1 This is what the Lord said concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians through the prophet Jeremiah:
2 Tell the nations;proclaim it far and wide!Set up a flag;proclaim it far and wide!Hold nothing back;just shout it:"Babylon is captured;Bel is shamed;Marduk is panic-stricken.Her images are shamed;her idols are panic-stricken."
3 A nation from the northhas risen up against her.It will decimate her land,and no one will live in it.Every living thing will flee.
4 In those days and at that time,declares the Lord, the people of Israel and Judahwill come out of Babylon together;with weeping they will leaveas they seek the Lord their God.
5 They will search for Zion,turning their faces toward it.They will come andunite with the Lord, in an everlasting covenantthat will never be forgotten.
6 My people were lost sheep;their shepherds led them astray;they deserted them on the mountains,where they wandered off among the hills,forgetting their resting place.