“A voice is heard in Ramah,^(A)
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,^(B)
    because they are no more.”^(C)

“Restrain your voice from weeping
    and your eyes from tears,^(D)
for your work will be rewarded,^(E)”
declares the Lord.
    “They will return^(F) from the land of the enemy.
¹⁷ So there is hope^(G) for your descendants,”
declares the Lord.
    “Your children^(H) will return to their own land.

¹⁸ “I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
    ‘You disciplined^(I) me like an unruly calf,^(J)
    and I have been disciplined.
Restore^(K) me, and I will return,
    because you are the Lord my God.
¹⁹ After I strayed,^(L)
    I repented;
after I came to understand,
    I beat^(M) my breast.
I was ashamed^(N) and humiliated
    because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’^(O)
20 Is not Ephraim my dear son,
    the child^(P) in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
    I still remember^(Q) him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
    I have great compassion^(R) for him,”
declares the Lord.

²¹ “Set up road signs;
    put up guideposts.^(S)
Take note of the highway,^(T)
    the road that you take.
Return,^(U) Virgin^(V) Israel,
    return to your towns.
²² How long will you wander,^(W)
    unfaithful^(X) Daughter Israel?
The Lord will create a new thing^(Y) on earth—
    the woman will return to^[a](Z) the man.”

‘The parents^(AP) have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’^(AQ)

³¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant^(AS)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
³² It will not be like the covenant^(AT)
    I made with their ancestors^(AU)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,^(AV)
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband^(AW) to^[c] them,^[d]”
declares the Lord.
³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds^(AX)
    and write it on their hearts.^(AY)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.^(AZ)
34 No longer will they teach^(BA) their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know^(BB) me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive^(BC) their wickedness
    and will remember their sins^(BD) no more.”

he who appoints^(BE) the sun
    to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
    to shine by night,^(BF)
who stirs up the sea^(BG)
    so that its waves roar^(BH)—
    the Lord Almighty is his name:^(BI)
36 “Only if these decrees^(BJ) vanish from my sight,”
    declares the Lord,
“will Israel^(BK) ever cease
    being a nation before me.”

“Only if the heavens above can be measured^(BL)
    and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject^(BM) all the descendants of Israel
    because of all they have done,”
declares the Lord.

“See, I will break the bow^(C) of Elam,
    the mainstay of their might.
³⁶ I will bring against Elam the four winds^(D)
    from the four quarters of heaven;^(E)
I will scatter them to the four winds,
    and there will not be a nation
    where Elam’s exiles do not go.
³⁷ I will shatter Elam before their foes,
    before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
    even my fierce anger,”^(F)
declares the Lord.
“I will pursue them with the sword^(G)
    until I have made an end of them.
³⁸ I will set my throne in Elam
    and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the Lord.

³⁹ “Yet I will restore^(H) the fortunes of Elam
    in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

² “Announce and proclaim^(K) among the nations,
    lift up a banner^(L) and proclaim it;
    keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;^(M)
    Bel^(N) will be put to shame,^(O)
    Marduk^(P) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
    and her idols^(Q) filled with terror.’
³ A nation from the north^(R) will attack her
    and lay waste her land.
No one will live^(S) in it;
    both people and animals^(T) will flee away.

⁴ “In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together^(U)
    will go in tears^(V) to seek^(W) the Lord their God.
⁵ They will ask the way^(X) to Zion
    and turn their faces toward it.
They will come^(Y) and bind themselves to the Lord
    in an everlasting covenant^(Z)
    that will not be forgotten.

⁶ “My people have been lost sheep;^(AA)
    their shepherds^(AB) have led them astray^(AC)
    and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill^(AD)
    and forgot their own resting place.^(AE)
7 Whoever found them devoured^(AF) them;
    their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,^(AG)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
    the Lord, the hope^(AH) of their ancestors.’

