Bible in 90 Days
Prophecy against Moab
48 Concerning (A)Moab. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
“Woe to (B)Nebo, for it has been destroyed;
(C)Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured;
The lofty stronghold has been put to shame and [a]shattered.
2 “There is praise for Moab no longer;
In (D)Heshbon they have devised calamity against her:
‘Come and let us cut her off from being a nation!’
You too, [b]Madmen, will be silenced;
The sword will follow after you.
3 “The sound of an outcry from (E)Horonaim,
‘Devastation and great destruction!’
4 “Moab is broken,
Her little ones have sounded out a cry of distress.
5 “For by the ascent of (F)Luhith
They will ascend with continual weeping;
For at the descent of Horonaim
They have heard the [c]anguished cry of destruction.
6 “(G)Flee, save your lives,
That you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.
7 “For because of your (H)trust in your own achievements and treasures,
Even you yourself will be captured;
And (I)Chemosh will go off into exile
Together with his priests and his princes.
8 “A destroyer will come to every city,
So that no city will escape;
The valley also will be ruined
And the (J)plateau will be destroyed,
As the Lord has said.
9 “Give [d](K)wings to Moab,
For she will [e]flee away;
And her cities will become a (L)desolation,
Without inhabitants in them.
10 “(M)Cursed be the one who does the Lord’s work (N)negligently,
And cursed be the one who restrains his (O)sword from blood.
11 “Moab has been (P)at ease since his youth;
He has also been (Q)undisturbed, like wine on [f]its dregs,
And he has not been (R)emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into exile.
Therefore [g]he retains his flavor,
And his aroma has not changed.
12 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter [h]his jars. 13 And Moab will be (S)ashamed of (T)Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of (U)Bethel, their confidence.
14 “How can you say, ‘We are (V)mighty warriors,
And men valiant for battle’?
15 “Moab has been destroyed and [i]men have gone up to [j]his cities;
His choicest [k](W)young men have also gone down to the slaughter,”
Declares the (X)King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16 “The disaster of Moab will (Y)soon come,
And his calamity has swiftly hastened.
17 “Mourn for him, all you who live around him,
Even all of you who know his name;
Say, ‘How has the mighty [l](Z)scepter been broken,
A staff of splendor!’
18 “(AA)Come down from your glory
And sit [m]on the parched ground,
O (AB)daughter dwelling in (AC)Dibon,
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you,
He has ruined your strongholds.
19 “Stand by the road and keep watch,
O inhabitant of (AD)Aroer;
(AE)Ask him who flees and her who escapes
And say, ‘What has happened?’
20 “Moab has been put to shame, for it has been [n]shattered.
Wail and cry out;
Declare by the (AF)Arnon
That Moab has been destroyed.
21 “Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, (AG)Jahzah and against (AH)Mephaath, 22 against Dibon, Nebo and Beth-diblathaim, 23 against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul and (AI)Beth-meon, 24 against (AJ)Kerioth, Bozrah and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The (AK)horn of Moab has been cut off and his (AL)arm broken,” declares the Lord. 26 “(AM)Make him drunk, for he has [o]become (AN)arrogant toward the Lord; so Moab will [p]wallow in his vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock. 27 Now was not Israel a (AO)laughingstock to you? Or was he [q](AP)caught among thieves? For each time you speak about him you (AQ)shake your head in scorn.
28 “Leave the cities and dwell among the (AR)crags,
O inhabitants of Moab,
And be like a (AS)dove that nests
Beyond the mouth of the chasm.
29 “(AT)We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud—
Of his haughtiness, his (AU)pride, his arrogance and [r]his self-exaltation.
30 “I know his (AV)fury,” declares the Lord,
“But it is futile;
His idle boasts have accomplished nothing.
31 “Therefore I will (AW)wail for Moab,
Even for all Moab will I cry out;
[s]I will moan for the men of (AX)Kir-heres.
32 “More than the (AY)weeping for (AZ)Jazer
I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah!
Your tendrils stretched across the sea,
They reached to the sea of Jazer;
Upon your summer fruits and your grape harvest
The destroyer has fallen.
33 “So (BA)gladness and joy are taken away
From the fruitful field, even from the land of Moab.
And I have made the wine to (BB)cease from the wine presses;
No one will tread them with shouting,
The shouting will not be shouts of joy.
