Jeremiah 51:1-11

English Standard Version

The Utter Destruction of Babylon

51 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will stir up ^(A)the spirit of a destroyer
    against Babylon,
    against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai,^[a]
²and I will send to Babylon winnowers,
    and ^(B)they shall winnow her,
and they shall empty her land,
    when they come against her from every side
    ^(C)on the day of trouble.
³^(D)Let not the archer bend his bow,
    and let him not stand up in his armor.
Spare not her young men;
    ^(E)devote to destruction^[b] all her army.
⁴They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans,
    ^(F)and wounded in her streets.
⁵^(G)For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
    by their God, the Lord of hosts,
but the land of the Chaldeans^[c] is full of guilt
    against the Holy One of Israel.

⁶^(H)“Flee from the midst of Babylon;
    let every one save his life!
^(I)Be not cut off in her punishment,
    ^(J)for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance,
    the repayment he is rendering her.
⁷Babylon was ^(K)a golden cup in the Lord's hand,
    ^(L)making all the earth drunken;
^(M)the nations drank of her wine;
    therefore the nations went mad.
⁸^(N)Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;
    ^(O)wail for her!
^(P)Take balm for her pain;
    perhaps she may be healed.
⁹We would have healed Babylon,
    but she was not healed.
^(Q)Forsake her, and ^(R)let us go
    each to his own country,
for ^(S)her judgment has reached up to heaven
    and has been lifted up even to the skies.
¹⁰^(T)The Lord has brought about our vindication;
    ^(U)come, let us declare in Zion
    the work of the Lord our God.

¹¹^(V)“Sharpen the arrows!
Take up the shields!

^(W)The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of ^(X)the Medes, because ^(Y)his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, ^(Z)for that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for ^(AA)his temple.

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Footnotes

Jeremiah 51:1 A code name for Chaldea
Jeremiah 51:3 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
Jeremiah 51:5 Hebrew their land