Jeremiah 51:5-14

5The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, will not leave Israel and Judah on their own. Those people are guilty of many bad things that they have done against Israel's holy God.

6Run away from Babylonia! Run quickly to escape from there! Do not stay there to die along with Babylonia's people. The time has come for the Lord to pay them back for their sins. He will punish them as they deserve.

7Babylon has been like a gold cup of wine in the Lord's hand. The nations of the world had to drink that wine. It made everyone become drunk, and so they all became crazy.

8But now Babylon will quickly fall. An enemy will destroy it, so weep for it! Find some medicine that will make its wounds better. Perhaps it will become well again.

9The foreign people in Babylon say, “We tried to make its wounds better, but it was not possible to do it. Now we must leave it. We must each go back to our own country. Its punishment will have no end. It will reach as high as the sky!”

10The people from Judah who are in Babylon say, “The Lord has shown that we are his people. Now we must go to Jerusalem. We must tell people in Zion about how the Lord our God has helped us.” ’

11‘Make your arrows sharp! Prepare your weapons! The Lord has caused Media's kings to prepare for war. He will use them to destroy Babylon. The Lord will punish the people of Babylonia because they destroyed his temple.

12Wave a flag and prepare to attack Babylon's city walls! Bring plenty of guards to watch all around the city. Put soldiers to catch anyone who tries to escape. Yes, the Lord will now do everything that he has decided. He will punish Babylon's people, as he said he would do.

13You people of Babylon, who live beside many rivers, it is now time for you to die. You have become rich with many valuable things, but now your lives will finish.’

14The Lord Almighty has made this strong promise with the authority of his own name: ‘I will cause the enemy's soldiers to fill your cities. They will come like a big crowd of locusts. They will shout loudly when they take your city for themselves.’