In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.
Look, there they come, riders, horsemen in pairs!” Then he responded, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon, and all the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground.”
Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you; the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
Raise a shout against her from all sides, “She has surrendered; her bulwarks have fallen; her walls are thrown down.” For this is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done.
Declare among the nations and proclaim; set up a banner and proclaim; do not conceal it, say: “Babylon is taken; Bel is put to shame; Merodach is dismayed. Her images are put to shame; her idols are dismayed.”
“King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me; he has made me an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he has filled his belly with my delicacies; he has spewed me out.
Assuredly, the days are coming when I will punish the images of Babylon; her whole land shall be put to shame, and all her slain shall fall in her midst.
Thus says the Lord of hosts: The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, the nations only for fire, and they have become weary.
The Lord gave King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, as well as some of the vessels of the house of God. These he brought to the land of Shinar, and he placed the vessels in the treasury of his gods.
Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”
And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed those he wanted to kill, kept alive those he wanted to keep alive, honored those he wanted to honor, and degraded those he wanted to degrade.