Bible: Jeremiah 46-51
Prophecies Against Foreign Nations 1
46:1 The
The Prophecy about Egypt’s Defeat at Carchemish
46:2 He spoke about Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt which was encamped along the Euphrates River at Carchemish. Now this was the army that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling 3 over Judah. 4
46:3 “Fall into ranks with your shields ready! 5
Prepare to march into battle!
46:4 Harness the horses to the chariots!
Mount your horses!
Put on your helmets and take your positions!
Sharpen you spears!
Put on your armor!
46:5 What do I see?” 6 says the
“The soldiers 8 are terrified.
They are retreating.
They have been defeated.
They are overcome with terror; 9
they desert quickly
without looking back.
46:6 But even the swiftest cannot get away.
Even the strongest cannot escape. 10
There in the north by the Euphrates River
they stumble and fall in defeat. 11
46:7 “Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like its streams 12 turbulent at flood stage?
46:8 Egypt rises like the Nile,
like its streams turbulent at flood stage.
Egypt says, ‘I will arise and cover the earth.
I will destroy cities and the people who inhabit them.’
46:9 Go ahead and 13 charge into battle, you horsemen!
Drive furiously, you charioteers!
Let the soldiers march out into battle,
those from Ethiopia and Libya who carry shields,
and those from Lydia 14 who are armed with the bow. 15
46:10 But that day belongs to the Lord God who rules over all. 16
It is the day when he will pay back his enemies. 17
His sword will devour them until its appetite is satisfied!
It will drink their blood until it is full! 18
For the Lord
in the land of the north by the Euphrates River.
46:11 Go up to Gilead and get medicinal ointment, 20
you dear poor people of Egypt. 21
But it will prove useless no matter how much medicine you use; 22
there will be no healing for you.
46:12 The nations will hear of your devastating defeat. 23
your cries of distress will echo throughout the earth.
In the panic of their flight one soldier will trip over another
and both of them will fall down defeated.” 24
The Lord Predicts that Nebuchadnezzar Will Attack and Plunder Egypt
46:13 The
46:14 “Make an announcement throughout Egypt.
Proclaim it in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes. 26
‘Take your positions and prepare to do battle.
For the enemy army is destroying all the nations around you.’ 27
46:15 Why will your soldiers 28 be defeated? 29
They will not stand because I, the
46:16 I will make many stumble. 31
They will fall over one another in their hurry to flee. 32
They will say, ‘Get up!
Let’s go back to our own people.
Let’s go back to our homelands
because the enemy is coming to destroy us.’ 33
46:17 There at home they will say, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is just a big noise! 34
He has let the most opportune moment pass by.’ 35
46:18 I the King, whose name is the
I swear as surely as I live that 37 a conqueror is coming.
He will be as imposing as Mount Tabor is among the mountains,
as Mount Carmel is against the backdrop of the sea. 38
46:19 Pack your bags for exile,
you inhabitants of poor dear Egypt. 39
For Memphis will be laid waste.
It will lie in ruins 40 and be uninhabited.
46:20 Egypt is like a beautiful young cow.
But northern armies will attack her like swarms of stinging flies. 41
46:21 Even her mercenaries 42
will prove to be like pampered, 43 well-fed calves.
For they too will turn and run away.
They will not stand their ground
when 44 the time for them to be destroyed comes,
the time for them to be punished.
46:22 Egypt will run away, hissing like a snake, 45
as the enemy comes marching up in force.
They will come against her with axes
as if they were woodsmen chopping down trees.
46:23 The population of Egypt is like a vast, impenetrable forest.
But I, the
For those who chop them down will be more numerous than locusts.
They will be too numerous to count. 47
46:24 Poor dear Egypt 48 will be put to shame.
She will be handed over to the people from the north.”
46:25 The
A Promise of Hope for Israel
“You descendants of Jacob, my servants, 54 do not be afraid;
do not be terrified, people of Israel.
For I will rescue you and your descendants
from the faraway lands where you are captives. 55
The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace.
They will be secure and no one will terrify them.
46:28 I, the
you descendants of Jacob, my servant,
for I am with you.
Though I completely destroy all the nations where I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will indeed discipline you but only in due measure.
I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.” 57
Judgment on the Philistine Cities
47:1 The
47:2 “Look! Enemies are gathering in the north like water rising in a river. 60
They will be like an overflowing stream.
They will overwhelm the whole country and everything in it like a flood.