34 (BC)From the outcry at Heshbon even to (BD)Elealeh, even to Jahaz they have [t]raised their voice, from (BE)Zoar even to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate. 35 I will make an end of Moab,” declares the Lord, “the one who offers sacrifice on the (BF)high place and the one who [u](BG)burns incense to his gods.
36 “Therefore My (BH)heart [v]wails for Moab like flutes; My heart also [w]wails like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have (BI)lost the abundance it produced. 37 For (BJ)every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and (BK)sackcloth on the loins. 38 On all the (BL)housetops of Moab and in its streets [x]there is lamentation everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable (BM)vessel,” declares the Lord. 39 “How [y]shattered it is! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back—he is ashamed! So Moab will become a laughingstock and an (BN)object of terror to all around him.”
40 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, one will (BO)fly swiftly like an eagle
And (BP)spread out his wings against Moab.
41 “Kerioth has been captured
And the strongholds have been seized,
So the (BQ)hearts of the mighty men of Moab in that day
Will be like the heart of a (BR)woman in labor.
42 “Moab will be (BS)destroyed from being a people
Because he has [z]become (BT)arrogant toward the Lord.
43 “(BU)Terror, pit and snare are coming upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab,” declares the Lord.
44 “The one who (BV)flees from the terror
Will fall into the pit,
And the one who climbs up out of the pit
Will be caught in the snare;
For I shall bring upon her, even upon Moab,
The year of their (BW)punishment,” declares the Lord.
45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
The fugitives stand without strength;
For a fire has gone forth from Heshbon
And a (BX)flame from the midst of (BY)Sihon,
And it has devoured the (BZ)forehead of Moab
And the scalps of the [aa]riotous revelers.
46 “(CA)Woe to you, Moab!
The people of (CB)Chemosh have perished;
For your sons have been taken away captive
And your daughters into captivity.
47 “Yet I will (CC)restore the [ab]fortunes of Moab
In the [ac]latter days,” declares the Lord.
Thus far the judgment on Moab.
Prophecy against Ammon
49 Concerning the sons of (CD)Ammon. Thus says the Lord:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Or has he no heirs?
Why then has [ad]Malcam taken possession of Gad
And his people settled in its cities?
2 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“That I will cause a [ae](CE)trumpet blast of war to be heard
Against (CF)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon;
And it will become a desolate heap,
And her (CG)towns will be set on fire.
Then Israel will take (CH)possession of his possessors,”
Says the Lord.
3 “Wail, O (CI)Heshbon, for (CJ)Ai has been destroyed!
Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah,
(CK)Gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament,
And rush back and forth inside the walls;
For [af]Malcam will (CL)go into exile
Together with his priests and his princes.
4 “How (CM)boastful you are about the valleys!
Your valley is flowing away,
O (CN)backsliding daughter
Who trusts in her (CO)treasures, saying,
‘(CP)Who will come against me?’
5 “Behold, I am going to bring (CQ)terror upon you,”
Declares the Lord [ag]God of hosts,
“From all directions around you;
And each of you will be (CR)driven out [ah]headlong,
With no one to gather the (CS)fugitives together.
6 “But afterward I will (CT)restore
The [ai]fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”
Declares the Lord.
Prophecy against Edom
7 Concerning (CU)Edom.
Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“Is there no longer any (CV)wisdom in (CW)Teman?
Has good counsel been lost to the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8 “Flee away, turn back, dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of (CX)Dedan,
For I [aj]will bring the (CY)disaster of Esau upon him
At the time I [ak]punish him.
9 “(CZ)If grape gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came by night,
They would destroy only [al]until they had enough.
10 “But I have (DA)stripped Esau bare,
I have uncovered his hiding places
So that he will not be able to conceal himself;
His [am]offspring has been destroyed along with his [an]relatives
And his neighbors, and (DB)he is no more.
11 “Leave your [ao](DC)orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
And let your (DD)widows trust in Me.”
12 For thus says the Lord, “Behold, those [ap]who were not sentenced to drink the (DE)cup will certainly drink it, and are you the one who will be (DF)completely acquitted? You will not be acquitted, but you will certainly drink it. 13 For I have (DG)sworn by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that (DH)Bozrah will become an (DI)object of horror, a reproach, a ruin and a curse; and all its cities will become perpetual ruins.”
14 I have (DJ)heard a message from the Lord,
And an (DK)envoy is sent among the nations, saying,
“(DL)Gather yourselves together and come against her,
And rise up for battle!”
