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Jeremiah 46-51
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Jeremiah 46-51
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
VIII. Oracles Against the Nations[a]
Chapter 46
1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.
Against Egypt. 2 Concerning Egypt. Against the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates[b] by Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah:
3 Prepare buckler and shield!
move forward to battle!
4 Harness the horses,
charioteers, mount up!
Fall in, with helmets on;
polish your spears, put on your armor.
5 What do I see?
Are they panicking, falling apart?
Their warriors are hammered back,
They flee headlong
never making a stand.
Terror on every side—
oracle of the Lord!(A)
6 The swift cannot flee,
nor the warrior escape:
There up north, on the banks of the Euphrates
they stumble and fall.
7 Who is this? Like the Nile, it rears up;
like rivers, its waters surge.
8 Egypt rears up like the Nile,
like rivers, its waters surge.
“I will rear up,” it says, “and cover the earth,
destroying the city and its people.(B)
9 Forward, horses!
charge, chariots!
March forth, warriors,
Cush and Put, bearing shields,
Archers of Lud, stretching bows!”
10 Today belongs to the Lord God of hosts,
a day of vengeance, vengeance on his foes!
The sword devours and is sated, drunk with their blood:
for the Lord God of hosts holds a sacrifice
in the land of the north, on the River Euphrates.(C)
11 Go up to Gilead, procure balm,
Virgin daughter Egypt!
No use to multiply remedies;
for you there is no healing.(D)
12 The nations hear your cries,
your screaming fills the earth.
Warrior stumbles against warrior,
both collapse together.(E)
13 (F)The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet when Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, came to attack the land of Egypt:[c]
14 Proclaim in Egypt, announce in Migdol,
announce in Memphis and Tahpanhes!
Say: Fall in, get ready,
the sword has devoured your neighbors.(G)
15 Why has Apis[d] fled?
Your champion did not stand,
Because the Lord thrust him down;
16 he stumbled repeatedly then collapsed.
They said to each other,
“Get up! We must return to our own people,
To the land of our birth,
away from the destroying sword.”(H)
17 Give Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the name
“Braggart-missed-his-chance.”[e]
18 As I live, says the King
whose name is Lord of hosts,
Like Tabor above mountains,
like Carmel[f] above the sea, he comes.
19 Pack your bags for exile,
enthroned daughter Egypt;
Memphis shall become a wasteland,
an empty ruin.
20 Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
a horsefly from the north keeps coming.
21 Even the mercenaries in her ranks
are like fattened calves;
They too turn and flee together—
they do not stand their ground,
For their day of ruin comes upon them,
their time of punishment.
22 Her voice is like a snake!
Yes, they come in force;
They attack her with axes,
like those who fell trees.
23 They cut down her forest—oracle of the Lord—
impenetrable though it be;
More numerous than locusts,
they cannot be counted.
24 Shamed is daughter Egypt,
handed over to a people from the north.
25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, has said: See! I will punish Amon[g] of Thebes and Egypt, gods, kings, Pharaoh, and those who trust in him.(I) 26 I will hand them over to those who seek their lives, to Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, and to his officers. But later, Egypt shall be inhabited again, as in days of old—oracle of the Lord.(J)
27 But you, my servant Jacob, do not fear;
do not be dismayed, Israel!
Listen! I will deliver you from far-off lands;
your offspring, from the land of their exile.
Jacob shall again find rest,
secure, with none to frighten him.(K)
28 You, Jacob my servant, must not fear—oracle of the Lord—
for I am with you;
I will make an end of all the nations
to which I have driven you,
But of you I will not make an end:
I will chastise you as you deserve,
I cannot let you go unpunished.(L)
Chapter 47
Against the Philistines. 1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:(M)
2 Thus says the Lord:
[h] See: waters are rising from the north,
to become a torrent in flood;
They shall flood the land and all it contains,
the cities and their inhabitants.
People will howl and wail,
every inhabitant of the land.
3 At the noise of the pounding hooves of his steeds,
the clanking chariots, the rumbling wheels,
Parents do not turn back for their children;
their hands hang helpless,
4 Because of the day that is coming
to destroy all the Philistines
And cut off from Tyre and Sidon[i]
the last of their allies.
Yes, the Lord is destroying the Philistines,
the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.(N)
5 Baldness is visited upon Gaza,(O)
Ashkelon is reduced to silence;
Ashdod, remnant of their strength,
how long will you gash yourself?[j]
6 Ah! Sword of the Lord!
When will you find rest?
Return to your scabbard;
stop, be still!
7 How can it find rest
when the Lord has commanded it?
Against Ashkelon and the seacoast,
there he has appointed it.(P)
Chapter 48
Against Moab.[k] 1 Concerning Moab. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
Ah, Nebo! it is ravaged;
Kiriathaim is disgraced, captured;
Disgraced and overthrown is the stronghold:
2 Moab’s glory is no more.
In Heshbon they plot evil against her:
“Come! We will put an end to her as a nation.”
You, too, Madmen,[l] shall be silenced;
you the sword stalks!
3 Listen! an outcry from Horonaim,(Q)
“Ruin and great destruction!”
4 “Moab is crushed!”
their outcry is heard in Zoar.
5 Up the ascent of Luhith
they go weeping;
At the descent to Horonaim
they hear cries of anguish:
6 “Flee, save your lives!
Be like a wild donkey in the wilderness!”
7 Because you trusted in your works and your treasures,
you also shall be captured.
Chemosh[m] shall go into exile,
his priests and princes with him.(R)
8 The destroyer comes upon every city,
not a city escapes;
Ruined is the valley,
wasted the plateau—oracle of the Lord.
9 Set up a tombstone for Moab;
it will soon become a complete wasteland,
Its cities turned into ruins
where no one dwells.
10 Cursed are they who do the Lord’s work carelessly,
cursed those who keep their sword from shedding blood.
11 [n]Moab has been resting from its youth,
suspended above its dregs,
Never poured from flask to flask,
never driven into exile.
Thus it retained its flavor,
its bouquet is not lost.(S)
12 Be assured! The days are coming—oracle of the Lord—when I will send him wine-makers to decant the wine; they shall empty its flasks and smash its jars. 13 Chemosh shall disappoint Moab, just as the house of Israel was disappointed by Bethel, in which they trusted.(T)
14 How can you say, “We are heroes,
mighty warriors”?
15 The one who ravages Moab and its cities comes up,
the best of its youth go down to slaughter—
oracle of the King, whose name is Lord of hosts.
16 Moab’s ruin is near at hand,
its disaster approaches swiftly.
17 Mourn, all you neighbors,
all you who know its name!
Say: How the mighty scepter is broken,
the glorious staff!
18 Come down from glory, sit on the parched ground,
enthroned daughter Dibon;[o]
Moab’s destroyer has fallen upon you,
has shattered your strongholds.(U)
19 Stand along the road, keep watch,
enthroned Aroer;
Ask the fleeing man, the escaping woman:
ask them what has happened.(V)
20 “Moab is put to shame, destroyed.”
Wail and cry out,
Proclaim it at the Arnon:
“Moab is destroyed!”(W)
21 Judgment has come upon the plateau: on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,(X) 22 on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 on Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, 24 on Kerioth and on Bozrah: on all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near.
25 The horn of Moab is cut off,
its arm is broken—oracle of the Lord.
26 Make him drunk because he set himself over against the Lord; let Moab swim in his vomit and become a laughingstock. 27 Has Israel not been a laughingstock to you? Was he caught among thieves that you wag your heads whenever you speak of him?(Y)
28 Abandon the cities, take shelter in the crags,
inhabitants of Moab.
Be like the dove that nests
in the walls of a gorge.
29 We have heard of the pride of Moab,(Z)
pride beyond bounds:
His loftiness, his pride, his scorn,
his insolent heart.
30 I myself know his arrogance—oracle of the Lord—
liar in word, liar in deed.
31 And so I wail over Moab,
over all Moab I cry,
over the people of Kir-heres I moan.(AA)
32 More than for Jazer I weep for you,
vine of Sibmah.
