40 "I will lead them down like lambs to be put to death. They will be like rams and goats that have been killed.
41 "Babylon will be captured! The whole earth was very proud of it. But it will be taken over by others! The nations will be shocked when it falls.
42 Babylon 's enemies will sweep over it like an ocean. Like roaring waves they will cover it.
43 The towns of Babylonia will be empty. It will become a dry and desert land. No one will live there. No one will even travel through it.
44 I will punish the god Bel in Babylon. I will make Bel spit out what it has swallowed. The nations will not come and worship it anymore. And Babylon's walls will fall down.
45 "Come out of there, my people! Run for your lives! Run away from my burning anger.
46 You will hear about terrible things that are happening in Babylonia. But do not lose hope. Do not be afraid. You will hear one thing this year. And you will hear something else next year. You will hear about awful things in the land. You will hear about one ruler fighting against another.