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예레미야 51
Korean Living Bible
예레미야 51
Korean Living Bible
51 여호와께서 말씀하신다. “내가 [a]멸망의 바람을 일으켜 바빌로니아와 그 백성을 치고
2 또 외국인들을 바빌로니아에 보내 그 땅을 키질하여 황폐하게 할 것이니 재앙의 날에 그들이 사방에서 바빌로니아를 공격할 것이다.
3 바빌로니아군에게 활을 쏘거나 갑옷 입을 시간을 주지 말아라. 청년들이라고 아끼지 말고 전 군대를 모조리 죽여라.
4 그들은 자기들의 땅에서 죽음을 당해 쓰러지고 그 거리에서 찔림을 당해 엎어질 것이다.
5 이스라엘과 유다가 나에게 범죄하였으나 이스라엘의 거룩한 자, 전능한 나 여호와는 그들을 버리지 않았다.
6 “바빌로니아에서 도망하여 모두 자기 생명을 구하라! 바빌로니아의 죄 때문에 멸망당하지 말아라. 지금은 나 여호와가 복수할 때이므로 그가 행한 것만큼 갚아 주겠다.
7 바빌로니아는 내 수중에 있는 금잔과 같아서 온 세상을 취하게 하였으므로 모든 나라가 그의 포도주를 마시고 미쳐 버렸다.
8 바빌로니아가 졸지에 넘어져 멸망하였으니 울고 슬퍼하여라. 그 상처를 위해 유향을 구하라. 어쩌면 나을지도 모른다.
9 [b]그 곳에 있는 외국인들의 말을 들어 보아라. ‘우리가 바빌로니아를 도우려고 하였으나 때가 너무 늦었다. 자, 그를 버리고 우리 땅으로 돌아가자. 하나님의 심판으로 바빌로니아가 완전히 망하였다.’
10 “[c]내 백성들이 외치는구나. ‘여호와께서 우리 의로움을 입증하셨다. 자, 우리 하나님 여호와께서 행하신 일을 예루살렘에서 말하자.’ ”
11 너희는 화살촉을 갈고 방패를 들어라! 여호와께서 바빌로니아를 멸망시키려고 메디아 왕들의 마음을 자극하셨으니 이것은 성전을 파괴한 자들에 대한 여호와의 보복이다.
12 바빌론 성벽을 향해 기를 세우고 경비병을 보강하며 관측병을 배치하고 매복조를 편성하라! 여호와께서 바빌로니아 국민에 대하여 이미 말씀하신 것을 계획대로 수행하실 것이다.
13 물이 많은 곳에 살며 재물이 많은 자여, 네 수명이 다하였고 네 종말의 때가 되었다.
14 전능하신 여호와께서 맹세하심으로 말씀하신다. “내가 메뚜기떼와 같은 수많은 사람을 너에게 보내 너를 치게 하겠다. 그들이 너를 향해 승리의 함성을 지를 것이다.”
15 여호와께서 그의 능력으로 땅을 지으시고 그 지혜로 세계를 세우셨으며 그의 총명으로 하늘을 펴셨다.
16 그가 큰 소리를 내시자 하늘에 있는 많은 물이 노호하는구나. 그는 땅 끝에서 구름이 떠오르게 하시며 빗속에서 번개를 치시고 그의 창고에서 바람을 일으키신다.
17 그러나 사람들은 다 어리석고 무식하구나. 금세공업자들이 자기가 만든 우상으로 수치를 당한다. 이것은 그들이 만든 신상들이 거짓되고 그 안에 생명이 없기 때문이다.
18 그런 것은 무가치하여 놀림감에 불과하므로 심판 때에 멸망할 것들이다.
19 야곱의 하나님은 그런 우상들과 같지 않다. 그는 모든 것을 만드신 자이시며 이스라엘을 택하여 자기 백성으로 삼은 자이시니 그의 이름은 전능하신 여호와이시다.
20 여호와께서 말씀하신다. “바빌로니아야, 너는 나의 쇠망치이며 전쟁 무기이다. 내가 너를 사용하여 모든 나라와 민족을 멸망시키며
21 말과 기병, 전차와 전차병을 박살내고
22 남자와 여자, 노인과 청년, 소년 소녀들을 박살내고
23 목자와 양떼, 농부와 소, [d]통치자들과 고위 관리들을 박살낼 것이다.”
24 여호와께서 말씀하신다. “나는 바빌로니아가 시온에서 행한 악에 대하여 너희가 보는 앞에서 그와 그 백성에게 갚아 줄 것이다.