They will overwhelm the cities and their inhabitants.
People will cry out in alarm.
Everyone living in the country will cry out in pain.
47:3 Fathers will hear the hoofbeats of the enemies’ horses,
the clatter of their chariots and the rumbling of their wheels.
They will not turn back to save their children
because they will be paralyzed with fear. 61
47:4 For the time has come
to destroy all the Philistines.
The time has come to destroy all the help
that remains for Tyre 62 and Sidon. 63
For I, the
that remnant that came from the island of Crete. 65
47:5 The people of Gaza will shave their heads in mourning.
The people of Ashkelon will be struck dumb.
How long will you gash yourselves to show your sorrow, 66
you who remain of Philistia’s power? 67
47:6 How long will you cry out, 68 ‘Oh, sword of the
how long will it be before you stop killing? 69
Go back into your sheath!
Stay there and rest!’ 70
47:7 But how can it rest 71
when I, the
I have ordered it to attack
the people of Ashkelon and the seacoast. 73
Judgment Against Moab
48:1 The
“Sure to be judged is Nebo! Indeed, 76 it will be destroyed!
Kiriathaim 77 will suffer disgrace. It will be captured!
Its fortress 78 will suffer disgrace. It will be torn down! 79
48:2 People will not praise Moab any more.
The enemy will capture Heshbon 80 and plot 81 how to destroy Moab, 82
saying, ‘Come, let’s put an end to that nation!’
City of Madmen, you will also be destroyed. 83
A destructive army will march against you. 84
48:3 Cries of anguish will arise in Horonaim,
‘Oh, the ruin and great destruction!’
48:4 “Moab will be crushed.
Her children will cry out in distress. 85
48:5 Indeed they will climb the slopes of Luhith,
weeping continually as they go. 86
For on the road down to Horonaim
they will hear the cries of distress over the destruction. 87
48:6 They will hear, ‘Run! Save yourselves!
Even if you must be like a lonely shrub in the desert!’ 88
48:7 “Moab, you trust in the things you do and in your riches.
So you too will be conquered.
Your god Chemosh 89 will go into exile 90
along with his priests and his officials.
48:8 The destroyer will come against every town.
Not one town will escape.
The towns in the valley will be destroyed.
The cities on the high plain will be laid waste. 91
I, the
48:9 Set up a gravestone for Moab,
for it will certainly be laid in ruins! 93
Its cities will be laid waste
and become uninhabited.”
48:10 A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the
A curse on anyone who keeps from carrying out his destruction! 94
48:11 “From its earliest days Moab has lived undisturbed.
It has never been taken into exile.
Its people are like wine allowed to settle undisturbed on its dregs,
never poured out from one jar to another.
They are like wine which tastes like it always did,
whose aroma has remained unchanged. 95
48:12 But the time is coming when I will send
men against Moab who will empty it out.
They will empty the towns of their people,
then will lay those towns in ruins. 96
I, the
48:13 The people of Moab will be disappointed by their god Chemosh.
They will be as disappointed as the people of Israel were
when they put their trust in the calf god at Bethel. 98
48:14 How can you men of Moab say, ‘We are heroes,
men who are mighty in battle?’
48:15 Moab will be destroyed. Its towns will be invaded.
Its finest young men will be slaughtered. 99
I, the King, the
48:16 Moab’s destruction is at hand.
Disaster will come on it quickly.
48:17 Mourn for that nation, all you nations living around it,
all of you nations that know of its fame. 102
Mourn and say, ‘Alas, its powerful influence has been broken!
Its glory and power have been done away!’ 103
48:18 Come down from your place of honor;
sit on the dry ground, 104 you who live in Dibon. 105
For the one who will destroy Moab will attack you;
he will destroy your fortifications.
48:19 You who live in Aroer, 106
stand by the road and watch.
Question the man who is fleeing and the woman who is escaping.
Ask them, ‘What has happened?’
48:20 They will answer, ‘Moab is disgraced, for it has fallen!
Wail and cry out in mourning!
Announce along the Arnon River
that Moab has been destroyed.’
48:21 “Judgment will come on the cities on the high plain: 107 on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath, 48:22 on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth Diblathaim, 48:23 on Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, and Beth Meon, 48:24 on Kerioth and Bozrah. It will come on all the towns of Moab, both far and near. 48:25 Moab’s might will be crushed. Its power will be broken. 108 I, the
48:26 “Moab has vaunted itself against me.
