22. to kill men and women,to slay old and young,to kill boys and girls,
23. to slaughter shepherds and their flocks,to slaughter ploughmen and their horses,to crush rulers and high officials.”
24. The Lord says, “You will see me repay Babylonia and its people for all the evil they did to Jerusalem.
25. Babylonia, you are like a mountain that destroys the whole world, but I, the Lord, am your enemy. I will take hold of you, level you to the ground, and leave you in ashes.
26. None of the stones from your ruins will ever be used again for building. You will be like a desert for ever. I, the Lord, have spoken.
27. “Give the signal to attack! Blow the trumpet so that the nations can hear! Prepare the nations for war against Babylonia! Tell the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz to attack. Appoint an officer to lead the attack. Bring up the horses like a swarm of locusts.
28. Prepare the nations for war against Babylonia. Send for the kings of Media, their leaders and officials, and the armies of all the countries they control.
29. The earth trembles and shakes because the Lord is carrying out his plan to make Babylonia a desert, where no one lives.
30. The Babylonian soldiers have stopped fighting and remain in their forts. They have lost their courage and have become like women. The city gates are broken down, and the houses are on fire.
31. Messenger after messenger runs to tell the king of Babylonia that his city has been broken into from every side.
32. The enemy have captured the river crossing and have set the fortresses on fire. The Babylonian soldiers have panicked.