25 바빌로니아야, 너는 온 세상을 멸망시키는 산과 같구나. 그러나 나 여호와는 너의 대적이다. 내가 너를 잡아 절벽에서 굴려내리고 불탄 산처럼 만들어 버리겠다.
26 너의 폐허에서 나온 돌은 건축에 사용되지 못할 것이며 너는 영원히 황무지가 되고 말 것이다. 이것은 나 여호와의 말이다.
27 “땅에 기를 세우고 모든 나라에 나팔을 불어 바빌로니아를 칠 전쟁 준비를 하라. 아라랏과 민니와 아스그나스 군대를 불러오고 그들을 인솔할 지휘관을 세워 메뚜기떼처럼 그 말들을 몰아오게 하라.
28 메디아의 왕들과 대신들과 지도자들과 그들이 지배하는 모든 나라에 전쟁 준비를 시켜 바빌로니아를 치게 하라.
29 나 여호와가 바빌로니아를 쳐서 그 땅을 황폐하게 하여 거기에 사람이 살지 못하게 할 계획을 세웠으므로 그 땅이 진동하며 몸부림치고 있다.
30 바빌로니아군은 싸움을 그치고 그들의 요새에 머물러 있으나 그들은 기진 맥진하여 연약한 여자처럼 되었으며 그들의 집은 불타고 그들의 성문은 부서지고 말았다.
31-32 전령과 사자가 줄줄이 달려와서 성이 함락되고 퇴로가 차단되었으며 요새는 불타고 군사들은 두려워 떨고 있다고 바빌로니아 왕에게 보고할 것이다.”
33 전능하신 여호와 이스라엘의 하나님이 말씀하신다. “바빌로니아는 밟을 때가 된 타작 마당과 같아서 곧 적들이 와서 그들을 곡식처럼 짓밟아 버릴 것이다.”
34 바빌로니아의 느부갓네살왕이 우리를 먹고 우리를 짓밟아 버렸으며 우리를 빈 그릇이 되게 하고 큰 괴물처럼 우리를 삼키며 우리의 좋은 음식으로 배를 채우고 우리를 쫓아내 버렸다.
35 그래서 시온 백성이 “우리가 당한 학대가 바빌로니아에 돌아가기를 원한다” 하며 예루살렘 주민들이 “우리 피가 바빌로니아 사람들에게 돌아가기를 원한다” 하고 말하는구나.
36 그러므로 여호와께서 예루살렘 주민들에게 말씀하신다. “보라, 내가 너희 호소를 듣고 너희 원수를 갚아 주겠다. 내가 바빌로니아의 바다를 말리고 그 샘물을 말릴 것이니
37 바빌로니아는 폐허의 무더기가 되고 여우의 소굴이 되어 놀람과 조소의 대상이 될 것이며 사람이 살지 않는 곳이 될 것이다.
38 바빌로니아 사람이 사자처럼 으르렁거리며 부르짖고 있다.
39 그러나 그들이 흥분해 있을 때 내가 그들에게 잔치를 베풀고 그들을 취하게 하여 그들이 기뻐하다가 영원히 잠들어 깨어나지 못하게 하겠다.
40 내가 그들을 어린 양과 숫양과 숫염소처럼 도살장으로 끌고 갈 것이다. 이것은 나 여호와의 말이다.
41 “[e]바빌론이 함락되었다! 온 세상이 칭송하던 성이 점령되었으니 바빌론이 모든 나라에 소름끼치는 곳이 되었구나.
42 바다가 바빌론을 뒤엎고 성난 물결이 그것을 덮어 버렸다.
43 그 성들이 황폐하여 메마른 사막처럼 되었으니 아무도 그 곳에 사는 자가 없고 그리로 지나다니는 자도 없다.
44 내가 바빌로니아의 신 벨을 벌하고 그가 삼킨 것을 토해 내도록 하겠다. 세상 나라들이 다시는 그를 섬기지 않을 것이다. 이것은 바빌론 성벽이 무너졌기 때문이다.
45 “내 백성아, 너희는 거기서 나와 나 여호와의 무서운 진노를 피하라.
46 너희는 그 땅에서 들리는 소문을 듣고 낙심하거나 두려워하지 말아라. 그런 소문은 금년에도 있고 다음 해에도 있을 것이다. 그리고 그 땅에는 난폭한 권력 다툼이 있을 것이다.
47 그러므로 때가 되면 내가 바빌로니아 우상들을 벌하겠다. 그 온 땅은 수치를 당할 것이며 죽음을 당한 자들이 거리에 쓰러진 채 그대로 있을 것이다.
