Jeremiah 51

Babylon Judged for Sins against Israel

1Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am going to arouse against Babylon And against the inhabitants of 1Leb-kamai 2The 3spirit of a destroyer.2I will dispatch 4foreigners to Babylon that they may 5winnow her And may devastate her land; For on every side they will be opposed to her In the day of her calamity.36Let not 7him who 89bends his bow 10bend it, 11Nor let him rise up in his 12scale-armor; So do not spare her young men; Devote all her army to destruction.4They will fall down 13slain in the land of the Chaldeans, And 14pierced through in their streets.”

5For 15neither Israel nor Judah has been 16forsaken By his God, the Lord of hosts, Although their land is 17full of guilt 18Before the Holy One of Israel.619Flee from the midst of Babylon, And each of you save his life! Do not be 2021destroyed in her 22punishment, For this is the 23Lord’s time of vengeance; He is going to 24render recompense to her.7Babylon has been a golden 25cup in the hand of the Lord, Intoxicating all the earth. The 26nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are 27going mad.8Suddenly 28Babylon has fallen and been broken; 29Wail over her! 30Bring 31balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed.9We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; Forsake her and 32let us each go to his own country, For her judgment has 33reached to heaven And 34towers up to the very skies.10The Lord has 35brought 36about our vindication; Come and let us 37recount in Zion The work of the Lord our God!

1138Sharpen 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 39vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple.1240Lift up a 41signal against the walls of Babylon; Post a strong guard, Station 42sentries, Place men in ambush! For the Lord has both 43purposed and performed What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.13O you who 44dwell by many waters, Abundant in 45treasures, Your end has come, The 46measure of your 4748end.14The 49Lord of hosts has sworn by Himself: “Surely I will fill you with a 50population like 51locusts, And they will cry out with 52shouts of victory over you.”

15It is 53He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, And by His understanding He 54stretched out the heavens.16When He utters His 55voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the 56clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain And brings forth the 57wind from His storehouses.1758All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his 59idols, For his molten images are 60deceitful, And there is no breath in them.18They are 61worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish.19The 62portion of Jacob is not like these; For the 63Maker of all is He, And of the 64tribe of His inheritance; The 65Lord of hosts is His name.20He says, “You are My 6667war-club, My weapon of war; And with you I 68shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms.21With you I 69shatter the horse and his rider, And with you I shatter the 70chariot and its rider,22And with you I shatter 71man and woman, And with you I shatter old man and 72youth, And with you I shatter young man and virgin,23And 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.

24“But I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of 73Chaldea for 74all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes,” declares the Lord.25“Behold, 75I am against you, 76O 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 77burnt out mountain.26They will not take from you even a stone for a corner Nor a stone for foundations, But you will be 78desolate forever,” declares the Lord.

2779Lift up a 80signal in the land, Blow a trumpet among the nations! Consecrate the nations against her, Summon against her the 81kingdoms of 82Ararat, Minni and 83Ashkenaz; Appoint a marshal against her, Bring up the 84horses like bristly locusts.28Consecrate the nations against her, The kings of the Medes, 85Their governors and all 86their 87prefects, And every land of 88their dominion.29So the 89land quakes and writhes, For the purposes of the Lord against Babylon stand, To make the land of Babylon 90A 91desolation without inhabitants.30The 92mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting, They stay in the strongholds; 93Their strength is 94exhausted, They are becoming 95like women; Their dwelling places are set on fire, The 96bars of her gates are broken.31One 9798courier runs to meet 99another, And one 100101messenger to meet 102another, To tell the king of Babylon That his city has been captured from end to end;32The fords also have been seized, And they have burned the marshes with fire, And the men of war are terrified.

33For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “The daughter of Babylon is like a 103threshing floor At the time 104it is stamped firm; Yet in a little while the time of 105harvest will come for her.”

34“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has 106devoured me and crushed me, He has set me down like an 107empty vessel; He has 108swallowed me like a monster, He has filled his stomach with my delicacies; He has washed me away.35May the 109violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,” The 110inhabitant of Zion will say; And, “May my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,” Jerusalem will say. 36Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am going to 111plead your case And 112exact full vengeance for you; And 113I will dry up her 114sea And make her fountain dry.37115Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, An 116object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.38They will roar together like 117young lions, They will growl like lions’ cubs.39When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet And 118make them drunk, that they may become jubilant And may 119sleep a perpetual sleep And not wake up,” declares the Lord.40“I will bring them down like 120lambs 121to the slaughter, Like rams together with male goats.

41“How 122123Sheshak has been captured, And 124the praise of the whole earth been seized! How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!42The 125126sea has come up over Babylon; She has been engulfed with its tumultuous waves.43Her cities have become an 127object of horror, A parched land and a desert, A land in which 128no man lives And through which no son of man passes.44129I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will make what he has swallowed 130come out of his mouth; And the nations will no longer 131stream to him. Even the 132wall of Babylon has fallen down!

45“133Come forth from her midst, My people, And each of you 134save yourselves From the fierce anger of the Lord.46Now 135so that your heart does not grow faint, And you are not afraid at the 136report that will be heard in the land-- For the report will come 137one year, And after that 138another report in 139another year, And violence will be in the land With 140ruler against ruler--47Therefore behold, days are coming When I will punish the 141idols of Babylon; And her whole land will be 142put to shame And all her slain will fall in her midst.48Then 143heaven and earth and all that is in them Will shout for joy over Babylon, For 144the destroyers will come to her from the north,” Declares the Lord.

49145Indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel, As also for Babylon 146the slain of all the earth have fallen.50You 147who have escaped the sword, Depart! Do not stay! 148Remember the Lord from afar, And let Jerusalem 149come to your mind.51150We are ashamed because we have heard reproach; Disgrace has covered our faces, For 151aliens have entered The holy places of the Lord’s house.

52“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will punish her 152idols, And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.53Though Babylon should 153ascend to the heavens, And though she should fortify 154her lofty stronghold, From 155Me destroyers will come to her,” declares the Lord.

54The 156sound of an outcry from Babylon, And of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!55For the Lord is going to destroy Babylon, And He will make her loud 157noise vanish from her. And their 158waves will roar like many waters; The tumult of their voices 159sounds forth.56For the 160destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men will be captured, Their 161bows are shattered; For the Lord is a God of 162recompense, He will fully repay.57“I will 163make her princes and her wise men drunk, Her governors, her prefects and her mighty men, That they may sleep a 164perpetual sleep and not wake up,” 165Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts. 58Thus says the Lord of hosts, “The broad 166wall of Babylon will be completely razed And her high 167gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will 168toil for nothing, And the nations become 169exhausted only for fire.”

59The 170message which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of 171Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with 172Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (Now Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60So Jeremiah 173wrote in a single 174scroll all the calamity which would come upon Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon. 61Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, then see that you read all these words aloud, 62and say, ‘You, O Lord, have 175promised concerning this place to 176cut it off, so that there will be 177nothing dwelling in it, 178whether man or beast, but it will be a perpetual desolation.’ 63And as soon as you finish reading this 179scroll, you will tie a stone to it and 180throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and 181not rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become 182exhausted.’” 183Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.