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Jeremiah 50-51
Revised Standard Version
Jeremiah 50-51
Revised Standard Version
Judgment on Babylon
50 The word which the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chalde′ans, by Jeremiah the prophet:
2 “Declare among the nations and proclaim,
set up a banner and proclaim,
conceal it not, and say:
‘Babylon is taken,
Bel is put to shame,
Mer′odach is dismayed.
Her images are put to shame,
her idols are dismayed.’
3 “For out of the north a nation has come up against her, which shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; both man and beast shall flee away.
4 “In those days and in that time, says the Lord, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come; and they shall seek the Lord their God. 5 They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant which will never be forgotten.’
6 “My people have been lost sheep; 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, and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the Lord, their true habitation, the Lord, the hope of their fathers.’
8 “Flee from the midst of Babylon, and go out of the land of the Chalde′ans, and be as he-goats before the flock. 9 For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon a company 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 Chalde′a shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, says the Lord.
11 “Though you rejoice, though you exult,
O plunderers of my heritage,
though you are wanton as a heifer at grass,
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother shall be utterly shamed,
and she who bore you shall be disgraced.
Lo, she shall be the last of the nations,
a wilderness dry and desert.
13 Because of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited,
but shall be an utter desolation;
every one who passes by Babylon shall be appalled,
and hiss because of all her wounds.
14 Set yourselves in array against Babylon round about,
all you that bend the bow;
shoot at her, spare no arrows,
for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Raise a shout against her round about,
she has surrendered;
her bulwarks have fallen,
her walls are thrown down.
For this is the vengeance of the Lord:
take vengeance on her,
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;
because of the sword of the oppressor,
every one shall turn to his own people,
and every one shall flee to his own land.
17 “Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadrez′zar king of Babylon has gnawed his bones. 18 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, as I punished the king of Assyria. 19 I will restore Israel to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and in Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of E′phraim and in Gilead. 20 In those days and in that time, says the Lord, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none; and sin in Judah, and none shall be found; for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.
21 “Go up against the land of Meratha′im,[a]
and against the inhabitants of Pekod.[b]
Slay, and utterly destroy after them,
says the Lord,
and do all that I have commanded you.
22 The noise of battle is in the land,
and great destruction!
23 How the hammer of the whole earth
is cut down and broken!
How Babylon has become
a horror among the nations!
24 I set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,
and you did not know it;
you were found and caught,
because you strove against the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his armory,
and brought out the weapons of his wrath,
for the Lord God of hosts has a work to do
in the land of the Chalde′ans.
26 Come against her from every quarter;
open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain, and destroy her utterly;
let nothing be left of her.
27 Slay all her bulls,
let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come,
the time of their punishment.
28 “Hark! they flee and escape from the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for his temple.
29 “Summon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. Encamp round about her; let no one escape. Requite her according to her deeds, do to her according to all that she has done; for she has proudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 30 Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, says the Lord.
31 “Behold, I am against you, O proud one,
says the Lord God of hosts;
for your day has come,
the time when I will punish you.
32 The proud one shall stumble and fall,
with none to raise him up,
and I will kindle a fire in his cities,
and it will devour all that is round about him.
33 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them; all who took them captive have held them fast, they refuse to let them go. 34 Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name. He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 “A sword upon the Chalde′ans, says the Lord,
and upon the inhabitants of Babylon,
and upon her princes and her wise men!
36 A sword upon the diviners,
that they may become fools!
A sword upon her warriors,
that they may be destroyed!
37 A sword upon her horses and upon her chariots,
and upon all the foreign troops in her midst,
that they may become women!
A sword upon all her treasures,
that they may be plundered!
38 A drought upon her waters,
that they may be dried up!
For it is a land of images,
and they are mad over idols.
39 “Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon, and ostriches shall dwell in her; she shall be peopled no more for ever, nor inhabited for all generations. 40 As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomor′rah and their neighbor cities, says the Lord, so no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.
41 “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 upon 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 travail.
44 “Behold, like a lion coming up from the jungle of the Jordan against a strong sheepfold, 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 can stand before me? 45 Therefore hear the plan which the Lord has made against Babylon, and the purposes which he has formed against the land of the Chalde′ans: Surely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 46 At the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.”
51 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon,
against the inhabitants of Chalde′a;[c]
2 and I will send to Babylon winnowers,
and they shall winnow her,
and they shall empty her land,
when they come against her from every side
on the day of trouble.