48 그 때에는 하늘과 땅과 그 가운데 있는 모든 것이 바빌로니아의 멸망을 보고 기뻐할 것이다. 이것은 멸망시킬 자가 북에서 와서 그를 칠 것이기 때문이다.
49 바빌로니아가 이스라엘 백성을 죽인 것처럼 이제 바빌로니아 땅에서도 수많은 사람이 죽어 쓰러질 것이다.
50 “칼을 피한 자들아, 너희는 우물쭈물하지 말고 떠나라. 너희가 고국에서 멀리 떨어져 있어도 나 여호와를 생각하고 예루살렘을 기억하라.
51 너희는 ‘외국인이 여호와의 성전에 들어가므로 우리가 수치와 부끄러움을 당하여 얼굴을 들 수 없게 되었다’ 하고 말한다.
52 그러나 나 여호와가 바빌론의 우상들을 벌하고 바빌론 전역에서 부상당한 자들이 신음할 날이 올 것이다.
53 바빌론이 하늘까지 치솟고 요새화된 견고한 성을 세울지라도 내가 멸망시킬 자를 보내 그를 칠 것이다. 이것은 나 여호와의 말이다.
54 “바빌론에서 부르짖는 소리를 들어 보아라. 그 땅에서 들리는 큰 파멸의 소리이다.
55 나 여호와가 바빌론을 멸망시켜 그 떠드는 소리를 사라지게 하겠다. 그들의 대적이 큰 파도처럼 밀려오니 요란한 소리가 들리는구나.
56 멸망시킬 자가 곧 밀어닥쳐 바빌론을 칠 것이므로 그 용사들은 생포되고 그들의 활은 꺾일 것이다. 나 여호와는 [f]악을 벌하는 하나님이다. 바빌론에게 반드시 보응하고야 말겠다.
57 내가 그 대신들과 지혜로운 자들과 지방 장관들과 지도자들과 용사들을 취하게 하겠다. 그들이 영원히 잠들어 다시는 깨어나지 못할 것이다. 이것은 전능한 여호와란 이름을 가진 왕의 말이다.”
58 전능하신 여호와께서 말씀하신다. “바빌론의 튼튼한 성벽이 바닥까지 완전히 무너져내리고 그 높은 성문들이 불에 탈 것이므로 백성들의 수고가 헛될 것이며 여러 민족이 애써 이룩해 놓은 것들이 화염 속에 사라질 것이다.”
59 유다의 시드기야왕 4년에 마세야의 손자이며 네리야의 아들인 스라야가 [g]볼 일이 있어 왕과 함께 바빌로니아로 가게 되었다. 그때 나는 왕의 수행원인 스라야에게 몇 가지 일을 지시했는데
60 나는 바빌로니아에 내릴 모든 재앙, 곧 바빌로니아에 대하여 지금까지 기록된 모든 것을 한 책에 기록하고
61 스라야에게 이렇게 말하였다. “당신이 바빌론에 도착하면 이 책에 기록된 모든 말씀을 읽고
62 이렇게 말하시오. ‘여호와여, 주께서는 이 곳을 멸망시키고 사람이나 짐승이 살지 못하게 하여 영영 황폐한 곳으로 만들어 버리겠다고 말씀하셨습니다.’
63 “그리고 당신이 이 책을 다 읽으면 여기에 돌을 매달아 유프라테스강에 던져 넣고
64 이렇게 말하시오. ‘여호와께서 내릴 재앙으로 바빌로니아가 이처럼 가라앉아 다시는 일어나지 못할 것이다.’ ” 이렇게 해서 예레미야의 말이 여기서 끝났다.
Jeremiah 51
New King James Version
Jeremiah 51
New King James Version
The Utter Destruction of Babylon
51 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will raise up against (A)Babylon,
Against those who dwell in [a]Leb Kamai,
(B)A destroying wind.
2 And I will send (C)winnowers to Babylon,
Who shall winnow her and empty her land.
(D)For in the day of doom
They shall be against her all around.
3 Against her (E)let the archer bend his bow,
And lift himself up against her in his armor.
Do not spare her young men;
(F)Utterly destroy all her army.
4 Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans,
(G)And those thrust through in her streets.
5 For Israel is (H)not forsaken, nor Judah,
By his God, the Lord of hosts,
Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.”
6 (I)Flee from the midst of Babylon,
And every one save his life!
Do not be cut off in her iniquity,
For (J)this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance;
(K)He shall recompense her.
7 (L)Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand,
That made all the earth drunk.
(M)The nations drank her wine;
Therefore the nations (N)are deranged.
8 Babylon has suddenly (O)fallen and been destroyed.
(P)Wail for her!
(Q)Take balm for her pain;
Perhaps she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon,
But she is not healed.
