L who draw] bows.
Shoot your arrows at Babylon! Do not ·save any of them [L spare any arrows],
    because Babylon has sinned against the Lord.
15 ·Soldiers around Babylon [L On every side], shout the war cry!
    Babylon has surrendered, her ·towers [defenses] have fallen,
    and her walls have been ·torn down [demolished].
The Lord is giving her people the punishment they deserve.
    ·You nations should give her what she deserves;
    do to her what she has done to others [L Just as it did, they did].
16 ·Don’t let the people from Babylon plant their crops [L Cut the sower off from Babylon]
    ·or gather [L seize the sickle wielder at the time of] the harvest.
·The soldiers treated their captives cruelly [L …before the sword of the oppressor].
    Now, let everyone ·go back home [L turn face toward his people].
Let everyone ·run [flee] to his own country [C after the fall of Babylon, the Persians allowed the exiled people to return to their own lands; Ezra 1].

17 “The people of Israel are like a flock of sheep that are scattered
    from being ·chased [driven] by lions.
The first lion to eat them up
    was the king of Assyria [C Sennacherib defeated the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 bc].
The last lion to ·crush [gnaw] their bones
    was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon [C defeated the southern kingdom of Judah in 586 bc].”

18 So this is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says:

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his country
    as I punished the king of Assyria [C defeated by Babylon at the end of the seventh century bc].
19 But I will bring the people of Israel back to their own pasture.
    They will ·eat [feed] on Mount Carmel and in Bashan [C particularly lush areas].
They will ·eat and be full [be sated]
    on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.”
20 The Lord says,
    “At that time and in those days people will try to find Israel’s guilt,
    but there will be no guilt.
People will try to find Judah’s sins,
    but no sins will be found,
because I will leave a ·few people alive from Israel and Judah [remnant],
    and I will forgive their sins.

21 “Attack the land of Merathaim.
    Attack the people who live in Pekod [C alternate names for Babylon].
·Chase them, kill them [L Put them to the sword], and ·completely destroy [annihilate] them.
    Do everything I commanded you!” says the Lord.

22 “The noise of battle can be heard all over the country;
    it is the noise of ·much destruction [L great fracture].
23 ·Babylon was the hammer of the whole earth,
    but how broken and shattered that hammer is now [L How cut down and broken is the hammer of the whole earth].
·It is truly the most ruined
    of [L How Babylon has become a horror among] all the nations.
24 I set a trap for you [C Babylon],
    and you were caught before you knew it.
You ·fought against [challenged] the Lord,
    so you were found and ·taken prisoner [captured].
25 The Lord has opened up his storeroom
    and brought out the weapons of his anger,
because the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has work to do
    in the land of the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans].
26 Come against it [C Babylon] from far away.
    Break open her storehouses of grain.
    Pile them up [C dead bodies] like heaps of grain.
·Completely destroy Babylon [L Annihilate it]
    and ·do not leave anyone alive [L let there be no remnant].
27 ·Kill [L Put to the sword] all its bulls [C the young men in Babylon];
    let them go down to the slaughter [C killed like animals].
·How terrible it will be for [Woe to] them, because ·the time has come for their defeat [L their day has come];
    it is time for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the people ·running [fleeing] to escape the country of Babylon!
    They are telling ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]
how the Lord our God is punishing Babylon as it deserves
    for destroying his Temple.

29 “Call for ·the archers [L all those who draw the bow]
    to come against Babylon.
·Tell them to surround the city [L Camp all around it],
    and let no one escape.
Pay her back for what she has done;
    do to her what she has done to other nations.
Babylon acted with ·pride [arrogance] against the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel.
30 So her young men will be killed in her streets.
    All her soldiers will ·die [L be silenced] on that day,” says the Lord.
31 “You [C Babylon] are too ·proud [arrogant], and I am against you,”
    says the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
“·The time has come [L Your day is coming]
    ·for you to be punished [L the time of your punishment].
32 The ·proud [arrogant; C Babylon] will stumble and fall,
    and no one will help her get up.
I will ·start [kindle] a fire in her towns,
    and it will ·burn up [L devour] everything around her.”

33 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:

“The people of Israel
    and Judah are ·slaves [oppressed].
·The enemy took them as prisoners [L Their captors have seized them]
    and won’t let them go.
34 But ·God is strong and will buy them back [L their redeemer is strong].
    His name is the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
He will surely ·defend them with power [take up their cause/case]
    so he can give rest to their land.
    But ·he will not give rest [turmoil] to those living in Babylon.”

