Daily Bread

² “Announce and proclaim^(C) among the nations,
    lift up a banner^(D) and proclaim it;
    keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;^(E)
    Bel^(F) will be put to shame,^(G)
    Marduk^(H) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
    and her idols^(I) filled with terror.’
³ A nation from the north^(J) will attack her
    and lay waste her land.
No one will live^(K) in it;
    both people and animals^(L) will flee away.

⁴ “In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together^(M)
    will go in tears^(N) to seek^(O) the Lord their God.
⁵ They will ask the way^(P) to Zion
    and turn their faces toward it.
They will come^(Q) and bind themselves to the Lord
    in an everlasting covenant^(R)
    that will not be forgotten.

⁶ “My people have been lost sheep;^(S)
    their shepherds^(T) have led them astray^(U)
    and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill^(V)
    and forgot their own resting place.^(W)
7 Whoever found them devoured^(X) them;
    their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,^(Y)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
    the Lord, the hope^(Z) of their ancestors.’

⁸ “Flee^(AA) out of Babylon;^(AB)
    leave the land of the Babylonians,
    and be like the goats that lead the flock.
⁹ For I will stir^(AC) up and bring against Babylon
    an alliance of great nations^(AD) from the land of the north.^(AE)
They will take up their positions against her,
    and from the north she will be captured.^(AF)
Their arrows^(AG) will be like skilled warriors
    who do not return empty-handed.
¹⁰ So Babylonia^[b] will be plundered;^(AH)
    all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.

¹¹ “Because you rejoice and are glad,
    you who pillage my inheritance,^(AI)
because you frolic like a heifer^(AJ) threshing grain
    and neigh like stallions,
¹² your mother will be greatly ashamed;
    she who gave you birth will be disgraced.^(AK)
She will be the least of the nations—
    a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.^(AL)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
    but will be completely desolate.^(AM)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;^(AN)
    they will scoff^(AO) because of all her wounds.^(AP)

¹⁴ “Take up your positions around Babylon,
    all you who draw the bow.^(AQ)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,^(AR)
    for she has sinned against the Lord.
¹⁵ Shout^(AS) against her on every side!
    She surrenders, her towers fall,
    her walls^(AT) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance^(AU) of the Lord,
    take vengeance on her;
    do to her^(AV) as she has done to others.^(AW)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
    and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword^(AX) of the oppressor
    let everyone return to their own people,^(AY)
    let everyone flee to their own land.^(AZ)

¹⁷ “Israel is a scattered flock^(BA)
    that lions^(BB) have chased away.
The first to devour^(BC) them
    was the king^(BD) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones^(BE)
    was Nebuchadnezzar^(BF) king^(BG) of Babylon.”

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
    as I punished the king^(BH) of Assyria.^(BI)
19 But I will bring^(BJ) Israel back to their own pasture,
    and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied^(BK)
    on the hills^(BL) of Ephraim and Gilead.^(BM)
20 In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
    but there will be none,^(BN)
and for the sins^(BO) of Judah,
    but none will be found,
    for I will forgive^(BP) the remnant^(BQ) I spare.

²¹ “Attack the land of Merathaim
    and those who live in Pekod.^(BR)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy^[c] them,”
declares the Lord.
    “Do everything I have commanded you.
²² The noise^(BS) of battle is in the land,
    the noise of great destruction!
²³ How broken and shattered
    is the hammer^(BT) of the whole earth!^(BU)
How desolate^(BV) is Babylon
    among the nations!
²⁴ I set a trap^(BW) for you, Babylon,
    and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured^(BX)
    because you opposed^(BY) the Lord.
²⁵ The Lord has opened his arsenal
    and brought out the weapons^(BZ) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
    in the land of the Babylonians.^(CA)
26 Come against her from afar.^(CB)
    Break open her granaries;
    pile her up like heaps of grain.^(CC)
Completely destroy^(CD) her
    and leave her no remnant.
²⁷ Kill all her young bulls;^(CE)
    let them go down to the slaughter!^(CF)
Woe to them! For their day^(CG) has come,
    the time^(CH) for them to be punished.
²⁸ Listen to the fugitives^(CI) and refugees from Babylon
    declaring in Zion^(CJ)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,^(CK)
    vengeance for his temple.^(CL)

²⁹ “Summon archers against Babylon,
    all those who draw the bow.^(CM)
Encamp all around her;
    let no one escape.^(CN)
Repay^(CO) her for her deeds;^(CP)
    do to her as she has done.
For she has defied^(CQ) the Lord,
    the Holy One^(CR) of Israel.
³⁰ Therefore, her young men^(CS) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
³¹ “See, I am against^(CT) you, you arrogant one,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day^(CU) has come,
    the time for you to be punished.
³² The arrogant^(CV) one will stumble and fall^(CW)
    and no one will help her up;^(CX)
I will kindle a fire^(CY) in her towns
    that will consume all who are around her.”

“The people of Israel are oppressed,^(CZ)
    and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
    refusing to let them go.^(DA)
34 Yet their Redeemer^(DB) is strong;
    the Lord Almighty^(DC) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause^(DD)
    so that he may bring rest^(DE) to their land,
    but unrest to those who live in Babylon.

³⁵ “A sword^(DF) against the Babylonians!”^(DG)
    declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
    and against her officials and wise^(DH) men!
³⁶ A sword against her false prophets!
    They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!^(DI)
    They will be filled with terror.^(DJ)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots^(DK)
    and all the foreigners in her ranks!
    They will become weaklings.^(DL)
A sword against her treasures!^(DM)
    They will be plundered.
³⁸ A drought on^[d] her waters!^(DN)
    They will dry^(DO) up.
For it is a land of idols,^(DP)
    idols that will go mad with terror.

³⁹ “So desert creatures^(DQ) and hyenas will live there,
    and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
    or lived in from generation to generation.^(DR)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah^(DS)
    along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
    no people will dwell in it.^(DT)

⁴¹ “Look! An army is coming from the north;^(DU)
    a great nation and many kings
    are being stirred^(DV) up from the ends of the earth.^(DW)
42 They are armed with bows^(DX) and spears;
    they are cruel^(DY) and without mercy.^(DZ)
They sound like the roaring sea^(EA)
    as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Babylon.^(EB)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
    and his hands hang limp.^(EC)
Anguish has gripped him,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.^(ED)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets^(EE)
    to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
    Who is the chosen^(EF) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?^(EG)
    And what shepherd can stand against me?”

⁴⁵ Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
    what he has purposed^(EH) against the land of the Babylonians:^(EI)
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
    their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
⁴⁶ At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;^(EJ)
    its cry^(EK) will resound among the nations.