Babylon

"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]."

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.

Bavel's warriors have given up fighting; they remain in their fortresses; their courage has failed; they are now like women. Her homes are on fire, her gate-bars broken.

One runner runs to meet another, messenger to meet messenger, to report to the king of Bavel that every part of his city is taken,

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."

N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel has devoured me, crushed me. He left me like an empty pot. Like a monster, he swallowed me whole. With my delicacies he stuffed his belly; then he rinsed me out.

But one who lives in Tziyon will say, "May my torn flesh be avenged on Bavel"; and Yerushalayim will say, "May my blood be avenged on the Kasdim."

Bavel will become a heap of ruins, a place for jackals to live, an object of horror and hissing, with no one living there.

Sheshakh has been captured, the pride of the whole earth seized! Bavel has become an object of horror throughout the nations!

The sea has flooded Bavel, overwhelmed her with its raging waves.

"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.

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.

Just as Bavel caused the slain of Isra'el to fall, so at Bavel will fall the slain of all the land.

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

An agonized cry is heard from Bavel! Great destruction in the land of the Kasdim!

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.

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."

This is the order which Yirmeyahu the prophet gave to S'rayah the son of Neriyah, the son of Machseyah, when he went to Bavel with Tzidkiyahu the king of Y'hudah in the fourth year of his reign. S'rayah was quartermaster.

Yirmeyahu had written on a separate scroll all the above words describing the disaster that was to befall Bavel.

Yirmeyahu said to S'rayah, "See to it that when you arrive in Bavel you read all these words aloud. Then say,

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.)

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;

so in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel marched against Yerushalayim with his entire army. He set up camp against it and built siege towers against it on every side.