Your tendrils trailed down to the sea,
as far as Jazer they stretched.
Upon your summer harvest and your vintage,
the destroyer has fallen.(AB)
33 Joy and gladness are taken away
from the garden land, the land of Moab.
I dry up the wine from the wine vats,
the treader treads no more,
the vintage shout is stilled.
34 The cry of Heshbon and Elealeh is heard as far as Jahaz; they call from Zoar to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah; even the waters of Nimrim turn into a wasteland.(AC) 35 I will leave no one in Moab—oracle of the Lord—to offer burnt offerings on the high place or to make sacrifices to their gods. 36 Hence my heart wails like a flute for Moab; my heart wails like a flute for the people of Kir-heres: the wealth they accumulated has perished.(AD) 37 Every head has been shaved bald, every beard cut off; every hand gashed, and all their loins are draped in sackcloth.(AE) 38 On all the rooftops of Moab and in all its squares there is mourning. I have shattered Moab like a pot that no one wants—oracle of the Lord. 39 How terrified they are, how they wail! How Moab turns its back in shame! Moab has become a laughingstock and a horror to all its neighbors!
40 For thus says the Lord:
Look there! Like an eagle he swoops,
spreading his wings over Moab.(AF)
41 Cities are captured,
strongholds seized:
On that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors
become like the heart of a woman in labor.(AG)
42 Moab shall be wiped out, a people no more,
because it set itself over against the Lord.(AH)
43 Terror, pit, and trap be upon you,
enthroned Moab—oracle of the Lord.(AI)
44 Those fleeing the terror
fall into the pit;
Those climbing out of the pit
are caught in the trap;
Ah, yes! I will bring these things upon Moab
in the year of their punishment—oracle of the Lord.
45 In Heshbon’s shadow the fugitives
stop short, exhausted;
For fire blazes up from Heshbon,
and flames up from the house of Sihon:
It consumes the forehead of Moab,
the scalp of the noisemakers.(AJ)
46 Woe to you, Moab!
You are finished, people of Chemosh!
Your sons are taken into exile,
your daughters into captivity.
47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
in the days to come—oracle of the Lord.(AK)
Thus far the judgment on Moab.
Chapter 49
Against the Ammonites. 1 Concerning the Ammonites. Thus says the Lord:
Has Israel no sons?
none to inherit?
Why has Milcom[p] disinherited Gad,
why are his people living in its cities?
2 Therefore the days are coming—oracle of the Lord—
when I will sound the battle alarm
against Rabbah of the Ammonites;
It shall become a mound of ruins,
and its villages destroyed by fire.
Israel shall then inherit those who disinherited it—
oracle of the Lord.(AL)
3 Wail, Heshbon, “The ruin is destroyed!”
shriek, villages of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth and lament!
Run back and forth in the sheepfolds.
For Milcom is going into exile,
taking priest and prince with him.(AM)
4 Why boast in your strength,
your ebbing strength, rebellious daughter?
Why trust in your treasures, saying,
“Who would dare attack me?”
5 See, I am bringing terror upon you—
oracle of the Lord God of hosts—
from all around you;
You shall be scattered, each in headlong flight,
with no one to gather the fugitives.(AN)
6 But afterward I will restore the fortunes
of the Ammonites—oracle of the Lord.
Against Edom.[q] 7 Concerning Edom. Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Is there no more wisdom in Teman,[r]
has counsel perished from the prudent,
is their wisdom gone?
8 Flee, retreat, hide deep for lodging,
inhabitants of Dedan:
For I bring disaster upon Esau[s]
when I come to punish them.(AO)
9 If vintagers came upon you,
they would leave no gleanings;
If thieves by night,
they would destroy as they pleased.(AP)
10 So I myself will strip Esau;
I will uncover his lairs so he cannot hide.
Offspring and family are destroyed,
neighbors, too; he is no more.(AQ)
11 Leave your orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
your widows, let them trust in me.(AR)
12 For thus says the Lord: Look, even those not sentenced to drink the cup must drink it! Shall you then go unpunished? You shall not! You shall drink every bit of it!(AS) 13 By myself I have sworn—oracle of the Lord—Bozrah[t] shall become an object of horror, a disgrace, a desolation, and a curse. Bozrah and all its cities shall become ruins forever.(AT)
14 I have heard a report from the Lord,
a herald has been sent among the nations:
“Gather together, move against it,
get ready for battle!”
15 I will make you the least among the nations,
despised by all people!(AU)
16 The terror you spread,
the pride of your heart, beguiled you.
You denizens of rocks and crevices,
occupying towering peaks:
Though you build your nest high as the eagle,
from there I will bring you down—oracle of the Lord.(AV)
17 Edom shall become an object of horror. Passersby recoil in terror, hissing at all its wounds. 18 As when Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighbors were overthrown—oracle of the Lord—no one shall live in it, nor anyone settle there.(AW)
19 As when a lion comes up from a thicket of the Jordan
to a permanent pasture,
So in an instant, I will chase them off;
I will establish there whomever I choose.
For who is like me? Who holds me accountable?
What shepherd can stand against me?(AX)
20 Therefore, listen to the strategy
the Lord devised for Edom;
The plans he has drawn up
against the inhabitants of Teman:
They shall be dragged away, even the smallest of the flock;
their pasture shall be aghast because of them.
21 With the din of their collapse the earth quakes,
to the Red Sea the outcry is heard!
22 Look! like an eagle he soars aloft,
and spreads his wings over Bozrah;
On that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors become
like the heart of a woman in labor.(AY)
Against Damascus. 23 Concerning Damascus.
Hamath and Arpad[u] are shamed,
for they have heard bad news;
Anxious, they surge like the sea
which cannot calm down.(AZ)
24 Damascus loses heart, turns to flee;
panic has seized it.
Distress and pangs take hold,
like the pain of a woman in labor.
25 How can the glorious city be abandoned,
the town of joy!
26 But now its young men shall fall in its squares,
all the warriors destroyed on that day—
oracle of the Lord of hosts.
27 I will set fire to the wall of Damascus;
it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.[v]
Against Arabia. 28 About Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, defeated.
Thus says the Lord:
Rise up, attack Kedar,
destroy the people from the east.(BA)
29 Their tents and flocks shall be taken away,
their tent curtains and all their goods;
Their camels they carry off,
they shout over them, “Terror on every side!”(BB)
30 Flee! wander about, hide deep for lodging,
inhabitants of Hazor—oracle of the Lord;
For Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has devised a strategy against you,
drawn up a plan against you,
31 Get up! set out against a tranquil nation,
living in security—oracle of the Lord—
Without gates or bars,
dwelling alone.
32 Their camels shall become spoils,
their hordes of cattle, plunder;
I will scatter to the winds those who shave their temples;
from every side I will bring their ruin—
oracle of the Lord.(BC)
33 Hazor shall become a haunt for jackals,
a wasteland forever,
Where no one lives,
no mortal stays.
Against Elam. 34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam[w] at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah:
35 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Look! I will break the bow of Elam,
the mainstay of their might.
36 I will bring upon Elam the four winds
from the four ends of the heavens:
I will scatter them to all these winds, until there is no nation
to which the outcasts of Elam have not gone.
37 I will terrify Elam before their foes,
those seeking their life;
I will bring evil upon them,
my burning wrath—oracle of the Lord.
I will send sword after them
until I have finished them off;
38 I will set up my throne in Elam
and destroy from there king and princes—
oracle of the Lord.
39 But at the end of days I will restore
the fortunes of Elam—oracle of the Lord.
Chapter 50
The First Oracle Against Babylon. 1 The word the Lord spoke against Babylon,[x] against the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:(BD)
2 Proclaim this among the nations, announce it!
Announce it, do not hide it, but say:
Babylon is captured, Bel[y] put to shame, Marduk terrified;
its images are put to shame, its idols shattered.
3 A nation from the north advances against it,
making the land desolate
So that no one can live there;
human beings and animals have fled.(BE)
4 In those days and at that time—oracle of the Lord—
Israelite and Judahite shall come together,
Weeping as they come, to seek the Lord, their God;(BF)
5 They shall ask for Zion,
seeking out the way.
“Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant, never to be forgotten.”(BG)
6 Lost sheep were my people,
their shepherds misled them,
leading them astray on the mountains;
From mountain to hill they wandered,
forgetting their fold.(BH)
7 Whoever happened upon them devoured them;
their enemies said, “We are not guilty,
Because they sinned against the Lord,
the abode of justice, the hope of their ancestors.”(BI)
8 Flee from the midst of Babylon,
leave the land of the Chaldeans,
be like rams at the head of the flock.(BJ)
9 See, I am stirring up against Babylon
a band of great nations from the land of the north;
They are arrayed against her,
from there she shall be taken.
Their arrows are like the arrows of a skilled warrior
who never returns empty-handed.(BK)
10 Chaldea shall become plunder;
all its plunderers shall be enriched—
oracle of the Lord.
11 Yes, rejoice and exult,
you that plunder my heritage;
Frisk like calves on the grass,
neigh like stallions!
12 Your mother will indeed be put to shame,
she that bore you shall be abashed;
See, the last of the nations,
a wilderness, a dry wasteland.(BL)
13 Because of the Lord’s wrath it shall be uninhabited,
become an utter wasteland;
Everyone who passes by Babylon will be appalled
and hiss at all its wounds.(BM)
14 Take your posts encircling Babylon,
you who bend the bow;
Shoot at it, do not spare your arrows,(BN)
15 raise the war cry against it on every side.
It surrenders, its bastions fall,
its walls are torn down:[z]
This is retribution from the Lord! Take retribution on her,
as she has done, do to her;
for she sinned against the Lord.(BO)
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon
and those who wield sickles at harvest time!
Before the destroying sword,
all of them turn back to their own people,
all flee to their own land.(BP)
17 Israel was a stray sheep
that lions pursued;
The king of Assyria once devoured him;
now Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon gnaws his bones.(BQ)
18 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
I will punish the king of Babylon and his land,
as I once punished the king of Assyria;(BR)
19 But I will bring Israel back to its pasture,
to feed on Carmel and Bashan,
And on Mount Ephraim and Gilead,
until they have their fill.(BS)
20 In those days, at that time—oracle of the Lord:
The guilt of Israel may be sought, but it no longer exists,
the sin of Judah, but it can no longer be found;
for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.(BT)
21 Attack the land of Merathaim,
and those who live in Pekod;[aa]
Slaughter and put them under the ban—oracle of the Lord—
do all I have commanded you.
22 Battle alarm in the land,
great destruction!
23 How the hammer of the whole earth
has been cut off and broken!
What an object of horror
Babylon has become among the nations!(BU)
24 You ensnared yourself and were caught,
Babylon, before you knew it!
You were discovered and seized,
because you challenged the Lord.(BV)
25 The Lord opens his armory,
brings out the weapons of his wrath;
The Lord God of hosts has work to do
in the land of the Chaldeans.(BW)
26 Come upon them from every side,
open their granaries,
Pile them up in heaps and put them under the ban;
do not leave a remnant.
27 Slay all the oxen,
take them down to slaughter;
Woe to them! their day has come,
the time of their punishment.
28 Listen! the fugitives, the refugees
from the land of Babylon:
They announce in Zion
the retribution of the Lord, our God.(BX)
29 Call archers out against Babylon,
all who bend the bow;
Encamp around them;
let no one escape.
Repay them for their deeds;
what they have done, do to them,
For they insulted the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.(BY)
30 Therefore their young men shall fall in the squares,
all their warriors shall be stilled on that day—
oracle of the Lord.(BZ)
31 I am against you, O Insolence—
oracle of the Lord God of hosts;
For your day has come,
the time for me to punish you.
32 Insolence stumbles and falls;
there is no one to raise him up.
I will kindle a fire in his cities
to devour everything around him.
33 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Oppressed are the people of Israel,
together with the people of Judah;
All their captors hold them fast
and refuse to let them go.
34 Strong is their Redeemer,
whose name is Lord of hosts,
The sure defender of their cause,
who gives rest to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.(CA)
35 A sword upon the Chaldeans—oracle of the Lord—
upon the inhabitants of Babylon, her princes and sages!
36 A sword upon the soothsayers,
and they become fools!
A sword upon the warriors,
and they tremble;
37 A sword upon their motley throng,
and they become women!
A sword upon their treasures,
and they are plundered;(CB)
38 A drought upon the waters,
and they dry up!
For it is a land of idols,
soon made frantic by phantoms.(CC)
39 Hence, wildcats shall dwell there with hyenas,
and ostriches occupy it;
Never again shall it be inhabited or settled,
from age to age.(CD)
40 As happened when God overturned Sodom
and Gomorrah and their neighbors—oracle of the Lord—
No one shall dwell there,
no mortal shall settle there.(CE)
41 See, a people comes from the north,
a great nation, and mighty kings
rising from the ends of the earth.(CF)
42 Bow and javelin they wield,
cruel and pitiless are they;
They sound like the roaring sea,
as they ride forth on horses,
Each in place for battle
against you, daughter Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon hears news of them,
and his hands hang helpless;
Anguish takes hold of him,
like the pangs of a woman giving birth.(CG)
44 As happens when a lion comes up from a thicket of the Jordan
to permanent pasture,
So I, in an instant, will chase them off,
and establish there whomever I choose!
For who is like me? Who can call me to account?
What shepherd can stand against me?(CH)
45 Therefore, hear the strategy of the Lord,
which he has devised against Babylon;
Hear the plans drawn up
against the land of the Chaldeans:
They shall be dragged away, even the smallest sheep;
their own pasture aghast because of them.(CI)
46 At the cry “Babylon is captured!” the earth quakes;
the outcry is heard among the nations.(CJ)
Chapter 51
The Second Oracle Against Babylon
1 Thus says the Lord:
See! I rouse against Babylon,
and the inhabitants of Chaldea,
a destroyer wind.[ab]
2 To Babylon I will send winnowers
to winnow and lay waste the land;
They shall besiege it on every side
on the day of affliction.(CK)
3 How can the archers draw back their bows,
lift their armor?
Do not spare her young men,
put the entire army under the ban.(CL)
4 The slain shall fall in the land of Chaldea,
the wounded, in its streets;(CM)
5 For Israel and Judah are not left widowed
by their God, the Lord of hosts,
Even though the land is full of guilt
against the Holy One of Israel.
6 Flee from Babylon;
each of you save your own life,
do not perish because of her guilt;
This is a time of retribution from the Lord,
7 who pays out her due.(CN)
Babylon was a golden cup in the hand of the Lord
making the whole earth drunk;
The nations drank its wine,
thus they have gone mad.(CO)
8 Babylon suddenly falls and is broken:
wail over her!
Bring balm for her wounds,
in case she can be healed.(CP)
9 “We have tried to heal Babylon,
but she cannot be healed.
Leave her, each of us must go to our own land.”
The judgment against her reaches the heavens,
it touches the clouds.(CQ)
10 The Lord has brought forth our vindication;
come, let us tell in Zion
what the Lord, our God, has done.(CR)
11 Sharpen the arrows,
fill the quivers;
The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes,[ac]
for his resolve is Babylon’s destruction.
Yes, it is retribution from the Lord,
retribution for his temple.(CS)
12 Over the walls of Babylon raise a signal,
reinforce the watch;
Post sentries,
arrange ambushes!
For the Lord has both planned and carried out
what he spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 You who dwell by mighty waters,
rich in treasure,
Your end has come,
the time at which you shall be cut off!(CT)
14 The Lord of hosts has sworn by himself:
I will fill you with people as numerous as locusts,
who shall raise over you a joyous shout!
15 He made the earth by his power,
established the world by wisdom,
and by his skill stretched out the heavens.(CU)
16 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar,
he summons clouds from the ends of the earth,
Makes lightning flash in the rain,
and brings out winds from their storehouses.
17 Every man is stupid, ignorant;
every artisan is put to shame by his idol:
He molds a fraud,
without life-breath.
