I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will bring out of his mouth what he has swallowed; And the nations shall not stream to him anymore. Yes, the wall of Babylon shall fall.

Shout against her all around; She has given her hand, Her foundations have fallen, Her walls are thrown down; For it [is] the vengeance of the LORD. Take vengeance on her. As she has done, so do to her.

The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting, They have remained in their strongholds; Their might has failed, They became [like] women; They have burned her dwelling places, The bars of her [gate] are broken.

"Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held -- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:

'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.

We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.

"Then you shall say, 'Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.' " Thus far [are] the words of Jeremiah.

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; For they [shall be] the descendants of the blessed of the LORD, And their offspring with them.

Behold, [is it] not of the LORD of hosts That the peoples labor to feed the fire, And nations weary themselves in vain?