Jeremiah 50
Christian Standard Bible
Prophecies against Babylon
50 This is the word the Lord spoke about Babylon,(A) the land of the Chaldeans, through the prophet Jeremiah:
2 Announce to the nations;
proclaim and raise up a signal flag;(B)
proclaim, and hide nothing.
Say, “Babylon is captured;
Bel(C) is put to shame;
Marduk is terrified.”
Her idols are put to shame;
her false gods, devastated.
3 For a nation from the north will attack her;(D)
it will make her land desolate.
No one will be living in it—
both people and animals will escape.[a](E)
4 In those days and at that time—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
the Israelites and Judeans will come together,(F)
weeping as they come,
and will seek the Lord their God.(G)
5 They will ask about Zion,
turning their faces to this road.
They will come and join themselves[b] to the Lord
in a permanent covenant(H) that will never be forgotten.
6 My people were lost sheep;(I)
their shepherds led them astray,(J)
guiding them the wrong way in the mountains.(K)
They wandered from mountain to hill;
they forgot their resting place.
7 Whoever found them devoured them.
Their adversaries said, “We’re not guilty;
instead, they have sinned against the Lord,
their righteous grazing land,(L)
the hope of their ancestors,(M) the Lord.”
8 Escape from Babylon;(N)
depart from the Chaldeans’ land.
Be like the rams that lead the flock.
9 For I will soon stir up and bring against Babylon(O)
an assembly of great nations from the north country.
They will line up in battle formation against her;(P)
from there she will be captured.
Their arrows will be like a skilled[c] warrior
who does not return empty-handed.
10 The Chaldeans will become plunder;
all Babylon’s plunderers will be fully satisfied.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
11 Because you rejoice,
because you celebrate—
you who plundered my inheritance—
because you frolic like a young cow treading grain
and neigh like stallions,(Q)
12 your mother(R) will be utterly humiliated;
she who bore you will be put to shame.
Look! She will lag behind all[d] the nations—
an arid wilderness, a desert.(S)
13 Because of the Lord’s wrath,
she will not be inhabited;
she will become a desolation, every bit of her.
Everyone who passes through Babylon
will be appalled
and scoff because of all her wounds.(T)
14 Line up in battle formation around Babylon,
all you archers!
Shoot at her! Do not spare an arrow,
for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Raise a war cry against her on every side!
She has thrown up her hands in surrender;
her defense towers have fallen;
her walls are demolished.(U)
Since this is the Lord’s vengeance,(V)
take your vengeance on her;
as she has done, do the same to her.
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon
as well as him who wields the sickle at harvest time.
Because of the oppressor’s sword,(W)
each will turn to his own people,(X)
each will flee to his own land.
The Return of God’s People
17 Israel is a stray lamb, chased by lions.(Y)
The first who devoured him was the king of Assyria;
the last who crushed his bones
was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.(Z)
18 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am about to punish the king of Babylon(AA) and his land just as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 I will return Israel to his grazing land,(AB)
and he will feed on Carmel and Bashan;
he will be satisfied
in the hill country of Ephraim and of Gilead.(AC)
20 In those days and at that time—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
one will search for Israel’s iniquity,
but there will be none,
and for Judah’s sins,
but they will not be found,
for I will forgive(AD) those I leave as a remnant.(AE)
The Invasion of Babylon
21 Attack the land of Merathaim,
and those living in Pekod.
Put them to the sword;
completely destroy them—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
do everything I have commanded you.(AF)
22 The sound of war is in the land(AG)—
a crushing blow!
23 How the hammer of the whole earth
is cut down and smashed!
What a horror Babylon has become
among the nations!(AH)
24 Babylon, I laid a trap for you, and you were caught,(AI)
but you did not even know it.
You were found and captured
because you pitted yourself against the Lord.
25 The Lord opened his armory
and brought out his weapons of wrath,(AJ)
because it is a task of the Lord God of Armies
in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from the most distant places.[e]
Open her granaries;
pile her up like mounds of grain
and completely destroy her.
Leave her no survivors.
27 Put all her young bulls to the sword;
let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them because their day has come,
the time of their punishment.(AK)
The Humiliation of Babylon
28 There is a voice of fugitives and refugees
from the land of Babylon.