18 They are nothing, a ridiculous work,
that will perish at the time of punishment.
19 Jacob’s portion is nothing like them:
he is the creator of all things.
Israel is his very own tribe;
Lord of hosts is his name.
20 You are my hammer,
a weapon for war;
With you I shatter nations,
with you I destroy kingdoms.
21 With you I shatter horse and rider,
with you I shatter chariot and driver.(CV)
22 With you I shatter man and woman,
with you I shatter old and young,
with you I shatter the young man and young woman.(CW)
23 With you I shatter shepherd and flock,
with you I shatter farmer and team,
with you I shatter governors and officers.
24 Thus I will repay Babylon,
all the inhabitants of Chaldea,
For all the evil they committed against Zion,
before your very eyes—oracle of the Lord.(CX)
25 Beware! I am against you,
destroying mountain—oracle of the Lord—
destroyer of the entire earth,
I will stretch forth my hand against you,
roll you down over the cliffs,
and make you a burnt mountain:(CY)
26 They will not take from you a cornerstone,
or a foundation stone;
You shall remain ruins forever—
oracle of the Lord.(CZ)
27 Raise a signal in the land,
sound the trumpet among the nations;
Dedicate nations for war against her,
summon against her the kingdoms:
Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz;[ad]
Appoint a recruiting officer against her,
dispatch horses like bristling locusts.(DA)
28 Dedicate nations for war against her:
the king of the Medes,
Its governors and all its officers,
every land in its domain.
29 The earth quakes and writhes,
the Lord’s plan against Babylon is carried out,
Turning the land of Babylon
into a wasteland without inhabitants.
30 Babylon’s warriors have ceased to fight,
they remain in their strongholds;
Dried up is their strength,
they have become women.
Burned down are their homes,
broken their gates.
31 One runner meets another,
herald meets herald,
Telling the king of Babylon
that his entire city has been taken.(DB)
32 The fords have been seized,
marshes set on fire,
warriors panic.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor
at the time of treading;
Yet a little while,
and the harvest time will come for her.(DC)
34 “He consumed me, defeated me,
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon;
he left me like an empty vessel,
Swallowed me like a sea monster,
filled his belly with my delicacies and cast me out.
35 Let my torn flesh be visited upon Babylon,”
says enthroned Zion;
“My blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
says Jerusalem.
36 But now, thus says the Lord:
I will certainly defend your cause,
I will certainly avenge you;
I will dry up her sea,
and drain her fountain.
37 Babylon shall become a heap of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;
A place of horror and hissing,
without inhabitants.(DD)
38 They roar like lions,
growl like lion cubs.(DE)
39 When they are parched, I will set drink before them
to make them drunk, that they may be overcome
with everlasting sleep, never to awaken—
oracle of the Lord.
40 I will bring them down like lambs to slaughter,
like rams and goats.
41 How she has been seized, taken captive,
the glory of the whole world!
What a horror Babylon has become among the nations:(DF)
42 against Babylon the sea rises,
she is overwhelmed by roaring waves!
43 Her cities have become wasteland,
a parched and arid land
Where no one lives,
no one passes through.
44 I will punish Bel in Babylon,
and make him vomit up what he swallowed;
nations shall no longer stream to him.
Even the wall of Babylon falls!
45 Leave her, my people; each of you save your own life
from the burning wrath of the Lord.
46 Do not be discouraged when rumors spread through the land; this year one rumor comes, next year another: “Violence in the land!” or “Ruler against ruler!”(DG) 47 Realize that the days are coming when I will punish the idols of Babylon; the whole land shall be put to shame, all her slain shall fall in her midst. 48 Then heaven and earth and everything in them shall shout over Babylon with joy, when the destroyers come against her from the north—oracle of the Lord.(DH) 49 Babylon, too, must fall, you slain of Israel, because by the hand of Babylon the slain of all the earth have fallen.
50 You who have escaped the sword,
go, do not stand idle;
Remember the Lord from far away,
let Jerusalem come to mind.
51 We are ashamed because we have heard taunts,
disgrace covers our faces;
strangers have entered sanctuaries in the Lord’s house.(DI)
52 Therefore see, the days are coming—oracle of the Lord—
when I will punish her idols,
and throughout the land the wounded will groan.
53 Though Babylon scale the heavens,
and make her strong heights inaccessible,
my destroyers shall reach her—oracle of the Lord.(DJ)
54 A sound of crying from Babylon,
great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans;
55 For the Lord lays Babylon waste,
silences her loud cry,
Waves roaring like mighty waters,
a clamor resounding.
56 For the destroyer comes upon her, upon Babylon;
warriors are captured, their bows broken;
The Lord is a God of recompense,
he will surely repay.(DK)
57 I will make her princes and sages drunk, with her governors, officers, and warriors, so that they sleep an everlasting sleep, never to awaken—oracle of the King, whose name is Lord of hosts.
58 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
The walls of spacious Babylon shall be leveled to the ground,
its lofty gates destroyed by fire.
The toil of the peoples is for nothing;
the nations weary themselves for what the flames consume.(DL)
The Prophecy Sent to Babylon. 59 The mission Jeremiah the prophet gave to Seraiah,[ae] son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with King Zedekiah, king of Judah, in the fourth year of his reign; Seraiah was chief quartermaster. 60 Jeremiah wrote down on one scroll the disaster that would befall Babylon;[af] all these words were written against Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you reach Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud,(DM) 62 and then say: Lord, you yourself spoke against this place in order to cut it down so that nothing, human being or beast, could live in it, because it is to remain a wasteland forever. 63 When you have finished reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates,(DN) 64 and say: Thus Babylon shall sink. It will never rise, because of the disaster I am bringing upon it.” Thus far the words of Jeremiah.
Footnotes
- 46:1–51:64 A collection of oracles against foreign nations constitutes the final section of the Hebrew text of Jeremiah; in the Greek text they follow 25:13. The oracles here appear to be arranged in loose chronological order: 46:2 mentions the fourth year of Jehoiakim; the oracles in 50:1–51:64 are evidently from the end of Jeremiah’s life.
- 46:2 Carchemish on the Euphrates: the western terminus of the Mesopotamian trade route, where Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Neco in 605 B.C., thus gaining undisputed control of Syria and Palestine.
- 46:13 In 601 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar advanced into Egypt itself, but finally had to withdraw to Syria.
- 46:15 Apis: the chief god of Memphis; the black bull honored as an incarnation of the god Ptah and, later, of the god Osiris.
- 46:17 “Braggart-missed-his-chance”: the Hebrew phrase may contain a pun on the Pharaoh’s name or royal title.
- 46:18 Tabor…Carmel: mountains in Palestine that seem to tower over their surroundings as Nebuchadnezzar towers over the nations in his path as he makes his way toward Egypt.
- 46:25 Amon: the sun-god worshiped at Thebes in Upper Egypt.
- 47:2–7 Nebuchadnezzar’s military campaign against Ashkelon in 604 B.C. may provide some historical background for this poem.
- 47:4 Tyre and Sidon: Phoenician seaports allied commercially with the Philistines and often rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar; cf. 27:1–4. After the capture of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar carried out a partially successful thirteen-year siege of Tyre. Caphtor: Crete and other Aegean islands, points of origin for the Philistines and other sea peoples; cf. Am 9:7.
- 47:5 Baldness…gash yourself: close-cropped hair, silence, and ritual slashing of the body express mourning and grief and here represent the mourner’s awareness that chaos has overcome order (cf. 41:5).
- 48:1–47 Moab, located east of the Dead Sea, was one of Israel’s bitter enemies (cf., e.g., Is 15–16; Am 2:1–3). According to Flavius Josephus, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Moab and Ammon in his twenty-third year (582 B.C.), five years after the destruction of Jerusalem. This chapter is full of local place names in Moab.
- 48:2 Madmen: a place name, not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament.
- 48:7 Chemosh: chief god of Moab (cf. Nm 21:29).
- 48:11–12 Moabite wine was known for its high quality. Here the wine is a metaphor for Moab’s complacency.
