Let them fall ¹  slain in the land of Babylonia, ²  mortally wounded in the streets of her cities. ³ 

Babylonia ¹  will be plundered. Those who plunder it will take all they want,” says the Lord. ² 

Cries of anguish will come from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians.

When she saw them, ¹  she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. ² 

Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, ¹  while his father Terah was still alive. ² 

The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.

Then the Babylonian forces ¹  will return. They will attack the city and will capture it and burn it down.

The following events also occurred ¹  while the Babylonian forces ²  had temporarily withdrawn from Jerusalem ³  because the army of Pharaoh was coming.

The Lord spoke concerning Babylon and the land of Babylonia ¹  through the prophet Jeremiah. ² 

“People of Judah, ¹  get out of Babylon quickly! Leave the land of Babylonia! ²  Be the first to depart! ³  Be like the male goats that lead the herd.

“Destructive forces will come against the Babylonians,” ¹  says the Lord. ²  “They will come against the people who inhabit Babylonia, against her leaders and her men of wisdom.

Then you multiplied your promiscuity to the land of merchants, Babylonia, ¹  but you were not satisfied there either.

But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red, ¹ 

The wise men replied to the king: [What follows is in Aramaic ¹ ] “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will disclose its ²  interpretation.”

In the first year of Darius ¹  son of Ahasuerus, ²  who was of Median descent and who had been ³  appointed king over the Babylonian ⁴  empire –

The Lord said ¹  to him, “I am the Lord ²  who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans ³  to give you this land to possess.”

But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with him in the plains of Jericho, ¹  and his entire army deserted him.

Gedaliah took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety. ¹  He said, “You don’t need to be afraid to submit to the Babylonian officials. Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you.”

Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, as well as the army officers, left for ¹  Egypt, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians might do.

“You are the LORD God who chose Abram and brought him forth from Ur of the Chaldeans. You changed his name to Abraham.