Behold,the landof the Chaldeans--thisis the people[which] was not; Assyriaappointedit for desertcreatures--they erectedtheir siegetowers,they strippedits palaces,they madeit a ruin.
Harandiedin the presenceof his fatherTerahin the landof his birth,in Urof the Chaldeans.
TerahtookAbramhis son,and Lotthe sonof Haran,his grandson,and Saraihis daughter-in-law,his sonAbram'swife;and they wentout togetherfrom Urof the Chaldeansin order to enterthe landof Canaan;and they wentas faras Haran,and settledthere.
Thereforeits namewas calledBabel,becausetherethe LORDconfusedthe languageof the wholeearth;and from therethe LORDscatteredthem abroad overthe faceof the wholeearth.
The nameof the thirdriveris Tigris;it flowseastof Assyria.And the fourthriveris the Euphrates.
The kingof Assyriabrought[men] from Babylonand from Cuthahand from Avvaand from Hamathand Sephar-vaim,and settled[them] in the citiesof Samariain placeof the sonsof Israel.So they possessedSamariaand livedin its cities.
At that timeBerodach-baladana sonof Baladan,kingof Babylon,sentlettersand a presentto Hezekiah,for he heardthat Hezekiahhad beensick.
Therefore the LORDbroughtthe commandersof the armyof the kingof Assyriaagainstthem, and they capturedManassehwith hooks,boundhim with bronze[chains] and tookhim to Babylon.
While he was stillspeaking,anotheralso cameand said,"The Chaldeansformedthreebandsand madea raidon the camelsand tookthem and slewthe servantswith the edgeof the sword,and I alonehave escapedto tellyou."
Let the nomadsof the desertbowbeforehim, And his enemieslickthe dust.
Woeto Assyria,the rodof My angerAnd the staffin whose handsis My indignation,
Yet it does not sointend,Nordoes it plansoin its heart,But ratherit is its purposeto destroyAnd to cutoffmanynations.
And Babylon,the beautyof kingdoms,the gloryof the Chaldeans'pride,Will be as when GodoverthrewSodomand Gomorrah.
But desertcreatureswill liedownthere,And their houseswill be fullof owls;Ostrichesalso will livethere,and shaggygoatswill frolicthere.
They will be lefttogetherfor mountainbirdsof prey,And for the beastsof the earth;And the birdsof preywill spendthe summer[feeding] on them, And allthe beastsof the earthwill spendharvesttimeon them.
Thussaysthe LORDyour Redeemer,the HolyOneof Israel,"For your sakeI have sentto Babylon,And will bringthem alldownas fugitives,Even the Chaldeans,into the shipsin which they rejoice.
the Babyloniansand allthe Chaldeans,Pekodand Shoaand Koa,[and] allthe Assyrianswith them; desirableyoungmen,governorsand officialsallof them, officersand menof renown,allof them ridingon horses.
"Sonof man,Nebuchadnezzarkingof Babylonmade his armylaborhardagainstTyre;everyheadwas madebaldand everyshoulderwas rubbedbare.But he and his armyhadnowagesfrom Tyrefor the laborthat he had performedagainstit."
"The kingreflectedand said,'Is thisnot Babylonthe great,whichI myselfhave builtas a royalresidenceby the mightof my powerand for the gloryof my majesty?'
"For behold,I am raisingup the Chaldeans,That fierceand impetuouspeopleWho marchthroughoutthe earthTo seizedwellingplaceswhich are not theirs.
"Thenhe leftthe landof the Chaldeansand settledin Haran.From there,afterhis fatherdied,[God] had him moveto thiscountryin whichyou are nowliving.