⁸ “Flee^(AI) out of Babylon;^(AJ)
    leave the land of the Babylonians,
    and be like the goats that lead the flock.
⁹ For I will stir^(AK) up and bring against Babylon
    an alliance of great nations^(AL) from the land of the north.^(AM)
They will take up their positions against her,
    and from the north she will be captured.^(AN)
Their arrows^(AO) will be like skilled warriors
    who do not return empty-handed.
¹⁰ So Babylonia^[b] will be plundered;^(AP)
    all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.

¹¹ “Because you rejoice and are glad,
    you who pillage my inheritance,^(AQ)
because you frolic like a heifer^(AR) threshing grain
    and neigh like stallions,
¹² your mother will be greatly ashamed;
    she who gave you birth will be disgraced.^(AS)
She will be the least of the nations—
    a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.^(AT)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
    but will be completely desolate.^(AU)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;^(AV)
    they will scoff^(AW) because of all her wounds.^(AX)

¹⁴ “Take up your positions around Babylon,
    all you who draw the bow.^(AY)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,^(AZ)
    for she has sinned against the Lord.
¹⁵ Shout^(BA) against her on every side!
    She surrenders, her towers fall,
    her walls^(BB) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance^(BC) of the Lord,
    take vengeance on her;
    do to her^(BD) as she has done to others.^(BE)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
    and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword^(BF) of the oppressor
    let everyone return to their own people,^(BG)
    let everyone flee to their own land.^(BH)

¹⁷ “Israel is a scattered flock^(BI)
    that lions^(BJ) have chased away.
The first to devour^(BK) them
    was the king^(BL) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones^(BM)
    was Nebuchadnezzar^(BN) king^(BO) of Babylon.”

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
    as I punished the king^(BP) of Assyria.^(BQ)
19 But I will bring^(BR) Israel back to their own pasture,
    and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied^(BS)
    on the hills^(BT) of Ephraim and Gilead.^(BU)
20 In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
    but there will be none,^(BV)
and for the sins^(BW) of Judah,
    but none will be found,
    for I will forgive^(BX) the remnant^(BY) I spare.

²¹ “Attack the land of Merathaim
    and those who live in Pekod.^(BZ)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy^[c] them,”
declares the Lord.
    “Do everything I have commanded you.
²² The noise^(CA) of battle is in the land,
    the noise of great destruction!
²³ How broken and shattered
    is the hammer^(CB) of the whole earth!^(CC)
How desolate^(CD) is Babylon
    among the nations!
²⁴ I set a trap^(CE) for you, Babylon,
    and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured^(CF)
    because you opposed^(CG) the Lord.
²⁵ The Lord has opened his arsenal
    and brought out the weapons^(CH) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
    in the land of the Babylonians.^(CI)
26 Come against her from afar.^(CJ)
    Break open her granaries;
    pile her up like heaps of grain.^(CK)
Completely destroy^(CL) her
    and leave her no remnant.
²⁷ Kill all her young bulls;^(CM)
    let them go down to the slaughter!^(CN)
Woe to them! For their day^(CO) has come,
    the time^(CP) for them to be punished.
²⁸ Listen to the fugitives^(CQ) and refugees from Babylon
    declaring in Zion^(CR)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,^(CS)
    vengeance for his temple.^(CT)

²⁹ “Summon archers against Babylon,
    all those who draw the bow.^(CU)
Encamp all around her;
    let no one escape.^(CV)
Repay^(CW) her for her deeds;^(CX)
    do to her as she has done.
For she has defied^(CY) the Lord,
    the Holy One^(CZ) of Israel.
³⁰ Therefore, her young men^(DA) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
³¹ “See, I am against^(DB) you, you arrogant one,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day^(DC) has come,
    the time for you to be punished.
³² The arrogant^(DD) one will stumble and fall^(DE)
    and no one will help her up;^(DF)
I will kindle a fire^(DG) in her towns
    that will consume all who are around her.”

