26. People will not take stones from Babylon to use as the foundation of a building. That is because they will not find any stones big enough for cornerstones. Your city will be a pile of broken rocks forever.” This is what the Lord said.
27. “Lift up the war flag in the land! Blow the trumpet in all the nations! Prepare the nations for war against Babylon. Call these kingdoms to come fight against Babylon: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Choose a commander to lead the army against her. Send so many horses that they are like a swarm of locusts.
28. Get the nations ready for battle against her. Get the kings of the Medes ready. Get their governors and all their important officials ready. Get all the countries they rule ready for battle against Babylon.
29. The land shakes and moves as if it is in pain. It will shake when the Lord does to Babylon what he plans— to make the land of Babylon an empty desert, a place where no one will live.
30. Babylon’s soldiers have stopped fighting. They stay in their forts. Their strength is gone. They have become like frightened women. Babylon’s houses are burning. The bars of her gates are broken.
31. One messenger follows another. Messenger follows messenger. They announce to the king of Babylon that his whole city has been captured.
32. The places where people cross the rivers have been captured. The swamplands are burning. All of Babylon’s soldiers are afraid.”
33. This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the people of Israel, says: “Babylon is like a threshing floor, where people beat the grain at harvest time. And the time to beat Babylon is coming soon.
34. “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed us in the past. In the past he hurt us. In the past he took our people away, and we became like an empty jar. He took the best we had. He was like a giant monster that ate everything until it was full. He took the best we had and then threw us away.
35. Babylon did terrible things to hurt us. Now I want those things to happen to Babylon.” The people living in Zion said, “The people of Babylon are guilty of killing our people. Now they are being punished for the bad things they did.” The city of Jerusalem said those things.
36. So this is what the Lord says: “I will defend you, Judah. I will make sure that Babylon is punished. I will dry up Babylon’s sea. And I will make her water springs become dry.
37. Babylon will become a pile of ruined buildings, a place fit only for wild dogs. People will be shocked and shake their heads at what is left there. It will be a place where no one lives.
38. “The people of Babylon are like roaring young lions. They growl like baby lions.
39. They are acting like powerful lions. I will give a party for them. I will make them drunk. They will laugh and have a good time, and then they will sleep forever. They will never wake up.” This is what the Lord said.
40. “Babylon will be like sheep, rams, and goats waiting to be killed. I will lead them to the slaughter.
41. “Sheshach will be defeated. The best and proudest country of the whole earth will be taken captive. People from other nations will look at Babylon, and what they see will make them afraid.
42. The sea will rise over Babylon. Its roaring waves will cover her.