Jeremiah 51:1-16

This is what the LORD says: “I will soon cause a destroying wind to blow against Babylon and the Babylonian people. I will send foreign people to destroy Babylon like a wind that blows chaff away. They will destroy the land. Armies will surround the city when the day of disaster comes upon her. Don’t let the Babylonian soldiers prepare their bows to shoot. Don’t even let them put on their armor. Don’t feel sorry for the young men of Babylon, but completely destroy her army. They will be killed in the land of the Babylonians and will die in her streets. The Lord GOD All-Powerful did not leave Israel and Judah, even though they were completely guilty in the presence of the Holy One of Israel. “Run away from Babylon and save your lives! Don’t stay and be killed because of Babylon’s sins. It is time for the LORD to punish Babylon; he will give Babylon the punishment she deserves. Babylon was like a gold cup in the LORD’s hand that made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank Babylon’s wine, so they went crazy. Babylon has suddenly fallen and been broken. Cry for her! Get balm for her pain, and maybe she can be healed. “Foreigners in Babylon say, ‘We tried to heal Babylon, but she cannot be healed. So let us leave her and each go to his own country. Babylon’s punishment is as high as the sky; it reaches to the clouds.’ “The people of Judah say, ‘The LORD has shown us to be right. Come, let us tell in Jerusalem what the LORD our God has done.’ “Sharpen the arrows! Pick up your shields! The LORD has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because he wants to destroy Babylon. The LORD will punish them as they deserve for destroying his Temple. Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! Bring more guards. Put the watchmen in their places, and get ready for a secret attack! The LORD will certainly do what he has planned and what he said he would do against the people of Babylon. People of Babylon, you live near much water and are rich with many treasures, but your end as a nation has come. It is time to stop you from robbing other nations. The LORD All-Powerful has promised in his own name: ‘Babylon, I will surely fill you with so many enemy soldiers they will be like a swarm of locusts. They will stand over you and shout their victory.’ “The LORD made the earth by his power. He used his wisdom to build the world and his understanding to stretch out the skies. When he thunders, the waters in the skies roar. He makes clouds rise in the sky all over the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.