3 Let not the archer bend his bow,
and let him not stand up in his coat of mail.
Spare not her young men;
utterly destroy all her host.
4 They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chalde′ans,
and wounded in her streets.
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
by their God, the Lord of hosts;
but the land of the Chalde′ans[d] is full of guilt
against the Holy One of Israel.
6 “Flee from the midst of Babylon,
let every man save his life!
Be not cut off in her punishment,
for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance,
the requital he is rendering her.
7 Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand,
making all the earth drunken;
the nations drank of her wine,
therefore the nations went mad.
8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;
wail for her!
Take balm for her pain;
perhaps she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon,
but she was not healed.
Forsake her, and let us go
each to his own country;
for her judgment has reached up to heaven
and has been lifted up even to the skies.
10 The Lord has brought forth our vindication;
come, let us declare in Zion
the work of the Lord our God.
11 “Sharpen the arrows!
Take up the shields!
The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for his temple.
12 Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon;
make the watch strong;
set up watchmen;
prepare the ambushes;
for the Lord has both planned and done
what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 O you who dwell by many waters,
rich in treasures,
your end has come,
the thread of your life is cut.
14 The Lord of hosts has sworn by himself:
Surely I will fill you with men, as many as locusts,
and they shall raise the shout of victory over you.
15 “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 lightnings 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.
Israel the Creator’s Instrument
20 “You are my hammer and weapon of war:
with you I 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 the old man and the youth;
with you I break in pieces the young man and the maiden;
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 governors and commanders.
The Doom of Babylon
24 “I will requite Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chalde′a before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, says the Lord.
25 “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain,
says the Lord,
which destroys the whole earth;
I will stretch out my hand against you,
and roll you down from the crags,
and make you a burnt mountain.
26 No stone shall be taken from you for a corner
and no stone for a foundation,
but you shall be a perpetual waste,
says the Lord.
27 “Set up a standard on the earth,
blow the trumpet among the nations;
prepare the nations for war against her,
summon against her the kingdoms,
Ar′arat, Minni, and Ash′kenaz;
appoint a marshal against her,
bring up horses like bristling locusts.
28 Prepare the nations for war against her,
the kings of the Medes, with their governors and deputies,
and every land under their dominion.
29 The land trembles and writhes in pain,
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,
they have become women;
her dwellings are on fire,
her bars are broken.
31 One 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 seized,
the bulwarks are burned with fire,
and the soldiers are in panic.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor
at the time when it is trodden;
yet a little while
and the time of her harvest will come.”
34 “Nebuchadrez′zar the king of Babylon has devoured me,
he has crushed me;
he has made me an empty vessel,
he has swallowed me like a monster;
he has filled his belly with my delicacies,
he has rinsed me out.
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 Chalde′a,”
let Jerusalem say.
36 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will plead your cause
and take vengeance for you.
I will dry up her sea
and make her fountain dry;
37 and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins,
the haunt of jackals,
a horror and a hissing,
without inhabitant.
38 “They shall roar together like lions;
they shall growl like lions’ whelps.
39 While they are inflamed I will prepare them a feast
and make them drunk, till they swoon away[e]
and sleep a perpetual sleep
and not wake, says the Lord.
40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and he-goats.
41 “How Babylon[f] is taken,
the praise of the whole earth seized!
How Babylon has become
a horror among the nations!
42 The sea has come up on Babylon;
she is covered with its tumultuous waves.
43 Her cities have become a horror,
a land of drought and a desert,
a land in which no one dwells,
and through which no son of man passes.
44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon,
and take out of his mouth what he has swallowed.
The nations shall no longer flow to him;
the wall of Babylon has fallen.
45 “Go out of the midst of her, my people!
Let every man save his life
from the fierce anger of the Lord!
46 Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful
at the report heard in the land,
when a report comes in one year
and afterward a report in another year,
and violence is in the land,
and ruler is against ruler.
47 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming
when I will punish the images of Babylon;
her whole land shall be put to shame,
and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.
48 Then the heavens and the earth,
and all that is in them,
shall sing for joy over Babylon;
for the destroyers shall come against them out of the north,
says the Lord.
49 Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel,
as for Babylon have fallen the slain of all the earth.
50 “You that have escaped from the sword,
go, stand not still!
