43. Babylon’s towns will be ruined and empty.Babylon will become a dry, desert land.It will become a land where no one lives.People will not even travel through Babylon.
44. I will punish the god Bel in Babylon.I will make him spit out what he has swallowed.Nations will no longer come to Babylon.And the wall around the city will fall.
45. “Come out of Babylon, my people!Run for your lives!Run from the Lord’s great anger.
46. Don’t lose courage.Rumors will spread, but don’t be afraid.One rumor comes this year, and another comes the next year.There will be rumors of terrible fighting in the country.There will be rumors of rulers fighting against rulers.
47. The time will surely comewhen I will punish the idols of Babylon.And the whole land will be disgraced.There will be many dead people lying all around.
48. Then heaven and earth and all that is in themwill shout for joy about Babylon.They will shout because the army came from the northand fought against Babylon,” says the Lord.
49. “Babylon killed people from Israel.Babylon killed people from everywhere on earth.So Babylon must fall.
50. You people escaped being killed with swords.You must hurry and leave Babylon.Don’t wait!Remember the Lord in the faraway land where you are.And think about Jerusalem.”
51. “We people of Judah are disgraced.We have been insulted.We have been shamed.This is because strangers have gone intothe holy places of the Lord’s Temple!”
52. The Lord says, “The time is comingwhen I will punish the idols of Babylon.Wounded people will cry with painall over that land.