Font Size
Jeremiah 51:54-52:34
New Living Translation
Jeremiah 51:54-52:34
New Living Translation
Babylon’s Complete Destruction
54 “Listen! Hear the cry of Babylon,
the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians.
55 For the Lord is destroying Babylon.
He will silence her loud voice.
Waves of enemies pound against her;
the noise of battle rings through the city.
56 Destroying armies come against Babylon.
Her mighty men are captured,
and their weapons break in their hands.
For the Lord is a God who gives just punishment;
he always repays in full.
57 I will make her officials and wise men drunk,
along with her captains, officers, and warriors.
They will fall asleep
and never wake up again!”
says the King, whose name is
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
58 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“The thick walls of Babylon will be leveled to the ground,
and her massive gates will be burned.
The builders from many lands have worked in vain,
for their work will be destroyed by fire!”
Jeremiah’s Message Sent to Babylon
59 The prophet Jeremiah gave this message to Seraiah son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah, a staff officer, when Seraiah went to Babylon with King Zedekiah of Judah. This was during the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign.[a] 60 Jeremiah had recorded on a scroll all the terrible disasters that would soon come upon Babylon—all the words written here. 61 He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, read aloud everything on this scroll. 62 Then say, ‘Lord, you have said that you will destroy Babylon so that neither people nor animals will remain here. She will lie empty and abandoned forever.’ 63 When you have finished reading the scroll, tie it to a stone and throw it into the Euphrates River. 64 Then say, ‘In this same way Babylon and her people will sink, never again to rise, because of the disasters I will bring upon her.’”
This is the end of Jeremiah’s messages.
The Fall of Jerusalem
52 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 2 But Zedekiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as Jehoiakim had done. 3 These things happened because of the Lord’s anger against the people of Jerusalem and Judah, until he finally banished them from his presence and sent them into exile.
Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 So on January 15,[b] during the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar[c] of Babylon led his entire army against Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and built siege ramps against its walls. 5 Jerusalem was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign.
6 By July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign,[d] the famine in the city had become very severe, and the last of the food was entirely gone. 7 Then a section of the city wall was broken down, and all the soldiers fled. Since the city was surrounded by the Babylonians,[e] they waited for nightfall. Then they slipped through the gate between the two walls behind the king’s garden and headed toward the Jordan Valley.[f]
8 But the Babylonian troops chased King Zedekiah and overtook him on the plains of Jericho, for his men had all deserted him and scattered. 9 They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath. There the king of Babylon pronounced judgment upon Zedekiah. 10 The king of Babylon made Zedekiah watch as he slaughtered his sons. He also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11 Then he gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in bronze chains, and the king of Babylon led him away to Babylon. Zedekiah remained there in prison until the day of his death.
The Temple Destroyed
12 On August 17 of that year,[g] which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem. 13 He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings[h] in the city. 14 Then he supervised the entire Babylonian[i] army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side. 15 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took as exiles some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had declared their allegiance to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But Nebuzaradan allowed some of the poorest people to stay behind to care for the vineyards and fields.
17 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars in front of the Lord’s Temple, the bronze water carts, and the great bronze basin called the Sea, and they carried all the bronze away to Babylon. 18 They also took all the ash buckets, shovels, lamp snuffers, basins, dishes, and all the other bronze articles used for making sacrifices at the Temple. 19 The captain of the guard also took the small bowls, incense burners, basins, pots, lampstands, ladles, bowls used for liquid offerings, and all the other articles made of pure gold or silver.
20 The weight of the bronze from the two pillars, the Sea with the twelve bronze oxen beneath it, and the water carts was too great to be measured. These things had been made for the Lord’s Temple in the days of King Solomon. 21 Each of the pillars was 27 feet tall and 18 feet in circumference.[j] They were hollow, with walls 3 inches thick.[k] 22 The bronze capital on top of each pillar was 7 1⁄2 feet[l] high and was decorated with a network of bronze pomegranates all the way around. 23 There were 96 pomegranates on the sides, and a total of 100 pomegranates on the network around the top.
24 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took with him as prisoners Seraiah the high priest, Zephaniah the priest of the second rank, and the three chief gatekeepers. 25 And from among the people still hiding in the city, he took an officer who had been in charge of the Judean army; seven of the king’s personal advisers; the army commander’s chief secretary, who was in charge of recruitment; and sixty other citizens. 26 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them all to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 And there at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon had them all put to death. So the people of Judah were sent into exile from their land.
28 The number of captives taken to Babylon in the seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign[m] was 3,023. 29 Then in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year[n] he took 832 more. 30 In Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year[o] he sent Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who took 745 more—a total of 4,600 captives in all.
Hope for Israel’s Royal Line
31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, Evil-merodach ascended to the Babylonian throne. He was kind to[p] Jehoiachin and released him from prison on March 31 of that year.[q] 32 He spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a higher place than all the other exiled kings in Babylon. 33 He supplied Jehoiachin with new clothes to replace his prison garb and allowed him to dine in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. 34 So the Babylonian king gave him a regular food allowance as long as he lived. This continued until the day of his death.