15 “For behold, I have made you small among the nations,
Despised among men.
16 “As for the terror of you,
The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
O you who live in the clefts of [aq]the (DM)rock,
Who occupy the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest as (DN)high as an eagle’s,
I will (DO)bring you down from there,” declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an (DP)object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will (DQ)hiss at all its wounds. 18 Like the (DR)overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says the Lord, “(DS)no one will live there, nor will a son of man reside in it. 19 (DT)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the [ar](DU)thickets of the Jordan against [as]a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make him run away from it, and whoever is (DV)chosen I shall appoint over it. For who is (DW)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd (DX)who can stand against Me?”
20 Therefore hear the (DY)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Edom, and His purposes which He has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their [at]pasture (DZ)desolate because of them. 21 The (EA)earth has quaked at the noise of their downfall. There is an outcry! The noise of it has been heard at the [au]Red Sea. 22 Behold, [av]He will mount up and (EB)swoop like an eagle and spread out His wings [aw]against Bozrah; and the (EC)hearts of the mighty men of Edom in that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Prophecy against Damascus
23 Concerning (ED)Damascus.
“(EE)Hamath and (EF)Arpad are put to shame,
For they have heard bad news;
They are (EG)disheartened.
There is anxiety by the sea,
It (EH)cannot be calmed.
24 “Damascus has become helpless;
She has turned away to flee,
And panic has gripped her;
(EI)Distress and pangs have taken hold of her
Like a woman in childbirth.
25 “How [ax]the (EJ)city of praise has not been deserted,
The town of My joy!
26 “Therefore, her (EK)young men will fall in her streets,
And all the men of war will be [ay]silenced in that day,” declares the Lord of hosts.
27 “I will (EL)set fire to the wall of Damascus,
And it will devour the [az]fortified towers of (EM)Ben-hadad.”
Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning (EN)Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. Thus says the Lord,
“Arise, go up to Kedar
And devastate the [ba](EO)men of the east.
29 “They will take away their tents and their flocks;
They will carry off for themselves
Their tent (EP)curtains, all their goods and their (EQ)camels,
And they will call out to one another, ‘(ER)Terror on every side!’
30 “Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor,” declares the Lord;
“For (ES)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against you
And devised a scheme against you.
31 “Arise, go up against a nation which is (ET)at ease,
Which lives securely,” declares the Lord.
“It has (EU)no gates or bars;
They (EV)dwell alone.
32 “Their camels will become plunder,
And their many cattle for booty,
And I will (EW)scatter to all the winds those who (EX)cut the corners of their hair;
And I will bring their disaster from every side,” declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor will become a (EY)haunt of jackals,
A desolation forever;
No one will live there,
Nor will a son of man reside in it.”
Prophecy against Elam
34 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet concerning (EZ)Elam, (FA)at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:
35 “Thus says the Lord of hosts,
‘Behold, I am going to (FB)break the bow of Elam,
The [bb]finest of their might.
36 ‘I will bring upon Elam the (FC)four winds
From the four ends of heaven,
And will (FD)scatter them to all these winds;
And there will be no nation
To which the outcasts of Elam will not go.
37 ‘So I will [bc]shatter Elam before their enemies
And before those who seek their lives;
And I will (FE)bring calamity upon them,
Even My (FF)fierce anger,’ declares the Lord,
‘And I will (FG)send out the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
38 ‘Then I will set My throne in Elam
And destroy [bd]out of it king and princes,’
Declares the Lord.
39 ‘But it will come about in the last days
That I will (FH)restore the [be]fortunes of Elam,’”
Declares the Lord.
Prophecy against Babylon
50 The word which the Lord spoke concerning (FI)Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:
2 “(FJ)Declare and proclaim among the nations.
Proclaim it and (FK)lift up a standard.
Do not conceal it but say,
‘(FL)Babylon has been captured,
(FM)Bel has been put to shame, [bf]Marduk has been [bg]shattered;
Her (FN)images have been put to shame, her idols have been shattered.’
3 For a nation has come up against her out of the (FO)north; it will make her land (FP)an object of horror, and there will be (FQ)no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off, they have gone away!
4 “In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah (FR)as well; they will go along (FS)weeping as they go, and it will be (FT)the Lord their God they will seek. 5 They will (FU)ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces [bh]in its direction; [bi]they [bj]will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an (FV)everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have become (FW)lost sheep;
(FX)Their shepherds have led them astray.
