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Jeremiah 50-51
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Jeremiah 50-51
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 50
The First Oracle Against Babylon. 1 The word the Lord spoke against Babylon,[a] against the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:(A)
2 Proclaim this among the nations, announce it!
Announce it, do not hide it, but say:
Babylon is captured, Bel[b] 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.(B)
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;(C)
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.”(D)
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.(E)
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.”(F)
8 Flee from the midst of Babylon,
leave the land of the Chaldeans,
be like rams at the head of the flock.(G)
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.(H)
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.(I)
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.(J)
14 Take your posts encircling Babylon,
you who bend the bow;
Shoot at it, do not spare your arrows,(K)
15 raise the war cry against it on every side.
It surrenders, its bastions fall,
its walls are torn down:[c]
This is retribution from the Lord! Take retribution on her,
as she has done, do to her;
for she sinned against the Lord.(L)
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.(M)
17 Israel was a stray sheep
that lions pursued;
The king of Assyria once devoured him;
now Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon gnaws his bones.(N)
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;(O)
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.(P)
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.(Q)
21 Attack the land of Merathaim,
and those who live in Pekod;[d]
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!(R)
24 You ensnared yourself and were caught,
Babylon, before you knew it!
You were discovered and seized,
because you challenged the Lord.(S)
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.(T)
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.(U)
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.(V)
30 Therefore their young men shall fall in the squares,
all their warriors shall be stilled on that day—
oracle of the Lord.(W)
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.(X)
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;(Y)
38 A drought upon the waters,
and they dry up!
For it is a land of idols,
soon made frantic by phantoms.(Z)
39 Hence, wildcats shall dwell there with hyenas,
and ostriches occupy it;
Never again shall it be inhabited or settled,
from age to age.(AA)
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.(AB)
41 See, a people comes from the north,
a great nation, and mighty kings
rising from the ends of the earth.(AC)
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.(AD)
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?(AE)
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.(AF)
46 At the cry “Babylon is captured!” the earth quakes;
the outcry is heard among the nations.(AG)
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.[e]
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.(AH)
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.(AI)
4 The slain shall fall in the land of Chaldea,
the wounded, in its streets;(AJ)
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.(AK)
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.(AL)
8 Babylon suddenly falls and is broken:
wail over her!
Bring balm for her wounds,
in case she can be healed.(AM)
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.(AN)
10 The Lord has brought forth our vindication;
come, let us tell in Zion
what the Lord, our God, has done.(AO)
11 Sharpen the arrows,
fill the quivers;
The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes,[f]
for his resolve is Babylon’s destruction.
Yes, it is retribution from the Lord,
retribution for his temple.(AP)
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!(AQ)
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.(AR)
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.(AS)
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.(AT)
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.(AU)
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:(AV)
26 They will not take from you a cornerstone,
or a foundation stone;
You shall remain ruins forever—
oracle of the Lord.(AW)
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;[g]
Appoint a recruiting officer against her,
dispatch horses like bristling locusts.(AX)
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.(AY)
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.(AZ)
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.(BA)
38 They roar like lions,
growl like lion cubs.(BB)
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:(BC)
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!”(BD) 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.(BE) 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.(BF)
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.(BG)
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.(BH)
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.(BI)
The Prophecy Sent to Babylon. 59 The mission Jeremiah the prophet gave to Seraiah,[h] 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;[i] 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,(BJ) 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,(BK) 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
- 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 50-51
New International Version
Jeremiah 50-51
New International Version
A Message About Babylon(A)
50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon(B) and the land of the Babylonians[a]:
2 “Announce and proclaim(C) among the nations,
lift up a banner(D) and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;(E)
Bel(F) will be put to shame,(G)
Marduk(H) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols(I) filled with terror.’
3 A nation from the north(J) will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live(K) in it;
both people and animals(L) will flee away.
4 “In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together(M)
will go in tears(N) to seek(O) the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way(P) to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come(Q) and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant(R)
that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have been lost sheep;(S)
their shepherds(T) have led them astray(U)
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill(V)
and forgot their own resting place.(W)
7 Whoever found them devoured(X) them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,(Y)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
the Lord, the hope(Z) of their ancestors.’
8 “Flee(AA) out of Babylon;(AB)
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.
9 For I will stir(AC) up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nations(AD) from the land of the north.(AE)
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.(AF)
Their arrows(AG) will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
10 So Babylonia[b] will be plundered;(AH)
all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.
