16. There is no one in Babyloniato plant or harvest crops.Even foreigners who lived therehave left for their homelands,afraid of the enemy armies.
17. Israel is a flock of sheepscattered by hungry lions.The king of Assyriafirst gobbled Israel up.Then Nebuchadnezzar,king of Babylonia,crunched on Israel's bones.
18. I, the Lord All-Powerful,the God of Israel,punished the king of Assyria,and I will also punishthe king of Babylonia.
19. But I will bring Israelback to its own land.The people will be like sheepeating their fillon Mount Carmeland in Bashan,in the hill country of Ephraimand in Gilead.
20. I will rescue a few peoplefrom Israel and Judah.I will forgive them so completelythat their sin and guiltwill disappear,never to be found.
21. The Lord said:I have toldthe enemies of Babylonia,“Attack the people of Merathaimand Pekod.Kill them all!Destroy their possessions!”
22. Sounds of warand the noise of destructioncan be heard.
23. Babylonia was a hammerpounding every country,but now it lies broken.What a shock to the nationsof the world!
24. Babylonia challenged me,the Lord God All-Powerful,but that nation doesn't knowit is caught in a trapthat I set.
25. I've brought out my weapons,and with them I will put a curseon Babylonia.
26. Come from far away,you enemies of Babylon!Pile up the grainfrom its storehouses,and destroy it completely,along with everything else.
27. Kill the soldiers of Babylonia,because the time has comefor them to be punished.
28. The Babylonian armydestroyed my temple,but soon I will take revenge.Then refugees from Babylonwill tell about it in Zion.