They have made them turn aside on the (FY)mountains;
They have gone along from mountain to hill
And have forgotten their (FZ)resting place.
7 “All who came upon them have devoured them;
And their adversaries have said, ‘(GA)We are not guilty,
Inasmuch as they have sinned against the Lord who is the (GB)habitation of righteousness,
Even the Lord, the (GC)hope of their fathers.’
8 “Wander away from the (GD)midst of Babylon
And [bk]go forth from the land of the Chaldeans;
Be also like male goats [bl]at the head of the flock.
9 “For behold, I am going to (GE)arouse and bring up against Babylon
A horde of great nations from the land of the north,
And they will draw up their battle lines against her;
From there she will be taken captive.
Their arrows will be like [bm]an expert warrior
Who does not return empty-handed.
10 “[bn](GF)Chaldea will become plunder;
All who plunder her will have enough,” declares the Lord.
11 “Because you are glad, because you are jubilant,
O you who (GG)pillage My heritage,
Because you skip about [bo]like a threshing (GH)heifer
And neigh like [bp]stallions,
12 Your (GI)mother [bq]will be greatly ashamed,
She who gave you birth [br]will be humiliated.
Behold, she will be the least of the nations,
A (GJ)wilderness, a parched land and a desert.
13 “Because of the indignation of the Lord she will (GK)not be inhabited,
But she will be (GL)completely desolate;
Everyone who passes by Babylon (GM)will be horrified
And will hiss because of all her wounds.
14 “Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side,
All you who [bs]bend the bow;
Shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows,
For she has (GN)sinned against the Lord.
15 “Raise your battle cry against her on every side!
She has (GO)given [bt]herself up, her pillars have fallen,
Her (GP)walls have been torn down.
For this is the (GQ)vengeance of the Lord:
Take vengeance on her;
(GR)As she has done to others, so do to her.
16 “Cut off the (GS)sower from Babylon
And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest;
From before [bu]the (GT)sword of the oppressor
(GU)They will each turn back to his own people
And they will each flee to his own land.
17 “Israel is a (GV)scattered [bv]flock, the (GW)lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the (GX)king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is (GY)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 18 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I (GZ)punished the king of Assyria. 19 And I will (HA)bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his [bw]desire will be satisfied in the (HB)hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days and at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but (HC)there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those (HD)whom I leave as a remnant.’
21 “Against the land of [bx]Merathaim, go up against it,
And against the inhabitants of [by](HE)Pekod.
Slay and [bz]utterly destroy them,” declares the Lord,
“And do according to all that I have commanded you.
22 “The (HF)noise of battle is in the land,
And great destruction.
23 “How the (HG)hammer of the whole earth
Has been cut off and broken!
How Babylon has become
An object of horror among the nations!
24 “I (HH)set a snare for you and you were also (HI)caught, O Babylon,
While you yourself were not aware;
You have been found and also seized
Because you have engaged in (HJ)conflict with the Lord.”
25 The Lord has opened His armory
And has brought forth the (HK)weapons of His indignation,
For it is a (HL)work of the Lord [ca]God of hosts
In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come to her from the [cb]farthest border;
(HM)Open up her barns,
Pile her up like heaps
And [cc](HN)utterly destroy her,
Let nothing be left to her.
27 (HO)Put all her young bulls to the sword;
Let them (HP)go down to the slaughter!
Woe be upon them, for their (HQ)day has come,
The time of their punishment.
28 There is a (HR)sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon,
To declare in Zion the (HS)vengeance of the Lord our God,
Vengeance for His (HT)temple.
29 “Summon [cd]many against Babylon,
All those who [ce]bend the bow:
Encamp against her on every side,
Let there be no escape[cf].
Repay her according to her work;
(HU)According to all that she has done, so do to her;
For she has become (HV)arrogant against the Lord,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 “Therefore her (HW)young men will fall in her streets,
And all her men of war will be [cg](HX)silenced in that day,” declares the Lord.
31 “Behold, (HY)I am against you, O [ch]arrogant one,”
Declares the Lord [ci]God of hosts,
“For your day has come,
The time [cj]when I will punish you.
32 “The [ck](HZ)arrogant one will stumble and fall
With no one to raise him up;
And I will (IA)set fire to his cities
And it will devour all his environs.”
33 Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“The sons of Israel are oppressed,
And the sons of Judah as well;
And (IB)all who took them captive have held them fast,
They have refused to let them go.
