8 Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken.Cry for her!Get balm for her pain.Maybe she can be healed.
9 “Foreigners in Babylon say, ‘We tried to heal Babylon.But she cannot be healed.So let us leave her and each go to his own country.Babylon’s guilt is as high as the clouds.Babylon’s guilt reaches to the sky.’
10 “The people of Judah say, ‘The Lord has shown us to be right.Come, let us tell about it in Jerusalem.Let us tell about what the Lord our God has done.’
11 “Sharpen the arrows.Pick up your shields!The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes.He has stirred them up because he wants to destroy Babylon.The Lord will give the people of Babylon the punishment they deserve.This is because Babylon destroyed his Temple in Jerusalem.
12 Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon!Bring more guards.Put the watchmen in their places.Get ready for a secret attack!The Lord will do what he has planned.He will do what he said he would do against the people of Babylon.
13 People of Babylon, you live near much water.You are rich with treasures.But your end as a nation has come.It is time for you to be destroyed.
14 The Lord of heaven’s armies has promised in his own name:‘Babylon, I will surely fill you with so many enemy soldiers they will be like a swarm of locusts.They will stand over you and shout their victory.’