11 “Because you rejoice and are glad,
you who pillage my inheritance,(AI)
because you frolic like a heifer(AJ) threshing grain
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother will be greatly ashamed;
she who gave you birth will be disgraced.(AK)
She will be the least of the nations—
a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.(AL)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
but will be completely desolate.(AM)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;(AN)
they will scoff(AO) because of all her wounds.(AP)
14 “Take up your positions around Babylon,
all you who draw the bow.(AQ)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,(AR)
for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout(AS) against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
her walls(AT) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance(AU) of the Lord,
take vengeance on her;
do to her(AV) as she has done to others.(AW)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword(AX) of the oppressor
let everyone return to their own people,(AY)
let everyone flee to their own land.(AZ)
17 “Israel is a scattered flock(BA)
that lions(BB) have chased away.
The first to devour(BC) them
was the king(BD) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(BE)
was Nebuchadnezzar(BF) king(BG) 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(BH) of Assyria.(BI)
19 But I will bring(BJ) Israel back to their own pasture,
and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied(BK)
on the hills(BL) of Ephraim and Gilead.(BM)
20 In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,(BN)
and for the sins(BO) of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive(BP) the remnant(BQ) I spare.
21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.(BR)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[c] them,”
declares the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(BS) of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
is the hammer(BT) of the whole earth!(BU)
How desolate(BV) is Babylon
among the nations!
24 I set a trap(BW) for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(BX)
because you opposed(BY) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weapons(BZ) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.(CA)
26 Come against her from afar.(CB)
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.(CC)
Completely destroy(CD) her
and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(CE)
let them go down to the slaughter!(CF)
Woe to them! For their day(CG) has come,
the time(CH) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(CI) and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zion(CJ)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(CK)
vengeance for his temple.(CL)
29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.(CM)
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.(CN)
Repay(CO) her for her deeds;(CP)
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(CQ) the Lord,
the Holy One(CR) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(CS) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(CT) you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(CU) has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(CV) one will stumble and fall(CW)
and no one will help her up;(CX)
I will kindle a fire(CY) 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,(CZ)
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.(DA)
34 Yet their Redeemer(DB) is strong;
the Lord Almighty(DC) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(DD)
so that he may bring rest(DE) to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.
35 “A sword(DF) against the Babylonians!”(DG)
declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wise(DH) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(DI)
They will be filled with terror.(DJ)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(DK)
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.(DL)
A sword against her treasures!(DM)
They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[d] her waters!(DN)
They will dry(DO) up.
For it is a land of idols,(DP)
idols that will go mad with terror.
39 “So desert creatures(DQ) and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.(DR)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah(DS)
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.(DT)
41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(DU)
a great nation and many kings
are being stirred(DV) up from the ends of the earth.(DW)
42 They are armed with bows(DX) and spears;
they are cruel(DY) and without mercy.(DZ)
They sound like the roaring sea(EA)
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(EB)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.(EC)
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(ED)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(EE)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen(EF) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(EG)
And what shepherd can stand against me?”
45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposed(EH) against the land of the Babylonians:(EI)
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;(EJ)
its cry(EK) will resound among the nations.
51 This is what the Lord says:
“See, I will stir(EL) up the spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon(EM) and the people of Leb Kamai.[e]
2 I will send foreigners(EN) to Babylon
to winnow(EO) her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
in the day(EP) of her disaster.
3 Let not the archer string his bow,(EQ)
nor let him put on his armor.(ER)
Do not spare her young men;
completely destroy[f] her army.
4 They will fall(ES) down slain in Babylon,[g]
fatally wounded in her streets.(ET)
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken(EU)
by their God, the Lord Almighty,
though their land[h] is full of guilt(EV)
before the Holy One of Israel.
6 “Flee(EW) from Babylon!
Run for your lives!
Do not be destroyed because of her sins.(EX)
It is time(EY) for the Lord’s vengeance;(EZ)
he will repay(FA) her what she deserves.
7 Babylon was a gold cup(FB) 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(FC) and be broken.
Wail over her!
Get balm(FD) for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.
9 “‘We would have healed Babylon,
but she cannot be healed;
let us leave(FE) her and each go to our own land,
for her judgment(FF) reaches to the skies,
it rises as high as the heavens.’
11 “Sharpen the arrows,(FI)
take up the shields!(FJ)
The Lord has stirred up the kings(FK) of the Medes,(FL)
because his purpose(FM) is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,(FN)
vengeance for his temple.(FO)
12 Lift up a banner(FP) against the walls of Babylon!
Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,(FQ)
prepare an ambush!(FR)
The Lord will carry out his purpose,(FS)
his decree against the people of Babylon.
13 You who live by many waters(FT)
and are rich in treasures,(FU)
your end has come,
the time for you to be destroyed.(FV)
14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself:(FW)
I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,(FX)
and they will shout(FY) in triumph over you.
15 “He made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom(FZ)
and stretched(GA) out the heavens by his understanding.(GB)
16 When he thunders,(GC) the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain(GD)
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(GE)
17 “Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(GF)
they have no breath in them.
18 They are worthless,(GG) the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
19 He who is the Portion(GH) of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance(GI)—
the Lord Almighty is his name.