So make him drunk with the wine of my wrath 110
until he splashes 111 around in his own vomit,
until others treat him as a laughingstock.
48:27 For did not you people of Moab laugh at the people of Israel?
Did you think that they were nothing but thieves, 112
that you shook your head in contempt 113
every time you talked about them? 114
48:28 Leave your towns, you inhabitants of Moab.
Go and live in the cliffs.
Be like a dove that makes its nest
high on the sides of a ravine. 115
48:29 I have heard how proud the people of Moab are,
I know how haughty they are.
I have heard how arrogant, proud, and haughty they are,
what a high opinion they have of themselves. 116
48:30 I, the
But their pride is ill-founded.
Their boastings will prove to be false. 118
48:31 So I will weep with sorrow for Moab.
I will cry out in sadness for all of Moab.
I will moan 119 for the people of Kir Heres.
48:32 I will weep for the grapevines of Sibmah
just like the town of Jazer weeps over them. 120
Their branches once spread as far as the Dead Sea. 121
They reached as far as the town of Jazer. 122
The destroyer will ravage
her fig, date, 123 and grape crops.
48:33 Joy and gladness will disappear
from the fruitful land of Moab. 124
I will stop the flow of wine from the winepresses.
No one will stomp on the grapes there and shout for joy. 125
The shouts there will be shouts of soldiers,
not the shouts of those making wine. 126
48:34 Cries of anguish raised from Heshbon and Elealeh
will be sounded as far as Jahaz. 127
They will be sounded from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah.
For even the waters of Nimrim will be dried up.
48:35 I will put an end in Moab
to those who make offerings at her places of worship. 128
I will put an end to those who sacrifice to other gods.
I, the
48:36 So my heart moans for Moab
like a flute playing a funeral song.
Yes, like a flute playing a funeral song,
my heart moans for the people of Kir Heres.
For the wealth they have gained will perish.
48:37 For all of them will shave their heads in mourning.
They will all cut off their beards to show their sorrow.
They will all make gashes in their hands.
They will all put on sackcloth. 130
48:38 On all the housetops in Moab
and in all its public squares
there will be nothing but mourning.
For I will break Moab like an unwanted jar.
I, the
48:39 Oh, how shattered Moab will be!
Oh, how her people will wail!
Oh, how she will turn away 132 in shame!
Moab will become an object of ridicule,
a terrifying sight to all the nations that surround her.”
48:40 For the
“Look! Like an eagle with outspread wings
a nation will swoop down on Moab. 133
48:41 Her towns 134 will be captured.
Her fortresses will be taken.
At that time the soldiers of Moab will be frightened
like a woman in labor. 135
48:42 Moab will be destroyed and no longer be a nation, 136
because she has vaunted herself against the
48:43 Terror, pits, and traps 137 are in store
for the people who live in Moab. 138
I, the
48:44 Anyone who flees at the sound of terror
will fall into a pit.
Anyone who climbs out of the pit
will be caught in a trap. 140
For the time is coming
when I will punish the people of Moab. 141
I, the
48:45 In the shadows of the walls of Heshbon
those trying to escape will stand helpless.
For a fire will burst forth from Heshbon.
Flames will shoot out from the former territory of Sihon.
They will burn the foreheads of the people of Moab,
the skulls of those war-loving people. 143
48:46 Moab, you are doomed! 144
You people who worship Chemosh will be destroyed.
Your sons will be taken away captive.
Your daughters will be carried away into exile. 145
48:47 Yet in days to come
I will reverse Moab’s ill fortune.” 146
says the
The judgment against Moab ends here.
Judgment Against Ammon
49:1 The
“Do you think there are not any people of the nation of Israel remaining?
Do you think there are not any of them remaining to reinherit their land?
Is that why you people who worship the god Milcom 149
have taken possession of the territory of Gad and live in his cities? 150
49:2 Because you did that,
I, the
when I will make Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon,
hear the sound of the battle cry.
It will become a mound covered with ruins. 152
Its villages will be burned to the ground. 153
Then Israel will take back its land
from those who took their land from them.
I, the Lord, affirm it! 154
49:3 Wail, you people in Heshbon, because Ai in Ammon is destroyed.
Cry out in anguish, you people in the villages surrounding 155 Rabbah.
Put on sackcloth and cry out in mourning.
