Jeremiah 51:11-64

111Sharpen 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 2vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple.123Lift up a 4signal against the walls of Babylon; Post a strong guard, Station 5sentries, Place men in ambush! For the Lord has both 6purposed and performed What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.13O you who 7dwell by many waters, Abundant in 8treasures, Your end has come, The 9measure of your 1011end.14The 12Lord of hosts has sworn by Himself: “Surely I will fill you with a 13population like 14locusts, And they will cry out with 15shouts of victory over you.”

15It is 16He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, And by His understanding He 17stretched out the heavens.16When He utters His 18voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the 19clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain And brings forth the 20wind from His storehouses.1721All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his 22idols, For his molten images are 23deceitful, And there is no breath in them.18They are 24worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish.19The 25portion of Jacob is not like these; For the 26Maker of all is He, And of the 27tribe of His inheritance; The 28Lord of hosts is His name.20He says, “You are My 2930war-club, My weapon of war; And with you I 31shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms.21With you I 32shatter the horse and his rider, And with you I shatter the 33chariot and its rider,22And with you I shatter 34man and woman, And with you I shatter old man and 35youth, 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 36Chaldea for 37all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes,” declares the Lord.25“Behold, 38I am against you, 39O 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 40burnt out mountain.26They will not take from you even a stone for a corner Nor a stone for foundations, But you will be 41desolate forever,” declares the Lord.

2742Lift up a 43signal in the land, Blow a trumpet among the nations! Consecrate the nations against her, Summon against her the 44kingdoms of 45Ararat, Minni and 46Ashkenaz; Appoint a marshal against her, Bring up the 47horses like bristly locusts.28Consecrate the nations against her, The kings of the Medes, 48Their governors and all 49their 50prefects, And every land of 51their dominion.29So the 52land quakes and writhes, For the purposes of the Lord against Babylon stand, To make the land of Babylon 53A 54desolation without inhabitants.30The 55mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting, They stay in the strongholds; 56Their strength is 57exhausted, They are becoming 58like women; Their dwelling places are set on fire, The 59bars of her gates are broken.31One 6061courier runs to meet 62another, And one 6364messenger to meet 65another, 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 66threshing floor At the time 67it is stamped firm; Yet in a little while the time of 68harvest will come for her.”

34“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has 69devoured me and crushed me, He has set me down like an 70empty vessel; He has 71swallowed me like a monster, He has filled his stomach with my delicacies; He has washed me away.35May the 72violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,” The 73inhabitant 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 74plead your case And 75exact full vengeance for you; And 76I will dry up her 77sea And make her fountain dry.3778Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, An 79object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.38They will roar together like 80young lions, They will growl like lions’ cubs.39When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet And 81make them drunk, that they may become jubilant And may 82sleep a perpetual sleep And not wake up,” declares the Lord.40“I will bring them down like 83lambs 84to the slaughter, Like rams together with male goats.

41“How 8586Sheshak has been captured, And 87the praise of the whole earth been seized! How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!42The 8889sea has come up over Babylon; She has been engulfed with its tumultuous waves.43Her cities have become an 90object of horror, A parched land and a desert, A land in which 91no man lives And through which no son of man passes.4492I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will make what he has swallowed 93come out of his mouth; And the nations will no longer 94stream to him. Even the 95wall of Babylon has fallen down!

45“96Come forth from her midst, My people, And each of you 97save yourselves From the fierce anger of the Lord.46Now 98so that your heart does not grow faint, And you are not afraid at the 99report that will be heard in the land-- For the report will come 100one year, And after that 101another report in 102another year, And violence will be in the land With 103ruler against ruler--47Therefore behold, days are coming When I will punish the 104idols of Babylon; And her whole land will be 105put to shame And all her slain will fall in her midst.48Then 106heaven and earth and all that is in them Will shout for joy over Babylon, For 107the destroyers will come to her from the north,” Declares the Lord.

49108Indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel, As also for Babylon 109the slain of all the earth have fallen.50You 110who have escaped the sword, Depart! Do not stay! 111Remember the Lord from afar, And let Jerusalem 112come to your mind.51113We are ashamed because we have heard reproach; Disgrace has covered our faces, For 114aliens 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 115idols, And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.53Though Babylon should 116ascend to the heavens, And though she should fortify 117her lofty stronghold, From 118Me destroyers will come to her,” declares the Lord.

54The 119sound 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 120noise vanish from her. And their 121waves will roar like many waters; The tumult of their voices 122sounds forth.56For the 123destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men will be captured, Their 124bows are shattered; For the Lord is a God of 125recompense, He will fully repay.57“I will 126make her princes and her wise men drunk, Her governors, her prefects and her mighty men, That they may sleep a 127perpetual sleep and not wake up,” 128Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts. 58Thus says the Lord of hosts, “The broad 129wall of Babylon will be completely razed And her high 130gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will 131toil for nothing, And the nations become 132exhausted only for fire.”

59The 133message which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of 134Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with 135Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (Now Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60So Jeremiah 136wrote in a single 137scroll 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 138promised concerning this place to 139cut it off, so that there will be 140nothing dwelling in it, 141whether man or beast, but it will be a perpetual desolation.’ 63And as soon as you finish reading this 142scroll, you will tie a stone to it and 143throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and 144not rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become 145exhausted.’” 146Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.