Jeremiah 50:2-10

2‘Tell this news to the nations! Wave a flag to make sure that people listen! Do not try to hide anything. Say this: “Enemies will take Babylon. Bel will become ashamed. Yes, Marduk will be afraid. All Babylon's disgusting idols will be ashamed.”

3A nation from the north will attack Babylon. They will destroy the whole land. People and animals will all run away, so that nobody lives there.’

4The Lord says, ‘When that happens, the people of Israel and Judah will return to their land. They will weep because of their sins. They will want to worship the Lord their God.

5They will ask people to show them the way to Zion. They will travel in that direction. They will promise to serve the Lord. They will make a covenant with him that will continue for ever. Nobody will ever forget that covenant.

6My people have been like sheep that are lost. Their leaders should have taken care of them like shepherds. Instead, they have let my people become lost, like sheep that have gone into the mountains. They go from one hill to another hill, and they have forgotten where their home is.

7Anyone who found them killed them. Their enemies said, “We are not guilty for their death. They deserved to die because they turned against the Lord. He is their true home where they are safe. But they turned against the Lord, the God that their ancestors trusted.” ’

8‘People of Judah, escape quickly from Babylon! Leave the land of Babylonia! Be the first people to leave. Lead the other people away, like a male goat that leads the other goats.

9I will call a group of strong nations from the north. They will join together to fight against Babylon. They will get ready to attack. They will come from the north and they will take power over Babylon. Their arrows will be like brave soldiers. They will kill everyone that they want to kill.

10The people of Babylonia will lose all their things. Enemy soldiers will take everything that they want for themselves.’ That is what the Lord says.