Jeremiah 51:12-58

121Lift up a 2signal against the walls of Babylon; Post a strong guard, Station 3sentries, Place men in ambush! For the Lord has both 4purposed and performed What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.13O you who 5dwell by many waters, Abundant in 6treasures, Your end has come, The 7measure of your 89end.14The 10Lord of hosts has sworn by Himself: “Surely I will fill you with a 11population like 12locusts, And they will cry out with 13shouts of victory over you.”

15It is 14He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, And by His understanding He 15stretched out the heavens.16When He utters His 16voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the 17clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain And brings forth the 18wind from His storehouses.1719All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his 20idols, For his molten images are 21deceitful, And there is no breath in them.18They are 22worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish.19The 23portion of Jacob is not like these; For the 24Maker of all is He, And of the 25tribe of His inheritance; The 26Lord of hosts is His name.20He says, “You are My 2728war-club, My weapon of war; And with you I 29shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms.21With you I 30shatter the horse and his rider, And with you I shatter the 31chariot and its rider,22And with you I shatter 32man and woman, And with you I shatter old man and 33youth, 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 34Chaldea for 35all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes,” declares the Lord.25“Behold, 36I am against you, 37O 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 38burnt out mountain.26They will not take from you even a stone for a corner Nor a stone for foundations, But you will be 39desolate forever,” declares the Lord.

2740Lift up a 41signal in the land, Blow a trumpet among the nations! Consecrate the nations against her, Summon against her the 42kingdoms of 43Ararat, Minni and 44Ashkenaz; Appoint a marshal against her, Bring up the 45horses like bristly locusts.28Consecrate the nations against her, The kings of the Medes, 46Their governors and all 47their 48prefects, And every land of 49their dominion.29So the 50land quakes and writhes, For the purposes of the Lord against Babylon stand, To make the land of Babylon 51A 52desolation without inhabitants.30The 53mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting, They stay in the strongholds; 54Their strength is 55exhausted, They are becoming 56like women; Their dwelling places are set on fire, The 57bars of her gates are broken.31One 5859courier runs to meet 60another, And one 6162messenger to meet 63another, 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 64threshing floor At the time 65it is stamped firm; Yet in a little while the time of 66harvest will come for her.”

34“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has 67devoured me and crushed me, He has set me down like an 68empty vessel; He has 69swallowed me like a monster, He has filled his stomach with my delicacies; He has washed me away.35May the 70violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,” The 71inhabitant 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 72plead your case And 73exact full vengeance for you; And 74I will dry up her 75sea And make her fountain dry.3776Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, An 77object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.38They will roar together like 78young lions, They will growl like lions’ cubs.39When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet And 79make them drunk, that they may become jubilant And may 80sleep a perpetual sleep And not wake up,” declares the Lord.40“I will bring them down like 81lambs 82to the slaughter, Like rams together with male goats.

41“How 8384Sheshak has been captured, And 85the praise of the whole earth been seized! How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!42The 8687sea has come up over Babylon; She has been engulfed with its tumultuous waves.43Her cities have become an 88object of horror, A parched land and a desert, A land in which 89no man lives And through which no son of man passes.4490I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will make what he has swallowed 91come out of his mouth; And the nations will no longer 92stream to him. Even the 93wall of Babylon has fallen down!

45“94Come forth from her midst, My people, And each of you 95save yourselves From the fierce anger of the Lord.46Now 96so that your heart does not grow faint, And you are not afraid at the 97report that will be heard in the land-- For the report will come 98one year, And after that 99another report in 100another year, And violence will be in the land With 101ruler against ruler--47Therefore behold, days are coming When I will punish the 102idols of Babylon; And her whole land will be 103put to shame And all her slain will fall in her midst.48Then 104heaven and earth and all that is in them Will shout for joy over Babylon, For 105the destroyers will come to her from the north,” Declares the Lord.

49106Indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel, As also for Babylon 107the slain of all the earth have fallen.50You 108who have escaped the sword, Depart! Do not stay! 109Remember the Lord from afar, And let Jerusalem 110come to your mind.51111We are ashamed because we have heard reproach; Disgrace has covered our faces, For 112aliens 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 113idols, And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.53Though Babylon should 114ascend to the heavens, And though she should fortify 115her lofty stronghold, From 116Me destroyers will come to her,” declares the Lord.

54The 117sound 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 118noise vanish from her. And their 119waves will roar like many waters; The tumult of their voices 120sounds forth.56For the 121destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men will be captured, Their 122bows are shattered; For the Lord is a God of 123recompense, He will fully repay.57“I will 124make her princes and her wise men drunk, Her governors, her prefects and her mighty men, That they may sleep a 125perpetual sleep and not wake up,” 126Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts. 58Thus says the Lord of hosts, “The broad 127wall of Babylon will be completely razed And her high 128gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will 129toil for nothing, And the nations become 130exhausted only for fire.”