Run about covered with gashes. 156
For your god Milcom will go into exile
along with his priests and officials. 157
49:4 Why do you brag about your great power?
Your power is ebbing away, 158 you rebellious people of Ammon, 159
who trust in your riches and say,
‘Who would dare to attack us?’
49:5 I will bring terror on you from every side,”
says the Lord
“You will be scattered in every direction. 161
No one will gather the fugitives back together.
49:6 Yet in days to come
I will reverse Ammon’s ill fortune.” 162
says the
Judgment Against Edom
49:7 The
“Is wisdom no longer to be found in Teman? 166
Can Edom’s counselors not give her any good advice? 167
Has all of their wisdom turned bad? 168
49:8 Turn and flee! Take up refuge in remote places, 169
you people who live in Dedan. 170
For I will bring disaster on the descendants of Esau.
I have decided it is time for me to punish them. 171
49:9 If grape pickers came to pick your grapes,
would they not leave a few grapes behind? 172
If robbers came at night,
would they not pillage only what they needed? 173
49:10 But I will strip everything away from Esau’s descendants.
I will uncover their hiding places so they cannot hide.
Their children, relatives, and neighbors will all be destroyed.
Not one of them will be left!
49:11 Leave your orphans behind and I will keep them alive.
Your widows too can depend on me.” 174
49:12 For the
49:14 I said, 179 “I have heard a message from the
A messenger has been sent among the nations to say,
‘Gather your armies and march out against her!
Prepare to do battle with her!’” 180
49:15 The
“I will certainly make you small among nations.
I will make you despised by all humankind.
49:16 The terror you inspire in others 182
and the arrogance of your heart have deceived you.
You may make your home in the clefts of the rocks;
you may occupy the highest places in the hills. 183
But even if you made your home where the eagles nest,
I would bring you down from there,”
says the
49:17 “Edom will become an object of horror.
All who pass by it will be filled with horror;
they will hiss out their scorn
because of all the disasters that have happened to it. 184
49:18 Edom will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah
and the towns that were around them.
No one will live there.
No human being will settle in it,”
says the
49:19 “A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordan 185
scatters the sheep in the pastureland around it. 186
So too I will chase the Edomites off their land. 187
Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose. 188
For there is no one like me, and there is no one who can call me to account. 189
There is no 190 ruler 191 who can stand up against me.
49:20 So listen to what I, the
what I intend to do to 192 the people who live in Teman. 193
Their little ones will be dragged off.
I will completely destroy their land because of what they have done. 194
49:21 The people of the earth will quake when they hear of their downfall. 195
Their cries of anguish will be heard all the way to the Gulf of Aqaba. 196
49:22 Look! Like an eagle with outspread wings,
a nation will soar up and swoop down on Bozrah.
At that time the soldiers of Edom will be as fearful
as a woman in labor.” 197
Judgment Against Damascus
49:23 The
“The people of Hamath and Arpad 200 will be dismayed
because they have heard bad news.
Their courage will melt away because of worry.
Their hearts will not be able to rest. 201
49:24 The people of Damascus will lose heart and turn to flee.
Panic will grip them.
Pain and anguish will seize them
like a woman in labor.
49:25 How deserted will that once-famous city 202 be,
that city that was once filled with 203 joy! 204
49:26 For her young men will fall in her city squares.
All her soldiers will be destroyed at that time,”
says the
49:27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus;
it will burn up the palaces of Ben Hadad.” 206
Judgment Against Kedar and Hazor
49:28 The
“Army of Babylon, 209 go and attack Kedar.
Lay waste those who live in the eastern desert. 210
49:29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken away.
Their tent curtains, equipment, and camels will be carried off.
People will shout 211 to them,
‘Terror is all around you!’” 212
49:30 The
Take up refuge in remote places. 215
For King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has laid out plans to attack you.
He has formed his strategy on how to defeat you.” 216
49:31 The
a nation that lives in peace and security.
They have no gates or walls to protect them. 219
They live all alone.
49:32 Their camels will be taken as plunder.
Their vast herds will be taken as spoil.
I will scatter to the four winds
those desert peoples who cut their hair short at the temples. 220
I will bring disaster against them
from every direction,” says the
49:33 “Hazor will become a permanent wasteland,
a place where only jackals live. 222
No one will live there.
