Look at the land of the Babylonians. No one lives there anymore. The Assyrians have turned it into a place for desert creatures. They built their towers in order to attack it. They took everything out of its forts. They knocked down all its buildings.

看哪，迦勒底人之地向来没有这民，这国是亚述人为住旷野的人所立的。现在他们建筑戍楼，拆毁推罗的宫殿，使她成为荒凉。

看哪，迦勒底人之地，这国民如今已不复存在。亚述人使它成为住旷野者的居所。他们建筑自己的瞭望楼，拆毁它的宫殿，使它成为荒凉。

看哪，迦勒底人之地，这国民如今已不复存在。亚述人使它成为住旷野者的居所。他们建筑自己的瞭望楼，拆毁它的宫殿，使它成为荒凉。

看看迦勒底人的土地，那里已杳无人烟！亚述人使它成为野兽出没之地，他们筑起围城的高台，摧毁它的宫殿，使它沦为废墟。

看哪！使推罗成为旷野，走兽居住之处的，是来自迦勒底地的人，而不是亚述人；他们要筑起攻城的高塔，拆毁推罗的城堡，使它成为废墟。

看哪！迦勒底人之地——这地上的国民已经不在了。亚述人把这地指定给旷野的走兽；他们立起攻城塔，把城堡彻底摧毁，使地变为废墟。

看哪，迦勒底人之地向來沒有這民，這國是亞述人為住曠野的人所立的。現在他們建築戍樓，拆毀泰爾的宮殿，使她成為荒涼。）

看哪，迦勒底人之地，這國民如今已不復存在。亞述人使它成為住曠野者的居所。他們建築自己的瞭望樓，拆毀它的宮殿，使它成為荒涼。

看哪，迦勒底人之地，這國民如今已不復存在。亞述人使它成為住曠野者的居所。他們建築自己的瞭望樓，拆毀它的宮殿，使它成為荒涼。

看看迦勒底人的土地，那裡已杳無人煙！亞述人使它成為野獸出沒之地，他們築起圍城的高臺，摧毀它的宮殿，使它淪為廢墟。

看哪！使推羅成為曠野，走獸居住之處的，是來自迦勒底地的人，而不是亞述人；他們要築起攻城的高塔，拆毀推羅的城堡，使它成為廢墟。

看哪，迦勒底人之地；這人民已不成為人民了；亞述人使她成為住曠野者之地；他們立起攻城的設備來，將城的宮堡毁為平地，使城變為廢瓦頹牆。

看哪！迦勒底人之地——這地上的國民已經不在了。亞述人把這地指定給曠野的走獸；他們立起攻城塔，把城堡徹底摧毀，使地變為廢墟。

試觀迦勒底地、無有居民、亞述人使為野獸之所、建築戍樓、毀其宮室、使為邱墟、

昔迦勒底未建國時、其民為野民、亞述人使之雜處、今築崇臺、毀推羅之宮殿、悉為瓦礫。

惟此迦勒底民之國、古昔原無、乃亞述為野民所立、今建築崇臺、或作惟此迦勒底民其國古昔建立後歸無有乃亞述所滅使為野獸所處今復興建築崇臺以毀推羅之宮殿、使成邱墟、

Look at the land of the Babylonians, this people that is now of no account! The Assyrians have made it a place for desert creatures; they raised up their siege towers, they stripped its fortresses bare and turned it into a ruin.

Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not; Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin.

Look at the land of Babylonia— the people of that land are gone! The Assyrians have handed Babylon over to the wild animals of the desert. They have built siege ramps against its walls, torn down its palaces, and turned it to a heap of rubble.

Look at the land of the Chaldeans— a people who no longer exist. Assyria destined it for desert creatures. They set up their siege towers and stripped its palaces. They made it a ruin.

Behold, the land of the Chaldeans— this is the people that did not exist; Assyria allocated it for desert creatures— they erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, they made it a ruin.

Behold, the land of the Chaldeans, This people which was not; Assyria founded it for wild beasts of the desert. They set up its towers, They raised up its palaces, And brought it to ruin.

Behold, the land of the Chaldeans: this people was not; the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness; they set up their towers; they overthrew the palaces thereof; they made it a ruin.

Look at the land of the Chaldeans— a people who no longer exist. Assyria destined it for desert creatures. They set up their siege towers and stripped its palaces. They made it a ruin.

Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not,[ till] the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof;[ and] he brought it to ruin.

Look at the land of the Chaldeans, these people who have lost their identity! The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals. They erected their siege towers, demolished its fortresses, and turned it into a heap of ruins.

Behold, the land of the Chaldeans. This people didn’t exist. The Assyrians founded it for those who dwell in the wilderness. They set up their towers. They overthrew its palaces. They made it a ruin.

