Jeremiah 51

Babylon Judged for Sins against Israel

1This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to stir up 1The 2spirit of a destroyer against Babylon And against the inhabitants of 3Leb-kamai.2I will send 4foreigners to Babylon so that they may 5winnow her And devastate her land; For they will be opposed to her on every side On the day of her disaster.3Let not 6him who 78bends his bow 9bend it, Nor let him rise up in his 10coat of armor. Do not spare her young men; Devote all her army to destruction.4They will fall down 11dead in the land of the Chaldeans, And 12pierced through in their streets.”

5For 13neither Israel nor Judah has been 14forsaken By his God, the Lord of armies, Although their land is 15full of guilt 16Before the Holy One of Israel.617Flee from the midst of Babylon, And each of you save his life! Do not 18perish in her 19punishment, For this is the 20Lord’s time of vengeance; He is going to 21repay to her what she deserves.7Babylon has been a golden 22cup in the hand of the Lord, Intoxicating all the earth. The 23nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are 24going insane.8Suddenly 25Babylon has fallen and been broken; 26Wail over her! 27Bring 28balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed.9We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; Abandon her and 29let’s each go to his own country, For her judgment has 30reached to heaven And it rises to the clouds.10The Lord has 31brought 32about our vindication; Come and let’s 33recount in Zion The work of the Lord our God!

1134Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, Because His plan is against Babylon to destroy it; For it is the 35vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple.1236Lift up a signal flag against the walls of Babylon; Post a strong guard, Station 37sentries, Set up an ambush! For the Lord has both 38planned and performed What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.13You who 39live by many waters, Abundant in 40treasures, Your end has come, The 41measure of your 4243end.14The 44Lord of armies has sworn by Himself: “I will certainly fill you with a 45population like 46locusts, And they will cry out with shouts of victory over you.”

15It is 47He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, And by His understanding He 48stretched out the heavens.16When He utters His 49voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens, And He makes the 50clouds ascend from the end of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain And brings out 51wind from His storehouses.1752Every person is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his 53idols, For his cast metal images are 54deceitful, And there is no breath in them.18They are 55worthless, a work of mockery; At the time of their punishment they will perish.19The 56portion of Jacob is not like these; For He is the 57Maker of everything, And of the 58tribe of His inheritance; The 59Lord of armies is His name.20He says, “You are My 6061war-club, My weapon of war; And with you I 62shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms.21With you I 63shatter the horse and his rider, And with you I shatter the 64chariot and its rider,22And with you I shatter 65man and woman, And with you I shatter the old man and 66youth, And with you I shatter the 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 officials.

24“But I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of 67Chaldea for 68all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes,” declares the Lord.25“Behold, 69I am against you, mountain of 70destruction That destroys the whole earth,” declares the Lord, “And I will stretch out My hand against you, And roll you down from the rocky cliffs, And I will make you a 71burnt out mountain.26They will not take from you even a stone for a corner Nor a stone for foundations, But you will be 72desolate forever,” declares the Lord.

2773Lift up a signal flag in the land, Blow a trumpet among the nations! Consecrate the nations against her, Summon against her the 74kingdoms of 75Ararat, Minni, and 76Ashkenaz; Appoint an officer against her, Bring up the 77horses like bristly locusts.28Consecrate the nations against her, The kings of the Medes, 78Their governors and all 79their officials, And every land 80under their control.29So the 81land quakes and writhes, For the plans of the Lord against Babylon stand, To make the land of Babylon 82A 83desolation without inhabitants.30The 84warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting, They stay in the strongholds; 85Their strength is 86exhausted, They are becoming 87like women; Their homes are set on fire, The 88bars of her gates are broken.31One 8990courier runs to meet 91another, And one 9293messenger to meet 94another, To tell the king of Babylon That his city has been captured from end to end;32The river crossing places have been seized, And they have burned the marshes with fire, And the men of war are terrified.

33For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “The daughter of Babylon is like a 95threshing floor At the time that 96it is tread down; In just a little while the time of 97harvest will come for her.”

34“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has 98devoured me, he has crushed me, He has set me down like an 99empty vessel; He has 100swallowed me like a monster, He has filled his stomach with my delicacies; He has washed me away.35May the 101violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,” The 102inhabitant of Zion will say; And, “May my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,” Jerusalem will say. 36Therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to 103plead your case And 104take vengeance for you; And 105I will dry up her 106sea And make her fountain dry.37107Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, An 108object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.38They will roar together like 109young lions, They will growl like lions’ cubs.39When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet And 110make them drunk, so that they may rejoice in triumph, And may 111sleep a perpetual sleep And not wake up,” declares the Lord.40“I will bring them down like 112lambs 113to the slaughter, Like rams together with male goats.

41“How 114115Sheshak has been captured, And 116the praise of the whole earth has been seized! How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!42The 117118sea has come up over Babylon; She has been engulfed by its roaring waves.43Her cities have become an 119object of horror, A dry land and a desert, A land in which 120no one lives And through which no 121one of mankind passes.44122I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will make what he has swallowed 123come out of his mouth; And the nations will no longer 124stream toward him. Even the 125wall of Babylon has fallen down!

45“126Come out from her midst, My people, And each of you 127save yourselves From the fierce anger of the Lord.46Now, 128so that your heart does not grow faint, And you are not afraid at the 129report that will be heard in the land-- For the report will come in 130one year, And after that 131another report in 132another year, And violence will be in the land With 133ruler against ruler--47Therefore behold, days are coming When I will punish the 134idols of Babylon; And her whole land will be 135put to shame. And all her slain will fall in her midst.48Then 136heaven and earth and everything that is in them Will shout for joy over Babylon, Because 137the destroyers will come to her from the north,” Declares the Lord.

49138Indeed, Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel, As 139the slain of all the earth have also fallen for Babylon.50You 140who have escaped the sword, Go! Do not stay! 141Remember the Lord from far away, And let Jerusalem 142come to your mind.51143We are ashamed because we have heard rebuke; Disgrace has covered our faces, Because 144strangers 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 145idols, And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.53Though Babylon 146ascends to the heavens, And though she fortifies 147her lofty stronghold, Destroyers will come from 148Me to her,” declares the Lord.

54The 149sound 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 150noise vanish from her. And their 151waves will roar like many waters; The clamor of their voices 152sounds forth.56For the 153destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, And her warriors will be captured, Their 154bows shattered; For the Lord is a God of 155retribution, He will fully repay.57“I will 156make her leaders and her wise men drunk, Her governors, her officials, and her warriors, So that they will sleep a 157perpetual sleep and not wake up,” 158Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of armies. 58This is what the Lord of armies says: “The broad 159wall of Babylon will be completely demolished, And her high 160gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will 161labor for nothing, And the nations become 162exhausted only for fire.”

59The 163command that Jeremiah the prophet 164gave Seraiah the son of 165Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with 166Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (And Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60Jeremiah 167wrote 168on a single scroll all the disaster which would come against Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon. 61Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud, 62and say, ‘You, Lord, have 169promised concerning this place to 170cut it off, so that there will be 171nothing living in it, 172whether man or animal; but it will be a permanent desolation.’ 63And as soon as you finish reading this 173scroll, you shall tie a stone to it and 174throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and 175not rise again, because of the disaster that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become 176exhausted.’” 177To this point are the words of Jeremiah.