Jeremiah 50:21-29

21The Lord says, ‘Attack the land of Merathaim. Attack the people who live in Pekod. Run after them! Kill them! Completely destroy them! Do everything that I have commanded you to do.

22There is a noise of war in the land of Babylonia. The enemy is destroying everything!

23Babylon attacked other nations of the world, like a hammer that breaks things into pieces. But now that hammer has broken into pieces. Now the other nations see that Babylon is a disgusting place.

24Babylon, I put a trap to catch you, and you did not know about it. Now I have caught you in my trap, because you fought against me.

25I have taken out my weapons from the place where I had stored them. I will use those weapons to punish the people of Babylonia, because I am very angry with them. I am the Lord God Almighty. I have work to do in the land of Babylonia.

26Now come from far away to attack Babylonia! Break open the store rooms and take out the grain. Knock down their buildings and break them into pieces. Completely destroy everything. Do not let anything remain!

27Kill all their strong soldiers. Let them go to their place of death! Terrible trouble has come to the people of Babylon. The time of their punishment has arrived!’

28Listen! People have run away from the war in Babylon. Now they are arriving in Jerusalem. They will tell the news in Zion about how the Lord is punishing Babylon. He is punishing the people of Babylon because they destroyed his temple.

29‘Bring all the soldiers with bows and arrows to attack Babylon. They must make their camp all around the city. Do not let anyone escape. Punish the people for the things that they have done. Do the same thing to them that they have done to others. Those people have insulted me, Israel's holy God.