Study Desk

"Wander away from the ^(C1)midst of Babylon And ^(F1)go out from the land of the Chaldeans; Be like male goats ^(F2)at the head of the flock.

-"For behold, I am going to ^(C1)rouse and bring up against Babylon A contingent of great nations from the land of the north, And they will draw up their battle lines against her; From there she will be taken captive. Their arrows will be like ^(F1)an expert warrior Who does not return empty-handed.

-"^(F1)(C1)Chaldea will become plunder; All who plunder her will have enough," declares the LORD.

"Because you are glad, because you are jubilant, You who ^(C1)pillage My heritage, Because you skip about ^(F1)like a threshing ^(C2)heifer And neigh like ^(F2)stallions,

Your ^(C1)mother ^(F1)will be greatly ashamed, She who gave you birth ^(F1)will be humiliated. Behold, she will be the least of the nations, A ^(C2)wilderness, a dry land and a desert.

-"Because of the wrath of the LORD she will ^(C1)not be inhabited, But she will be ^(C2)completely desolate; Everyone who passes by Babylon ^(C3)will be horrified And will hiss because of all her wounds.

-"Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side, All of you who ^(F1)bend the bow; Shoot at her, do not spare your arrows, For she has ^(C1)sinned against the LORD.

-"Raise your battle cry against her on every side! She has ^(C1)given ^(F1)herself up, her towers have fallen, Her ^(C2)walls have been torn down. For this is the ^(C3)vengeance of the LORD: Take vengeance on her; ^(C4)As she has done to others, so do to her.

-"Eliminate the ^(C1)sower from Babylon And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest; From ^(F1)the ^(C2)sword of the oppressor ^(C3)Each of them will turn back to his own people And each of them will flee to his own land.