“ I have stirred up you kings of the Medes. So sharpen your arrows! Get your shields! I plan to destroy Babylon. I will pay the Babylonians back. They have destroyed my temple.

你们要磨尖了箭头，抓住盾牌。耶和华定意攻击巴比伦，将他毁灭，所以激动了玛代君王的心；因这是耶和华报仇，就是为自己的殿报仇。

你们要磨尖箭头，抓住盾牌。论到巴比伦，耶和华定意要毁灭它，所以激起玛代君王的心；这是耶和华报仇，为他的圣殿报仇。

你们要磨尖箭头，抓住盾牌。论到巴比伦，耶和华定意要毁灭它，所以激起玛代君王的心；这是耶和华报仇，为他的圣殿报仇。

“因为巴比伦人毁灭了耶和华的殿，耶和华要使玛代诸王毁灭他们。玛代人啊，要磨尖箭头，拿起盾牌，

你们要磨尖箭头，拿起盾牌（“拿起盾牌”《七十士译本》译作“装满箭袋”）；耶和华定意要毁灭巴比伦，所以激动玛代诸王的心；这是耶和华的报复，就是为他的殿而施行的报复。

你們要磨尖了箭頭，抓住盾牌。耶和華定意攻擊巴比倫，將她毀滅，所以激動了米底亞君王的心；因這是耶和華報仇，就是為自己的殿報仇。

你們要磨尖箭頭，抓住盾牌。論到巴比倫，耶和華定意要毀滅它，所以激起瑪代君王的心；這是耶和華報仇，為他的聖殿報仇。

你們要磨尖箭頭，抓住盾牌。論到巴比倫，耶和華定意要毀滅它，所以激起瑪代君王的心；這是耶和華報仇，為他的聖殿報仇。

「因為巴比倫人毀滅了耶和華的殿，耶和華要使瑪代諸王毀滅他們。瑪代人啊，要磨尖箭頭，拿起盾牌，

你們要磨尖箭頭，拿起盾牌（“拿起盾牌”《七十士譯本》譯作“裝滿箭袋”）；耶和華定意要毀滅巴比倫，所以激動瑪代諸王的心；這是耶和華的報復，就是為他的殿而施行的報復。

『你們要把箭頭磨光，把全副武器裝束起來；因為永恆主定意擊打巴比倫，將她毁滅，故此永恆主激動了瑪代王的心；因為這是永恆主的報復，為他的殿而行的報復。

礪乃矢、執乃盾、耶和華感瑪代諸王之心、以其定志滅巴比倫、斯乃耶和華復仇、為其殿宇復仇也、

今耶和華震怒、欲滅巴比倫、為其殿宇雪忿、故慫慂米太王、以攻爾邑、爾雖礪鏃執盾、邑垣建旆、戍樓鞏固、命戍稽察、設伏防禦、終歸無益、蓋我耶和華昔言降災巴比倫、今已有應。

當礪矢執盾、主感瑪代君王之心、來攻巴比倫、因主已定其志以滅巴比倫、此主復仇、即為其聖殿復仇、

“ Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The Lord will take vengeance, vengeance for his temple.

“ Sharpen the arrows! Take up the shields! The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for his temple.

Sharpen the arrows! Lift up the shields! For the Lord has inspired the kings of the Medes to march against Babylon and destroy her. This is his vengeance against those who desecrated his Temple.

Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has roused the spirit of the kings of the Medes because his plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the LORD’s vengeance, vengeance for his temple.

Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, Because His plan is against Babylon to destroy it; For it is the vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple.

Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the Lord, The vengeance for His temple.

Make sharp the arrows; hold firm the shields: Jehovah hath stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; because his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it: for it is the vengeance of Jehovah, the vengeance of his temple.

Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The Lord has put it into the mind of the kings of the Medes because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the Lord’s vengeance, vengeance for His temple.

Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device[ is] against Babylon, to destroy it; because it[ is] the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.

“ Sharpen your arrows! Fill your quivers! The LORD will arouse a spirit of hostility in the kings of Media. For he intends to destroy Babylonia. For that is how the LORD will get his revenge– how he will get his revenge for the Babylonians’ destruction of his temple.

“ Make the arrows sharp! Hold the shields firmly! Yahweh has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it; for it is the vengeance of Yahweh, the vengeance of his temple.

Get the horses and chariots ready to ride! Take up your battle positions! Put on your helmets! Shine up your spears! Put on your armor!

So listen to what the Lord has planned against Babylon. Hear what he has planned against the land of the Babylonians. Their young people will be dragged away. Their grasslands will be shocked at their fate.

I will stir up great nations that will join forces against Babylon. I will bring them from the land of the north. They will take up their battle positions against Babylon. They will come from the north and capture it. Their arrows will be like skilled soldiers. They will not miss their mark.

Charge, you horses! Drive fast, you chariot drivers! March on, you soldiers! March on, you men of Cush and Put who carry shields. March on, you men of Lydia who shoot arrows.

They make clever plans against your people. They make evil plans against those you love.“ Come,” they say.“ Let’s destroy that whole nation. Then the name of Israel won’t be remembered anymore.”All of them agree on the evil plans they have made. They join forces against you.Their forces include the people of Edom, Ishmael, Moab and Hagar.They also include the people of Byblos, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia and Tyre.Even Assyria has joined them to give strength to the people of Moab and Ammon.Do to them what you did to the people of Midian. Do to them what you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.

It was the first year of the rule of Cyrus. He was king of Persia. The Lord inspired him to send a message all through his kingdom. It happened so that what the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah would come true. The message was written down. It said,

I am the Lord. There is no other Lord. I am the one and only God. You do not know anything about me. But I will make you strong.

