2Tell ye among heathen men, and make ye heard; raise ye [up] a sign; preach ye, and do not ye hold still; say ye, Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed, Merodach is overcome; the graven images thereof be shamed, the idols of them be overcome. (Tell ye out among the heathen, and make ye it heard; raise ye up a sign; preach ye, and do not ye hold back; say ye, Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is overcome with despair; its carved idols be put to shame, yea, its idols be broken in pieces.)

3For a folk shall ascend from the north against it, which folk shall set the land thereof into wilderness; and none shall be that shall dwell therein, from man unto beast; and they be moved, and went away. (For a nation shall come from the north against it, which nation shall make its land into a wilderness; and there shall be no one who shall live there, from man unto beast; yea, they shall remove themselves, and shall go far away.)

4In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the sons of Israel shall come, they and the sons of Judah together, going and weeping; they shall haste, and seek their Lord God in Zion, (In those days, and at that time, saith the Lord, the Israelites shall come, they and the people of Judah together, going and weeping; they shall make haste, and shall seek the Lord their God,) 5and they shall ask the way. Hither the faces of them shall come, and they shall be set to the Lord with bond of peace everlasting, which shall not be done away by any forgetting. (and they shall ask the way to Zion. They shall come here, and they shall be joined to the Lord with an everlasting covenant, which shall not be done away with by any forgetting.)

6My people is made a lost flock, the shepherds of them deceived them, and made them to go unstably in (the) hills; they passed from (a) mountain into a little hill (they passed from mountain to little hill), they forgot their bed.

7All men that found (them), ate them, and the enemies of them said, We sinned not, for that they sinned to the Lord, the fairness of rightfulness, and to the Lord, the abiding of their fathers. (All those who found them, ate them, and their enemies said, We sinned not, for they have sinned against the Lord, the Beauty of righteousness, yea, against the Lord, their forefathers’ hope.)

8Go ye away from the midst of Babylon, and go ye out of the land of Chaldees, and be ye as kids before the flock. (Go ye away from the midst of Babylon, and go ye out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be ye like the goat-kids leading the flock.)

9For lo! I shall raise (up), and bring into Babylon the gathering together of great folks, from the land of the north; and they shall be made ready against it, and it shall be taken in the day; the arrow(s) thereof (shall be) as of a strong man, a slayer, (and they) shall not turn again [void].

10And Chaldea shall be into prey, all that destroy it (all who destroy it), shall be [ful]filled, saith the Lord.

11For ye make full out joy, and speak great things, and ravish mine heritage; for ye be shed out as calves on herb, and lowed, or bellowed, as bulls. (Yea, ye rejoice, and speak great things, for ye robbed my inheritance; and ye run about like calves after the threshing, and low, or bellow, like bulls.)

12Your mother is shamed greatly, and she that engendered you, is made even to dust; lo! she shall be the last among folks, and forsaken, without (a) way, and dry. (But your mother city shall be greatly shamed, and she who begat you, shall be made even to the dust; lo! she shall be the last among the nations, and deserted, and without a way, and dried up.)

13For the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be driven all into wilderness; each that shall pass by Babylon, shall wonder, and shall hiss on all the wounds thereof. (Because of the Lord’s anger it shall not be inhabited, but all of it shall be driven, or made, into a wilderness; each person who shall pass by Babylon shall wonder, and shall hiss at all its wounds.)

14All ye that bend bow, be made ready against Babylon by compass; overcome ye it, spare ye not arrows, for it sinned to the Lord. (All ye who bend bow, be made ready against Babylon all around it, or on every side; and then overcome ye it, spare ye not any arrows, for it hath sinned against the Lord.)

15Cry ye against it, everywhere it gave (up the) hand; the foundaments thereof fell down, and the walls thereof be destroyed; for it is the vengeance of the Lord. Take ye vengeance of it; as it did, do ye to it. (Cry ye against it, yea, everywhere it threw up its hands; its foundations fell down, and its walls be destroyed; for it is the vengeance of the Lord. Take ye vengeance upon it; as it did, so do ye unto it.)

16Lose ye a sower of Babylon, and him that holdeth a sickle in the time of harvest, from the face of [the] sword of the culver; each man shall be turned (again) to his people, and each man shall flee to his land. (Destroy ye each sower of Babylon, and him who holdeth a sickle at the time of harvest. Before the coming cruel sword, each man shall return to his own people, and each person shall flee to his own land.)

