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16 There is no one in Babylonia
    to plant or harvest crops.
Even foreigners who lived there
have left for their homelands,
    afraid of the enemy armies.

17 Israel is a flock of sheep
    scattered by hungry lions.
The king of Assyria[a]
    first gobbled Israel up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar,[b]
king of Babylonia,
    crunched on Israel's bones.
18 I, the Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel,
    punished the king of Assyria,
and I will also punish
    the king of Babylonia.

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Footnotes

  1. 50.17 king of Assyria: Either Shalmaneser V, who ruled 726–722 b.c., conquered most of the northern kingdom, and surrounded its capital city Samaria; or Sargon II, who ruled 721–705 b.c. and took thousands of prisoners back to Assyria.
  2. 50.17 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.

16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
    and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword(A) of the oppressor
    let everyone return to their own people,(B)
    let everyone flee to their own land.(C)

17 “Israel is a scattered flock(D)
    that lions(E) have chased away.
The first to devour(F) them
    was the king(G) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(H)
    was Nebuchadnezzar(I) king(J) of Babylon.”

18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
    as I punished the king(K) of Assyria.(L)

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