"For your wasteand desolateplaces and your destroyedland--Surelynowyou will be toocrampedfor the inhabitants,And those who swallowedyou will be faraway.
Thenthey would have swallowedus alive,When their angerwas kindledagainst us;
Let us swallowthem alivelike Sheol,Even whole,as those who godownto the pit;
Your landis desolate,Your citiesare burnedwith fire,Your fields--strangersare devouringthem in your presence;It is desolation,as overthrownby strangers.
For Jerusalemhas stumbledand Judahhas fallen,Becausetheir speechand their actionsare againstthe LORD,To rebelagainst His gloriouspresence.
"Your buildershurry;Your destroyersand devastatorsWill departfrom you.
Thussaysthe LORD,"In a favorabletimeI have answeredYou, And in a dayof salvationI have helpedYou; And I will keepYou and giveYou for a covenantof the people,To restorethe land,to make [them] inheritthe desolateheritages;
"I will layit waste;It will not be prunedor hoed,But briarsand thornswill comeup. I will also chargethe cloudsto rainnorainon it."
Indeed,the LORDwill comfortZion;He will comfortallher wasteplaces.And her wildernessHe will makelike Eden,And her desertlike the gardenof the LORD;Joyand gladnesswill be foundin her, Thanksgivingand soundof a melody.
"For you will spreadabroadto the rightand to the left.And your descendantswill possessnationsAnd will resettlethe desolatecities.
Thereforeallwho devouryou will be devoured;And allyour adversaries,everyoneof them, will gointo captivity;And those who plunderyou will be for plunder,And allwho preyupon you I will givefor prey.
For thussaysthe LORDof hosts,the Godof Israel:"The daughterof Babylonis like a threshingfloorAt the timeit is stampedfirm;Yetin a littlewhilethe timeof harvestwill comefor her."
"I will punishBelin Babylon,And I will make whathe has swallowedcomeout of his mouth;And the nationswill nolongerstreamto him. Eventhe wallof Babylonhas fallendown!
thereforeprophesyand say,'Thussaysthe LordGOD,"For good reasonthey have madeyou desolateand crushedyou from everyside,that you would becomea possessionof the restof the nationsand you have been takenup in the talkand the whisperingof the people."'"
"I will bringthem backfrom the landof EgyptAnd gatherthem from Assyria;And I will bringthem into the landof Gileadand LebanonUntil no[room] can be foundfor them.
"Manynationswill jointhemselves to the LORDin that dayand will becomeMy people.Then I will dwellin your midst,and you will knowthat the LORDof hostshas sentMe to you.
and saidto him, "Run,speakto that youngman,saying,Jerusalemwill be inhabitedwithoutwallsbecauseof the multitudeof menand cattlewithinit.
For thussaysthe LORDof hosts,"AftergloryHe has sentme againstthe nationswhich plunderyou, for he who touchesyou, touchesthe appleof His eye.