34 “Their (IC)Redeemer is strong, (ID)the Lord of hosts is His name;
He will vigorously (IE)plead their case
So that He may (IF)bring rest to [cl]the earth,
But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 “A (IG)sword against the Chaldeans,” declares the Lord,
“And against the inhabitants of Babylon
And against her (IH)officials and her (II)wise men!
36 “A sword against the (IJ)oracle priests, and they will become fools!
A sword against her (IK)mighty men, and they will be [cm](IL)shattered!
37 “A sword against [cn]their (IM)horses and against [co]their chariots
And against all the [cp](IN)foreigners who are in the midst of her,
And they will become (IO)women!
A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!
38 “A [cq](IP)drought on her waters, and they will be dried up!
For it is a land of (IQ)idols,
And they are mad over fearsome idols.
39 “Therefore the (IR)desert creatures will live there along with the jackals;
The ostriches also will live in it,
And it will (IS)never again be inhabited
Or dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 “As when God overthrew (IT)Sodom
And Gomorrah with its neighbors,” declares the Lord,
“No man will live there,
Nor will any son of man reside in it.
41 “Behold, a people is coming (IU)from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.
42 “They (IV)seize their bow and javelin;
They are (IW)cruel and have no mercy.
Their (IX)voice roars like the sea;
And they ride on (IY)horses,
(IZ)Marshalled like a man for the battle
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.
43 “The (JA)king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands hang limp;
(JB)Distress has gripped him,
Agony like a woman in childbirth.
44 “(JC)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the [cr]thicket of the Jordan to [cs]a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make them run away from it, and whoever is (JD)chosen I will appoint over it. For who is (JE)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can (JF)stand before Me?” 45 Therefore hear the (JG)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: (JH)surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their [ct]pasture desolate because of them. 46 At the [cu]shout, “Babylon has been seized!” the (JI)earth is shaken, and an (JJ)outcry is heard among the nations.
Babylon Judged for Sins against Israel
51 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I am going to arouse against Babylon
And against the inhabitants of [cv]Leb-kamai
[cw]The (JK)spirit of a destroyer.
2 “I will dispatch [cx]foreigners to Babylon that they may (JL)winnow her
And may devastate her land;
For on every side they will be opposed to her
In the day of her calamity.
3 “[cy]Let not [cz]him who [da](JM)bends his bow [db]bend it,
[dc]Nor let him rise up in his (JN)scale-armor;
So do not spare her young men;
Devote all her army to destruction.
4 “They will fall down [dd]slain in the land of the Chaldeans,
And (JO)pierced through in their streets.”
5 For (JP)neither Israel nor Judah has been [de]forsaken
By his God, the Lord of hosts,
Although their land is (JQ)full of guilt
[df]Before the Holy One of Israel.
6 (JR)Flee from the midst of Babylon,
And each of you save his life!
Do not be [dg](JS)destroyed in her [dh]punishment,
For this is the (JT)Lord’s time of vengeance;
He is going to (JU)render recompense to her.
7 Babylon has been a golden (JV)cup in the hand of the Lord,
Intoxicating all the earth.
The (JW)nations have drunk of her wine;
Therefore the nations are (JX)going mad.
8 Suddenly (JY)Babylon has fallen and been broken;
(JZ)Wail over her!
(KA)Bring [di]balm for her pain;
Perhaps she may be healed.
9 We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed;
Forsake her and (KB)let us each go to his own country,
For her judgment has (KC)reached to heaven
And [dj]towers up to the very skies.
10 The Lord has (KD)brought [dk]about our vindication;
Come and let us (KE)recount in Zion
The work of the Lord our God!
11 (KF)Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers!
The Lord has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes,
Because His purpose is against Babylon to destroy it;
For it is the (KG)vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple.
12 (KH)Lift up a [dl]signal against the walls of Babylon;
Post a strong guard,
Station [dm]sentries,
Place men in ambush!
For the Lord has both (KI)purposed and performed
What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 O you who (KJ)dwell by many waters,
Abundant in (KK)treasures,
Your end has come,
The [dn]measure of your [do](KL)end.
14 The (KM)Lord of hosts has sworn by Himself:
“Surely I will fill you with a [dp]population like (KN)locusts,
And they will cry out with [dq]shouts of victory over you.”
15 It is (KO)He who made the earth by His power,
Who established the world by His wisdom,
And by His understanding He (KP)stretched out the heavens.