17Israel is a scattered flock, lions casted out it; first (the) king (of) Assur ate it, (and) this last, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, did away the bones thereof. (Israel is a scattered flock, for the lions cast it out; first, the king of Assyria ate it, and then lastly, this Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, did away its bones.) 18Therefore the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall visit (against) the king of Babylon, and his land, as I visited (against) the king of Assur; (And so the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall punish the king of Babylon, and his land, like I punished the king of Assyria;) 19and I shall bring again Israel to his dwelling place. Carmel and Bashan shall be fed, and his soul shall be [ful]filled in the hill of Ephraim, and of Gilead. (and I shall bring back Israel to his dwelling place. He shall feed, or shall graze, on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be fulfilled in the hills of Ephraim, and of Gilead.) 20In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the wickedness of Israel shall be sought, and it shall not be; and the sin of Judah shall be sought, and it shall not be found; for I shall be merciful to them, which I shall leave (alive). (In those days, and at that time, saith the Lord, the wickedness of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none; and the sin of Judah shall be sought, and it shall not be found; for I shall be merciful to them, whom I shall leave alive.)

21Ascend thou on the land of the lords, and visit thou on the dwellers thereof; scatter thou, and slay those things, that be after them, saith the Lord; and do thou by all things which I commanded to thee. (Go thou up against the land of Merathaim, and attack thou the inhabitants of Pekod; scatter thou, and kill thou them, saith the Lord; and do thou by all the things which I commanded thee.)

22The voice of battle and (of) great sorrow (is) in the land.

23How is the hammer of all (the) earth broken and all-defouled? how is Babylon turned into desert, among heathen men? (How the hammer of all the earth is broken and all-defiled! how Babylon is turned into a wilderness, among the heathen!)

24Babylon, I have snared thee, and thou art taken, and thou knewest not; thou art found, and taken, for thou stirredest the Lord to wrath (for thou hast stirred the Lord to anger).

25The Lord opened his treasure (house), and brought forth the vessels of his wrath; for why a work is to the Lord God of hosts in the land of Chaldees. (The Lord opened his treasure house, and brought forth the vessels of his anger; for the Lord God of hosts hath a work to do in the land of the Chaldeans.)

26Come ye to it from the farthest ends, open ye, that they go out, that shall defoul it; take ye away stones from the way, and drive ye into heaps, and slay ye it, and nothing be residue. (Come ye against it from the farthest borders, and open ye it up, so that they go out, who defile it; take ye away stones from the way, and pile ye them up into heaps, and kill ye it, and let nothing be left alive there.)

27Destroy ye all the strong men thereof, go they down into slaying; woe to them, for the day of them cometh, the time of visiting of them. (Destroy ye all its strong men, go they down to the slaughter; woe to them, for their day cometh, the time of their punishment.)

28The voice of fleers, and of them that escaped from the land of Babylon, that they tell in Zion the vengeance of our Lord God, the vengeance of his temple. (Hear the voices of the fleers, and of those who escaped from the land of Babylon, as they tell out in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, yea, the avenging of his Temple.)

29Tell ye against Babylon to full many men, to all that bend bow. Stand ye together against it by compass, and let none escape; yield ye to it after his work, after all things which it did, do ye to it; for it was raised against the Lord, against the Holy of Israel. (Call ye against Babylon a great many men, yea, to all who bend the bow. Stand ye together against it all around it, and let no one escape; yield ye to it after its work, after all the things which it did, do ye to it; for it was raised up against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel.)

30Therefore young men thereof shall fall down in the streets thereof, and all men warriors thereof shall be still(ed) in that day, saith the Lord. (And so its young men shall fall down in its streets, and all its warriors shall die on that day, saith the Lord.)

31Lo! thou proud, I to thee, saith the Lord of hosts, for thy day is come, the time of thy visitation. (Lo! O most proud, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, for thy day is come, the time of thy punishment.)

32And the proud shall fall, and shall fall down together, and none shall be, that shall raise him; and I shall kindle fire in the cities of him, and it shall devour all things in compass of it. (Yea, the proud one shall fall, and shall altogether fall down, and there shall be no one, who shall raise it up; and I shall kindle a fire in its cities, and it shall devour everything all around it.)

