16. Come here and listen to me! I was there when Babylon began as a nation. And from the beginning, I spoke clearly so that people could know what I said.” Now, the Lord GOD sends me and his Spirit to tell you these things.
17. The Lord, the Savior, the Holy One of Israel, says, “I am the Lord your God. I teach you for your own good. I lead you in the way you should go.
18. If you had obeyed me, then peace would have come to you like a full flowing river. Good things would have come to you again and again, like the waves of the sea.
19. If you had obeyed me, you would have had as many children as there are grains of sand. And they would always have been mine and would never have been destroyed.”
20. My people, leave Babylon! My people, run from the Chaldeans! Tell the news with joy. Spread the news around the world. Tell them, “The Lord rescued his servant Jacob.”
21. They never got thirsty as he led them through the desert, because he made water flow from a rock. He split the rock, and water flowed out.
22. But the Lord also said, “There is no peace for evil people.”