Footnotes
- 51:59 The fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign was 593 B.c.
- 52:4a Hebrew on the tenth day of the tenth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. A number of events in Jeremiah can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Babylonian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. This day was January 15, 588 B.c.
- 52:4b Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar; also in 52:12, 28, 29, 30.
- 52:6 Hebrew By the ninth day of the fourth month [in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign]. This day was July 18, 586 B.c.; also see note on 52:4a.
- 52:7a Or the Chaldeans; similarly in 52:8, 17.
- 52:7b Hebrew the Arabah.
- 52:12 Hebrew On the tenth day of the fifth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was August 17, 586 B.c.; also see note on 52:4a.
- 52:13 Or destroyed the houses of all the important people.
- 52:14 Or Chaldean.
- 52:21a Hebrew 18 cubits [8.3 meters] tall and 12 cubits [5.5 meters] in circumference.
- 52:21b Hebrew 4 fingers thick [8 centimeters].
- 52:22 Hebrew 5 cubits [2.3 meters].
- 52:28 This exile in the seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign occurred in 597 B.c.
- 52:29 This exile in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign occurred in 586 B.c.
- 52:30 This exile in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign occurred in 581 B.c.
- 52:31a Hebrew He raised the head of.
- 52:31b Hebrew on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was March 31, 561 B.c.; also see note on 52:4a.
Jeremiah 51:54-52:34
New International Version
Jeremiah 51:54-52:34
New International Version
54 “The sound of a cry(A) comes from Babylon,
the sound of great destruction(B)
from the land of the Babylonians.[a]
55 The Lord will destroy Babylon;
he will silence(C) her noisy din.
Waves(D) of enemies will rage like great waters;
the roar of their voices will resound.
56 A destroyer(E) will come against Babylon;
her warriors will be captured,
and their bows will be broken.(F)
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
he will repay(G) in full.
57 I will make her officials(H) and wise(I) men drunk,(J)
her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep(K) forever and not awake,”
declares the King,(L) whose name is the Lord Almighty.
58 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Babylon’s thick wall(M) will be leveled
and her high gates(N) set on fire;
the peoples(O) exhaust(P) themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”(Q)
59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah,(R) the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah(S) king of Judah in the fourth(T) year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll(U) 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(V) forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.(W) 64 Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more(X) because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people(Y) will fall.’”(Z)
The words of Jeremiah end(AA) here.
The Fall of Jerusalem(AB)(AC)(AD)
52 Zedekiah(AE) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.(AF) 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim(AG) had done. 3 It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah,(AH) and in the end he thrust them from his presence.(AI)
Now Zedekiah rebelled(AJ) against the king of Babylon.
4 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth(AK) day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem(AL) with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works(AM) all around it.(AN) 5 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.(AO) 7 Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled.(AP) They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians[b] were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,[c] 8 but the Babylonian[d] army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, 9 and he was captured.(AQ)
He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah(AR) in the land of Hamath,(AS) where he pronounced sentence on him. 10 There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons(AT) of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. 11 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.(AU)
12 On the tenth day of the fifth(AV) month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan(AW) commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He set fire(AX) to the temple(AY) of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses(AZ) of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 14 The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls(BA) around Jerusalem. 15 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile(BB) some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen[e] and those who had deserted(BC) to the king of Babylon. 16 But Nebuzaradan left behind(BD) the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
17 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars,(BE) the movable stands(BF) and the bronze Sea(BG) that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.(BH) 18 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls,(BI) dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.(BJ) 19 The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers,(BK) sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands,(BL) dishes(BM) and bowls used for drink offerings(BN)—all that were made of pure gold or silver.(BO)
20 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls(BP) under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed.(BQ) 21 Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference[f]; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.(BR) 22 The bronze capital(BS) on top of one pillar was five cubits[g] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates(BT) of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates(BU) above the surrounding network was a hundred.(BV)
24 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah(BW) the chief priest, Zephaniah(BX) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.(BY) 25 Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary(BZ) who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. 26 Nebuzaradan(CA) the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 There at Riblah,(CB) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.
So Judah went into captivity, away(CC) from her land. 28 This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile:(CD)
in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,
832 people from Jerusalem;
30 in his twenty-third year,
745 Jews taken into exile(CE) by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard.
There were 4,600 people in all.(CF)
Jehoiachin Released(CG)
31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin(CH) king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison. 32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.(CI) 34 Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance(CJ) as long as he lived, till the day of his death.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 51:54 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 52:7 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 17
- Jeremiah 52:7 Or the Jordan Valley
- Jeremiah 52:8 Or Chaldean; also in verse 14
- Jeremiah 52:15 Or the populace
- Jeremiah 52:21 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference
- Jeremiah 52:22 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.