Take up your positions around Babylon,
All you who draw the bow,
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,
For she has sinned against the Lord.
Shout against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
Her walls are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance of the Lord,
Take vengeance on her;
Do to her as she has done to others.
Cut off from Babylon the sower,
And the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword of the oppressor
Let everyone return to his own people,
Let everyone flee to his own land
The noise of battle is in the land,
The noise of great destruction!
How broken and shattered
Is the hammer of the whole earth!
How desolate is Babylon
Among the nations!
I set a trap for you, O Babylon,
And you were caught before you knew it;
You were found and captured
Because you opposed the Lord.
The Lord has opened his arsenal
And brought out the weapons of his wrath,
For the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
In the land of the Babylonians.