- 48:18 Dibon, the capital of Moab at that time, is situated on a height. The prophet here offers a personification of the city, pictured as a confident ruler.
- 49:1 Milcom: chief god of the Ammonites (cf. 1 Kgs 11:5). The Ammonites shared a border with Gad, an Israelite tribe in Transjordan (Jos 13:8–10); the Ammonites occupied its territory after the collapse of the Northern Kingdom.
- 49:7–22 Edom: southeast of the Dead Sea, a traditional enemy who profited from Judah’s downfall; cf. Ps 137:7; Lam 4:21–22; Ob 11–12.
- 49:7 Teman, a district of Edom (cf. Jb 2:11), represents the whole country, which was famous for the wisdom of its sages.
- 49:8 Esau: Jacob’s brother, the traditional ancestor of the Edomites; cf. Gn 36:1.
- 49:13 Bozrah: capital of Edom.
- 49:23 Hamath and Arpad: independent Aramean states north of Damascus, the direction from which the invasion is coming. Cf. Is 10:9–10.
- 49:27 Ben-hadad: a dynastic name for some of the kings who ruled in Damascus; cf. 1 Kgs 15:18, 20.
- 49:34 Elam: an ancient kingdom east of Babylonia.
- 50:1–51:58 A collection of miscellaneous oracles against Babylon introducing the story in 51:59–64.
- 50:2 Bel: originally the title of the god of Nippur in Mesopotamia, later associated with Merodach (Marduk), chief god of Babylon (cf. Is 46:1).
- 50:15 Its walls are torn down: the prophet describes the downfall of Babylon in conventional language. Babylon surrendered peacefully to the Persians in 539 B.C.
- 50:21 Merathaim…Pekod: “twice bitter,” “punishment,” symbolic terms for Babylon that recall the names of regions in the country.
- 51:1 The destroyer wind is the fierce dry wind from the east (cf. 4:11).
- 51:11 Kings of the Medes: the Medes and the Persians lived in the area known today as Iran.
- 51:27 Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz: regions in eastern Asia Minor under the control of the Medes.
- 51:59 Seraiah: the brother of Baruch; cf. 32:12. He may have gone to Babylon to explain away the presence of foreign ambassadors in Jerusalem that same year; cf. 27:3.
- 51:60 Jeremiah prophesied against Babylon, even as he foretold Judah’s release from Babylon’s power (3:14–18; 32:15; 33:6–9, 12–13); but his scroll against Babylon was thrown in the Euphrates (v. 63). Some of the preceding oracles may have been composed by later writers; see note on 50:1–51:58.
Jeremiah 46-51
New International Version
Jeremiah 46-51
New International Version
A Message About Egypt
46 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:(A)
2 Concerning Egypt:(B)
This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho(C) king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish(D) on the Euphrates(E) River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(F) son of Josiah king of Judah:
3 “Prepare your shields,(G) both large and small,
and march out for battle!
4 Harness the horses,
mount the steeds!
Take your positions
with helmets on!
Polish(H) your spears,
put on your armor!(I)
5 What do I see?
They are terrified,
they are retreating,
their warriors are defeated.
They flee(J) in haste
without looking back,
and there is terror(K) on every side,”
declares the Lord.
6 “The swift cannot flee(L)
nor the strong escape.
In the north by the River Euphrates(M)
they stumble and fall.(N)
7 “Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like rivers of surging waters?(O)
8 Egypt rises like the Nile,(P)
like rivers of surging waters.
She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;
I will destroy cities and their people.’(Q)
9 Charge, you horses!
Drive furiously, you charioteers!(R)
March on, you warriors—men of Cush[a](S) and Put who carry shields,
men of Lydia(T) who draw the bow.
10 But that day(U) belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty—
a day of vengeance(V), for vengeance on his foes.
The sword will devour(W) till it is satisfied,
till it has quenched its thirst with blood.(X)
For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice(Y)
in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.(Z)
11 “Go up to Gilead and get balm,(AA)
Virgin(AB) Daughter Egypt.
But you try many medicines in vain;
there is no healing(AC) for you.
12 The nations will hear of your shame;
your cries will fill the earth.
One warrior will stumble over another;
both will fall(AD) down together.”
13 This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(AE) to attack Egypt:(AF)
14 “Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;
proclaim it also in Memphis(AG) and Tahpanhes:(AH)
‘Take your positions and get ready,
for the sword devours(AI) those around you.’
15 Why will your warriors be laid low?
They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.(AJ)
16 They will stumble(AK) repeatedly;
they will fall(AL) over each other.
They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back
to our own people(AM) and our native lands,
away from the sword of the oppressor.’(AN)
17 There they will exclaim,
‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;(AO)
he has missed his opportunity.(AP)’
18 “As surely as I live,” declares the King,(AQ)
whose name is the Lord Almighty,
“one will come who is like Tabor(AR) among the mountains,
like Carmel(AS) by the sea.
19 Pack your belongings for exile,(AT)
you who live in Egypt,
for Memphis(AU) will be laid waste(AV)
and lie in ruins without inhabitant.
20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
but a gadfly is coming
against her from the north.(AW)
21 The mercenaries(AX) in her ranks
are like fattened calves.(AY)
They too will turn and flee(AZ) together,
they will not stand their ground,
for the day(BA) of disaster is coming upon them,
the time(BB) for them to be punished.
22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent
as the enemy advances in force;
they will come against her with axes,
like men who cut down trees.(BC)
23 They will chop down her forest,”
declares the Lord,
“dense though it be.
They are more numerous than locusts,(BD)
they cannot be counted.
24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,
given into the hands of the people of the north.(BE)”
25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,(BF) on Pharaoh,(BG) on Egypt and her gods(BH) and her kings, and on those who rely(BI) on Pharaoh. 26 I will give them into the hands(BJ) of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king(BK) of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited(BL) as in times past,” declares the Lord.
27 “Do not be afraid,(BM) Jacob(BN) my servant;(BO)
do not be dismayed, Israel.
I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.(BP)
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
28 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant,
for I am with you,”(BQ) declares the Lord.
“Though I completely destroy(BR) all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”
A Message About the Philistines
47 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines(BS) before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:(BT)
2 This is what the Lord says:
“See how the waters are rising in the north;(BU)
they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
all who dwell in the land will wail(BV)
3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,
at the noise of enemy chariots(BW)
and the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not turn to help their children;
their hands will hang limp.(BX)
4 For the day has come
to destroy all the Philistines
and to remove all survivors
who could help Tyre(BY) and Sidon.(BZ)
The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines,(CA)
the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[b](CB)
5 Gaza will shave(CC) her head in mourning;
Ashkelon(CD) will be silenced.
You remnant on the plain,
how long will you cut(CE) yourselves?
6 “‘Alas, sword(CF) of the Lord,
how long till you rest?
Return to your sheath;
cease and be still.’(CG)
7 But how can it rest
when the Lord has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”(CH)
A Message About Moab(CI)
48 Concerning Moab:(CJ)
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Woe to Nebo,(CK) for it will be ruined.
Kiriathaim(CL) will be disgraced and captured;
the stronghold[c] will be disgraced and shattered.
2 Moab will be praised(CM) no more;
in Heshbon[d](CN) people will plot her downfall:
‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’(CO)
You, the people of Madmen,[e] will also be silenced;
the sword will pursue you.
3 Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,(CP)
cries of great havoc and destruction.
4 Moab will be broken;
her little ones will cry out.[f]
5 They go up the hill to Luhith,(CQ)
weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaim(CR)
anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
6 Flee!(CS) Run for your lives;
become like a bush[g] in the desert.(CT)
7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches,(CU)
you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh(CV) will go into exile,(CW)
together with his priests and officials.(CX)
8 The destroyer(CY) will come against every town,
and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
and the plateau(CZ) destroyed,
because the Lord has spoken.
9 Put salt(DA) on Moab,
for she will be laid waste[h];(DB)
her towns will become desolate,
with no one to live in them.
10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps their sword(DC) from bloodshed!(DD)
11 “Moab has been at rest(DE) from youth,
like wine left on its dregs,(DF)
not poured from one jar to another—
she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged.