The voice announces in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God,
the vengeance for his temple.(AL)
29 Summon the archers to Babylon,
all who string the bow;
camp all around her; let none escape.
Repay her according to her deeds;(AM)
just as she has done, do the same to her,
for she has acted arrogantly against the Lord,
against the Holy One of Israel.(AN)
30 Therefore, her young men will fall
in her public squares;
all the warriors will perish in that day.
This is the Lord’s declaration.(AO)
31 Look, I am against you, you arrogant one—
this is the declaration of
the Lord God of Armies—
for your day has come,
the time when I will punish you.
32 The arrogant will stumble and fall(AP)
with no one to pick him up.
I will set fire to his cities,
and it will consume everything around him.(AQ)
The Desolation of Babylon
33 This is what the Lord of Armies says:
Israelites and Judeans alike have been oppressed.
All their captors hold them fast;(AR)
they refuse to release them.
34 Their Redeemer is strong;
the Lord of Armies is his name.
He will fervently champion their cause(AS)
so that he might bring rest to the earth
but turmoil to those who live in Babylon.(AT)
35 A sword is over the Chaldeans—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
against those who live in Babylon,
against her officials, and against her sages.
36 A sword is against the diviners,
and they will act foolishly.
A sword is against her heroic warriors,
and they will be terrified.
37 A sword is against his horses and chariots
and against all the foreigners among them,(AU)
and they will be like women.(AV)
A sword is against her treasuries,
and they will be plundered.
38 A drought will come on her waters,
and they will be dried up.
For it is a land of carved images,
and they go mad because of terrifying things.[f](AW)
39 Therefore, desert creatures[g] will live with hyenas,
and ostriches will also live in her.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in through all generations.(AX)
40 Just as God demolished Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighboring towns(AY)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
so no one will live there;
no human being will stay in it even temporarily
as a temporary resident.(AZ)
The Conquest of Babylon
41 Look! A people comes from the north.(BA)
A great nation and many kings will be stirred up
from the remote regions of the earth.(BB)
42 They grasp bow and javelin.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
Their voice roars like the sea,(BC)
and they ride on horses,
lined up like men in battle formation
against you, Daughter Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon has heard about them;
his hands have become weak.
Distress has seized him—
pain, like a woman in labor.(BD)
44 “Look, it will be like a lion coming from the thickets[h](BE) of the Jordan to the watered grazing land. I will chase Babylon[i] away from her land in a flash. I will appoint whoever is chosen for her. For who is like me? Who will issue me a summons? Who is the shepherd who can stand against me?”
45 Therefore, hear the plans that the Lord has drawn up against Babylon and the strategies he has devised against the land of the Chaldeans:(BF) Certainly the flock’s little lambs will be dragged away; certainly the grazing land will be made desolate because of them. 46 At the sound of Babylon’s conquest the earth will quake; a cry will be heard among the nations.(BG)
Jeremiah 50
English Standard Version
Judgment on Babylon
50 The word that the Lord spoke concerning (A)Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, (B)by Jeremiah the prophet:
2 “Declare among the nations and proclaim,
set up a banner and proclaim,
conceal it not, and say:
(C)‘Babylon is taken,
(D)Bel is put to shame,
Merodach is dismayed.
(E)Her images are put to shame,
her idols are dismayed.’
3 “For (F)out of the north a nation has come up against her, (G)which shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; (H)both man and beast shall flee away.
4 (I)“In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, (J)the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, (K)weeping as they come, and they (L)shall seek the Lord their God. 5 (M)They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, (N)saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an (O)everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’
6 (P)“My people have been lost sheep. (Q)Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. 7 All who found them have devoured them, (R)and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for (S)they have sinned against the Lord, (T)their habitation of righteousness, the Lord, (U)the hope of their fathers.’
8 (V)“Flee from the midst of Babylon, (W)and go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock. 9 For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon (X)a gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed. 10 (Y)Chaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, declares the Lord.
11 (Z)“Though you rejoice, though you exult,
O plunderers of my heritage,
though you frolic like a heifer in the pasture,
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother shall be utterly shamed,
and she who bore you shall be disgraced.