I am going to send the armies of Babylon to attack you. They are very mean. They move quickly. They sweep across the whole earth. They take over homes that do not belong to them.

The city of Babylon is the jewel of kingdoms. It is the pride and glory of the Babylonians. But God will destroy it just as he did Sodom and Gomorrah.

But that is not what the king of Assyria plans. It is not what he has in mind. His purpose is to destroy many nations. His purpose is to put an end to them.

The first capital cities of Nimrod’s kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh. These cities were in the land of Babylon.From that land he went to Assyria. There he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir and Calah.

At that time Marduk- Baladan, the king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah letters and a gift. He had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. Marduk- Baladan was the son of Baladan.

While he was still speaking, a third messenger came. He said,“ The Chaldeans separated themselves into three groups. They attacked your camels and carried them off. They killed the rest of the servants with their swords. I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim. He made all of them live in the towns of Samaria. They took the place of the people of Israel. They lived in all the towns of Samaria.

The Lord and King says,“ From the north I am going to bring Nebuchadnezzar against Tyre. He is the king of Babylon. He is the greatest king of all. He will come with horses and chariots. Horsemen and a great army will be brought along with him.He will go to war against you. He will destroy your settlements on the coast. He will bring in war machines to attack you. A ramp will be built up to your walls. He will raise his shields against you.He will use huge logs to knock down your walls. He will destroy your towers with his weapons.He will have so many horses that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will shake because of the noise of his war horses, wagons and chariots. He will enter your gates, just as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through.The hooves of his horses will pound in your streets. His swords will kill your people. Your strong pillars will fall to the ground.His men will take away from you your wealth and anything else you have. They will pull down your walls. They will completely destroy your fine houses. They will throw the stones and lumber of your broken- down buildings into the sea.I will put an end to your noisy songs. No one will hear the music of your harps anymore.I will turn you into nothing but a bare rock. You will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt. I have spoken. I am the Lord,” announces the Lord and King.The Lord and King speaks to Tyre. He says,“ The lands along the coast will shake because of the sound of your fall. Wounded people will groan because so many are dying there.Then all the princes along the coast will step down from their thrones. They will put their robes away. They will take off their beautiful clothes. They will sit on the ground. They will put on terror as if it were their clothes. They will tremble with fear all the time. They will be shocked because of what has happened to you.Then they will sing a song of sadness about you. They will say to you,“‘ Famous city, you have been completely destroyed! You were filled with sea traders. You and your citizens were a mighty power on the seas. You terrified everyone who lived in you.The lands along the coast trembled with fear when you fell. The islands in the sea were terrified when you were destroyed.’ ”The Lord and King says to Tyre,“ I will turn you into an empty city. You will be like cities where no one lives anymore. I will cause the ocean to sweep over you. Its mighty waters will cover you.So I will bring you down together with those who go down into the grave. The people there lived long ago. You will have to live in the earth below. It will be like living in buildings that were destroyed many years ago. You will go down into the grave along with others. And you will never come back. You will not take your place in this world again.I will bring you to a horrible end. You will be gone forever. People will look for you. But they will never find you,” announces the Lord and King.

The name of the third river is the Tigris. It runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is called the Euphrates.

Haran died in the city of Ur in Babylonia, the land where he was born. Haran died while his father Terah was still alive.

There the Lord mixed up the language of the whole world. That’s why the city was called Babel. From there the Lord scattered them over the whole earth.

“ So Abraham left the land of Babylonia. He settled in Harran. After his father died, God sent Abraham to this land where you are now living.

The Lord says,“ How terrible it will be for the people of Assyria! They are the war club that carries out my anger.

May the desert tribes bow down to him. May his enemies lick the dust.

Terah left Ur in Babylon. He took with him his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran. Terah also took his daughter- in- law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram. All of them left together to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they made their home there.

So the Lord brought the army commanders of the king of Assyria against them. They took Manasseh as a prisoner. They put a hook in his nose. They put him in bronze chains. And they took him to Babylon.

“ Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar drove his army in a hard military campaign. The campaign was against Tyre. Their helmets rubbed their heads bare. The heavy loads they carried made their shoulders raw. But he and his army did not gain anything from the campaign he led against Tyre.

He said,“ Isn’t this the great Babylon I have built as a place for my royal palace? I used my mighty power to build it. It shows how glorious my majesty is.”

We, Rehum and Shimshai, are writing this letter. Rehum is the commanding officer. Shimshai is the secretary. Our friends join us in writing. They include the judges, officials and managers in charge of the people from Persia, Uruk and Babylon. They are also over the Elamites from Susa.And they are over those who were forced to leave their countries. The great King Ashurbanipal, who is worthy of honor, forced them to leave. He moved them to the city of Samaria. He also moved them to other places west of the Euphrates River.