The walls of Babylon have fallen over
1The Lord was angry and He spoke against the land in the desert.
The enemies come from the desert
like a storm wind that blows away
everything in the Negev.
The enemies come from that land,
and everyone is afraid of them.
2I have seen something very bad
that is going to happen.
I have seen people who will betray
Babylon and destroy the land.
Come, people of Elam and Media,
you must come and attack the city.
The Lord does not want the people
to suffer any longer.
3When they tell me and I see
what is going to happen,
I feel pain like a woman who is having a baby,
and I bow down and I am shocked.
4I do not know what to do,
and I become afraid.
I was always happy when evening came,
but now I am afraid when darkness comes.
5I have seen the servants putting out tables
and preparing for a feast,
and the officials of Babylon eating and drinking.
But then someone called and said:
‘Get up, officials, and prepare for war.
Put olive oil on your shields.’
6The Lord told me to put a guard on the wall.
He had to look and tell what he saw.
7If he saw war-chariots
with horses or donkeys or camels,
he had to look carefully.
8The guard said: ‘Sir, I have been on guard
all day and all night.
9I see there is a war-chariot with horses
and there are people on the war-chariot.’
The guard talked again and he said:
‘The walls of Babylon have fallen.
All the idols of the city are broken
and lying on the ground.’
10My people, the enemies
have trampled you, like people
trample wheat on the threshing-floor.
I have told you what the Lord said.
He is the Lord who rules over all,
the God of Israel.
The Edomite people
11The Lord was angry with the Edomites and He talked about them.
Someone calls me from Seir
and he asks the guard:
‘When will the night be over?
When will the morning come?’
12The guard answers:
‘The morning will come,
and the night will also come again.
If you want to ask me again,
you must come back later.’
A message about Arabia
13The Lord was angry with the Arabian people. He said:
‘You merchants who come from the land of Dedan,
you must sleep in the forest of Arabia.
14You who live in the land of Teman,
you must bring water for the people
who are thirsty and you must
give bread to the people who flee.
15They are fleeing from the swords
and the bows_and_arrows of their enemies.
They flee from a cruel war.’
16The Lord said to me:
‘After one year,
the people of the land of Kedar
will not be rich or powerful anymore.
During this year they will suffer
like a man who is hired to work.
17Only a few soldiers of Kedar will stay alive.’
Yes, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said.