Remember the Lord from afar,
and let Jerusalem come into your mind:
51 ‘We are put to shame, for we have heard reproach;
dishonor has covered our face,
for aliens have come
into the holy places of the Lord’s house.’
52 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will execute judgment upon her images,
and through all her land
the wounded shall groan.
53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven,
and though she should fortify her strong height,
yet destroyers would come from me upon her,
says the Lord.
54 “Hark! a cry from Babylon!
The noise of great destruction from the land of the Chalde′ans!
55 For the Lord is laying Babylon waste,
and stilling her mighty voice.
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;
for the Lord is a God of recompense,
he will surely requite.
57 I will make drunk her princes and her wise men,
her governors, her commanders, and her warriors;
they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake,
says the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
58 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
The broad wall of Babylon
shall be leveled to the ground
and her high gates
shall be burned with fire.
The peoples labor for nought,
and the nations weary themselves only for fire.”
Jeremiah’s Command to Seraiah
59 The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Serai′ah the son of Neri′ah, son of Mahsei′ah, when he went with Zedeki′ah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Serai′ah was the quartermaster. 60 Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Serai′ah: “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, 62 and say, ‘O Lord, thou hast said concerning this place that thou wilt cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate for ever.’ 63 When you finish reading this book, bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphra′tes, 64 and say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the evil that I am bringing upon her.’”[g]
Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 50:21 Or Double Rebellion
- Jeremiah 50:21 Or Punishment
- Jeremiah 51:1 Heb Leb-qamai, a cipher for Chaldea
- Jeremiah 51:5 Heb their land
- Jeremiah 51:39 Gk Vg: Heb rejoice
- Jeremiah 51:41 Heb Sheshach, a cipher for Babylon
- Jeremiah 51:64 Gk: Heb upon her. And they shall weary themselves
Jeremiah 50-51
New International Version
Jeremiah 50-51
New International Version
A Message About Babylon(A)
50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon(B) and the land of the Babylonians[a]:
2 “Announce and proclaim(C) among the nations,
lift up a banner(D) and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;(E)
Bel(F) will be put to shame,(G)
Marduk(H) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols(I) filled with terror.’
3 A nation from the north(J) will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live(K) in it;
both people and animals(L) will flee away.
4 “In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together(M)
will go in tears(N) to seek(O) the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way(P) to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come(Q) and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant(R)
that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have been lost sheep;(S)
their shepherds(T) have led them astray(U)
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill(V)
and forgot their own resting place.(W)
7 Whoever found them devoured(X) them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,(Y)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
the Lord, the hope(Z) of their ancestors.’
8 “Flee(AA) out of Babylon;(AB)
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.
9 For I will stir(AC) up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nations(AD) from the land of the north.(AE)
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.(AF)
Their arrows(AG) will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
10 So Babylonia[b] will be plundered;(AH)
all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.
11 “Because you rejoice and are glad,
you who pillage my inheritance,(AI)
because you frolic like a heifer(AJ) threshing grain
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother will be greatly ashamed;
she who gave you birth will be disgraced.(AK)
She will be the least of the nations—
a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.(AL)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
but will be completely desolate.(AM)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;(AN)
they will scoff(AO) because of all her wounds.(AP)
14 “Take up your positions around Babylon,
all you who draw the bow.(AQ)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,(AR)
for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout(AS) against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
her walls(AT) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance(AU) of the Lord,
take vengeance on her;
do to her(AV) as she has done to others.(AW)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword(AX) of the oppressor
let everyone return to their own people,(AY)
let everyone flee to their own land.(AZ)
17 “Israel is a scattered flock(BA)
that lions(BB) have chased away.
The first to devour(BC) them
was the king(BD) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(BE)
was Nebuchadnezzar(BF) king(BG) of Babylon.”
18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the king(BH) of Assyria.(BI)
19 But I will bring(BJ) Israel back to their own pasture,
and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied(BK)
on the hills(BL) of Ephraim and Gilead.(BM)
20 In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,(BN)
and for the sins(BO) of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive(BP) the remnant(BQ) I spare.
21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.(BR)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[c] them,”
declares the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(BS) of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
is the hammer(BT) of the whole earth!(BU)
How desolate(BV) is Babylon
among the nations!