“The people of Israel are oppressed,^(DH)
    and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
    refusing to let them go.^(DI)
34 Yet their Redeemer^(DJ) is strong;
    the Lord Almighty^(DK) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause^(DL)
    so that he may bring rest^(DM) to their land,
    but unrest to those who live in Babylon.

³⁵ “A sword^(DN) against the Babylonians!”^(DO)
    declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
    and against her officials and wise^(DP) men!
³⁶ A sword against her false prophets!
    They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!^(DQ)
    They will be filled with terror.^(DR)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots^(DS)
    and all the foreigners in her ranks!
    They will become weaklings.^(DT)
A sword against her treasures!^(DU)
    They will be plundered.
³⁸ A drought on^[d] her waters!^(DV)
    They will dry^(DW) up.
For it is a land of idols,^(DX)
    idols that will go mad with terror.

³⁹ “So desert creatures^(DY) and hyenas will live there,
    and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
    or lived in from generation to generation.^(DZ)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah^(EA)
    along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
    no people will dwell in it.^(EB)

⁴¹ “Look! An army is coming from the north;^(EC)
    a great nation and many kings
    are being stirred^(ED) up from the ends of the earth.^(EE)
42 They are armed with bows^(EF) and spears;
    they are cruel^(EG) and without mercy.^(EH)
They sound like the roaring sea^(EI)
    as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Babylon.^(EJ)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
    and his hands hang limp.^(EK)
Anguish has gripped him,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.^(EL)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets^(EM)
    to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
    Who is the chosen^(EN) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?^(EO)
    And what shepherd can stand against me?”

⁴⁵ Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
    what he has purposed^(EP) against the land of the Babylonians:^(EQ)
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
    their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
⁴⁶ At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;^(ER)
    its cry^(ES) will resound among the nations.

“See, I will stir^(ET) up the spirit of a destroyer
    against Babylon^(EU) and the people of Leb Kamai.^[e]
2 I will send foreigners^(EV) to Babylon
    to winnow^(EW) her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
    in the day^(EX) of her disaster.
³ Let not the archer string his bow,^(EY)
    nor let him put on his armor.^(EZ)
Do not spare her young men;
    completely destroy^[f] her army.
⁴ They will fall^(FA) down slain in Babylon,^[g]
    fatally wounded in her streets.^(FB)
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken^(FC)
    by their God, the Lord Almighty,
though their land^[h] is full of guilt^(FD)
    before the Holy One of Israel.

⁶ “Flee^(FE) from Babylon!
    Run for your lives!
    Do not be destroyed because of her sins.^(FF)
It is time^(FG) for the Lord’s vengeance;^(FH)
    he will repay^(FI) her what she deserves.
⁷ Babylon was a gold cup^(FJ) 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^(FK) and be broken.
    Wail over her!
Get balm^(FL) for her pain;
    perhaps she can be healed.

⁹ “‘We would have healed Babylon,
    but she cannot be healed;
let us leave^(FM) her and each go to our own land,
    for her judgment^(FN) reaches to the skies,
    it rises as high as the heavens.’

¹⁰ “‘The Lord has vindicated^(FO) us;
    come, let us tell in Zion
    what the Lord our God has done.’^(FP)

¹¹ “Sharpen the arrows,^(FQ)
    take up the shields!^(FR)
The Lord has stirred up the kings^(FS) of the Medes,^(FT)
    because his purpose^(FU) is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,^(FV)
    vengeance for his temple.^(FW)
12 Lift up a banner^(FX) against the walls of Babylon!
    Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,^(FY)
    prepare an ambush!^(FZ)
The Lord will carry out his purpose,^(GA)
    his decree against the people of Babylon.
¹³ You who live by many waters^(GB)
    and are rich in treasures,^(GC)
your end has come,
    the time for you to be destroyed.^(GD)
14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself:^(GE)
    I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,^(GF)
    and they will shout^(GG) in triumph over you.