16 Cut off the sower from Babylon,
And him who handles the sickle at harvest time.
For fear of the oppressing sword
^aEveryone shall turn to his own people,
And everyone shall flee to his own land. ‡

17 “Israel is like ^ascattered sheep;
^bThe lions have driven him away.
First ^cthe king of Assyria devoured him;
Now at last this ^dNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.”  ‡

19 ^aBut I will bring back Israel to his home,
And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan;
His soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead. ‡

20 In those days and in that time,” says the Lord,
^a“The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;
And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found;
For I will pardon those ^bwhom I preserve. ‡