12 But days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I will send men who pour from pitchers,
and they will pour her out;
they will empty her pitchers
and smash her jars.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed(DG) of Chemosh,(DH)
as Israel was ashamed
when they trusted in Bethel.(DI)
14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors,(DJ)
men valiant in battle’?
15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
her finest young men(DK) will go down in the slaughter,(DL)”
declares the King,(DM) whose name is the Lord Almighty.(DN)
16 “The fall of Moab is at hand;(DO)
her calamity will come quickly.
17 Mourn for her, all who live around her,
all who know her fame;(DP)
say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter,(DQ)
how broken the glorious staff!’
18 “Come down from your glory
and sit on the parched ground,(DR)
you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,(DS)
for the one who destroys Moab
will come up against you
and ruin your fortified cities.(DT)
19 Stand by the road and watch,
you who live in Aroer.(DU)
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
ask them, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
Wail(DV) and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon(DW)
that Moab is destroyed.
21 Judgment has come to the plateau(DX)—
to Holon,(DY) Jahzah(DZ) and Mephaath,(EA)
22 to Dibon,(EB) Nebo(EC) and Beth Diblathaim,
23 to Kiriathaim,(ED) Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,(EE)
24 to Kerioth(EF) and Bozrah(EG)—
to all the towns(EH) of Moab, far and near.
25 Moab’s horn[i](EI) is cut off;
her arm(EJ) is broken,”
declares the Lord.
26 “Make her drunk,(EK)
for she has defied(EL) the Lord.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;(EM)
let her be an object of ridicule.(EN)
27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?(EO)
Was she caught among thieves,(EP)
that you shake your head(EQ) in scorn(ER)
whenever you speak of her?
28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,
you who live in Moab.
Be like a dove(ES) that makes its nest
at the mouth of a cave.(ET)
29 “We have heard of Moab’s pride(EU)—
how great is her arrogance!—
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
and the haughtiness(EV) of her heart.
30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”
declares the Lord,
“and her boasts(EW) accomplish nothing.
31 Therefore I wail(EX) over Moab,
for all Moab I cry out,
I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.(EY)
32 I weep for you, as Jazer(EZ) weeps,
you vines of Sibmah.(FA)
Your branches spread as far as the sea[j];
they reached as far as[k] Jazer.
The destroyer has fallen
on your ripened fruit and grapes.
33 Joy and gladness are gone
from the orchards and fields of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine(FB) from the presses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy.(FC)
Although there are shouts,
they are not shouts of joy.
34 “The sound of their cry rises
from Heshbon(FD) to Elealeh(FE) and Jahaz,(FF)
from Zoar(FG) as far as Horonaim(FH) and Eglath Shelishiyah,
for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.(FI)
35 In Moab I will put an end
to those who make offerings on the high places(FJ)
and burn incense(FK) to their gods,”
declares the Lord.
36 “So my heart laments(FL) for Moab like the music of a pipe;
it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.(FM)
The wealth they acquired(FN) is gone.
37 Every head is shaved(FO)
and every beard(FP) cut off;
every hand is slashed
and every waist is covered with sackcloth.(FQ)
38 On all the roofs in Moab
and in the public squares(FR)
there is nothing but mourning,
for I have broken Moab
like a jar(FS) that no one wants,”
declares the Lord.
39 “How shattered(FT) she is! How they wail!
How Moab turns her back in shame!
Moab has become an object of ridicule,(FU)
an object of horror to all those around her.”
40 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! An eagle is swooping(FV) down,
spreading its wings(FW) over Moab.
41 Kerioth[l](FX) will be captured
and the strongholds taken.
In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors(FY)
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.(FZ)
42 Moab will be destroyed(GA) as a nation(GB)
because she defied(GC) the Lord.
43 Terror(GD) and pit and snare(GE) await you,
you people of Moab,”
declares the Lord.
44 “Whoever flees(GF) from the terror
will fall into a pit,
whoever climbs out of the pit
will be caught in a snare;
for I will bring on Moab
the year(GG) of her punishment,”
declares the Lord.
45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
the fugitives stand helpless,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the midst of Sihon;(GH)
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls(GI) of the noisy boasters.
46 Woe to you, Moab!(GJ)
The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
and your daughters into captivity.
47 “Yet I will restore(GK) the fortunes of Moab
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.
Here ends the judgment on Moab.
A Message About Ammon
49 Concerning the Ammonites:(GL)
This is what the Lord says:
“Has Israel no sons?
Has Israel no heir?
Why then has Molek[m](GM) taken possession of Gad?(GN)
Why do his people live in its towns?
2 But the days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I will sound the battle cry(GO)
against Rabbah(GP) of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,(GQ)
and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
those who drove her out,(GR)”
says the Lord.
3 “Wail, Heshbon,(GS) for Ai(GT) is destroyed!
Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth(GU) and mourn;
rush here and there inside the walls,
for Molek(GV) will go into exile,(GW)
together with his priests and officials.
4 Why do you boast of your valleys,
boast of your valleys so fruitful?
Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,(GX)
you trust in your riches(GY) and say,
‘Who will attack me?’(GZ)
5 I will bring terror on you
from all those around you,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
“Every one of you will be driven away,
and no one will gather the fugitives.(HA)
6 “Yet afterward, I will restore(HB) the fortunes of the Ammonites,”
declares the Lord.
A Message About Edom(HC)(HD)
7 Concerning Edom:(HE)
This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?(HF)
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8 Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,(HG)
you who live in Dedan,(HH)
for I will bring disaster on Esau
at the time when I punish him.
9 If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?
If thieves came during the night,
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
10 But I will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his hiding places,(HI)
so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
also his allies and neighbors,
so there is no one(HJ) to say,
11 ‘Leave your fatherless children;(HK) I will keep them alive.
Your widows(HL) too can depend on me.’”
12 This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup(HM) must drink it, why should you go unpunished?(HN) You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13 I swear(HO) by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah(HP) will become a ruin and a curse,[n] an object of horror(HQ) and reproach;(HR) and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”(HS)
14 I have heard a message from the Lord;
an envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Assemble yourselves to attack it!
Rise up for battle!”
15 “Now I will make you small among the nations,
despised by mankind.
16 The terror you inspire
and the pride(HT) of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,(HU)
who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nest(HV) as high as the eagle’s,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an object of horror;(HW)
all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
because of all its wounds.(HX)
18 As Sodom(HY) and Gomorrah(HZ) were overthrown,
along with their neighboring towns,”
says the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell(IA) in it.
19 “Like a lion(IB) coming up from Jordan’s thickets(IC)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Edom from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is like(ID) me and who can challenge me?(IE)
And what shepherd(IF) can stand against me?”
20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom,(IG)
what he has purposed(IH) against those who live in Teman:(II)
The young of the flock(IJ) will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.(IK)
21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;(IL)
their cry(IM) will resound to the Red Sea.[o]
22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop(IN) down,
spreading its wings over Bozrah.(IO)
In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors(IP)
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.(IQ)
A Message About Damascus
23 Concerning Damascus:(IR)
“Hamath(IS) and Arpad(IT) are dismayed,
for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
troubled like[p] the restless sea.(IU)
24 Damascus has become feeble,
she has turned to flee
and panic has gripped her;
anguish and pain have seized her,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(IV)
25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
the town in which I delight?
26 Surely, her young men(IW) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced(IX) in that day,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
27 “I will set fire(IY) to the walls of Damascus;(IZ)
it will consume(JA) the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.(JB)”
A Message About Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning Kedar(JC) and the kingdoms of Hazor,(JD) which Nebuchadnezzar(JE) king of Babylon attacked:
This is what the Lord says:
“Arise, and attack Kedar
and destroy the people of the East.(JF)
29 Their tents and their flocks(JG) will be taken;
their shelters will be carried off
with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
‘Terror(JH) on every side!’
30 “Flee quickly away!
Stay in deep caves,(JI) you who live in Hazor,(JJ)”
declares the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar(JK) king of Babylon has plotted against you;
he has devised a plan against you.