16 When He utters His (KQ)voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
And He causes the (KR)clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain
And brings forth the (KS)wind from His storehouses.
17 (KT)All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his [dr]idols,
For his molten images are (KU)deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
18 They are (KV)worthless, a work of mockery;
In the time of their punishment they will perish.
19 The (KW)portion of Jacob is not like these;
For the [ds]Maker of all is He,
And of the [dt]tribe of His inheritance;
The (KX)Lord of hosts is His name.
20 He says, “You are My [du](KY)war-club, My weapon of war;
And with you I (KZ)shatter nations,
And with you I destroy kingdoms.
21 “With you I (LA)shatter the horse and his rider,
And with you I shatter the (LB)chariot and its rider,
22 And with you I shatter (LC)man and woman,
And with you I shatter old man and (LD)youth,
And with you I shatter young man and virgin,
23 And with you I shatter the shepherd and his flock,
And with you I shatter the farmer and his team,
And with you I shatter governors and prefects.
24 “But I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of (LE)Chaldea for (LF)all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes,” declares the Lord.
25 “Behold, (LG)I am against you, (LH)O destroying mountain,
Who destroys the whole earth,” declares the Lord,
“And I will stretch out My hand against you,
And roll you down from the crags,
And I will make you a (LI)burnt out mountain.
26 “They will not take from you even a stone for a corner
Nor a stone for foundations,
But you will be (LJ)desolate forever,” declares the Lord.
27 (LK)Lift up a [dv]signal in the land,
Blow a trumpet among the nations!
Consecrate the nations against her,
Summon against her the (LL)kingdoms of (LM)Ararat, Minni and (LN)Ashkenaz;
Appoint a marshal against her,
Bring up the (LO)horses like bristly locusts.
28 Consecrate the nations against her,
The kings of the Medes,
[dw]Their governors and all [dx]their [dy]prefects,
And every land of [dz]their dominion.
29 So the (LP)land quakes and writhes,
For the purposes of the Lord against Babylon stand,
To make the land of Babylon
[ea]A (LQ)desolation without inhabitants.
30 The (LR)mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting,
They stay in the strongholds;
(LS)Their strength is [eb]exhausted,
They are becoming (LT)like women;
Their dwelling places are set on fire,
The (LU)bars of her gates are broken.
31 One [ec](LV)courier runs to meet [ed]another,
And one [ee](LW)messenger to meet [ef]another,
To tell the king of Babylon
That his city has been captured from end to end;
32 The fords also have been seized,
And they have burned the marshes with fire,
And the men of war are terrified.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
“The daughter of Babylon is like a (LX)threshing floor
At the time [eg]it is stamped firm;
Yet in a little while the time of (LY)harvest will come for her.”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has (LZ)devoured me and crushed me,
He has set me down like an (MA)empty vessel;
He has (MB)swallowed me like a monster,
He has filled his stomach with my delicacies;
He has washed me away.
35 “May the (MC)violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,”
The [eh]inhabitant of Zion will say;
And, “May my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
Jerusalem will say.
36 Therefore thus says the Lord,
“Behold, I am going to (MD)plead your case
And (ME)exact full vengeance for you;
And (MF)I will dry up her [ei]sea
And make her fountain dry.
37 “(MG)Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals,
An (MH)object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.
38 “They will roar together like (MI)young lions,
They will growl like lions’ cubs.
39 “When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet
And (MJ)make them drunk, that they may become jubilant
And may (MK)sleep a perpetual sleep
And not wake up,” declares the Lord.
40 “I will bring them down like [ej]lambs (ML)to the slaughter,
Like rams together with male goats.
41 “How [ek](MM)Sheshak has been captured,
And (MN)the praise of the whole earth been seized!
How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!
42 “The [el](MO)sea has come up over Babylon;
She has been engulfed with its tumultuous waves.
43 “Her cities have become an (MP)object of horror,
A parched land and a desert,
A land in which (MQ)no man lives
And through which no son of man passes.
44 “(MR)I will punish Bel in Babylon,
And I will make what he has swallowed (MS)come out of his mouth;
And the nations will no longer (MT)stream to him.
Even the (MU)wall of Babylon has fallen down!
45 “(MV)Come forth from her midst, My people,
And each of you (MW)save yourselves
From the fierce anger of the Lord.
