“‘Go to the land
Of Merathaim!
Go up against her!
Attack the inhabitants
Of Pekod!
Utterly destroy
The last of them!’
Says Yahweh.
‘Do all
That I have commanded you!
The noise of battle
Is in the land
With great destruction!’”
They were to go to the southern Babylonian town of Merathaim, meaning “double rebellion.” They were to attack the people at Pekod, an eastern Babylonian tribe that means “punishment.” They were to utterly destroy all these people down to the very last of them. Yahweh was commanding this so that they should battle until there was great destruction in the land. It is not clear how the Judeans and Israelites got weapons since they were in captivity. However, this may be a description of the Persian invasion of Babylon.