Forsake her, and (R)let us go everyone to his own country;
(S)For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.
10 The Lord has (T)revealed our righteousness.
Come and let us (U)declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.
11 (V)Make[b] the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
(W)The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
(X)For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it is (Y)the vengeance of the Lord,
The vengeance for His temple.
12 (Z)Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon;
Make the guard strong,
Set up the watchmen,
Prepare the ambushes.
For the Lord has both devised and done
What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 (AA)O you who dwell by many waters,
Abundant in treasures,
Your end has come,
The measure of your covetousness.
14 (AB)The Lord of hosts has sworn by Himself:
“Surely I will fill you with men, (AC)as with locusts,
And they shall lift (AD)up a shout against you.”
15 (AE)He has made the earth by His power;
He has established the world by His wisdom,
And (AF)stretched out the heaven by His understanding.
16 When He utters His voice—
There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:
(AG)“He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;
He makes lightnings for the rain;
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
17 (AH)Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge;
Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image;
(AI)For his molded image is falsehood,
And there is no breath in them.
18 They are futile, a work of errors;
In the time of their punishment they shall perish.
19 The Portion of Jacob is not like them,
For He is the Maker of all things;
And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance.
The Lord of hosts is His name.
20 “You(AJ) are My battle-ax and weapons of war:
For with you I will break the nation in pieces;
With you I will destroy kingdoms;
21 With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider;
With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider;
22 With you also I will break in pieces man and woman;
With you I will break in pieces (AK)old and young;
With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden;
23 With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen;
And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers.
24 “And(AL) I will repay Babylon
And all the inhabitants of Chaldea
For all the evil they have done
In Zion in your sight,” says the Lord.
25 “Behold, I am against you, (AM)O destroying mountain,
Who destroys all the earth,” says the Lord.
“And I will stretch out My hand against you,
Roll you down from the rocks,
(AN)And make you a burnt mountain.
26 They shall not take from you a stone for a corner
Nor a stone for a foundation,
(AO)But you shall be desolate forever,” says the Lord.
27 (AP)Set up a banner in the land,
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
(AQ)Prepare the nations against her,
Call (AR)the kingdoms together against her:
Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.
Appoint a general against her;
Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts.
28 Prepare against her the nations,
With the kings of the Medes,
Its governors and all its rulers,
All the land of his dominion.
29 And the land will tremble and sorrow;
For every (AS)purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon,
(AT)To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant.
30 The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting,
They have remained in their strongholds;
Their might has failed,
(AU)They became like women;
They have burned her dwelling places,
(AV)The bars of her gate are broken.
31 (AW)One runner will run to meet another,
And one messenger to meet another,
To show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides;
32 (AX)The passages are blocked,
The reeds they have burned with fire,
And the men of war are terrified.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“The daughter of Babylon is (AY)like a threshing floor
When (AZ)it is time to thresh her;
Yet a little while
(BA)And the time of her harvest will come.”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon
Has (BB)devoured me, he has crushed me;
He has made me an (BC)empty vessel,
He has swallowed me up like a monster;
He has filled his stomach with my delicacies,
He has spit me out.
35 Let the violence done to me and my flesh be upon Babylon,”
The inhabitant of Zion will say;
“And my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea!”
Jerusalem will say.
36 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“Behold, (BD)I will plead your case and take vengeance for you.
(BE)I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry.
37 (BF)Babylon shall become a heap,
A dwelling place for jackals,
(BG)An astonishment and a hissing,
Without an inhabitant.
38 They shall roar together like lions,
They shall growl like lions’ whelps.
39 In their excitement I will prepare their feasts;
(BH)I will make them drunk,
That they may rejoice,
And sleep a perpetual sleep
And not awake,” says the Lord.
40 “I will bring them down
Like lambs to the slaughter,
Like rams with male goats.
41 “Oh, how (BI)Sheshach[c] is taken!
Oh, how (BJ)the praise of the whole earth is seized!
How Babylon has become desolate among the nations!
42 (BK)The sea has come up over Babylon;
She is covered with the multitude of its waves.
43 (BL)Her cities are a desolation,
A dry land and a wilderness,
A land where (BM)no one dwells,
Through which no son of man passes.
44 I will punish (BN)Bel[d] in Babylon,
And I will bring out of his mouth what he has swallowed;
And the nations shall not stream to him anymore.
Yes, (BO)the wall of Babylon shall fall.
45 “My(BP) people, go out of the midst of her!
And let everyone deliver [e]himself from the fierce anger of the Lord.
