5. This army is coming from a faraway land,from the edge of the horizon.In anger the Lord is using this army like a weaponto destroy the whole country.
6. Cry, because the Lord’s day of judging is near;the Almighty is sending destruction.
7. People will be weak with fear,and their courage will melt away.
8. Everyone will be afraid.Pain and hurt will grab them;they will hurt like a woman giving birth to a baby.They will look at each other in fear,with their faces red like fire.
9. Look, the Lord’s day of judging is coming—a terrible day, a day of God’s anger.He will destroy the landand the sinners who live in it.
10. The stars will not show their light;the skies will be dark.The sun will grow dark as it rises,and the moon will not give its light.
11. The Lord says, “I will punish the world for its eviland wicked people for their sins.I will cause proud people to lose their pride,and I will destroy the pride of those who are cruel to others.
12. People will be harder to find than pure gold;there will be fewer people than there is fine gold in Ophir.
13. I will make the sky shake,and the earth will be moved from its placeby the anger of the Lord All-Powerfulat the time of his burning anger.
14. “Then the people from Babylon will run away like hunted deeror like sheep who have no shepherd.Everyone will turn back to his own people;each will run back to his own land.
15. Everyone who is captured will be killed;everyone who is caught will be killed with a sword.
16. Their little children will be beaten to death in front of them.Their houses will be robbedand their wives raped.
17. “Look, I will cause the armies of Media to attack Babylon.They do not care about silveror delight in gold.
18. Their soldiers will shoot the young men with arrows;they will show no mercy on children,nor will they feel sorry for little ones.
19. Babylon is the most beautiful of all kingdoms,and the Babylonians are very proud of it.But God will destroy itlike Sodom and Gomorrah.
20. No one will ever live thereor settle there again.No Arab will put a tent there;no shepherd will bring sheep there.