No human being will settle in it.” 223
Judgment Against Elam
49:34 Early in the reign 224 of King Zedekiah of Judah, the
49:35 The
“I will kill all the archers of Elam,
who are the chief source of her military might. 226
49:36 I will cause enemies to blow through Elam from every direction
like the winds blowing in from the four quarters of heaven.
I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds.
There will not be any nation where the refugees of Elam will not go. 227
49:37 I will make the people of Elam terrified of their enemies,
who are seeking to kill them.
I will vent my fierce anger
and bring disaster upon them,” 228 says the
“I will send armies chasing after them 230
until I have completely destroyed them.
49:38 I will establish my sovereignty over Elam. 231
I will destroy their king and their leaders,” 232 says the
49:39 “Yet in days to come
I will reverse Elam’s ill fortune.” 234
says the
Judgment Against Babylon
50:1 The
50:2 “Announce 238 the news among the nations! Proclaim it!
Signal for people to pay attention! 239
Declare the news! Do not hide it! Say:
‘Babylon will be captured.
Bel 240 will be put to shame.
Marduk will be dismayed.
Babylon’s idols will be put to shame.
Her disgusting images 241 will be dismayed. 242
50:3 For a nation from the north 243 will attack Babylon.
It will lay her land waste.
People and animals will flee out of it.
No one will inhabit it.’
50:4 “When that time comes,” says the
“the people of Israel and Judah will return to the land together.
They will come back with tears of repentance
as they seek the
50:5 They will ask the way to Zion;
they will turn their faces toward it.
They will come 246 and bind themselves to the
in a lasting covenant that will never be forgotten. 247
50:6 “My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds 248 have allowed them to go astray.
They have wandered around in the mountains.
They have roamed from one mountain and hill to another. 249
They have forgotten their resting place.
50:7 All who encountered them devoured them.
Their enemies who did this said, ‘We are not liable for punishment!
For those people have sinned against the
They have sinned against the
50:8 “People of Judah, 253 get out of Babylon quickly!
Leave the land of Babylonia! 254
Be the first to depart! 255
Be like the male goats that lead the herd.
50:9 For I will rouse into action and bring against Babylon
a host of mighty nations 256 from the land of the north.
They will set up their battle lines against her.
They will come from the north and capture her. 257
Their arrows will be like a skilled soldier 258
who does not return from the battle empty-handed. 259
50:10 Babylonia 260 will be plundered.
Those who plunder it will take all they want,”
says the
50:11 “People of Babylonia, 262 you plundered my people. 263
That made you happy and glad.
You frolic about like calves in a pasture. 264
Your joyous sounds are like the neighs of a stallion. 265
50:12 But Babylonia will be put to great shame.
The land where you were born 266 will be disgraced.
Indeed, 267 Babylonia will become the least important of all nations.
It will become a dry and barren desert.
50:13 After I vent my wrath on it Babylon will be uninhabited. 268
It will be totally desolate.
All who pass by will be filled with horror and will hiss out their scorn
because of all the disasters that have happened to it. 269
50:14 “Take up your battle positions all around Babylon,
all you soldiers who are armed with bows. 270
Shoot 271 all your arrows at her! Do not hold any back! 272
For she has sinned against the
50:15 Shout the battle cry from all around the city.
She will throw up her hands in surrender. 273
Her towers 274 will fall.
Her walls will be torn down.
Because I, the
take out your vengeance on her!
Do to her as she has done!
50:16 Kill all the farmers who sow the seed in the land of Babylon.
Kill all those who wield the sickle at harvest time. 276
Let all the foreigners return to their own people.
Let them hurry back to their own lands
to escape destruction by that enemy army. 277
50:17 “The people of Israel are like scattered sheep
which lions have chased away.
First the king of Assyria devoured them. 278
Now last of all King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has gnawed their bones. 279
50:18 So I, the
‘I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
just as I punished the king of Assyria.
50:19 But I will restore the flock of Israel to their own pasture.
They will graze on Mount Carmel and the land of Bashan.
They will eat until they are full 281
on the hills of Ephraim and the land of Gilead. 282
50:20 When that time comes,
no guilt will be found in Israel.
No sin will be found in Judah. 283
For I will forgive those of them I have allowed to survive. 284
I, the
50:21 The
“Attack 287 the land of Merathaim
and the people who live in Pekod! 288
Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them! 289
Do just as I have commanded you! 290
50:22 The noise of battle can be heard in the land of Babylonia. 291
There is the sound of great destruction.
