¹⁹ And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms,
the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when God overthrew them.^(A)

How the oppressor has quieted down,
and how the raging^[a] has become quiet!

⁵ “Daughter Chaldea,
sit in silence^(F) and go into darkness.
For you will no longer be called mistress of kingdoms.
⁶ I was angry with My people;
I profaned My possession,
and I placed them under your control.
You showed them no mercy;
you made your yoke very heavy on the elderly.
⁷ You said, ‘I will be the mistress forever.’
You did not take these things to heart
or think about their outcome.

⁸ “So now hear this, lover of luxury,
who sits securely,^(G)
who says to herself,
‘I exist, and there is no one else.
I will never be a widow
or know the loss of children.’^(H)
9 These two things will happen to you
suddenly, in one day:
loss of children and widowhood.
They will happen to you in their entirety,
in spite of your many sorceries^(I)
and the potency of your spells.
¹⁰ You were secure in your wickedness;
you said, ‘No one sees me.’^(J)
Your wisdom and knowledge
led you astray.
You said to yourself,
‘I exist, and there is no one else.’
¹¹ But disaster will happen to you;
you will not know how to avert it.
And it will fall on you,
but you will be unable to ward it off.^[b]
Devastation will happen to you suddenly
and unexpectedly.^(K)
12 So take your stand with your spells
and your many sorceries,
which you have wearied yourself with from your youth.
Perhaps you will be able to succeed;
perhaps you will inspire terror!
¹³ You are worn out with your many consultations.
So let them stand and save you—
the astrologers,^[c] who observe the stars,^(L)
who predict monthly
what will happen to you.
¹⁴ Look, they are like stubble;^(M)
fire burns them up.^(N)
They cannot deliver themselves
from the power^[d] of the flame.
This is not a coal for warming themselves,
or a fire to sit beside!
¹⁵ This is what they are to you—
those who have wearied you
and have traded with you from your youth—
each wanders on his own way;
no one can save you.

² Announce to the nations;
proclaim and raise up a signal flag;^(B)
proclaim, and hide nothing.
Say: Babylon is captured;
Bel^(C) is put to shame;
Marduk is devastated;
her idols are put to shame;
her false gods, devastated.
³ For a nation from the north will come against her;^(D)
it will make her land desolate.
No one will be living in it—
both man and beast will escape.^[a]
4 In those days and at that time—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
the Israelites and Judeans will come together,
weeping as they come,
and will seek the Lord their God.^(E)
5 They will ask about Zion,
turning their faces to this road.
They will come and join themselves^[b] to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant^(F) that will never be forgotten.