"Raise a flag on that mountain where nothing grows. Call out to the men. Wave your arms to let them know they should enter through the gates for important leaders.
"I have separated these men from the people, and I myself will command them. I have gathered these proud, happy soldiers of mine to show how angry I am.
"Listen to that loud noise in the mountains. It sounds like crowds of people. People from many kingdoms are gathering together. The Lord All-Powerful is calling his army together.
They are coming from a faraway land. They are coming from beyond the horizon. The Lord will use this army as a weapon to show his anger. They will destroy the whole country."
The Lord's special day is near. So cry and be sad for yourselves. A time is coming when the enemy will steal your wealth. God All-Powerful will make that happen.
Look, the Lord's special day is coming! It will be a terrible day. God will be very angry. He will destroy the country and wipe out the sinful people who live there.
The Lord says, "I will cause bad things to happen to the world. I will punish the evil people for their sin. I will make proud people lose their pride. I will stop the bragging of cruel people.
Then the people from Babylon will run away like wounded deer or sheep that have no shepherd. Everyone will turn and run back to their own country and people.
They will walk on the bows of the young soldiers of Babylon. The enemy soldiers will not show any kindness or mercy even to the babies and young children.
Babylon will be destroyed like the time God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. "Babylon is the most beautiful of all kingdoms. The Babylonians are very proud of their city.
But Babylon will not continue to be beautiful. People will not continue to live there in the future. Arabs will not put their tents there. Shepherds will not bring their sheep to let them eat there.
The only animals living there will be wild animals from the desert. People will not be living in their houses in Babylon. The houses will be full of owls and large birds. Wild goats will play in the houses.