31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease,
which lives in confidence,”
declares the Lord,
“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;(JL)
its people live far from danger.
32 Their camels(JM) will become plunder,
and their large herds(JN) will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the winds(JO) those who are in distant places[q](JP)
and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor(JQ) will become a haunt of jackals,(JR)
a desolate(JS) place forever.
No one will live there;
no people will dwell(JT) in it.”
A Message About Elam
34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(JU) early in the reign of Zedekiah(JV) king of Judah:
35 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will break the bow(JW) of Elam,
the mainstay of their might.
36 I will bring against Elam the four winds(JX)
from the four quarters of heaven;(JY)
I will scatter them to the four winds,
and there will not be a nation
where Elam’s exiles do not go.
37 I will shatter Elam before their foes,
before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
even my fierce anger,”(JZ)
declares the Lord.
“I will pursue them with the sword(KA)
until I have made an end of them.
38 I will set my throne in Elam
and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the Lord.
39 “Yet I will restore(KB) the fortunes of Elam
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.
A Message About Babylon(KC)
50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon(KD) and the land of the Babylonians[r]:
2 “Announce and proclaim(KE) among the nations,
lift up a banner(KF) and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;(KG)
Bel(KH) will be put to shame,(KI)
Marduk(KJ) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols(KK) filled with terror.’
3 A nation from the north(KL) will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live(KM) in it;
both people and animals(KN) will flee away.
4 “In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together(KO)
will go in tears(KP) to seek(KQ) the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way(KR) to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come(KS) and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant(KT)
that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have been lost sheep;(KU)
their shepherds(KV) have led them astray(KW)
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill(KX)
and forgot their own resting place.(KY)
7 Whoever found them devoured(KZ) them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,(LA)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
the Lord, the hope(LB) of their ancestors.’
8 “Flee(LC) out of Babylon;(LD)
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.
9 For I will stir(LE) up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nations(LF) from the land of the north.(LG)
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.(LH)
Their arrows(LI) will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
10 So Babylonia[s] will be plundered;(LJ)
all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.
11 “Because you rejoice and are glad,
you who pillage my inheritance,(LK)
because you frolic like a heifer(LL) threshing grain
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother will be greatly ashamed;
she who gave you birth will be disgraced.(LM)
She will be the least of the nations—
a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.(LN)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
but will be completely desolate.(LO)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;(LP)
they will scoff(LQ) because of all her wounds.(LR)
14 “Take up your positions around Babylon,
all you who draw the bow.(LS)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,(LT)
for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout(LU) against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
her walls(LV) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance(LW) of the Lord,
take vengeance on her;
do to her(LX) as she has done to others.(LY)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword(LZ) of the oppressor
let everyone return to their own people,(MA)
let everyone flee to their own land.(MB)
17 “Israel is a scattered flock(MC)
that lions(MD) have chased away.
The first to devour(ME) them
was the king(MF) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(MG)
was Nebuchadnezzar(MH) king(MI) 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(MJ) of Assyria.(MK)
19 But I will bring(ML) Israel back to their own pasture,
and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied(MM)
on the hills(MN) of Ephraim and Gilead.(MO)
20 In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,(MP)
and for the sins(MQ) of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive(MR) the remnant(MS) I spare.
21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.(MT)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[t] them,”
declares the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(MU) of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
is the hammer(MV) of the whole earth!(MW)
How desolate(MX) is Babylon
among the nations!
24 I set a trap(MY) for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(MZ)
because you opposed(NA) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weapons(NB) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.(NC)
26 Come against her from afar.(ND)
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.(NE)
Completely destroy(NF) her
and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(NG)
let them go down to the slaughter!(NH)
Woe to them! For their day(NI) has come,
the time(NJ) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(NK) and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zion(NL)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(NM)
vengeance for his temple.(NN)
29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.(NO)
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.(NP)
Repay(NQ) her for her deeds;(NR)
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(NS) the Lord,
the Holy One(NT) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(NU) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(NV) you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(NW) has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(NX) one will stumble and fall(NY)
and no one will help her up;(NZ)
I will kindle a fire(OA) 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,(OB)
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.(OC)
34 Yet their Redeemer(OD) is strong;
the Lord Almighty(OE) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(OF)
so that he may bring rest(OG) to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.
35 “A sword(OH) against the Babylonians!”(OI)
declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wise(OJ) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(OK)
They will be filled with terror.(OL)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(OM)
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.(ON)
A sword against her treasures!(OO)
They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[u] her waters!(OP)
They will dry(OQ) up.
For it is a land of idols,(OR)
idols that will go mad with terror.
39 “So desert creatures(OS) and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.(OT)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah(OU)
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.(OV)
41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(OW)
a great nation and many kings
are being stirred(OX) up from the ends of the earth.(OY)
42 They are armed with bows(OZ) and spears;
they are cruel(PA) and without mercy.(PB)
They sound like the roaring sea(PC)
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(PD)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.(PE)
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(PF)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(PG)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen(PH) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(PI)
And what shepherd can stand against me?”
45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposed(PJ) against the land of the Babylonians:(PK)
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;(PL)
its cry(PM) will resound among the nations.
51 This is what the Lord says:
“See, I will stir(PN) up the spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon(PO) and the people of Leb Kamai.[v]
2 I will send foreigners(PP) to Babylon
to winnow(PQ) her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
in the day(PR) of her disaster.
3 Let not the archer string his bow,(PS)
nor let him put on his armor.(PT)
Do not spare her young men;
completely destroy[w] her army.
4 They will fall(PU) down slain in Babylon,[x]
fatally wounded in her streets.(PV)
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken(PW)
by their God, the Lord Almighty,
though their land[y] is full of guilt(PX)
before the Holy One of Israel.
6 “Flee(PY) from Babylon!
Run for your lives!
Do not be destroyed because of her sins.(PZ)
It is time(QA) for the Lord’s vengeance;(QB)
he will repay(QC) her what she deserves.
7 Babylon was a gold cup(QD) 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(QE) and be broken.
Wail over her!
Get balm(QF) for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.
9 “‘We would have healed Babylon,
but she cannot be healed;
let us leave(QG) her and each go to our own land,
for her judgment(QH) reaches to the skies,
it rises as high as the heavens.’
11 “Sharpen the arrows,(QK)
take up the shields!(QL)
The Lord has stirred up the kings(QM) of the Medes,(QN)
because his purpose(QO) is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,(QP)
vengeance for his temple.(QQ)
12 Lift up a banner(QR) against the walls of Babylon!
Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,(QS)
prepare an ambush!(QT)
The Lord will carry out his purpose,(QU)
his decree against the people of Babylon.
13 You who live by many waters(QV)
and are rich in treasures,(QW)
your end has come,
the time for you to be destroyed.(QX)
14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself:(QY)
I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,(QZ)
and they will shout(RA) in triumph over you.
15 “He made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom(RB)
and stretched(RC) out the heavens by his understanding.(RD)
16 When he thunders,(RE) the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain(RF)
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(RG)
17 “Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(RH)
they have no breath in them.
18 They are worthless,(RI) the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
19 He who is the Portion(RJ) of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance(RK)—
the Lord Almighty is his name.
20 “You are my war club,(RL)
my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter(RM) nations,(RN)
with you I destroy kingdoms,
21 with you I shatter horse and rider,(RO)
with you I shatter chariot(RP) 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,(RQ)
23 with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
with you I shatter governors and officials.(RR)
24 “Before your eyes I will repay(RS) Babylon(RT) and all who live in Babylonia[z] for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.
25 “I am against(RU) you, you destroying mountain,
you who destroy the whole earth,”(RV)
declares the Lord.
“I will stretch out my hand(RW) against you,
roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.(RX)
26 No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
nor any stone for a foundation,
for you will be desolate(RY) forever,”
declares the Lord.
27 “Lift up a banner(RZ) in the land!