35 The Lord says,

“Let a sword ·kill the people living in Babylon [L be against the Chaldeans]
    and her officers and wise men!
36 Let a sword ·kill [L be against] her ·false prophets [diviners],
    and they will become fools.
Let a sword ·kill [L be against] her warriors,
    and they will be full of terror.
37 Let a sword ·kill [L be against] her horses and chariots
    and all the soldiers hired from other countries!
    Then they will be like women [C frightened].
Let a sword ·attack [L be against] her treasures,
    so they will be ·taken away [L plundered].
38 Let a sword ·attack [L be against] her waters
    so they will be dried up.
She is a land of idols,
    and the people go ·crazy [mad] with fear over them.

39 “Desert animals and hyenas will live there,
    and ·owls [or ostriches] will live there [C ritually unclean birds that live in desolate places],
but no people will ever live there again.
    She will never be ·filled with people [resided in] again.
40 God ·completely destroyed [L overturned] the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
    and ·the towns around them [L their neighbors; 20:6; 23:13–15; 49:18; Gen. 18–19],” says the Lord.
“In the same way no people will live there [C Babylon],
    and no human being will stay there.

41 “Look! An army is coming from the north [C Persia and its allies].
    A powerful nation and many kings
    are ·coming together [L stirred up] from all around the world.
42 ·Their armies have [L They have grabbed] bows and spears.
    The soldiers are ·cruel [fierce; violent] and have no ·mercy [compassion].
As the soldiers come riding on their horses,
    the sound is loud like the ·roaring [thundering] sea.
They stand in their places, ready for battle.
    They are ready to attack you, city of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon heard ·about those armies [L the news/report],
    and ·he became helpless with fear [L his hands grew slack/feeble].
Distress has gripped him.
    His pain is like that of a woman ·giving birth to a baby [in labor; 6:22–24].

44 “Like a lion coming up from the thick bushes near the Jordan River
    to attack a ·strong pen for sheep [or perennial pastures],
I will suddenly chase them away [C people of Babylon from their land].
    Who is the one I have ·chosen [appointed] to do this?
·There is no one [L Who is…?] like me,
    ·no one who [L Who…?] can take me to court.
·None of their leaders [L Who is the shepherd who…?] can stand up against me [49:19].”

45 So listen to ·what the Lord has planned to do against Babylon [L counsel/advice of the Lord].
    Listen to ·what he has decided to do to [L his plans against] the people in the city of Babylon.
He will surely drag away the young of the flock [C the youth of Babylon].
    Their ·hometowns [L pasture] will surely be shocked at what happens to them.
46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture, the earth will shake.
    People in all nations will hear Babylon’s cry of distress.

A Message About Babylon(A)

50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon(B) and the land of the Babylonians[a]:

“Announce and proclaim(C) among the nations,
    lift up a banner(D) and proclaim it;
    keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;(E)
    Bel(F) will be put to shame,(G)
    Marduk(H) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
    and her idols(I) filled with terror.’
A nation from the north(J) will attack her
    and lay waste her land.
No one will live(K) in it;
    both people and animals(L) will flee away.

“In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together(M)
    will go in tears(N) to seek(O) the Lord their God.
They will ask the way(P) to Zion
    and turn their faces toward it.
They will come(Q) and bind themselves to the Lord
    in an everlasting covenant(R)
    that will not be forgotten.

“My people have been lost sheep;(S)
    their shepherds(T) have led them astray(U)
    and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill(V)
    and forgot their own resting place.(W)
Whoever found them devoured(X) them;
    their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,(Y)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
    the Lord, the hope(Z) of their ancestors.’

“Flee(AA) out of Babylon;(AB)
    leave the land of the Babylonians,
    and be like the goats that lead the flock.
For I will stir(AC) up and bring against Babylon
    an alliance of great nations(AD) from the land of the north.(AE)
They will take up their positions against her,
    and from the north she will be captured.(AF)
Their arrows(AG) will be like skilled warriors
    who do not return empty-handed.
10 So Babylonia[b] will be plundered;(AH)
    all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.

