54 The (A)sound of an outcry from Babylon,
And of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55 For the Lord is going to destroy Babylon,
And He will make her loud [a]noise vanish from her.
And their (B)waves will roar like many waters;
The clamor of their voices [b]sounds forth.
56 For the (C)destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon,
And her warriors will be captured,
Their (D)bows shattered;
For the Lord is a God of (E)retribution,
He will fully repay.
57 “I will (F)make her leaders and her wise men drunk,
Her governors, her officials, and her warriors,
So that they will sleep a (G)perpetual sleep and not wake up,”
(H)Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of armies.

58 This is what the Lord of armies says:

“The broad (I)wall of Babylon will be completely demolished,
And her high (J)gates will be set on fire;
So the peoples will (K)labor for nothing,
And the nations become (L)exhausted only for fire.”

59 The [c]command that Jeremiah the prophet [d]gave Seraiah the son of (M)Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with (N)Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (And Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60 Jeremiah (O)wrote [e]on a single scroll all the disaster which would come against Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon. 61 Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud, 62 and say, ‘You, Lord, have [f]promised concerning this place to (P)cut it off, so that there will be (Q)nothing living in it, [g]whether man or animal; but it will be a permanent desolation.’ 63 And as soon as you finish reading this [h]scroll, you shall tie a stone to it and (R)throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and (S)not rise again, because of the disaster that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become (T)exhausted.’” (U)To this point are the words of Jeremiah.

The Fall of Jerusalem

52 (V)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [i](W)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of (X)Libnah. He did (Y)evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that (Z)Jehoiakim had done. For because of the (AA)anger of the Lord this came about in Jerusalem and Judah, until He drove them out from His presence. And Zedekiah (AB)revolted against the king of Babylon. (AC)Now it came about in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and built a [j](AD)bulwark all around [k]it. (AE)So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the (AF)fourth month the (AG)famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then the city was (AH)breached, and all the (AI)warriors fled and left the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were [l](AJ)all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and (AK)overtook Zedekiah in the [m]desert plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. Then they captured the king and (AL)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (AM)Riblah in the land of (AN)Hamath, and he [n]passed sentence on him. 10 And the king of Babylon (AO)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the commanders of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he (AP)blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze shackles and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.

12 (AQ)Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the (AR)nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, (AS)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who [o]was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 And he (AT)burned the house of the Lord, the (AU)king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14 So the entire army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard (AV)tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard (AW)took into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the (AX)deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But (AY)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

17 Now the bronze (AZ)pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the (BA)stands and the bronze [p](BB)sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans smashed to pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took the (BC)pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the [q]pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 19 The captain of the guard also took the (BD)bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the [r]pans, and the drink offering bowls, whatever was fine gold, and whatever was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one [s]sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under [t]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these vessels was (BE)beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the (BF)height of each pillar was [u]eighteen cubits, and [v]it was twelve cubits in (BG)circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Also, a (BH)capital of bronze was on top of it; and the height of each capital was [w]five cubits, with latticework and (BI)pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six [x]exposed pomegranates; all (BJ)the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the latticework all around.

24 Then the captain of the guard took (BK)Seraiah the chief priest and (BL)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [y](BM)officers of the temple. 25 He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the warriors, seven [z]of the (BN)king’s advisers who were found in the city, the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land who were found inside the city. 26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and (BO)brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon (BP)struck them and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was (BQ)led into exile from its land.

28 These are the people whom (BR)Nebuchadnezzar took into exile: in the [aa]seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, (BS)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 people in all.