Behold, she shall be the last of the nations,
(AA)a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 (AB)Because of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited
but shall be an utter desolation;
(AC)everyone who passes by Babylon shall be appalled,
(AD)and hiss because of all her wounds.
14 (AE)Set yourselves in array against Babylon all around,
(AF)all you who bend the bow;
shoot at her, spare no arrows,
(AG)for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 (AH)Raise a shout against her all around;
she has surrendered;
her bulwarks have fallen;
(AI)her walls are thrown down.
For (AJ)this is the vengeance of the Lord:
take vengeance on her;
(AK)do to her as she has done.
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the one who handles the sickle in time of harvest;
(AL)because of the sword of the oppressor,
(AM)every one shall turn to his own people,
and every one shall flee to his own land.
17 (AN)“Israel is a hunted sheep (AO)driven away by lions. (AP)First the king of Assyria (AQ)devoured him, and now at last (AR)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (AS)has gnawed his bones. 18 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, (AT)I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, (AU)as I punished the king of Assyria. 19 (AV)I will restore Israel to his pasture, and (AW)he shall feed on (AX)Carmel and in (AY)Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in (AZ)Gilead. 20 In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, (BA)iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for (BB)I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.
21 “Go up against the land of Merathaim,[a]
and against the inhabitants of Pekod.[b]
Kill, (BC)and devote them to destruction,[c]
declares the Lord,
and do all that I have commanded you.
22 (BD)The noise of battle is in the land,
and great destruction!
23 (BE)How the hammer of the whole earth
is cut down and broken!
(BF)How Babylon (BG)has become
a horror among the nations!
24 (BH)I set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,
and (BI)you did not know it;
you were found and caught,
because you opposed the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his armory
and brought out (BJ)the weapons of his wrath,
for the Lord God of hosts has a work to do
in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from every quarter;
open her granaries;
(BK)pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction;
let nothing be left of her.
27 Kill all (BL)her bulls;
let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come,
(BM)the time of their punishment.
28 “A voice! They (BN)flee and escape from the land of Babylon, (BO)to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for (BP)his temple.
29 (BQ)“Summon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. (BR)Encamp around her; let no one escape. (BS)Repay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has (BT)proudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 30 (BU)Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, declares the Lord.
31 “Behold, I am against you, O (BV)proud one,
declares the Lord God of hosts,
(BW)for your day has come,
the time when I will punish you.
32 (BX)The proud one shall stumble and fall,
with none to raise him up,
(BY)and I will kindle a fire in his cities,
and it will devour all that is around him.
33 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: (BZ)The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; (CA)they refuse to let them go. 34 (CB)Their Redeemer is strong; (CC)the Lord of hosts is his name. (CD)He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 “A sword against the Chaldeans, declares the Lord,
and against the inhabitants of Babylon,
and against (CE)her officials and her (CF)wise men!
36 A sword against the diviners,
that they may become fools!
A sword against her (CG)warriors,
that they may be destroyed!
37 A sword against her horses and against her chariots,
and against all (CH)the foreign troops in her midst,
that (CI)they may become women!
(CJ)A sword against all her treasures,
that they may be plundered!
38 (CK)A drought against her waters,
that they may be dried up!
(CL)For it is a land of images,
and they are mad over idols.
39 (CM)“Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon,[d] and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations. 40 (CN)As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the Lord, (CO)so no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.
41 (CP)“Behold, a people comes from the north;
a mighty nation and many kings
are stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
42 They lay hold of bow and spear;
they are cruel and have no mercy.
The sound of them is like the roaring of the sea;
they ride on horses,
arrayed as a man for battle
against you, O daughter of Babylon!
43 “The king of Babylon heard the report of them,
and his hands fell helpless;
anguish seized him,
pain as of a woman in labor.
44 (CQ)“Behold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd (CR)can stand before me? 45 Therefore hear (CS)the plan that the Lord has made against Babylon, (CT)and the purposes that he has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: (CU)Surely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 46 (CV)At the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 50:21 Merathaim means double rebellion
- Jeremiah 50:21 Pekod means punishment
- Jeremiah 50:21 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
- Jeremiah 50:39 Hebrew lacks in Babylon
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