20 “You are my war club,(GJ)
my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter(GK) nations,(GL)
with you I destroy kingdoms,
21 with you I shatter horse and rider,(GM)
with you I shatter chariot(GN) 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,(GO)
23 with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
with you I shatter governors and officials.(GP)
24 “Before your eyes I will repay(GQ) Babylon(GR) and all who live in Babylonia[i] for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.
25 “I am against(GS) you, you destroying mountain,
you who destroy the whole earth,”(GT)
declares the Lord.
“I will stretch out my hand(GU) against you,
roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.(GV)
26 No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
nor any stone for a foundation,
for you will be desolate(GW) forever,”
declares the Lord.
27 “Lift up a banner(GX) in the land!
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
summon against her these kingdoms:(GY)
Ararat,(GZ) Minni and Ashkenaz.(HA)
Appoint a commander against her;
send up horses like a swarm of locusts.(HB)
28 Prepare the nations for battle against her—
the kings of the Medes,(HC)
their governors and all their officials,
and all the countries they rule.(HD)
29 The land trembles(HE) and writhes,
for the Lord’s purposes(HF) against Babylon stand—
to lay waste(HG) the land of Babylon
so that no one will live there.(HH)
30 Babylon’s warriors(HI) have stopped fighting;
they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
they have become weaklings.(HJ)
Her dwellings are set on fire;(HK)
the bars(HL) of her gates are broken.
31 One courier(HM) follows another
and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
that his entire city is captured,(HN)
32 the river crossings seized,
the marshes set on fire,(HO)
and the soldiers terrified.(HP)”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Daughter Babylon(HQ) is like a threshing floor(HR)
at the time it is trampled;
the time to harvest(HS) her will soon come.(HT)”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar(HU) king of Babylon has devoured(HV) us,(HW)
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(HX) us out.
35 May the violence(HY) done to our flesh[j] be on Babylon,”
say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
says Jerusalem.(HZ)
36 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“See, I will defend your cause(IA)
and avenge(IB) you;
I will dry up(IC) her sea
and make her springs dry.
37 Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
a haunt(ID) of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,(IE)
a place where no one lives.(IF)
38 Her people all roar like young lions,(IG)
they growl like lion cubs.
39 But while they are aroused,
I will set out a feast for them
and make them drunk,(IH)
so that they shout with laughter—
then sleep forever(II) and not awake,”
declares the Lord.(IJ)
40 “I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats.(IK)
41 “How Sheshak[k](IL) will be captured,(IM)
the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolate(IN) Babylon will be
among the nations!
42 The sea will rise over Babylon;
its roaring waves(IO) will cover her.
43 Her towns will be desolate,
a dry and desert(IP) land,
a land where no one lives,
through which no one travels.(IQ)
44 I will punish Bel(IR) in Babylon
and make him spew out(IS) what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
And the wall(IT) of Babylon will fall.
45 “Come out(IU) of her, my people!
Run(IV) for your lives!
Run from the fierce anger(IW) of the Lord.
46 Do not lose heart(IX) or be afraid(IY)
when rumors(IZ) 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(JA) of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced(JB)
and her slain will all lie fallen within her.(JC)
48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout(JD) for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north(JE)
destroyers(JF) 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.(JG)
50 You who have escaped the sword,
leave(JH) and do not linger!
Remember(JI) the Lord in a distant land,(JJ)
and call to mind Jerusalem.”
51 “We are disgraced,(JK)
for we have been insulted
and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
the holy places of the Lord’s house.”(JL)
52 “But days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will punish her idols,(JM)
and throughout her land
the wounded will groan.(JN)
53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens(JO)
and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
I will send destroyers(JP) against her,”
declares the Lord.
54 “The sound of a cry(JQ) comes from Babylon,
the sound of great destruction(JR)
from the land of the Babylonians.[l]
55 The Lord will destroy Babylon;
he will silence(JS) her noisy din.
Waves(JT) of enemies will rage like great waters;
the roar of their voices will resound.
56 A destroyer(JU) will come against Babylon;
her warriors will be captured,
and their bows will be broken.(JV)
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
he will repay(JW) in full.
57 I will make her officials(JX) and wise(JY) men drunk,(JZ)
her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep(KA) forever and not awake,”
declares the King,(KB) whose name is the Lord Almighty.
58 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Babylon’s thick wall(KC) will be leveled
and her high gates(KD) set on fire;
the peoples(KE) exhaust(KF) themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”(KG)
59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah,(KH) the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah(KI) king of Judah in the fourth(KJ) year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll(KK) 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(KL) forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.(KM) 64 Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more(KN) because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people(KO) will fall.’”(KP)
The words of Jeremiah end(KQ) here.
Footnotes
- 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
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