31 (BT)Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that [ab]Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, [ac](BU)showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 (BV)Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So [ad]Jehoiachin (BW)changed his prison clothes, and [ae](BX)had his meals in [af]the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life. 34 And as his allowance, a (BY)regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day, all the days of his life until the day of his death.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 51:55 Or voice
  2. Jeremiah 51:55 Lit is given
  3. Jeremiah 51:59 Lit word
  4. Jeremiah 51:59 Lit commanded
  5. Jeremiah 51:60 Or in...book
  6. Jeremiah 51:62 Lit spoken
  7. Jeremiah 51:62 Lit from man even to beast
  8. Jeremiah 51:63 Or book
  9. Jeremiah 52:1 Another reading is Hamital
  10. Jeremiah 52:4 I.e., a defensive wall
  11. Jeremiah 52:4 Lit against it
  12. Jeremiah 52:7 Lit against the city on every side
  13. Jeremiah 52:8 Heb Arabah
  14. Jeremiah 52:9 Lit spoke judgments with
  15. Jeremiah 52:12 Lit stood before the king
  16. Jeremiah 52:17 I.e., large basin
  17. Jeremiah 52:18 Or spoons for incense
  18. Jeremiah 52:19 Or spoons for incense
  19. Jeremiah 52:20 As in LXX and Syriac; MT omits the sea; i.e., large basin
  20. Jeremiah 52:20 As in LXX and Syriac; MT omits the sea; i.e., large basin
  21. Jeremiah 52:21 About 27 ft. high and 18 ft. in circumference or 8 m and 5.4 m
  22. Jeremiah 52:21 Lit a thread of 12 cubits would encircle it
  23. Jeremiah 52:22 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  24. Jeremiah 52:23 Lit windward
  25. Jeremiah 52:24 Lit keepers of the door
  26. Jeremiah 52:25 Lit men of those seeing the king’s face
  27. Jeremiah 52:28 Or possibly seventeenth
  28. Jeremiah 52:31 Or Awil-Marduk (“Man of Marduk”)
  29. Jeremiah 52:31 Lit lifted up the head of
  30. Jeremiah 52:33 Lit he
  31. Jeremiah 52:33 Lit ate bread
  32. Jeremiah 52:33 Lit his presence

Godly Living

(A)Remind them (B)to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be (C)ready for every good deed, to slander no one, (D)not to be contentious, to be (E)gentle, (F)showing every consideration for all people. (G)For we too were once foolish, (H)disobedient, (I)deceived, (J)enslaved to (K)various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in (L)malice and (M)envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the (N)kindness of (O)God our Savior and His love for mankind (P)appeared, (Q)He saved us, (R)not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but (S)in accordance with His mercy, by the (T)washing of regeneration and (U)renewing by the Holy Spirit, (V)whom He (W)richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made (X)heirs [a]according to the hope of eternal life. (Y)This statement is trustworthy; and concerning these things I (Z)want you to speak confidently, so that those who have (AA)believed God will be careful to (AB)engage in good deeds. These things are good and beneficial for people. But (AC)avoid (AD)foolish controversies and (AE)genealogies and strife and (AF)disputes about the Law, for they are (AG)useless and worthless. 10 (AH)Reject a [b](AI)divisive person (AJ)after a first and second warning, 11 knowing that such a person has (AK)deviated from what is right and is sinning, being self-condemned.

Personal Concerns

12 When I send Artemas or (AL)Tychicus to you, (AM)make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to (AN)spend the winter there. 13 Diligently help Zenas the (AO)lawyer and (AP)Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. 14 (AQ)Our people must also learn to (AR)engage in good [c]deeds to meet (AS)pressing needs, so that they will not be (AT)unproductive.

15 (AU)All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us (AV)in the faith.

(AW)Grace be with you all.

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Footnotes

  1. Titus 3:7 Or of eternal life according to hope
  2. Titus 3:10 Or factious
  3. Titus 3:14 Or occupations

All People Exhorted to Praise God.

A Psalm for [a]Thanksgiving.

100 (A)Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
(B)Serve the Lord with jubilation;
(C)Come before Him with rejoicing.
Know that (D)the Lord [b]Himself is God;
It is He who has (E)made us, and [c]not we ourselves;
We are (F)His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates (G)with [d]thanksgiving,
And His courtyards with praise.
Give thanks to Him, (H)bless His name.
For (I)the Lord is good;
(J)His mercy is everlasting
And His (K)faithfulness is to all generations.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 100 Title Or thank offering
  2. Psalm 100:3 Or He
  3. Psalm 100:3 Some mss His we are
  4. Psalm 100:4 Or a thank offering

18 Like a maniac who shoots
(A)Flaming arrows, arrows, and death,
19 So is a person who (B)deceives his neighbor,
And says, “(C)Was I not joking?”

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