50:23 Babylon hammered the whole world to pieces.
But see how that ‘hammer’ has been broken and shattered! 292
See what an object of horror
Babylon has become among the nations!
50:24 I set a trap for you, Babylon;
you were caught before you knew it.
You fought against me.
So you were found and captured. 293
50:25 I have opened up the place where my weapons are stored. 294
I have brought out the weapons for carrying out my wrath. 295
For I, the Lord
have work to carry out in the land of Babylonia. 297
50:26 Come from far away and attack Babylonia! 298
Open up the places where she stores her grain!
Pile her up in ruins! 299 Destroy her completely! 300
Do not leave anyone alive! 301
50:27 Kill all her soldiers! 302
Let them be slaughtered! 303
They are doomed, 304 for their day of reckoning 305 has come,
the time for them to be punished.”
50:28 Listen! Fugitives and refugees are coming from the land of Babylon.
They are coming to Zion to declare there
how the
getting revenge for what they have done to his temple. 306
50:29 “Call for archers 307 to come against Babylon!
Summon against her all who draw the bow!
Set up camp all around the city!
Do not allow anyone to escape!
Pay her back for what she has done.
Do to her what she has done to others.
For she has proudly defied me, 308
the Holy One of Israel. 309
50:30 So her young men will fall in her city squares.
All her soldiers will be destroyed at that time,”
says the
50:31 “Listen! I am opposed to you, you proud city,” 311
says the Lord
“Indeed, 313 your day of reckoning 314 has come,
the time when I will punish you. 315
50:32 You will stumble and fall, you proud city;
no one will help you get up.
I will set fire to your towns;
it will burn up everything that surrounds you.” 316
50:33 The
“The people of Israel are oppressed.
So too are the people of Judah. 318
All those who took them captive are holding them prisoners.
They refuse to set them free.
50:34 But the one who will rescue them 319 is strong.
He is known as the
He will strongly 321 champion their cause.
As a result 322 he will bring peace and rest to the earth,
but trouble and turmoil 323 to the people who inhabit Babylonia. 324
50:35 “Destructive forces will come against the Babylonians,” 325 says the
“They will come against the people who inhabit Babylonia,
against her leaders and her men of wisdom.
50:36 Destructive forces will come against her false prophets; 327
they will be shown to be fools! 328
Destructive forces will come against her soldiers;
they will be filled with terror! 329
50:37 Destructive forces will come against her horses and her 330 chariots.
Destructive forces will come against all the foreign troops within her; 331
they will be as frightened as women! 332
Destructive forces will come against her treasures;
they will be taken away as plunder!
50:38 A drought will come upon her land;
her rivers and canals will be dried up. 333
All of this will happen because her land is filled with idols. 334
Her people act like madmen because of 335 those idols they fear. 336
50:39 Therefore desert creatures and jackals will live there.
Ostriches 337 will dwell in it too. 338
But no people will ever live there again.
No one will dwell there for all time to come. 339
50:40 I will destroy Babylonia just like I did
Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns.
No one will live there. 340
No human being will settle in it,”
says the
50:41 “Look! An army is about to come from the north.
A mighty nation and many kings 342 are stirring into action
in faraway parts of the earth.
50:42 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride forth on their horses.
Lined up in formation like men going into battle,
they are coming against you, fair Babylon! 343
50:43 The king of Babylon will become paralyzed with fear 344
when he hears news of their coming. 345
Anguish will grip him,
agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby. 346
50:44 “A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordan
scatters the sheep in the pastureland around it.
So too I will chase the Babylonians off of their land.
Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose.
For there is no one like me.
There is no one who can call me to account.
There is no ruler that can stand up against me.
50:45 So listen to what I, the
what I intend to do to the people who inhabit the land of Babylonia. 347
Their little ones will be dragged off.
I will completely destroy their land because of what they have done.
50:46 The people of the earth will quake when they hear Babylon has been captured.
Her cries of anguish will be heard by the other nations.” 348
51:1 The
“I will cause a destructive wind 349 to blow
against 350 Babylon and the people who inhabit Babylonia. 351
51:2 I will send people to winnow Babylonia like a wind blowing away chaff. 352
They will winnow her and strip her land bare. 353
This will happen when 354 they come against her from every direction,
when it is time to destroy her. 355
51:3 Do not give her archers time to string their bows
or to put on their coats of armor. 356
Do not spare any of her young men.
