God

"But I will repay Bavel and all living in the land of the Kasdim for all the evil they did in Tziyon," says ADONAI, "before your eyes [, Y'hudah]."

"I am against you, destructive mountain, destroying all the earth," says ADONAI. "I will stretch out my hand against you, to send you tumbling down from the crags and make you a burned-out mountain.

No one will make cornerstones or foundation-stones from you again; but you will be desolate forever," says ADONAI.

The earth quakes and writhes, as ADONAI's designs against Bavel are fulfilled, to make the land of Bavel a ruin, with no one living there.

For here is what ADONAI-Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: "The daughter of Bavel is like a threshing-floor at treading-time. Just a little while longer, and the time for harvesting her will come."

Therefore here is what ADONAI says: "I will plead your cause. I will take vengeance for you. I will dry up her river and make her water sources dry.

When they are hot with desire, I will prepare them a drink. I will make them so drunk they will have convulsions, sleep forever and never wake up," says ADONAI.

"I will drag them down like lambs to be slaughtered, like rams and male goats."

"I will punish Bel in Bavel and make him disgorge what he swallowed. The nations will no longer flow to him. Bavel's wall will fall.

Get out of her, my people! Each one, save yourself from ADONAI's furious anger!

Therefore, listen! The days are coming when I will pass judgment on Bavel's idols. Her whole land will be put to shame, as all her slain fall on home soil.

Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will sing for joy over Bavel; for the plunderers from the north are coming to her," says ADONAI.

You who escaped the sword, go! Don't stand still! Remember ADONAI from afar, let Yerushalayim come into your minds.

"The reproaches we have heard have put us to shame, disgrace covers our faces; because foreigners have entered the sanctuaries of ADONAI's house."

"Therefore," says ADONAI, "the days are coming when I will pass judgment on her idols, and the wounded will groan throughout her land.

Even if Bavel scales the heavens or reinforces her lofty stronghold, plunderers will come to her from me," says ADONAI.

For ADONAI is plundering Bavel and silencing her noisy din their waves roar like the raging ocean, their clamor sounds and resounds.

Yes, the plunderer has fallen upon her, fallen on Bavel. Her warriors are captured, their bows are broken. For ADONAI is a God of retribution; he will surely repay.

"I will intoxicate her leaders and sages, her governors, deputies and warriors. They will sleep forever and never wake up," says the king, whose name is ADONAI-Tzva'ot.

Thus says ADONAI-Tzva'ot: "The wide walls of Bavel will be razed to the ground, her lofty gates will be set on fire. The peoples are toiling for nothing, the nation's labor goes up in flames, and everyone is exhausted."

'ADONAI, you have promised to destroy this place, that no one will live here, neither human nor animal, but that it will be desolate forever.'

and say, 'Like this, Bavel will sink, never to rise again, because of the disaster I am bringing on her; and they will grow weary.'" (Up to here, these have been the words of Yirmeyahu.)

He did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective, following the example of everything Y'hoyakim had done.

And it was because of ADONAI's anger that all these things happened to Yerushalayim and Y'hudah, until he had thrown them out of his presence. Tzidkiyahu rebelled against the king of Bavel;

He burned down the house of ADONAI, the royal palace and all the houses in Yerushalayim - every notable person's house he burned to the ground.