27 (A)Lift up a signal flag in the land,
Blow a trumpet among the nations!
Consecrate the nations against her,
Summon against her the (B)kingdoms of (C)Ararat, Minni, and (D)Ashkenaz;
Appoint an officer against her,
Bring up the (E)horses like bristly locusts.
28 Consecrate the nations against her,
The kings of the Medes,
[a]Their governors and all [b]their officials,
And every land [c]under their control.
29 So the (F)land quakes and writhes,
For the plans of the Lord against Babylon stand,
To make the land of Babylon
[d]A (G)desolation without inhabitants.
30 The (H)warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting,
They stay in the strongholds;
(I)Their strength is [e]exhausted,
They are becoming (J)like women;
Their homes are set on fire,
The (K)bars of her gates are broken.
31 One [f](L)courier runs to meet [g]another,
And one [h](M)messenger to meet [i]another,
To tell the king of Babylon
That his city has been captured from end to end;
32 The river crossing places have been seized,
And they have burned the marshes with fire,
And the men of war are terrified.

33 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:
“The daughter of Babylon is like a (N)threshing floor
At the time that [j]it is tread down;
In just a little while the time of (O)harvest will come for her.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 51:28 Lit her
  2. Jeremiah 51:28 Lit her
  3. Jeremiah 51:28 Lit of his dominion
  4. Jeremiah 51:29 Or An object of horror
  5. Jeremiah 51:30 Lit dried up
  6. Jeremiah 51:31 Lit runner
  7. Jeremiah 51:31 Lit runner
  8. Jeremiah 51:31 Lit announcer
  9. Jeremiah 51:31 Lit announcer
  10. Jeremiah 51:33 Lit of treading it

27 “Lift up a banner(A) in the land!
    Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
    summon against her these kingdoms:(B)
    Ararat,(C) Minni and Ashkenaz.(D)
Appoint a commander against her;
    send up horses like a swarm of locusts.(E)
28 Prepare the nations for battle against her—
    the kings of the Medes,(F)
their governors and all their officials,
    and all the countries they rule.(G)
29 The land trembles(H) and writhes,
    for the Lord’s purposes(I) against Babylon stand—
to lay waste(J) the land of Babylon
    so that no one will live there.(K)
30 Babylon’s warriors(L) have stopped fighting;
    they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
    they have become weaklings.(M)
Her dwellings are set on fire;(N)
    the bars(O) of her gates are broken.
31 One courier(P) follows another
    and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
    that his entire city is captured,(Q)
32 the river crossings seized,
    the marshes set on fire,(R)
    and the soldiers terrified.(S)

33 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“Daughter Babylon(T) is like a threshing floor(U)
    at the time it is trampled;
    the time to harvest(V) her will soon come.(W)

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