46 And lest your heart faint,
And you fear (BQ)for the rumor that will be heard in the land
(A rumor will come one year,
And after that, in another year
A rumor will come,
And violence in the land,
Ruler against ruler),
47 Therefore behold, the days are coming
That I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon;
Her whole land shall be ashamed,
And all her slain shall fall in her midst.
48 Then (BR)the heavens and the earth and all that is in them
Shall sing joyously over Babylon;
(BS)For the plunderers shall come to her from the north,” says the Lord.
49 As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall,
So at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall.
50 (BT)You who have escaped the sword,
Get away! Do not stand still!
(BU)Remember the Lord afar off,
And let Jerusalem come to your mind.
51 (BV)We are ashamed because we have heard reproach.
Shame has covered our faces,
For strangers (BW)have come into the [f]sanctuaries of the Lord’s house.
52 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will bring judgment on her carved images,
And throughout all her land the wounded shall groan.
53 (BX)Though Babylon were to [g]mount up to heaven,
And though she were to fortify the height of her strength,
Yet from Me plunderers would come to her,” says the Lord.
54 (BY)The sound of a cry comes from Babylon,
And great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans,
55 Because the Lord is plundering Babylon
And silencing her loud voice,
Though her waves roar like great waters,
And the noise of their voice is uttered,
56 Because the plunderer comes against her, against Babylon,
And her mighty men are taken.
Every one of their bows is broken;
(BZ)For the Lord is the God of recompense,
He will surely repay.
57 “And I will make drunk
Her princes and (CA)wise men,
Her governors, her deputies, and her mighty men.
And they shall sleep a perpetual sleep
And not awake,” says (CB)the King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts.
58 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly (CC)broken,[h]
And her high gates shall be burned with fire;
(CD)The people will labor in vain,
And the nations, because of the fire;
And they shall be weary.”
Jeremiah’s Command to Seraiah
59 The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of (CE)Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 So Jeremiah (CF)wrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon, all these words that are written against Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words, 62 then you shall say, ‘O Lord, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that (CG)none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever.’ 63 Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, (CH)that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates. 64 Then you shall say, ‘Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.’ ”
Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 51:1 Lit. The Midst of Those Who Rise Up Against Me; a code word for Chaldea, Babylonia
- Jeremiah 51:11 Polish the arrows!
- Jeremiah 51:41 A code word for Babylon, Jer. 25:26
- Jeremiah 51:44 A Babylonian god
- Jeremiah 51:45 Lit. his soul
- Jeremiah 51:51 holy places
- Jeremiah 51:53 ascend
- Jeremiah 51:58 Lit. laid utterly bare
Jeremiah 51
New International Version
Jeremiah 51
New International Version
51 This is what the Lord says:
“See, I will stir(A) up the spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon(B) and the people of Leb Kamai.[a]
2 I will send foreigners(C) to Babylon
to winnow(D) her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
in the day(E) of her disaster.
3 Let not the archer string his bow,(F)
nor let him put on his armor.(G)
Do not spare her young men;
completely destroy[b] her army.
4 They will fall(H) down slain in Babylon,[c]
fatally wounded in her streets.(I)
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken(J)
by their God, the Lord Almighty,
though their land[d] is full of guilt(K)
before the Holy One of Israel.
6 “Flee(L) from Babylon!
Run for your lives!
Do not be destroyed because of her sins.(M)
It is time(N) for the Lord’s vengeance;(O)
he will repay(P) her what she deserves.
7 Babylon was a gold cup(Q) in the Lord’s hand;
she made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
therefore they have now gone mad.
8 Babylon will suddenly fall(R) and be broken.
Wail over her!
Get balm(S) for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.
9 “‘We would have healed Babylon,
but she cannot be healed;
let us leave(T) her and each go to our own land,
for her judgment(U) reaches to the skies,
it rises as high as the heavens.’
11 “Sharpen the arrows,(X)
take up the shields!(Y)
The Lord has stirred up the kings(Z) of the Medes,(AA)
because his purpose(AB) is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,(AC)
vengeance for his temple.(AD)
12 Lift up a banner(AE) against the walls of Babylon!
Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,(AF)
prepare an ambush!(AG)
The Lord will carry out his purpose,(AH)
his decree against the people of Babylon.
13 You who live by many waters(AI)
and are rich in treasures,(AJ)
your end has come,
the time for you to be destroyed.(AK)
14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself:(AL)
I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,(AM)
and they will shout(AN) in triumph over you.
15 “He made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom(AO)
and stretched(AP) out the heavens by his understanding.(AQ)
16 When he thunders,(AR) the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain(AS)
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(AT)
17 “Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(AU)
they have no breath in them.