24 I set a trap(BW) for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(BX)
because you opposed(BY) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weapons(BZ) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.(CA)
26 Come against her from afar.(CB)
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.(CC)
Completely destroy(CD) her
and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(CE)
let them go down to the slaughter!(CF)
Woe to them! For their day(CG) has come,
the time(CH) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(CI) and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zion(CJ)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(CK)
vengeance for his temple.(CL)
29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.(CM)
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.(CN)
Repay(CO) her for her deeds;(CP)
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(CQ) the Lord,
the Holy One(CR) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(CS) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(CT) you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(CU) has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(CV) one will stumble and fall(CW)
and no one will help her up;(CX)
I will kindle a fire(CY) in her towns
that will consume all who are around her.”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“The people of Israel are oppressed,(CZ)
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.(DA)
34 Yet their Redeemer(DB) is strong;
the Lord Almighty(DC) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(DD)
so that he may bring rest(DE) to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.
35 “A sword(DF) against the Babylonians!”(DG)
declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wise(DH) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(DI)
They will be filled with terror.(DJ)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(DK)
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.(DL)
A sword against her treasures!(DM)
They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[d] her waters!(DN)
They will dry(DO) up.
For it is a land of idols,(DP)
idols that will go mad with terror.
39 “So desert creatures(DQ) and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.(DR)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah(DS)
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.(DT)
41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(DU)
a great nation and many kings
are being stirred(DV) up from the ends of the earth.(DW)
42 They are armed with bows(DX) and spears;
they are cruel(DY) and without mercy.(DZ)
They sound like the roaring sea(EA)
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(EB)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.(EC)
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(ED)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(EE)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen(EF) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(EG)
And what shepherd can stand against me?”
45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposed(EH) against the land of the Babylonians:(EI)
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;(EJ)
its cry(EK) will resound among the nations.
51 This is what the Lord says:
“See, I will stir(EL) up the spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon(EM) and the people of Leb Kamai.[e]
2 I will send foreigners(EN) to Babylon
to winnow(EO) her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
in the day(EP) of her disaster.
3 Let not the archer string his bow,(EQ)
nor let him put on his armor.(ER)
Do not spare her young men;
completely destroy[f] her army.
4 They will fall(ES) down slain in Babylon,[g]
fatally wounded in her streets.(ET)
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken(EU)
by their God, the Lord Almighty,
though their land[h] is full of guilt(EV)
before the Holy One of Israel.
6 “Flee(EW) from Babylon!
Run for your lives!
Do not be destroyed because of her sins.(EX)
It is time(EY) for the Lord’s vengeance;(EZ)
he will repay(FA) her what she deserves.
7 Babylon was a gold cup(FB) 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(FC) and be broken.
Wail over her!
Get balm(FD) for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.
9 “‘We would have healed Babylon,
but she cannot be healed;
let us leave(FE) her and each go to our own land,
for her judgment(FF) reaches to the skies,
it rises as high as the heavens.’
11 “Sharpen the arrows,(FI)
take up the shields!(FJ)
The Lord has stirred up the kings(FK) of the Medes,(FL)
because his purpose(FM) is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,(FN)
vengeance for his temple.(FO)
12 Lift up a banner(FP) against the walls of Babylon!
Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,(FQ)
prepare an ambush!(FR)
The Lord will carry out his purpose,(FS)
his decree against the people of Babylon.
13 You who live by many waters(FT)
and are rich in treasures,(FU)
your end has come,
the time for you to be destroyed.(FV)
14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself:(FW)
I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,(FX)
and they will shout(FY) in triumph over you.
15 “He made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom(FZ)
and stretched(GA) out the heavens by his understanding.(GB)
16 When he thunders,(GC) the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain(GD)
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(GE)
17 “Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(GF)
they have no breath in them.
18 They are worthless,(GG) the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
19 He who is the Portion(GH) of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance(GI)—
the Lord Almighty is his name.
20 “You are my war club,(GJ)
my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter(GK) nations,(GL)
with you I destroy kingdoms,
21 with you I shatter horse and rider,(GM)
with you I shatter chariot(GN) 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,(GO)
23 with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
with you I shatter governors and officials.(GP)
24 “Before your eyes I will repay(GQ) Babylon(GR) and all who live in Babylonia[i] for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.
25 “I am against(GS) you, you destroying mountain,
you who destroy the whole earth,”(GT)
declares the Lord.
