9  And behold, here come riders,

horsemen in pairs!”

^fAnd he answered,

^g“Fallen, fallen is Babylon;

^hand all the carved images of her gods

he has shattered to the ground.”

13  ^oThorns shall grow over its strongholds,

nettles and thistles in its fortresses.

It shall be the haunt of ^pjackals,

an abode for ostriches.¹

14  ^qAnd wild animals shall meet with hyenas;

the wild goat shall cry to his fellow;

indeed, there the night bird² settles

and finds for herself a resting place.

15  There the owl nests and lays

and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow;

indeed, there ^rthe hawks are gathered,

each one with her mate.