Jeremiah 50:2-28

2“1Declare and proclaim among the nations. Proclaim it and 2lift up a standard. Do not conceal it but say, ‘3Babylon has been captured, 4Bel has been put to shame, 5Marduk has been 6shattered; Her 7images have been put to shame, her idols have been shattered.’ 3For a nation has come up against her out of the 8north; it will make her land 9an object of horror, and there will be 10no 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 11as well; they will go along 12weeping as they go, and it will be 13the Lord their God they will seek. 5They will 14ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces 15in its direction; 16they 17will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an 18everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

6“My people have become 19lost sheep; 20Their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside on the 21mountains; They have gone along from mountain to hill And have forgotten their 22resting place.7All who came upon them have devoured them; And their adversaries have said, ‘23We are not guilty, Inasmuch as they have sinned against the Lord who is the 24habitation of righteousness, Even the Lord, the 25hope of their fathers.’

8“Wander away from the 26midst of Babylon And 27go forth from the land of the Chaldeans; Be also like male goats 28at the head of the flock.9For behold, I am going to 29arouse 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 30an expert warrior Who does not return empty-handed.103132Chaldea 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 33pillage My heritage, Because you skip about 34like a threshing 35heifer And neigh like 36stallions,12Your 37mother 38will be greatly ashamed, She who gave you birth 39will be humiliated. Behold, she will be the least of the nations, A 40wilderness, a parched land and a desert.13Because of the indignation of the Lord she will 41not be inhabited, But she will be 42completely desolate; Everyone who passes by Babylon 43will be horrified And will hiss because of all her wounds.14Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side, All you who 44bend the bow; Shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows, For she has 45sinned against the Lord.15Raise your battle cry against her on every side! She has 46given 47herself up, her pillars have fallen, Her 48walls have been torn down. For this is the 49vengeance of the Lord: Take vengeance on her; 50As she has done to others, so do to her.16Cut off the 51sower from Babylon And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest; From before 52the 53sword of the oppressor 54They will each turn back to his own people And they will each flee to his own land.

17“Israel is a 55scattered 56flock, the 57lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the 58king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is 59Nebuchadnezzar 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 60punished the king of Assyria. 19And I will 61bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his 62desire will be satisfied in the 63hill 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 64there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those 65whom I leave as a remnant.’

21“Against the land of 66Merathaim, go up against it, And against the inhabitants of 6768Pekod. Slay and 69utterly destroy them,” declares the Lord, “And do according to all that I have commanded you.22The 70noise of battle is in the land, And great destruction.23How the 71hammer of the whole earth Has been cut off and broken! How Babylon has become An object of horror among the nations!24I 72set a snare for you and you were also 73caught, O Babylon, While you yourself were not aware; You have been found and also seized Because you have engaged in 74conflict with the Lord.”25The Lord has opened His armory And has brought forth the 75weapons of His indignation, For it is a 76work of the Lord 77God of hosts In the land of the Chaldeans.26Come to her from the 78farthest border; 79Open up her barns, Pile her up like heaps And 8081utterly destroy her, Let nothing be left to her.2782Put all her young bulls to the sword; Let them 83go down to the slaughter! Woe be upon them, for their 84day has come, The time of their punishment.

28There is a 85sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon, To declare in Zion the 86vengeance of the Lord our God, Vengeance for His 87temple.