Completely destroy 357 her whole army.
51:4 Let them fall 358 slain in the land of Babylonia, 359
mortally wounded in the streets of her cities. 360
51:5 “For Israel and Judah will not be forsaken 361
by their God, the
For the land of Babylonia is 363 full of guilt
against the Holy One of Israel. 364
51:6 Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people. 365
Flee to save your lives.
Do not let yourselves be killed because of her sins.
For it is time for the
He will pay Babylonia 366 back for what she has done. 367
51:7 Babylonia had been a gold cup in the
She had made the whole world drunk.
The nations had drunk from the wine of her wrath. 368
So they have all gone mad. 369
51:8 But suddenly Babylonia will fall and be destroyed. 370
Cry out in mourning over it!
Get medicine for her wounds!
Perhaps she can be healed!
51:9 Foreigners living there will say, 371
‘We tried to heal her, but she could not be healed.
Let’s leave Babylonia 372 and each go back to his own country.
For judgment on her will be vast in its proportions.
It will be like it is piled up to heaven, stacked up into the clouds.’ 373
51:10 The exiles from Judah will say, 374
‘The
Come on, let’s go and proclaim in Zion
what the
51:11 “Sharpen 376 your arrows!
Fill your quivers! 377
The
For he intends to destroy Babylonia.
For that is how the
how he will get his revenge for the Babylonians’ destruction of his temple. 380
51:12 Give the signal to attack Babylon’s wall! 381
Bring more guards! 382
Post them all around the city! 383
Put men in ambush! 384
For the
He will do what he said he would do to the people of Babylon. 385
51:13 “You who live along the rivers of Babylon, 386
the time of your end has come.
You who are rich in plundered treasure,
it is time for your lives to be cut off. 387
51:14 The
‘I will fill your land with enemy soldiers.
They will swarm over it like locusts. 390
They will raise up shouts of victory over it.’
51:15 He is the one who 391 by his power made the earth.
He is the one who by his wisdom fixed the world in place,
by his understanding he spread out the heavens.
51:16 When his voice thunders, the waters in the heavens roar.
He makes the clouds rise from the far-off horizons.
He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the rain.
He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it.
51:17 All idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant.
Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.
For the image he forges is merely a sham.
There is no breath in any of those idols.
51:18 They are worthless, objects to be ridiculed.
When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
51:19 The
For he is the one who created everything,
including the people of Israel whom he claims as his own. 392
He is known as the
51:20 “Babylon, 394 you are my war club, 395
my weapon for battle.
I used you to smash nations. 396
I used you to destroy kingdoms.
51:21 I used you to smash horses and their riders. 397
I used you to smash chariots and their drivers.
51:22 I used you to smash men and women.
I used you to smash old men and young men.
I used you to smash young men and young women.
51:23 I used you to smash shepherds and their flocks.
I used you to smash farmers and their teams of oxen.
I used you to smash governors and leaders.” 398
51:24 “But I will repay Babylon
and all who live in Babylonia
for all the wicked things they did in Zion
right before the eyes of you Judeans,” 399
says the
51:25 The
You are like a destructive mountain that destroys all the earth.
I will unleash my power against you; 403
I will roll you off the cliffs and make you like a burned-out mountain. 404
51:26 No one will use any of your stones as a cornerstone.
No one will use any of them in the foundation of his house.
For you will lie desolate forever,” 405
says the
51:27 “Raise up battle flags throughout the lands.
Sound the trumpets calling the nations to do battle.
Prepare the nations to do battle against Babylonia. 407
Call for these kingdoms to attack her:
Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. 408
Appoint a commander to lead the attack. 409
Send horses 410 against her like a swarm of locusts. 411
51:28 Prepare the nations to do battle against her. 412
Prepare the kings of the Medes.
Prepare their governors and all their leaders. 413
Prepare all the countries they rule to do battle against her. 414
51:29 The earth will tremble and writhe in agony. 415
For the
He plans to make the land of Babylonia 416
a wasteland where no one lives. 417
51:30 The soldiers of Babylonia will stop fighting.
They will remain in their fortified cities.
They will lose their strength to do battle. 418
They will be as frightened as women. 419
The houses in her cities will be set on fire.
The gates of her cities will be broken down. 420
51:31 One runner after another will come to the king of Babylon.
