Jeremiah 50:33-46

This is what the LORD All-Powerful says: “The people of Israel and Judah are slaves. The enemy took them as prisoners and won’t let them go. But God is strong and will buy them back. His name is the LORD All-Powerful. He will surely defend them with power so he can give rest to their land. But he will not give rest to those living in Babylon.” The LORD says, “Let a sword kill the people living in Babylon and her officers and wise men! Let a sword kill her false prophets, and they will become fools. Let a sword kill her warriors, and they will be full of terror. Let a sword kill her horses and chariots and all the soldiers hired from other countries! Then they will be like frightened women. Let a sword attack her treasures, so they will be taken away. Let a sword attack her waters so they will be dried up. She is a land of idols, and the people go crazy with fear over them. “Desert animals and hyenas will live there, and owls will live there, but no people will ever live there again. She will never be filled with people again. God completely destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them,” says the LORD. “In the same way no people will live in Babylon, and no human being will stay there. “Look! An army is coming from the north. A powerful nation and many kings are coming together from all around the world. Their armies have bows and spears. The soldiers are cruel and have no mercy. As the soldiers come riding on their horses, the sound is loud like the roaring sea. They stand in their places, ready for battle. They are ready to attack you, city of Babylon. The king of Babylon heard about those armies, and he became helpless with fear. Distress has gripped him. His pain is like that of a woman giving birth to a baby. “Like a lion coming up from the thick bushes near the Jordan River to attack a strong pen for sheep, I will suddenly chase the people of Babylon from their land. Who is the one I have chosen to do this? There is no one like me, no one who can take me to court. None of their leaders can stand up against me.” So listen to what the LORD has planned to do against Babylon. Listen to what he has decided to do to the people in the city of Babylon. He will surely drag away the young ones of Babylon. Their hometowns will surely be shocked at what happens to them. At the sound of Babylon’s capture, the earth will shake. People in all nations will hear Babylon’s cry of distress.