Jeremiah 51:12-58

121Lift up a signal flag against the walls of Babylon; Post a strong guard, Station 2sentries, Set up an ambush! For the Lord has both 3planned and performed What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.13You who 4live by many waters, Abundant in 5treasures, Your end has come, The 6measure of your 78end.14The 9Lord of armies has sworn by Himself: “I will certainly fill you with a 10population like 11locusts, And they will cry out with shouts of victory over you.”

15It is 12He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, And by His understanding He 13stretched out the heavens.16When He utters His 14voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens, And He makes the 15clouds ascend from the end of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain And brings out 16wind from His storehouses.1717Every person is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his 18idols, For his cast metal images are 19deceitful, And there is no breath in them.18They are 20worthless, a work of mockery; At the time of their punishment they will perish.19The 21portion of Jacob is not like these; For He is the 22Maker of everything, And of the 23tribe of His inheritance; The 24Lord of armies is His name.20He says, “You are My 2526war-club, My weapon of war; And with you I 27shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms.21With you I 28shatter the horse and his rider, And with you I shatter the 29chariot and its rider,22And with you I shatter 30man and woman, And with you I shatter the old man and 31youth, 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 32Chaldea for 33all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes,” declares the Lord.25“Behold, 34I am against you, mountain of 35destruction 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 36burnt out mountain.26They will not take from you even a stone for a corner Nor a stone for foundations, But you will be 37desolate forever,” declares the Lord.

2738Lift up a signal flag in the land, Blow a trumpet among the nations! Consecrate the nations against her, Summon against her the 39kingdoms of 40Ararat, Minni, and 41Ashkenaz; Appoint an officer against her, Bring up the 42horses like bristly locusts.28Consecrate the nations against her, The kings of the Medes, 43Their governors and all 44their officials, And every land 45under their control.29So the 46land quakes and writhes, For the plans of the Lord against Babylon stand, To make the land of Babylon 47A 48desolation without inhabitants.30The 49warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting, They stay in the strongholds; 50Their strength is 51exhausted, They are becoming 52like women; Their homes are set on fire, The 53bars of her gates are broken.31One 5455courier runs to meet 56another, And one 5758messenger to meet 59another, 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 60threshing floor At the time that 61it is tread down; In just a little while the time of 62harvest will come for her.”

34“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has 63devoured me, he has crushed me, He has set me down like an 64empty vessel; He has 65swallowed me like a monster, He has filled his stomach with my delicacies; He has washed me away.35May the 66violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,” The 67inhabitant 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 68plead your case And 69take vengeance for you; And 70I will dry up her 71sea And make her fountain dry.3772Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, An 73object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.38They will roar together like 74young lions, They will growl like lions’ cubs.39When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet And 75make them drunk, so that they may rejoice in triumph, And may 76sleep a perpetual sleep And not wake up,” declares the Lord.40“I will bring them down like 77lambs 78to the slaughter, Like rams together with male goats.

41“How 7980Sheshak has been captured, And 81the praise of the whole earth has been seized! How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!42The 8283sea has come up over Babylon; She has been engulfed by its roaring waves.43Her cities have become an 84object of horror, A dry land and a desert, A land in which 85no one lives And through which no 86one of mankind passes.4487I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will make what he has swallowed 88come out of his mouth; And the nations will no longer 89stream toward him. Even the 90wall of Babylon has fallen down!

45“91Come out from her midst, My people, And each of you 92save yourselves From the fierce anger of the Lord.46Now, 93so that your heart does not grow faint, And you are not afraid at the 94report that will be heard in the land-- For the report will come in 95one year, And after that 96another report in 97another year, And violence will be in the land With 98ruler against ruler--47Therefore behold, days are coming When I will punish the 99idols of Babylon; And her whole land will be 100put to shame. And all her slain will fall in her midst.48Then 101heaven and earth and everything that is in them Will shout for joy over Babylon, Because 102the destroyers will come to her from the north,” Declares the Lord.

49103Indeed, Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel, As 104the slain of all the earth have also fallen for Babylon.50You 105who have escaped the sword, Go! Do not stay! 106Remember the Lord from far away, And let Jerusalem 107come to your mind.51108We are ashamed because we have heard rebuke; Disgrace has covered our faces, Because 109strangers 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 110idols, And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.53Though Babylon 111ascends to the heavens, And though she fortifies 112her lofty stronghold, Destroyers will come from 113Me to her,” declares the Lord.

54The 114sound 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 115noise vanish from her. And their 116waves will roar like many waters; The clamor of their voices 117sounds forth.56For the 118destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, And her warriors will be captured, Their 119bows shattered; For the Lord is a God of 120retribution, He will fully repay.57“I will 121make her leaders and her wise men drunk, Her governors, her officials, and her warriors, So that they will sleep a 122perpetual sleep and not wake up,” 123Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of armies. 58This is what the Lord of armies says: “The broad 124wall of Babylon will be completely demolished, And her high 125gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will 126labor for nothing, And the nations become 127exhausted only for fire.”