1. I, the Lord, am sendinga wind to destroythe people of Babyloniaand Babylon, its capital.
2. Foreign soldiers will comefrom every direction,and when the disaster is over,Babylonia will be emptyand worthless.
3. I will tell these soldiers,“Attack quickly,before the Babylonianscan string their bowsor put on their armour.Kill their best soldiersand destroy their army!”
4. Their troops will fall woundedin the streets of Babylon.
5. Everyone in Israel and Judahis guilty.But I, the Lord All-Powerful,their holy God,have not abandoned them.
6. Get out of Babylon!Run for your lives!If you stay, you will be killedwhen I take revenge on the cityand punish it for its sins.
7. Babylon was my golden cup,filled with the wineof my anger.The nations of the worldgot drunk on this wineand went insane.
8. But suddenly, Babylon will falland be destroyed.I, the Lord, told the foreignerswho lived there,“Weep for the city!Get medicine for its wounds;perhaps they will heal.”
9. The foreigners answered,“We have already triedto treat Babylon's wounds,but they would not heal.Come on, let's all go hometo our own countries.Nothing is left in Babylonia;everything is destroyed.”
10. The people of Israel said,“Tell everyone in Zion!The Lord has taken revengefor what Babylon did to us.”