57 “I’ll get them drunk, the whole lot of them—
    princes, sages, governors, soldiers.
Dead drunk, they’ll sleep—and sleep and sleep . . . 
    and never wake up.” The King’s Decree.
His name? God-of-the-Angel-Armies!

58 God-of-the-Angel-Armies speaks:

“The city walls of Babylon—those massive walls!—
    will be flattened.
And those city gates—huge gates!—
    will be set on fire.
The harder you work at this empty life,
    the less you are.
Nothing comes of ambition like this
    but ashes.”

* * *

59 Jeremiah the prophet gave a job to Seraiah son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when Seraiah went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon. It was in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign. Seraiah was in charge of travel arrangements.

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57 I will make her officials(A) and wise(B) men drunk,(C)
    her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep(D) forever and not awake,”
    declares the King,(E) whose name is the Lord Almighty.

58 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Babylon’s thick wall(F) will be leveled
    and her high gates(G) set on fire;
the peoples(H) exhaust(I) themselves for nothing,
    the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”(J)

59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah,(K) the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah(L) king of Judah in the fourth(M) year of his reign.

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