18 They are worthless,(AV) the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
19 He who is the Portion(AW) of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance(AX)—
the Lord Almighty is his name.
20 “You are my war club,(AY)
my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter(AZ) nations,(BA)
with you I destroy kingdoms,
21 with you I shatter horse and rider,(BB)
with you I shatter chariot(BC) and driver,
22 with you I shatter man and woman,
with you I shatter old man and youth,
with you I shatter young man and young woman,(BD)
23 with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
with you I shatter governors and officials.(BE)
24 “Before your eyes I will repay(BF) Babylon(BG) and all who live in Babylonia[e] for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.
25 “I am against(BH) you, you destroying mountain,
you who destroy the whole earth,”(BI)
declares the Lord.
“I will stretch out my hand(BJ) against you,
roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.(BK)
26 No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
nor any stone for a foundation,
for you will be desolate(BL) forever,”
declares the Lord.
27 “Lift up a banner(BM) in the land!
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
summon against her these kingdoms:(BN)
Ararat,(BO) Minni and Ashkenaz.(BP)
Appoint a commander against her;
send up horses like a swarm of locusts.(BQ)
28 Prepare the nations for battle against her—
the kings of the Medes,(BR)
their governors and all their officials,
and all the countries they rule.(BS)
29 The land trembles(BT) and writhes,
for the Lord’s purposes(BU) against Babylon stand—
to lay waste(BV) the land of Babylon
so that no one will live there.(BW)
30 Babylon’s warriors(BX) have stopped fighting;
they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
they have become weaklings.(BY)
Her dwellings are set on fire;(BZ)
the bars(CA) of her gates are broken.
31 One courier(CB) follows another
and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
that his entire city is captured,(CC)
32 the river crossings seized,
the marshes set on fire,(CD)
and the soldiers terrified.(CE)”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Daughter Babylon(CF) is like a threshing floor(CG)
at the time it is trampled;
the time to harvest(CH) her will soon come.(CI)”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar(CJ) king of Babylon has devoured(CK) us,(CL)
he has thrown us into confusion,
he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
and then has spewed(CM) us out.
35 May the violence(CN) done to our flesh[f] be on Babylon,”
say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
says Jerusalem.(CO)
36 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“See, I will defend your cause(CP)
and avenge(CQ) you;
I will dry up(CR) her sea
and make her springs dry.
37 Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
a haunt(CS) of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,(CT)
a place where no one lives.(CU)
38 Her people all roar like young lions,(CV)
they growl like lion cubs.
39 But while they are aroused,
I will set out a feast for them
and make them drunk,(CW)
so that they shout with laughter—
then sleep forever(CX) and not awake,”
declares the Lord.(CY)
40 “I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats.(CZ)
41 “How Sheshak[g](DA) will be captured,(DB)
the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolate(DC) Babylon will be
among the nations!
42 The sea will rise over Babylon;
its roaring waves(DD) will cover her.
43 Her towns will be desolate,
a dry and desert(DE) land,
a land where no one lives,
through which no one travels.(DF)
44 I will punish Bel(DG) in Babylon
and make him spew out(DH) what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
And the wall(DI) of Babylon will fall.
45 “Come out(DJ) of her, my people!
Run(DK) for your lives!
Run from the fierce anger(DL) of the Lord.
46 Do not lose heart(DM) or be afraid(DN)
when rumors(DO) are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
rumors of violence in the land
and of ruler against ruler.
47 For the time will surely come
when I will punish the idols(DP) of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced(DQ)
and her slain will all lie fallen within her.(DR)
48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout(DS) for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north(DT)
destroyers(DU) will attack her,”
declares the Lord.
49 “Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain,
just as the slain in all the earth
have fallen because of Babylon.(DV)
50 You who have escaped the sword,
leave(DW) and do not linger!
Remember(DX) the Lord in a distant land,(DY)
and call to mind Jerusalem.”
51 “We are disgraced,(DZ)
for we have been insulted
and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
the holy places of the Lord’s house.”(EA)
52 “But days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will punish her idols,(EB)
and throughout her land
the wounded will groan.(EC)
53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens(ED)
and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
I will send destroyers(EE) against her,”
declares the Lord.
54 “The sound of a cry(EF) comes from Babylon,
the sound of great destruction(EG)
from the land of the Babylonians.[h]
55 The Lord will destroy Babylon;
he will silence(EH) her noisy din.
Waves(EI) of enemies will rage like great waters;
the roar of their voices will resound.
56 A destroyer(EJ) will come against Babylon;
her warriors will be captured,
and their bows will be broken.(EK)
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
he will repay(EL) in full.
