Jeremiah 50:16-18

Contemporary English Version

¹⁶There 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.

¹⁷Israel 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.
¹⁸I, 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

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.
50.17 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.