Jeremiah 50

Prophecy against Babylon

1The word which the Lord spoke concerning 1Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:2“2Declare and proclaim among the nations. Proclaim it and 3lift up a standard. Do not conceal it but say, ‘4Babylon has been captured, 5Bel has been put to shame, 6Marduk has been 7shattered; Her 8images have been put to shame, her idols have been shattered.’ 3For a nation has come up against her out of the 9north; it will make her land 10an object of horror, and there will be 11no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off, they have gone away!

4“In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah 12as well; they will go along 13weeping as they go, and it will be 14the Lord their God they will seek. 5They will 15ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces 16in its direction; 17they 18will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an 19everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

6“My people have become 20lost sheep; 21Their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside on the 22mountains; They have gone along from mountain to hill And have forgotten their 23resting place.7All who came upon them have devoured them; And their adversaries have said, ‘24We are not guilty, Inasmuch as they have sinned against the Lord who is the 25habitation of righteousness, Even the Lord, the 26hope of their fathers.’

8“Wander away from the 27midst of Babylon And 28go forth from the land of the Chaldeans; Be also like male goats 29at the head of the flock.9For behold, I am going to 30arouse and bring up against Babylon A horde of great nations from the land of the north, And they will draw up their battle lines against her; From there she will be taken captive. Their arrows will be like 31an expert warrior Who does not return empty-handed.103233Chaldea will become plunder; All who plunder her will have enough,” declares the Lord.

11“Because you are glad, because you are jubilant, O you who 34pillage My heritage, Because you skip about 35like a threshing 36heifer And neigh like 37stallions,12Your 38mother 39will be greatly ashamed, She who gave you birth 40will be humiliated. Behold, she will be the least of the nations, A 41wilderness, a parched land and a desert.13Because of the indignation of the Lord she will 42not be inhabited, But she will be 43completely desolate; Everyone who passes by Babylon 44will be horrified And will hiss because of all her wounds.14Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side, All you who 45bend the bow; Shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows, For she has 46sinned against the Lord.15Raise your battle cry against her on every side! She has 47given 48herself up, her pillars have fallen, Her 49walls have been torn down. For this is the 50vengeance of the Lord: Take vengeance on her; 51As she has done to others, so do to her.16Cut off the 52sower from Babylon And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest; From before 53the 54sword of the oppressor 55They will each turn back to his own people And they will each flee to his own land.

17“Israel is a 56scattered 57flock, the 58lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the 59king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is 60Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 18Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I 61punished the king of Assyria. 19And I will 62bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his 63desire will be satisfied in the 64hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. 20In those days and at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but 65there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those 66whom I leave as a remnant.’

21“Against the land of 67Merathaim, go up against it, And against the inhabitants of 6869Pekod. Slay and 70utterly destroy them,” declares the Lord, “And do according to all that I have commanded you.22The 71noise of battle is in the land, And great destruction.23How the 72hammer of the whole earth Has been cut off and broken! How Babylon has become An object of horror among the nations!24I 73set a snare for you and you were also 74caught, O Babylon, While you yourself were not aware; You have been found and also seized Because you have engaged in 75conflict with the Lord.”25The Lord has opened His armory And has brought forth the 76weapons of His indignation, For it is a 77work of the Lord 78God of hosts In the land of the Chaldeans.26Come to her from the 79farthest border; 80Open up her barns, Pile her up like heaps And 8182utterly destroy her, Let nothing be left to her.2783Put all her young bulls to the sword; Let them 84go down to the slaughter! Woe be upon them, for their 85day has come, The time of their punishment.

28There is a 86sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon, To declare in Zion the 87vengeance of the Lord our God, Vengeance for His 88temple.

29“Summon 89many against Babylon, All those who 90bend the bow: Encamp against her on every side, Let there be no escape91. Repay her according to her work; 92According to all that she has done, so do to her; For she has become 93arrogant against the Lord, Against the Holy One of Israel.30Therefore her 94young men will fall in her streets, And all her men of war will be 9596silenced in that day,” declares the Lord.31“Behold, 97I am against you, O 98arrogant one,” Declares the Lord 99God of hosts, “For your day has come, The time 100when I will punish you.32The 101102arrogant one will stumble and fall With no one to raise him up; And I will 103set fire to his cities And it will devour all his environs.”

33Thus says the Lord of hosts, “The sons of Israel are oppressed, And the sons of Judah as well; And 104all who took them captive have held them fast, They have refused to let them go.34Their 105Redeemer is strong, 106the Lord of hosts is His name; He will vigorously 107plead their case So that He may 108bring rest to 109the earth, But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.35A 110sword against the Chaldeans,” declares the Lord, “And against the inhabitants of Babylon And against her 111officials and her 112wise men!36A sword against the 113oracle priests, and they will become fools! A sword against her 114mighty men, and they will be 115116shattered!37A sword against 117their 118horses and against 119their chariots And against all the 120121foreigners who are in the midst of her, And they will become 122women! A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!38A 123124drought on her waters, and they will be dried up! For it is a land of 125idols, And they are mad over fearsome idols.

39“Therefore the 126desert creatures will live there along with the jackals; The ostriches also will live in it, And it will 127never again be inhabited Or dwelt in from generation to generation.40As when God overthrew 128Sodom And Gomorrah with its neighbors,” declares the Lord, “No man will live there, Nor will any son of man reside in it.

41“Behold, a people is coming 129from the north, And a great nation and many kings Will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.42They 130seize their bow and javelin; They are 131cruel and have no mercy. Their 132voice roars like the sea; And they ride on 133horses, 134Marshalled like a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Babylon.43The 135king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands hang limp; 136Distress has gripped him, Agony like a woman in childbirth.

44“137Behold, one will come up like a lion from the 138thicket of the Jordan to 139a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make them run away from it, and whoever is 140chosen I will appoint over it. For who is 141like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can 142stand before Me?” 45Therefore hear the 143plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: 144surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their 145pasture desolate because of them. 46At the 146shout, “Babylon has been seized!” the 147earth is shaken, and an 148outcry is heard among the nations.