Thus says
the LORD
: "Behold
, I am going to arouse
against
Babylon
And against
the inhabitants
of 1Leb-kamai
2The aspirit
of a destroyer
.
"I will dispatch 1foreigners
to Babylon
that they may awinnow
her And may devastate
her land
; For on every
side
they will be opposed
to her In the day
of her calamity
.
" 1Let not 2him who 3 abends his bow
3bend
it, 1Nor
let him rise
up in his bscale-armor
; So do not spare
her young
men
; Devote
all
her army
to destruction
.
"They will fall down
1slain
in the land
of the Chaldeans
, And apierced
through
in their streets
."
For aneither Israel
nor
Judah
has been 1forsaken
By his God
, the LORD
of hosts
, Although
their land
is bfull
of guilt
2Before
the Holy
One
of Israel
.
aFlee from the midst
of Babylon
, And each
of you save
his life
! Do not be 1 bdestroyed
in her 2punishment
, For this
is the cLORD'S
time
of vengeance
; He is going to drender
recompense
to her.
Babylon has been a golden
acup
in the hand
of the LORD
, Intoxicating
all
the earth
. The bnations
have drunk
of her wine
; Therefore
the nations
are cgoing
mad
.
Suddenly aBabylon
has fallen
and been broken
; bWail
over
her! cBring
1balm
for her pain
; Perhaps
she may be healed
.
We applied healing to Babylon
, but she was not healed
; Forsake
her and alet us each
go
to his own country
, For her judgment
has breached
to heaven
And 1towers
up to the very skies
.
The LORD has abrought
1about
our vindication
; Come
and let us brecount
in Zion
The work
of the LORD
our God
!
aSharpen the arrows
, fill
the quivers
! The LORD
has aroused
the spirit
of the kings
of the Medes
, Because
His purpose
is against
Babylon
to destroy
it; For it is the bvengeance
of the LORD
, vengeance
for His temple
.
aLift up a 1signal
against
the walls
of Babylon
; Post
a strong
guard
, Station
2sentries
, Place
men in ambush
! For the LORD
has both
bpurposed
and performed
What
He spoke
concerning
the inhabitants
of Babylon
.
O you who adwell by many
waters
, Abundant
in btreasures
, Your end
has come
, The 1measure
of your 2 cend
.
The aLORD of hosts
has sworn
by Himself
: "Surely
I will fill
you with a 1population
like blocusts
, And they will cry
out with 2shouts
of victory over
you."
It is aHe who made the earth
by His power
, Who established
the world
by His wisdom
, And by His understanding
He bstretched
out the heavens
.
When He utters His avoice
, there is a tumult
of waters
in the heavens
, And He causes the bclouds
to ascend
from the end
of the earth
; He makes
lightning
for the rain
And brings
forth
the cwind
from His storehouses
.
aAll mankind
is stupid
, devoid
of knowledge
; Every
goldsmith
is put
to shame
by his 1idols
, For his molten
images
are bdeceitful
, And there is no
breath
in them.
They are aworthless, a work
of mockery
; In the time
of their punishment
they will perish
.
The aportion of Jacob
is not like these
; For the 1Maker
of all
is He, And of the 2tribe
of His inheritance
; The bLORD
of hosts
is His name
.
He says, "You are My 1 awar-club, My weapon
of war
; And with you I bshatter
nations
, And with you I destroy
kingdoms
.
"With you I ashatter the horse
and his rider
, And with you I shatter
the bchariot
and its rider
,
And with you I shatter aman
and woman
, And with you I shatter
old
man
and byouth
, And with you I shatter
young
man
and virgin
,
And with you I shatter the shepherd
and his flock
, And with you I shatter
the farmer
and his team
, And with you I shatter
governors
and prefects
.
"But I will repay Babylon
and all
the inhabitants
of aChaldea
for ball
their evil
that they have done
in Zion
before your eyes
," declares
the LORD
.
"Behold, aI am against
you, bO destroying
mountain
, Who destroys
the whole
earth
," declares
the LORD
, "And I will stretch
out My hand
against
you, And roll
you down
from the crags
, And I will make
you a cburnt
out mountain
.
"They will not take from you even a stone
for a corner
Nor
a stone
for foundations
, But you will be adesolate
forever
," declares
the LORD
.
aLift up a 1signal
in the land
, Blow
a trumpet
among the nations
! Consecrate
the nations
against
her, Summon
against
her the bkingdoms
of cArarat
, Minni
and dAshkenaz
; Appoint
a marshal
against
her, Bring
up the ehorses
like bristly
locusts
.
Consecrate the nations
against
her, The kings
of the Medes
, 1Their governors
and all
1their 2prefects
, And every
land
of 3their dominion
.
So the aland quakes
and writhes
, For the purposes
of the LORD
against
Babylon
stand
, To make
the land
of Babylon
1A bdesolation
without
inhabitants
.
The amighty men
of Babylon
have ceased
fighting
, They stay
in the strongholds
; bTheir strength
is 1exhausted
, They are becoming
blike women
; Their dwelling
places
are set
on fire
, The cbars
of her gates are broken
.
One 1 acourier runs
to meet
1another
, And one 2 bmessenger
to meet
2another
, To tell
the king
of Babylon
That his city
has been captured
from end
to end;
The fords also have been seized
, And they have burned
the marshes
with fire
, And the men
of war
are terrified
.