46 “Now (MX)so that your heart does not grow faint,
And you are not afraid at the (MY)report that will be heard in the land—
For the report will come [em]one year,
And after that [en]another report in [eo]another year,
And violence will be in the land
With (MZ)ruler against ruler—
47 Therefore behold, days are coming
When I will punish the (NA)idols of Babylon;
And her whole land will be (NB)put to shame
And all her slain will fall in her midst.
48 “Then (NC)heaven and earth and all that is in them
Will shout for joy over Babylon,
For (ND)the destroyers will come to her from the north,”
Declares the Lord.
49 (NE)Indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel,
As also for Babylon (NF)the slain of all the earth have fallen.
50 You (NG)who have escaped the sword,
Depart! Do not stay!
(NH)Remember the Lord from afar,
And let Jerusalem [ep]come to your mind.
51 (NI)We are ashamed because we have heard reproach;
Disgrace has covered our faces,
For (NJ)aliens have entered
The holy places of the Lord’s house.
52 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will punish her (NK)idols,
And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.
53 “Though Babylon should (NL)ascend to the heavens,
And though she should fortify [eq]her lofty stronghold,
From (NM)Me destroyers will come to her,” declares the Lord.
54 The (NN)sound of an outcry from Babylon,
And of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55 For the Lord is going to destroy Babylon,
And He will make her loud [er]noise vanish from her.
And their (NO)waves will roar like many waters;
The tumult of their voices [es]sounds forth.
56 For the (NP)destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon,
And her mighty men will be captured,
Their (NQ)bows are shattered;
For the Lord is a God of (NR)recompense,
He will fully repay.
57 “I will (NS)make her princes and her wise men drunk,
Her governors, her prefects and her mighty men,
That they may sleep a (NT)perpetual sleep and not wake up,”
(NU)Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
58 Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“The broad (NV)wall of Babylon will be completely razed
And her high (NW)gates will be set on fire;
So the peoples will (NX)toil for nothing,
And the nations become (NY)exhausted only for fire.”
59 The [et]message which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of (NZ)Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with (OA)Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (Now Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60 So Jeremiah (OB)wrote in a single [eu]scroll all the calamity which would come upon Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon. 61 Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, then see that you read all these words aloud, 62 and say, ‘You, O Lord, have [ev]promised concerning this place to (OC)cut it off, so that there will be (OD)nothing dwelling in it, [ew]whether man or beast, but it will be a perpetual desolation.’ 63 And as soon as you finish reading this [ex]scroll, you will tie a stone to it and (OE)throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and (OF)not rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become (OG)exhausted.’” (OH)Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
The Fall of Jerusalem
52 (OI)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [ey](OJ)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of (OK)Libnah. 2 He did (OL)evil in the sight of the Lord like all that (OM)Jehoiakim had done. 3 For through the (ON)anger of the Lord this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah (OO)rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 (OP)Now it came about in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it and built a (OQ)siege wall all around [ez]it. 5 (OR)So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the (OS)fourth month the (OT)famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was (OU)broken into, and all the (OV)men of war fled and went forth from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were [fa](OW)all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and (OX)overtook Zedekiah in the [fb]plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they captured the king and (OY)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (OZ)Riblah in the land of (PA)Hamath, and he [fc]passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon (PB)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the [fd]princes of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he (PC)blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.
12 (PD)Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the (PE)nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, (PF)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, [fe]who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He (PG)burned the house of the Lord, the (PH)king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14 So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard (PI)broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard (PJ)carried away into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the [ff](PK)deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the artisans. 16 But (PL)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and [fg]plowmen.
17 Now the bronze (PM)pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the (PN)stands and the bronze (PO)sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away the (PP)pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the [fh]pans and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 19 The captain of the guard also took away the (PQ)bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the [fi]pans and the drink offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under [fj]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these vessels was (PR)beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the (PS)height of each pillar was eighteen [fk]cubits, and [fl]it was twelve cubits in (PT)circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Now a (PU)capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and (PV)pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six [fm]exposed pomegranates; all (PW)the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the network all around.
24 Then the captain of the guard took (PX)Seraiah the chief priest and (PY)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [fn](PZ)officers of the temple. 25 He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the men of war, and seven [fo]of the (QA)king’s advisers who were found in the city, and the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. 26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and (QB)brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon (QC)struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was (QD)led away into exile from its land.
28 These are the people whom (QE)Nebuchadnezzar carried away into exile: in the [fp]seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, (QF)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 persons in all.