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
summon against her these kingdoms:(SA)
Ararat,(SB) Minni and Ashkenaz.(SC)
Appoint a commander against her;
send up horses like a swarm of locusts.(SD)
28 Prepare the nations for battle against her—
the kings of the Medes,(SE)
their governors and all their officials,
and all the countries they rule.(SF)
29 The land trembles(SG) and writhes,
for the Lord’s purposes(SH) against Babylon stand—
to lay waste(SI) the land of Babylon
so that no one will live there.(SJ)
30 Babylon’s warriors(SK) have stopped fighting;
they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
they have become weaklings.(SL)
Her dwellings are set on fire;(SM)
the bars(SN) of her gates are broken.
31 One courier(SO) follows another
and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
that his entire city is captured,(SP)
32 the river crossings seized,
the marshes set on fire,(SQ)
and the soldiers terrified.(SR)”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Daughter Babylon(SS) is like a threshing floor(ST)
at the time it is trampled;
the time to harvest(SU) her will soon come.(SV)”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar(SW) king of Babylon has devoured(SX) us,(SY)
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(SZ) us out.
35 May the violence(TA) done to our flesh[aa] be on Babylon,”
say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
says Jerusalem.(TB)
36 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“See, I will defend your cause(TC)
and avenge(TD) you;
I will dry up(TE) her sea
and make her springs dry.
37 Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
a haunt(TF) of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,(TG)
a place where no one lives.(TH)
38 Her people all roar like young lions,(TI)
they growl like lion cubs.
39 But while they are aroused,
I will set out a feast for them
and make them drunk,(TJ)
so that they shout with laughter—
then sleep forever(TK) and not awake,”
declares the Lord.(TL)
40 “I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats.(TM)
41 “How Sheshak[ab](TN) will be captured,(TO)
the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolate(TP) Babylon will be
among the nations!
42 The sea will rise over Babylon;
its roaring waves(TQ) will cover her.
43 Her towns will be desolate,
a dry and desert(TR) land,
a land where no one lives,
through which no one travels.(TS)
44 I will punish Bel(TT) in Babylon
and make him spew out(TU) what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
And the wall(TV) of Babylon will fall.
45 “Come out(TW) of her, my people!
Run(TX) for your lives!
Run from the fierce anger(TY) of the Lord.
46 Do not lose heart(TZ) or be afraid(UA)
when rumors(UB) 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(UC) of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced(UD)
and her slain will all lie fallen within her.(UE)
48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout(UF) for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north(UG)
destroyers(UH) 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.(UI)
50 You who have escaped the sword,
leave(UJ) and do not linger!
Remember(UK) the Lord in a distant land,(UL)
and call to mind Jerusalem.”
51 “We are disgraced,(UM)
for we have been insulted
and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
the holy places of the Lord’s house.”(UN)
52 “But days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will punish her idols,(UO)
and throughout her land
the wounded will groan.(UP)
53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens(UQ)
and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
I will send destroyers(UR) against her,”
declares the Lord.
54 “The sound of a cry(US) comes from Babylon,
the sound of great destruction(UT)
from the land of the Babylonians.[ac]
55 The Lord will destroy Babylon;
he will silence(UU) her noisy din.
Waves(UV) of enemies will rage like great waters;
the roar of their voices will resound.
56 A destroyer(UW) will come against Babylon;
her warriors will be captured,
and their bows will be broken.(UX)
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
he will repay(UY) in full.
57 I will make her officials(UZ) and wise(VA) men drunk,(VB)
her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep(VC) forever and not awake,”
declares the King,(VD) whose name is the Lord Almighty.
58 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Babylon’s thick wall(VE) will be leveled
and her high gates(VF) set on fire;
the peoples(VG) exhaust(VH) themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”(VI)
59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah,(VJ) the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah(VK) king of Judah in the fourth(VL) year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll(VM) 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(VN) forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.(VO) 64 Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more(VP) because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people(VQ) will fall.’”(VR)
The words of Jeremiah end(VS) here.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile region
- Jeremiah 47:4 That is, Crete
- Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab
- Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.
- Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.
- Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar
- Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer
- Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away
- Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.
- Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea
- Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of
- Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities
- Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3
- Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
- Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Jeremiah 49:23 Hebrew on or by
- Jeremiah 49:32 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
- 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
Jeremiah 46-51
King James Version
Jeremiah 46-51
King James Version
46 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles;
2 Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.
3 Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.
4 Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.
5 Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the Lord.
6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.
7 Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?
8 Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.
9 Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.
10 For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.
12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together.
13 The word that the Lord spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.
14 Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.
15 Why are thy valiant men swept away? they stood not, because the Lord did drive them.
16 He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword.
17 They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed.
18 As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.
19 O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant.
20 Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.
21 Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, and the time of their visitation.
22 The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
23 They shall cut down her forest, saith the Lord, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable.
24 The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.
25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:
26 And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the Lord.
27 But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.
28 Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.
47 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.
2 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.
3 At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;
4 Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the Lord will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.
5 Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?
6 O thou sword of the Lord, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.
7 How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? there hath he appointed it.
48 Against Moab thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed.
2 There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee.
3 A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction.
4 Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.
5 For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.
6 Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.
7 For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.
8 And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the Lord hath spoken.
9 Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.
10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.
12 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles.
13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.
14 How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war?
15 Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
16 The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.
17 All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!
18 Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong holds.
19 O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done?
20 Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled,
21 And judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,
22 And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Bethdiblathaim,
23 And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Bethmeon,
24 And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.
25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord.
26 Make ye him drunken: for he magnified himself against the Lord: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.
27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for joy.
28 O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth.
29 We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart.
30 I know his wrath, saith the Lord; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it.
31 Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kirheres.
32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.
33 And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab, and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.
34 From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.
35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the Lord, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.
36 Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.
37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.
38 There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the Lord.
39 They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him.
40 For thus saith the Lord; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the Lord.
43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord.
44 He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.
45 They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.
46 Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.
47 Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the Lord. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.
49 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the Lord; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?
2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the Lord.
3 Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.
4 Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? that trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me?
5 Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord God of hosts, from all those that be about thee; and ye shall be driven out every man right forth; and none shall gather up him that wandereth.
6 And afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the Lord.
7 Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?
8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.
9 If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough.
10 But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not.
11 Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.
12 For thus saith the Lord; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.
13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.
14 I have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.
15 For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men.
16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.
17 Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.
18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
20 Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them.
21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.
22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.
23 Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord of hosts.
27 And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.
28 Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the Lord; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east.
29 Their tents and their flocks shall they take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every side.
30 Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the Lord; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.
31 Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone.
32 And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, saith the Lord.
33 And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.
34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the Lord; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:
38 And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the Lord.
39 But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the Lord.
50 The word that the Lord spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.
3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
4 In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God.
5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.
6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.
7 All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.
8 Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.
9 For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.
10 And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord.
11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;
12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
14 Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
17 Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
18 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.
19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
21 Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
22 A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.
23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord.
25 The Lord hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord God of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.
27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.
28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his temple.
29 Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord.
31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord God of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.
32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.
33 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.
34 Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.
36 A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.
37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.
38 A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.
39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
41 Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.
46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.
51 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;
2 And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.
3 Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.
4 Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.
5 For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the Lord of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.
7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.
10 The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.
11 Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple.
12 Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the Lord hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
14 The Lord of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillers; and they shall lift up a shout against thee.
15 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.
16 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
17 Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
18 They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
19 The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the Lord of hosts is his name.
20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;
22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;
23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.
24 And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the Lord.
25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the Lord, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
26 And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the Lord.
27 Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers.
28 Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion.
29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.
30 The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
31 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,
32 And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.
33 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.
34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.
35 The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.
36 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.
37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.
38 They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lions' whelps.
39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the Lord.
40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.
41 How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!
42 The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.
43 Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.
44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
45 My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord.
46 And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard in the land; a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.
47 Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.
48 Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the Lord.
49 As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.
50 Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.
51 We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the Lord's house.
52 Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.
53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the Lord.
54 A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans:
55 Because the Lord hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:
56 Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the Lord God of recompences shall surely requite.
57 And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
58 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.
59 The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince.
60 So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon.
61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words;
62 Then shalt thou say, O Lord, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.
63 And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:
64 And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
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