11 “Because you rejoice and are glad,
    you who pillage my inheritance,(AI)
because you frolic like a heifer(AJ) threshing grain
    and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother will be greatly ashamed;
    she who gave you birth will be disgraced.(AK)
She will be the least of the nations—
    a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.(AL)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
    but will be completely desolate.(AM)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;(AN)
    they will scoff(AO) because of all her wounds.(AP)

14 “Take up your positions around Babylon,
    all you who draw the bow.(AQ)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,(AR)
    for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout(AS) against her on every side!
    She surrenders, her towers fall,
    her walls(AT) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance(AU) of the Lord,
    take vengeance on her;
    do to her(AV) as she has done to others.(AW)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
    and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword(AX) of the oppressor
    let everyone return to their own people,(AY)
    let everyone flee to their own land.(AZ)

17 “Israel is a scattered flock(BA)
    that lions(BB) have chased away.
The first to devour(BC) them
    was the king(BD) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(BE)
    was Nebuchadnezzar(BF) king(BG) of Babylon.”

18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
    as I punished the king(BH) of Assyria.(BI)
19 But I will bring(BJ) Israel back to their own pasture,
    and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied(BK)
    on the hills(BL) of Ephraim and Gilead.(BM)
20 In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
    but there will be none,(BN)
and for the sins(BO) of Judah,
    but none will be found,
    for I will forgive(BP) the remnant(BQ) I spare.

21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
    and those who live in Pekod.(BR)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[c] them,”
declares the Lord.
    “Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(BS) of battle is in the land,
    the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
    is the hammer(BT) of the whole earth!(BU)
How desolate(BV) is Babylon
    among the nations!
24 I set a trap(BW) for you, Babylon,
    and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(BX)
    because you opposed(BY) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
    and brought out the weapons(BZ) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
    in the land of the Babylonians.(CA)
26 Come against her from afar.(CB)
    Break open her granaries;
    pile her up like heaps of grain.(CC)
Completely destroy(CD) her
    and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(CE)
    let them go down to the slaughter!(CF)
Woe to them! For their day(CG) has come,
    the time(CH) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(CI) and refugees from Babylon
    declaring in Zion(CJ)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(CK)
    vengeance for his temple.(CL)

29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
    all those who draw the bow.(CM)
Encamp all around her;
    let no one escape.(CN)
Repay(CO) her for her deeds;(CP)
    do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(CQ) the Lord,
    the Holy One(CR) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(CS) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(CT) you, you arrogant one,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(CU) has come,
    the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(CV) one will stumble and fall(CW)
    and no one will help her up;(CX)
I will kindle a fire(CY) in her towns
    that will consume all who are around her.”

33 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“The people of Israel are oppressed,(CZ)
    and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
    refusing to let them go.(DA)
34 Yet their Redeemer(DB) is strong;
    the Lord Almighty(DC) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(DD)
    so that he may bring rest(DE) to their land,
    but unrest to those who live in Babylon.

35 “A sword(DF) against the Babylonians!”(DG)
    declares the Lord
“against those who live in Babylon
    and against her officials and wise(DH) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
    They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(DI)
    They will be filled with terror.(DJ)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(DK)
    and all the foreigners in her ranks!
    They will become weaklings.(DL)
A sword against her treasures!(DM)
    They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[d] her waters!(DN)
    They will dry(DO) up.
For it is a land of idols,(DP)
    idols that will go mad with terror.

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

41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(DU)
    a great nation and many kings
    are being stirred(DV) up from the ends of the earth.(DW)
42 They are armed with bows(DX) and spears;
    they are cruel(DY) and without mercy.(DZ)
They sound like the roaring sea(EA)
    as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(EB)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
    and his hands hang limp.(EC)
Anguish has gripped him,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(ED)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(EE)
    to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
    Who is the chosen(EF) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(EG)
    And what shepherd can stand against me?”

45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
    what he has purposed(EH) against the land of the Babylonians:(EI)
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
    their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;(EJ)
    its cry(EK) will resound among the nations.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 50:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 25, 35 and 45
  2. Jeremiah 50:10 Or Chaldea
  3. Jeremiah 50:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
  4. Jeremiah 50:38 Or A sword against

50 The word that the Lord spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.

Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.

In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God.

They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.

Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.

For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.

10 And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord.

11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;

12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

13 Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.

14 Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord.

15 Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.

16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

17 Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.

18 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.

19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.

20 In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.

21 Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

22 A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.

23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!

24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord.

25 The Lord hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord God of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.

26 Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.

27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.

28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his temple.

29 Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel.

30 Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord.

31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord God of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.

33 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.

34 Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

35 A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.

36 A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.

37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.

38 A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.

39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.

40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.

41 Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

42 They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.

44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.

46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.