31 (QG)Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that [fq]Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, [fr](QH)showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 (QI)Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So [fs]Jehoiachin (QJ)changed his prison clothes, and [ft](QK)had his meals in [fu]the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life. 34 For his allowance, a (QL)regular allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, a daily portion all the days of his life until the day of his death.
The Sorrows of Zion
1 How (QM)lonely sits the city
That was (QN)full of people!
She has become like a (QO)widow
Who was once (QP)great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the [fv]provinces
Has become a (QQ)forced laborer!
2 She (QR)weeps bitterly in the night
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She has none to comfort her
Among all her (QS)lovers.
All her friends have (QT)dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
3 (QU)Judah has gone into exile [fw]under affliction
And [fx]under [fy]harsh servitude;
She dwells (QV)among the nations,
But she has found no rest;
All (QW)her pursuers have overtaken her
In the midst of [fz]distress.
4 The roads [ga]of Zion are in mourning
Because (QX)no one comes to the appointed feasts.
All her gates are (QY)desolate;
Her priests are groaning,
Her (QZ)virgins are afflicted,
And she herself [gb]is (RA)bitter.
5 Her adversaries have become [gc]her masters,
Her enemies [gd]prosper;
For the Lord has (RB)caused her grief
Because of the multitude of her transgressions;
Her little ones have gone away
As captives before the adversary.
6 All her (RC)majesty
Has departed from the daughter of Zion;
Her princes have become like deer
That have found no pasture;
And they have [ge](RD)fled without strength
Before the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness
(RE)Jerusalem remembers all her precious things
That were from the days of old,
When her people fell into the hand of the adversary
And (RF)no one helped her.
The adversaries saw her,
They (RG)mocked at her [gf]ruin.
8 Jerusalem sinned (RH)greatly,
Therefore (RI)she has become an unclean thing.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Even (RJ)she herself groans and turns away.
9 Her (RK)uncleanness was in her skirts;
She [gg]did not consider her (RL)future.
Therefore she has [gh](RM)fallen astonishingly;
(RN)She has no comforter.
“(RO)See, O Lord, my affliction,
For the enemy has (RP)magnified himself!”
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand
Over all her precious things,
For she has seen the (RQ)nations enter her sanctuary,
The ones whom You commanded
That they should (RR)not enter into Your congregation.
11 All her people groan (RS)seeking bread;
They have given their precious things for food
To (RT)restore their [gi]lives themselves.
“See, O Lord, and look,
For I am (RU)despised.”
12 “Is (RV)it nothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any [gj]pain like my [gk]pain
Which was severely dealt out to me,
Which the (RW)Lord inflicted on the day of His (RX)fierce anger.
13 “From on high He sent fire into my (RY)bones,
And it [gl]prevailed over them.
He has spread a (RZ)net for my feet;
He has turned me back;
He has made me (SA)desolate,
[gm]Faint all day long.
14 “The (SB)yoke of my transgressions is bound;
By His hand they are knit together.
They have (SC)come upon my neck;
He has made my strength [gn]fail.
The Lord (SD)has given me into the hands
Of those against whom I am not able to stand.
15 “The (SE)Lord has rejected all my strong men
In my midst;
He has called an appointed [go]time against me
To crush my (SF)young men;
The Lord has (SG)trodden as in a wine press
The virgin daughter of Judah.
16 “For these things I (SH)weep;
[gp]My eyes run down with water;
Because far from me is a (SI)comforter,
One who restores my soul.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion (SJ)stretches out her hands;
There is no one to comfort her;
The Lord has (SK)commanded concerning Jacob
That the ones round about him should be his adversaries;
(SL)Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
18 “The Lord is (SM)righteous;
For I have (SN)rebelled against His [gq]command;
Hear now, all peoples,
And (SO)behold my [gr]pain;
(SP)My virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.
19 “I (SQ)called to my lovers, but they deceived me;
My (SR)priests and my elders perished in the city
While they sought food to (SS)restore [gs]their strength themselves.
20 “See, O Lord, for I am in distress;
My [gt](ST)spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very (SU)rebellious.
In the street the sword [gu]slays;
In the house it is like death.
21 “They have heard that I (SV)groan;
There is no one to comfort me;
All my enemies have heard of my [gv]calamity;
They are (SW)glad that You have done it.
Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed,
That they may become (SX)like me.
22 “Let all their wickedness come before You;
And (SY)deal with them as You have dealt with me
For all my transgressions;
For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.