It was the first year of the rule of Cyrus. He was king of Persia. The Lord inspired him to send a message all through his kingdom. It happened so that what the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah would come true. The message was written down. It said,

In my vision the Babylonians set the tables. They spread out the rugs. They eat and drink. Get up, you officers! Rub your shields with oil!

Lift up a banner! Attack Babylon’s walls! Put more guards on duty! Station more of them to watch over you! Hide and wait to attack them! I will do what I have planned. I will do what I have decided to do against the people of Babylon.

The people continue,“ May the people of Babylon pay for the harmful things they have done to us. May those who live in Babylon pay for spilling the blood of our people.” That’s what the people who live in Zion say.

“ Nations, lift up a banner in the land of Babylon! Blow a trumpet among yourselves! Prepare yourselves for battle against Babylon. Send the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz against it. Appoint a commander against it. Send many horses against it. Let them be as many as a huge number of locusts.Prepare yourselves for battle against Babylon. Prepare the kings of the Medes. Prepare their governors and all their officials. Prepare all the countries they rule over.The Babylonians tremble and shake with fear. My plans against them stand firm. I plan to destroy their land completely. Then no one will live there.

The Lord will stir up the Medes to attack the Babylonians. They aren’t interested in getting silver. They don’t want gold.Instead, they will use their bows and arrows to strike down the young men. They won’t even show any mercy to babies. They won’t take pity on children.

I will send for a man from the east to carry out my plan. From a land far away, he will come like a bird that kills its food. I will bring about what I have said. I will do what I have planned.

“ All you who shoot arrows, take up your battle positions around Babylon. Shoot at it! Do not spare any arrows! Its people have sinned against me.Shout against them on every side! They are giving up. The towers of the city are falling. Its walls are being pulled down. The Lord is paying back its people. So pay them back yourselves. Do to them what they have done to others.

“ I have stirred up a king who will come from the north. He lives in the east. He will bring honor to me. He walks all over rulers as if they were mud. He steps on them just as a potter stomps on clay.

The harm they have done to Lebanon will bring them down. Because they have killed so many animals, animals will terrify them. They have spilled human blood. They have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.“ If someone carves a statue of a god, what is it worth? What value is there in a god that teaches lies? The one who trusts in this kind of god worships his own creation. He makes statues of gods that can’t speak.How terrible it will be for the Babylonians! They say to a wooden god,‘ Come to life!’ They say to a stone god,‘ Wake up!’ Can those gods give advice? They are covered with gold and silver. They can’t even breathe.”The Lord is in his holy temple. Let the whole earth be silent in front of him.

Then the Lord brought an enemy against Solomon. The enemy’s name was Hadad. He was from Edom. In fact, he belonged to the royal family of Edom.

God brought another enemy against Solomon. The enemy’s name was Rezon. He was the son of Eliada. Rezon had run away from his master Hadadezer, the king of Zobah.

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul. He was king of Assyria. He was also called Tiglath- Pileser. He took the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh to other countries as his prisoners. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan. And that’s where they still are to this day.

Walk through this place that has been torn down beyond repair. See how completely your enemies have destroyed the temple!In the place where you used to meet with us, your enemies have shouted,“ We’ve won the battle!” They have set up their flags to show they have beaten us.They acted like people cutting down a forest with axes.They smashed all the beautiful wooden walls with their axes and hatchets.They burned your temple to the ground. They polluted the place where your Name is.They had said in their hearts,“ We will crush them completely!” They burned every place where you were worshiped in the land.We don’t get signs from God anymore. There aren’t any prophets left. None of us knows how long that will last.God, how long will your enemies make fun of you? Will they attack you with their words forever?Why don’t you help us? Why do you hold back your power? Use your strong power to destroy your enemies!

The Lord who rules over all will beat them with a whip. He will strike them down as he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. And he will stretch out his walking stick over the waters. That’s what he did in Egypt.

Listen to those who have escaped. Listen to those who have returned from Babylon. They are announcing in Zion how I have paid Babylon back. I have paid it back for destroying my temple.“ Send for men armed with bows and arrows. Send them against Babylon. Set up camp all around it. Do not let anyone escape. Pay it back for what its people have done. Do to them what they have done to others. They have dared to disobey me. I am the Holy One of Israel.

I have seen a vision about something terrible that will happen. People are turning against Babylon. Robbers are taking its goods. Elamites, attack the city! Medes, surround it! The Lord will put an end to all the suffering Babylon has caused.

The Lord will punish all the nations that fought against Jerusalem. He’ll strike them with a plague. It will make their bodies rot while they are still standing on their feet. Their eyes will rot in their heads. Their tongues will rot in their mouths.

“ Judah, I will pay Babylon back. You will see it with your own eyes. I will pay back all those who live in Babylon. I will pay them back for all the wrong things they have done in Zion,” announces the Lord.

“ Cyrus is my anointed king. I take hold of his right hand. I give him the power to bring nations under his control. I help him strip kings of their power to go to war against him. I break city gates open so he can go through them. I say to him,

I have opened up my storeroom. I have brought out the weapons I use when I am angry. I am the Lord and King who rules over all. I have work to do in the land of the Babylonians.

The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will destroy her and leave her naked. They will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose. So they agreed to give the beast their royal authority. They will give him this authority until God’s words come true.

“ Jerusalem will be like a cup in my hand. It will make all the surrounding nations drunk from the wine of my anger. Judah will be attacked by its enemies. So will Jerusalem.At that time all the nations on earth will gather together against Jerusalem. Then it will become like a rock that can’t be moved. All the nations that try to move it will only hurt themselves.

The Lord will gather all the nations together. They will fight against Jerusalem. They’ll capture the city. Its houses will be robbed. Its women will be raped. Half of the people will be taken away as prisoners. But the rest of them won’t be taken.