“I will stretch out my hand(GU) against you,
roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.(GV)
26 No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
nor any stone for a foundation,
for you will be desolate(GW) forever,”
declares the Lord.
27 “Lift up a banner(GX) in the land!
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
summon against her these kingdoms:(GY)
Ararat,(GZ) Minni and Ashkenaz.(HA)
Appoint a commander against her;
send up horses like a swarm of locusts.(HB)
28 Prepare the nations for battle against her—
the kings of the Medes,(HC)
their governors and all their officials,
and all the countries they rule.(HD)
29 The land trembles(HE) and writhes,
for the Lord’s purposes(HF) against Babylon stand—
to lay waste(HG) the land of Babylon
so that no one will live there.(HH)
30 Babylon’s warriors(HI) have stopped fighting;
they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
they have become weaklings.(HJ)
Her dwellings are set on fire;(HK)
the bars(HL) of her gates are broken.
31 One courier(HM) follows another
and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
that his entire city is captured,(HN)
32 the river crossings seized,
the marshes set on fire,(HO)
and the soldiers terrified.(HP)”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Daughter Babylon(HQ) is like a threshing floor(HR)
at the time it is trampled;
the time to harvest(HS) her will soon come.(HT)”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar(HU) king of Babylon has devoured(HV) us,(HW)
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(HX) us out.
35 May the violence(HY) done to our flesh[j] be on Babylon,”
say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
says Jerusalem.(HZ)
36 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“See, I will defend your cause(IA)
and avenge(IB) you;
I will dry up(IC) her sea
and make her springs dry.
37 Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
a haunt(ID) of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,(IE)
a place where no one lives.(IF)
38 Her people all roar like young lions,(IG)
they growl like lion cubs.
39 But while they are aroused,
I will set out a feast for them
and make them drunk,(IH)
so that they shout with laughter—
then sleep forever(II) and not awake,”
declares the Lord.(IJ)
40 “I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats.(IK)
41 “How Sheshak[k](IL) will be captured,(IM)
the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolate(IN) Babylon will be
among the nations!
42 The sea will rise over Babylon;
its roaring waves(IO) will cover her.
43 Her towns will be desolate,
a dry and desert(IP) land,
a land where no one lives,
through which no one travels.(IQ)
44 I will punish Bel(IR) in Babylon
and make him spew out(IS) what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
And the wall(IT) of Babylon will fall.
45 “Come out(IU) of her, my people!
Run(IV) for your lives!
Run from the fierce anger(IW) of the Lord.
46 Do not lose heart(IX) or be afraid(IY)
when rumors(IZ) 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(JA) of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced(JB)
and her slain will all lie fallen within her.(JC)
48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout(JD) for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north(JE)
destroyers(JF) 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.(JG)
50 You who have escaped the sword,
leave(JH) and do not linger!
Remember(JI) the Lord in a distant land,(JJ)
and call to mind Jerusalem.”
51 “We are disgraced,(JK)
for we have been insulted
and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
the holy places of the Lord’s house.”(JL)
52 “But days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will punish her idols,(JM)
and throughout her land
the wounded will groan.(JN)
53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens(JO)
and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
I will send destroyers(JP) against her,”
declares the Lord.
54 “The sound of a cry(JQ) comes from Babylon,
the sound of great destruction(JR)
from the land of the Babylonians.[l]
55 The Lord will destroy Babylon;
he will silence(JS) her noisy din.
Waves(JT) of enemies will rage like great waters;
the roar of their voices will resound.
56 A destroyer(JU) will come against Babylon;
her warriors will be captured,
and their bows will be broken.(JV)
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
he will repay(JW) in full.
57 I will make her officials(JX) and wise(JY) men drunk,(JZ)
her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep(KA) forever and not awake,”
declares the King,(KB) whose name is the Lord Almighty.
58 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Babylon’s thick wall(KC) will be leveled
and her high gates(KD) set on fire;
the peoples(KE) exhaust(KF) themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”(KG)
59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah,(KH) the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah(KI) king of Judah in the fourth(KJ) year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll(KK) 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(KL) forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.(KM) 64 Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more(KN) because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people(KO) will fall.’”(KP)
The words of Jeremiah end(KQ) here.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 50:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 25, 35 and 45
- Jeremiah 50:10 Or Chaldea
- Jeremiah 50:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
- Jeremiah 50:38 Or A sword against
- 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
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
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