51:1 The Lord says,

“I will cause a destructive wind ¹  to blow

against ²  Babylon and the people who inhabit Babylonia. ³ 

51:2 I will send people to winnow Babylonia like a wind blowing away chaff. ⁴ 

They will winnow her and strip her land bare. ⁵ 

This will happen when ⁶  they come against her from every direction,

when it is time to destroy her. ⁷ 

51:3 Do not give her archers time to string their bows

or to put on their coats of armor. ⁸ 

Do not spare any of her young men.

Completely destroy ⁹  her whole army.

51:4 Let them fall ¹⁰  slain in the land of Babylonia, ¹¹ 

mortally wounded in the streets of her cities. ¹² 

51:5 “For Israel and Judah will not be forsaken ¹³ 

by their God, the Lord who rules over all. ¹⁴ 

For the land of Babylonia is ¹⁵  full of guilt

against the Holy One of Israel. ¹⁶ 

51:6 Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people. ¹⁷ 

Flee to save your lives.

Do not let yourselves be killed because of her sins.

For it is time for the Lord to wreak his revenge.

He will pay Babylonia ¹⁸  back for what she has done. ¹⁹ 

51:7 Babylonia had been a gold cup in the Lord’s hand.

She had made the whole world drunk.

The nations had drunk from the wine of her wrath. ²⁰ 

So they have all gone mad. ²¹ 

51:8 But suddenly Babylonia will fall and be destroyed. ²² 

Cry out in mourning over it!

Get medicine for her wounds!

Perhaps she can be healed!

51:9 Foreigners living there will say, ²³ 

‘We tried to heal her, but she could not be healed.

Let’s leave Babylonia ²⁴  and each go back to his own country.

For judgment on her will be vast in its proportions.

It will be like it is piled up to heaven, stacked up into the clouds.’ ²⁵ 

51:10 The exiles from Judah will say, ²⁶ 

‘The Lord has brought about a great deliverance for us! ²⁷ 

Come on, let’s go and proclaim in Zion

what the Lord our God has done!’

51:11 “Sharpen ²⁸  your arrows!

Fill your quivers! ²⁹ 

The Lord will arouse a spirit of hostility in ³⁰  the kings of Media. ³¹ 

For he intends to destroy Babylonia.

For that is how the Lord will get his revenge –

how he will get his revenge for the Babylonians’ destruction of his temple. ³² 

51:12 Give the signal to attack Babylon’s wall! ³³ 

Bring more guards! ³⁴ 

Post them all around the city! ³⁵ 

Put men in ambush! ³⁶ 

For the Lord will do what he has planned.

He will do what he said he would do to the people of Babylon. ³⁷ 

51:13 “You who live along the rivers of Babylon, ³⁸ 

the time of your end has come.

You who are rich in plundered treasure,

it is time for your lives to be cut off. ³⁹ 

51:14 The Lord who rules over all ⁴⁰  has solemnly sworn, ⁴¹ 

‘I will fill your land with enemy soldiers.

They will swarm over it like locusts. ⁴² 

They will raise up shouts of victory over it.’