33The Lord of hosts saith these things, The sons of Israel and the sons of Judah together suffer false challenge; all that took them, hold, they will not deliver them. (The Lord of hosts saith these things, The Israelites and the people of Judah be oppressed together; all they who took them captive, hold onto them, and they will not let them go.)

34The again-buyer of them is strong, the Lord of hosts is his name; by doom he shall defend the cause of them, that he make the land afeared, and stir together the dwellers of Babylon. (But their Redeemer is strong, his name is the Lord of hosts; he shall justly defend their cause, and he shall trouble the inhabitants of Babylon, and make the land afraid/he shall justly defend their case, and make the land to rest, but he shall trouble the inhabitants of Babylon.)

35A sword to Chaldees, saith the Lord, and to the dwellers of Babylon, and to the princes, and to the wise men thereof. (A sword to the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and to the inhabitants of Babylon, and to its princes, or to its leaders, and to its wise men.)

36A sword to the false diviners thereof, that shall be fools; a sword to the strong men thereof, that shall dread. (A sword to its false diviners, who be fools; a sword to its strong men, who have fear, or who shall be in terror.)

37Sword to the horses thereof, and to the chariots thereof, and to all the common people which is in the midst thereof, and they shall be as women; a sword to the treasures thereof, that shall be ravished. (A sword to its horses, and to its chariots, and to all the common people who be in its midst, and they shall become like women; a sword to its treasures, that shall be robbed.)

38Dryness shall be on the waters thereof, and they shall be dry; for it is the land of graven images, and hath glory in false feignings. (A drought shall be upon its waters, and they shall dry up; for it is the land of carved idols, and hath glory in false portents.)

39Therefore dragons shall dwell with fond wild men, and ostriches shall dwell therein; and it shall no more be inhabited till into without end, and it shall not be builded till to generation and generation; (And so dragons, or jackals, shall live there with foolish wild men, and ostriches, or owls, shall live there also; and it shall no more be inhabited until forever, and it shall not be rebuilt until forever;)

40as the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and the nigh cities thereof, saith the Lord. A man shall not dwell there, and the son of (a) man shall not dwell in it. (like when the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities nearby, saith the Lord. No one liveth there now, and no one shall ever live there again.)

41Lo! a people cometh from the north, and a great folk, and many kings shall rise together from the ends of [the] earth. (Lo! a people cometh from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall rise up from the ends of the earth.)

42They shall take bow and sword, they be cruel and unmerciful; the voice of them shall sound as the sea, and they shall ascend on horses as a man made ready to battle, against thee, thou daughter of Babylon. (They shall take bow and sword, and they shall be cruel and unmerciful; they shall sound like the roaring sea, and they shall go upon horses like a man prepared for battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.)

43The king of Babylon heard the fame of them, and his hands be aclumsid; anguish took him, sorrow took him, as a woman travailing of child. (The king of Babylon heard the news about them, and his hands be benumbed; anguish took hold of him, and sorrow took hold of him, like a woman in labour.)

44Lo! as a lion he shall ascend from the pride of Jordan to the strong fairness, for I shall make him to run suddenly to it; and who shall be the chosen man whom I shall set before him? For who is like me? and who shall suffer me? and who is this shepherd, that shall against-stand my cheer? (Lo! like a lion he shall come up from the thickets of the Jordan River to the plentiful pastures, but suddenly I shall make him run away; and then who shall be the chosen one whom I shall set before them? For who is like me? and who shall dare to challenge me? and who is this shepherd of the people, who shall stand against me?) 45Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, which he conceived in mind against Babylon, and his thoughts, which he thought on the land of Chaldees, no but the little (ones) of the flocks draw them down, no but the dwelling place of them be destroyed with them, else no man give credence to me. (And so hear ye the counsel of the Lord, which he conceived in his mind against Babylon, and his thoughts, or his plans, which he thought against the land of the Chaldeans: Even the little ones of the flocks shall be taken away, and their dwelling place shall be destroyed along with them, else no one give credence to me/or else no one believe me.) 46The earth is moved of the voice of [the] captivity of Babylon, and cry is heard among heathen men. (The land shaketh at the sound of Babylon going into captivity, and its cry of despair is heard among the heathen.)