57 I will make her officials(EM) and wise(EN) men drunk,(EO)
her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep(EP) forever and not awake,”
declares the King,(EQ) whose name is the Lord Almighty.
58 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Babylon’s thick wall(ER) will be leveled
and her high gates(ES) set on fire;
the peoples(ET) exhaust(EU) themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”(EV)
59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah,(EW) the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah(EX) king of Judah in the fourth(EY) year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll(EZ) about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. 61 He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62 Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate(FA) forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.(FB) 64 Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more(FC) because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people(FD) will fall.’”(FE)
The words of Jeremiah end(FF) here.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 51:1 Leb Kamai is a cryptogram for Chaldea, that is, Babylonia.
- Jeremiah 51:3 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
- Jeremiah 51:4 Or Chaldea
- Jeremiah 51:5 Or Almighty, / and the land of the Babylonians
- Jeremiah 51:24 Or Chaldea; also in verse 35
- Jeremiah 51:35 Or done to us and to our children
- Jeremiah 51:41 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon.
- Jeremiah 51:54 Or Chaldeans
Jeremiah 51
English Standard Version
Jeremiah 51
English Standard Version
The Utter Destruction of Babylon
51 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will stir up (A)the spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon,
against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai,[a]
2 and I will send to Babylon winnowers,
and (B)they shall winnow her,
and they shall empty her land,
when they come against her from every side
(C)on the day of trouble.
3 (D)Let not the archer bend his bow,
and let him not stand up in his armor.
Spare not her young men;
(E)devote to destruction[b] all her army.
4 They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans,
(F)and wounded in her streets.
5 (G)For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
by their God, the Lord of hosts,
but the land of the Chaldeans[c] is full of guilt
against the Holy One of Israel.
6 (H)“Flee from the midst of Babylon;
let every one save his life!
(I)Be not cut off in her punishment,
(J)for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance,
the repayment he is rendering her.
7 Babylon was (K)a golden cup in the Lord's hand,
(L)making all the earth drunken;
(M)the nations drank of her wine;
therefore the nations went mad.
8 (N)Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;
(O)wail for her!
(P)Take balm for her pain;
perhaps she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon,
but she was not healed.
(Q)Forsake her, and (R)let us go
each to his own country,
for (S)her judgment has reached up to heaven
and has been lifted up even to the skies.
10 (T)The Lord has brought about our vindication;
(U)come, let us declare in Zion
the work of the Lord our God.
11 (V)“Sharpen the arrows!
Take up the shields!
(W)The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of (X)the Medes, because (Y)his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, (Z)for that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for (AA)his temple.
12 (AB)“Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon;
(AC)make the watch strong;
set up watchmen;
prepare the ambushes;
(AD)for the Lord has both planned and done
what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 (AE)O you who dwell by many waters,
rich in treasures,
your end has come;
the thread of your life is cut.
14 (AF)The Lord of hosts has sworn by himself:
Surely I will fill you with men, (AG)as many as locusts,
(AH)and they shall raise the shout of victory over you.
15 (AI)“It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
16 When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
17 Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
and there is no breath in them.
18 They are worthless, a work of delusion;
at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
19 Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,
for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
the Lord of hosts is his name.
20 “You are my hammer and weapon of war:
with you I (AJ)break nations in pieces;
with you I destroy kingdoms;
21 with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider;
with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer;
22 with you I break in pieces man and woman;
with you I break in pieces (AK)the old man and the youth;
with you I break in pieces (AL)the young man and the young woman;
23 with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team;
with you I break in pieces (AM)governors and commanders.
24 (AN)“I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the Lord.
25 “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain,
declares the Lord,
which destroys the whole earth;
I will stretch out my hand against you,
and roll you down from the crags,
(AO)and make you a burnt mountain.
26 No (AP)stone shall be taken from you for a corner
and no stone for a foundation,
but you shall be (AQ)a perpetual waste,
declares the Lord.
27 (AR)“Set up a standard on the earth;
(AS)blow the trumpet among the nations;
(AT)prepare (AU)the nations for war against her;
summon against her (AV)the kingdoms,
(AW)Ararat, Minni, and (AX)Ashkenaz;
appoint a (AY)marshal against her;
(AZ)bring up horses like bristling locusts.
28 (BA)Prepare (BB)the nations for war against her,
the kings of (BC)the Medes, (BD)with their governors (BE)and deputies,
and every (BF)land under their dominion.
29 (BG)The land trembles and writhes in pain,
(BH)for the Lord's purposes against Babylon stand,
to make the land of Babylon a desolation,
without inhabitant.
