Jeremiah 50:1-19

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.