10. Whom will Jehovah use to defeat Babylon?

¹⁰ Which power will Jehovah use to bring about the fall of Babylon? Some 200 years ahead of time, Jehovah reveals the answer: “Here I am arousing against them the Medes, who account silver itself as nothing and who, as respects gold, take no delight in it. And their bows will dash even young men to pieces. And the fruitage of the belly they will not pity; for sons their eye will not feel sorry. And Babylon, the decoration of kingdoms, the beauty of the pride of the Chaldeans, must become as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.” (Isaiah 13:17-19) Magnificent Babylon will fall, and Jehovah’s instrument for bringing this about will be armies from the distant, mountainous country of Media.a Eventually, Babylon will be as desolate as the grossly immoral cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.​—Genesis 13:13; 19:13, 24.

13, 14. (a) Although not interested in spoil, for what are the Median and the Persian warriors ambitious? (b) How does Cyrus overcome the vaunted defenses of Babylon?

¹³ While the Median and the Persian warriors have little passion for spoil, they are nevertheless ambitious. They do not intend to remain second to any nation on the world stage. Moreover, Jehovah puts “despoiling” into their hearts. (Isaiah 13:6) Hence, with their strong bows​—which are used to shoot arrows that will ‘dash to pieces’ enemy soldiers, the offspring of Babylonian mothers—​they are determined to conquer Babylon.