30 The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting;
they remain in their strongholds;
their strength has failed;
(BI)they have become women;
(BJ)her dwellings are on fire;
(BK)her bars are broken.
31 One (BL)runner runs to meet another,
and one messenger to meet another,
to tell the king of Babylon
that his city is taken on every side;
32 the fords have been (BM)seized,
the marshes are burned with fire,
and the soldiers are in panic.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
(BN)The daughter of Babylon is like (BO)a threshing floor
at the time when it is trodden;
yet a little while
and (BP)the time of her harvest will come.”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon (BQ)has devoured me;
he has crushed me;
he has made me an empty vessel;
(BR)he has swallowed me like (BS)a monster;
he has filled his stomach with my delicacies;
he has rinsed me out.[d]
35 The violence done to me and to my kinsmen be upon Babylon,”
let the inhabitant of Zion say.
“My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
let Jerusalem say.
36 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“Behold, (BT)I will plead your cause
and take vengeance for you.
(BU)I will dry up her sea
and (BV)make her fountain dry,
37 and Babylon shall become (BW)a heap of ruins,
(BX)the haunt of jackals,
(BY)a horror (BZ)and a hissing,
without inhabitant.
38 (CA)“They shall roar together (CB)like lions;
they shall growl like lions' cubs.
39 (CC)While they are inflamed (CD)I will prepare them a feast
and (CE)make them drunk, that they may become merry,
(CF)then sleep a perpetual sleep
and not wake, declares the Lord.
40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and male goats.
41 “How (CG)Babylon[e] is taken,
(CH)the praise of the whole earth (CI)seized!
How Babylon has become
a horror among the nations!
42 (CJ)The sea has come up on Babylon;
she is covered with its tumultuous waves.
43 Her cities have become a horror,
(CK)a land of drought and a desert,
(CL)a land in which no one dwells,
and through which no son of man passes.
44 And I will punish (CM)Bel in Babylon,
and (CN)take out of his mouth (CO)what he has swallowed.
(CP)The nations shall no longer flow to him;
(CQ)the wall of Babylon has fallen.
45 “Go out of the midst of her, (CR)my people!
Let every one save his life
from (CS)the fierce anger of the Lord!
46 Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful
(CT)at the report heard in the land,
(CU)when a report comes in one year
and afterward a report in another year,
and violence is in the land,
(CV)and ruler is against ruler.
47 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming
when (CW)I will punish the images of Babylon;
(CX)her whole land shall be put to shame,
and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.
48 (CY)Then the heavens and the earth,
and all that is in them,
shall sing for joy over Babylon,
(CZ)for the destroyers shall come against them out of the north,
declares the Lord.
49 Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel,
(DA)just as for Babylon have fallen the slain of all the earth.
50 (DB)“You who have escaped from the sword,
go, do not stand still!
Remember the Lord from far away,
and let Jerusalem come into your mind:
51 (DC)‘We are put to shame, for we have heard reproach;
(DD)dishonor has covered our face,
(DE)for foreigners have come
into the holy places of the Lord's house.’
52 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when (DF)I will execute judgment upon her images,
(DG)and through all her land
the wounded shall groan.
53 Though Babylon should (DH)mount up to heaven,
and though she should (DI)fortify her strong height,
yet destroyers would come from me against her,
declares the Lord.
54 (DJ)“A voice! A cry from Babylon!
The noise of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55 For the Lord is laying Babylon waste
and stilling her mighty voice.
(DK)Their waves roar like many waters;
the noise of their voice is raised,
56 for a destroyer has come upon her,
upon Babylon;
her warriors are taken;
their bows are broken in pieces,
(DL)for the Lord is a God of recompense;
he will surely repay.
57 (DM)I will make drunk her officials and her wise men,
(DN)her governors, her commanders, and her warriors;
they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake,
declares (DO)the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
58 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
The broad (DP)wall of Babylon
shall be leveled to the ground,
(DQ)and her high gates
shall be burned with fire.
(DR)The peoples labor for nothing,
and (DS)the nations weary themselves only for fire.”
59 The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah (DT)the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, (DU)in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 (DV)Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, (DW)all these words that are written concerning Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, 62 and say, ‘O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so (DX)that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be (DY)desolate forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this book, (DZ)(EA)tie a stone to it (EB)and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, 64 and say, (EC)‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, (ED)and they shall become exhausted.’”
Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 51:1 A code name for Chaldea
- Jeremiah 51:3 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
- Jeremiah 51:5 Hebrew their land
- Jeremiah 51:34 Or he has expelled me
- Jeremiah 51:41 Hebrew Sheshach, a code name for Babylon
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