For thus says
the LORD
of hosts
, the God
of Israel
: "The daughter
of Babylon
is like a athreshing
floor
At the time
1it is stamped
firm
; Yet
in a little
while
the time
of bharvest
will come
for her."
"Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon
has adevoured
me and crushed
me, He has set
me down
like an bempty
vessel
; He has cswallowed
me like a monster
, He has filled
his stomach
with my delicacies
; He has washed
me away
.
"May the aviolence done to me and to my flesh
be upon Babylon
," The 1inhabitant
of Zion
will say
; And, "May my blood
be upon the inhabitants
of Chaldea
," Jerusalem
will say
.
Therefore thus
says
the LORD
, "Behold
, I am going to aplead
your case
And bexact
full
vengeance
for you; And cI will dry
up her 1sea
And make
her fountain
dry
.
" aBabylon will become
a heap
of ruins, a haunt
of jackals
, An bobject
of horror
and hissing
, without
inhabitants
.
"They will roar together
like ayoung
lions
, They will growl
like lions'
cubs
.
"When they become heated
up, I will serve
them their banquet
And amake
them drunk
, that they may become
jubilant
And may bsleep
a perpetual
sleep
And not wake
up," declares
the LORD
.
"I will bring them down
like 1lambs
ato the slaughter
, Like rams
together
with male
goats
.
"How 1 aSheshak
has been captured
, And bthe praise
of the whole
earth
been seized
! How
Babylon
has become
an object
of horror
among the nations
!
"The 1 asea has come
up over
Babylon
; She has been engulfed
with its tumultuous
waves
.
"Her cities have become
an aobject
of horror
, A parched
land
and a desert
, A land
in which
bno
man
lives
And through
which
no
son
of man
passes
.
" aI will punish Bel
in Babylon
, And I will make what
he has swallowed
bcome
out of his mouth
; And the nations
will no
longer
cstream
to him. Even
the dwall
of Babylon
has fallen
down
!
" aCome forth
from her midst
, My people
, And each
of you bsave
yourselves
From the fierce
anger
of the LORD
.
"Now aso that your heart
does not grow
faint
, And you are not afraid
at the breport
that will be heard
in the land
-- For the report
will come
1one year
, And after
that 2another report
in 2another year
, And violence
will be in the land
With cruler
against
ruler
--
Therefore behold
, days
are coming
When I will punish
the aidols
of Babylon
; And her whole
land
will be bput
to shame
And all
her slain
will fall
in her midst
.
"Then aheaven and earth
and all
that is in them Will shout
for joy
over
Babylon
, For bthe destroyers
will come
to her from the north
," Declares
the LORD
.
aIndeed Babylon
is to fall
for the slain
of Israel
, As also
for Babylon
bthe slain
of all
the earth
have fallen
.
You awho have escaped
the sword
, Depart
! Do not stay
! bRemember
the LORD
from afar
, And let Jerusalem
1come
to your mind
.
aWe are ashamed because
we have heard
reproach
; Disgrace
has covered
our faces
, For baliens
have entered
The holy
places
of the LORD'S
house
.
"Therefore behold
, the days
are coming
," declares
the LORD
, "When I will punish
her aidols
, And the mortally
wounded
will groan
throughout
her land
.
"Though Babylon
should aascend
to the heavens
, And though
she should fortify
1her lofty
stronghold
, From bMe destroyers
will come
to her," declares
the LORD
.
The asound of an outcry
from Babylon
, And of great
destruction
from the land
of the Chaldeans
!
For the LORD is going to destroy
Babylon
, And He will make
her loud
1noise
vanish
from her. And their awaves
will roar
like many
waters
; The tumult
of their voices
2sounds
forth
.
For the adestroyer is coming
against
her, against
Babylon
, And her mighty
men
will be captured
, Their bbows
are shattered
; For the LORD
is a God
of crecompense
, He will fully
repay
.
"I will amake her princes
and her wise
men
drunk
, Her governors
, her prefects
and her mighty
men
, That they may sleep
a bperpetual
sleep
and not wake
up," cDeclares
the King
, whose name
is the LORD
of hosts
.
Thus says
the LORD
of hosts
, "The broad
awall
of Babylon
will be completely
razed
And her high
bgates
will be set
on fire
; So the peoples
will ctoil
for nothing
, And the nations
become
dexhausted
only for fire
."
The 1message which
Jeremiah
the prophet
commanded
Seraiah
the son
of aNeriah
, the grandson
of Mahseiah
, when he went
with bZedekiah
the king
of Judah
to Babylon
in the fourth
year
of his reign
. (Now Seraiah
was quartermaster
.)
So Jeremiah awrote
in a single
1scroll
all
the calamity
which
would come
upon Babylon
, that is, all
these
words
which have been written
concerning
Babylon
.
Then Jeremiah said
to Seraiah
, "As soon as you come
to Babylon
, then see
that you read
all
these
words
aloud,
and say, `You, O LORD
, have 1promised
concerning
this
place
to acut
it off
, so that there will be bnothing
dwelling
in it, 2whether
man
or beast
, but it will be a perpetual
desolation
.'
"And as soon as you finish reading
this
1scroll
, you will tie
a stone
to it and athrow
it into the middle
of the Euphrates
,
and say, `Just
so
shall Babylon
sink
down
and anot rise
again because
of the calamity
that I am going to bring
upon her; and they will become
bexhausted
.' " cThus
far
are the words
of Jeremiah
.