One messenger after another will come bringing news. 421
They will bring news to the king of Babylon
that his whole city has been captured. 422
51:32 They will report that the fords have been captured,
the reed marshes have been burned,
the soldiers are terrified. 423
51:33 For the
‘Fair Babylon 424 will be like a threshing floor
which has been trampled flat for harvest.
The time for her to be cut down and harvested
will come very soon.’ 425
51:34 “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
devoured me and drove my people out.
Like a monster from the deep he swallowed me.
He filled his belly with my riches.
He made me an empty dish.
He completely cleaned me out.” 426
51:35 The person who lives in Zion says,
“May Babylon pay for the violence done to me and to my relatives.”
Jerusalem says,
“May those living in Babylonia pay for the bloodshed of my people.” 427
51:36 Therefore the
“I will stand up for your cause.
I will pay the Babylonians back for what they have done to you. 428
I will dry up their sea.
I will make their springs run dry. 429
51:37 Babylon will become a heap of ruins.
Jackals will make their home there. 430
It will become an object of horror and of hissing scorn,
a place where no one lives. 431
51:38 The Babylonians are all like lions roaring for prey.
They are like lion cubs growling for something to eat. 432
51:39 When their appetites are all stirred up, 433
I will set out a banquet for them.
I will make them drunk
so that they will pass out, 434
they will fall asleep forever,
they will never wake up,” 435
says the
51:40 “I will lead them off to be slaughtered
like lambs, rams, and male goats.” 437
51:41 “See how Babylon 438 has been captured!
See how the pride of the whole earth has been taken!
See what an object of horror
Babylon has become among the nations! 439
51:42 The sea has swept over Babylon.
She has been covered by a multitude 440 of its waves. 441
51:43 The towns of Babylonia have become heaps of ruins.
She has become a dry and barren desert.
No one lives in those towns any more.
No one even passes through them. 442
51:44 I will punish the god Bel in Babylon.
I will make him spit out what he has swallowed.
The nations will not come streaming to him any longer.
Indeed, the walls of Babylon will fall.” 443
51:45 “Get out of Babylon, my people!
Flee to save your lives
from the fierce anger of the
51:46 Do not lose your courage or become afraid
because of the reports that are heard in the land.
For a report will come in one year.
Another report will follow it in the next.
There will be violence in the land
with ruler fighting against ruler.”
51:47 “So the time will certainly come 445
when I will punish the idols of Babylon.
Her whole land will be put to shame.
All her mortally wounded will collapse in her midst. 446
51:48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will sing for joy over Babylon.
For destroyers from the north will attack it,”
says the
51:49 “Babylon must fall 448
because of the Israelites she has killed, 449
just as the earth’s mortally wounded fell
because of Babylon. 450
51:50 You who have escaped the sword, 451
go, do not delay. 452
Remember the
Think about Jerusalem. 453
51:51 ‘We 454 are ashamed because we have been insulted. 455
Our faces show our disgrace. 456
For foreigners have invaded
the holy rooms 457 in the
51:52 Yes, but the time will certainly come,” 458 says the
“when I will punish her idols.
Throughout her land the mortally wounded will groan.
51:53 Even if Babylon climbs high into the sky 460
and fortifies her elevated stronghold, 461
I will send destroyers against her,” 462
says the
51:54 Cries of anguish will come from Babylon,
the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians.
51:55 For the
and put an end to her loud noise.
Their waves 464 will roar like turbulent 465 waters.
They will make a deafening noise. 466
51:56 For a destroyer is attacking Babylon. 467
Her warriors will be captured;
their bows will be broken. 468
For the
he pays back in full. 470
51:57 “I will make her officials and wise men drunk,
along with her governors, leaders, 471 and warriors.
They will fall asleep forever and never wake up,” 472
says the King whose name is the
51:58 This is what the
“Babylon’s thick wall 475 will be completely demolished. 476
Her high gates will be set on fire.
The peoples strive for what does not satisfy. 477
The nations grow weary trying to get what will be destroyed.” 478
51:59 This is the order Jeremiah the prophet gave to Seraiah son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went to King Zedekiah of Judah in Babylon during the fourth year of his reign. 479 (Seraiah was a quartermaster.) 480 51:60 Jeremiah recorded 481 on one scroll all the judgments 482 that would come upon Babylon – all these prophecies 483 written about Babylon. 51:61 Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon, make sure 484 you read aloud all these prophecies. 485 51:62 Then say, ‘O
The prophecies of Jeremiah end here. 488