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Jeremiah 49-52
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah 49-52
New American Standard Bible
Prophecy against Ammon
49 Concerning the sons of (A)Ammon. This is what the Lord says:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Or has he no heirs?
Why then has [a]Malcam taken possession of Gad,
And his people settled in its cities?
2 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will cause an alarm of (B)war to be heard
Against (C)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon;
And it will become a desolate heap,
And her (D)towns will be set on fire.
Then Israel will take (E)possession of his possessors,”
Says the Lord.
3 “Wail, (F)Heshbon, for (G)Ai has been destroyed!
Cry out, daughters of Rabbah,
(H)Put on sackcloth and mourn,
And move about inside the walls;
For [b]Malcam will (I)go into exile
Together with his priests and his leaders.
4 How you (J)boast about the valleys!
Your valley is flowing away,
You (K)backsliding daughter
Who trusts in her (L)treasures, saying,
‘(M)Who can come against me?’
5 Behold, I am going to bring (N)terror upon you,”
Declares the Lord [c]God of armies,
“From all directions around you;
And you will be (O)driven away [d]one after another,
With no one to gather the (P)fugitives together.
6 But afterward I will (Q)restore
The fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”
Declares the Lord.
Prophecy against Edom
7 Concerning (R)Edom.
This is what the Lord of armies says:
“Is there no longer any (S)wisdom in (T)Teman?
Has good advice been lost by the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8 Flee away, turn back, dwell in the depths,
You inhabitants of (U)Dedan,
For I [e]will bring the (V)disaster of Esau upon him
At the time I [f]punish him.
9 (W)If grape pickers came to you,
Would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came by night,
They would destroy only what was sufficient for them.
10 But I have (X)stripped Esau bare,
I have uncovered his hiding places
So that he will not be able to conceal himself;
His [g]offspring have been destroyed along with his [h]brothers
And his neighbors, and (Y)he no longer exists.
11 Leave your [i](Z)orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
And let your (AA)widows trust in Me.”
12 For this is what the Lord says: “Behold, those [j]who were not sentenced to drink the (AB)cup will certainly drink it, so are you the one who will be held (AC)completely blameless? You will not be held blameless, but you will certainly drink it. 13 For I have (AD)sworn by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that (AE)Bozrah will become an (AF)object of horror, a disgrace, a wasteland, and a curse; and all its cities will become permanent ruins.”
14 I have (AG)heard a message from the Lord,
And a (AH)messenger is being sent among the nations, saying,
“(AI)Gather yourselves together and come against her,
And rise up for battle!”
15 “For behold, I have made you small among the nations,
Despised among people.
16 As for the terror you cause,
The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
You who live in the clefts of [k]the (AJ)rock,
Who occupy the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest as (AK)high as an eagle’s,
I will (AL)bring you down from there,” declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an (AM)object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will [l](AN)hiss at all its wounds. 18 Like the (AO)overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says the Lord, “(AP)no one will live there, nor will [m]anyone of mankind reside in it. 19 (AQ)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the (AR)thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase him away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is (AS)chosen. For who is (AT)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd (AU)who can stand against Me?”
20 Therefore hear the (AV)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Edom, and His purposes which He has in mind against the inhabitants of Teman: they will certainly drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; He will certainly make their pasture (AW)desolate because of them. 21 The (AX)earth has quaked at the noise of their downfall. There is an outcry! The noise of it has been heard at the [n]Red Sea. 22 Behold, [o]He will mount up and (AY)swoop like an eagle, and spread out His wings [p]against Bozrah; and the (AZ)hearts of the warriors of Edom on that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Prophecy against Damascus
23 Concerning (BA)Damascus:
“(BB)Hamath and (BC)Arpad are put to shame,
For they have heard bad news;
They (BD)despair.
There is anxiety at the sea,
It (BE)cannot be calmed.
24 Damascus has become helpless;
She has turned away to flee,
And panic has gripped her;
(BF)Distress and labor pains have seized her
Like a woman in childbirth.
25 How the (BG)city of praise has not been deserted,
The town of My joy!
26 Therefore, her (BH)young men will fall in her streets,
And all the men of war will perish on that day,” declares the Lord of armies.
27 “I will (BI)set fire to the wall of Damascus,
And it will devour the fortified palace of (BJ)Ben-hadad.”
Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning (BK)Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. This is what the Lord says:
“Arise, go up to Kedar
And devastate the [q](BL)people of the east.
29 They will take away their tents and their flocks;
They will carry off for themselves
Their tent (BM)curtains, all their goods and their (BN)camels,
And they will call out to one another, ‘(BO)Horror on every side!’
30 Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths,
You inhabitants of Hazor,” declares the Lord;
“For (BP)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against you
And devised a scheme against you.
31 Arise, go up against a nation which is (BQ)at ease,
Which lives securely,” declares the Lord.
“It has (BR)no gates or bars;
They (BS)dwell alone.
32 Their camels will become plunder,
And their many livestock for spoils,
And I will (BT)scatter to all the winds those who (BU)cut the corners of their hair;
And I will bring their disaster from every side,” declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor will become a (BV)haunt of jackals,
A desolation forever;
No one will live there,
Nor will [r]anyone of mankind reside in it.”
Prophecy against Elam
34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning (BW)Elam, (BX)at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:
35 “This is what the Lord of armies says:
‘Behold, I am going to (BY)break the bow of Elam,
The [s]finest of their might.
36 I will bring upon Elam the (BZ)four winds
From the four ends of heaven,
And will (CA)scatter them to all these winds;
And there will be no nation
To which the outcasts of Elam will not go.
37 So I will [t]shatter Elam before their enemies
And before those who seek their lives;
And I will (CB)bring disaster upon them,
Even My (CC)fierce anger,’ declares the Lord,
‘And I will (CD)send the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
38 Then I will set My throne in Elam,
And eliminate from there the king and officials,’
Declares the Lord.
39 ‘But it will come about in the last days
That I will (CE)restore the fortunes of Elam,’”
Declares the Lord.
Prophecy against Babylon
50 The word which the Lord spoke concerning (CF)Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:
2 “(CG)Declare and proclaim among the nations.
Proclaim it and (CH)lift up a flag,
Do not conceal it. Say,
‘(CI)Babylon has been captured,
(CJ)Bel has been put to shame, [u]Marduk has been [v]shattered;
Her (CK)idols have been put to shame, her images have been shattered.’
3 For a nation has come up against her from the (CL)north; it will make her land (CM)an object of horror, and there will be (CN)no inhabitant in it. Whether people or animals, they have wandered off, they have gone!
4 “In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, they and the sons of Judah (CO)as well; they will go along (CP)weeping as they go, and it will be (CQ)the Lord their God whom they will seek. 5 They will (CR)ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces [w]in its direction; [x]they [y]will come so that they may join themselves to the Lord in an (CS)everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have become (CT)lost sheep;
(CU)Their shepherds have led them astray.
They have made them turn aside on the (CV)mountains.
They have gone from mountain to hill,
They have forgotten their (CW)resting place.
7 All who found them have devoured them;
And their adversaries have said, ‘(CX)We are not guilty,
Since they have sinned against the Lord who is the (CY)habitation of righteousness,
The Lord, the (CZ)hope of their fathers.’
8 “Wander away from the (DA)midst of Babylon
And [z]go out from the land of the Chaldeans;
Be like male goats [aa]at the head of the flock.
9 For behold, I am going to (DB)rouse and bring up against Babylon
A contingent of great nations from the land of the north,
And they will draw up their battle lines against her;
From there she will be taken captive.
Their arrows will be like [ab]an expert warrior
Who does not return empty-handed.
10 [ac](DC)Chaldea will become plunder;
All who plunder her will have enough,” declares the Lord.
11 “Because you are glad, because you are jubilant,
You who (DD)pillage My heritage,
Because you skip about [ad]like a threshing (DE)heifer
And neigh like [ae]stallions,
12 Your (DF)mother [af]will be greatly ashamed,
She who gave you birth [ag]will be humiliated.
Behold, she will be the least of the nations,
A (DG)wilderness, a dry land and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of the Lord she will (DH)not be inhabited,
But she will be (DI)completely desolate;
Everyone who passes by Babylon (DJ)will be horrified
And will hiss because of all her wounds.
14 Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side,
All of you who [ah]bend the bow;
Shoot at her, do not spare your arrows,
For she has (DK)sinned against the Lord.
15 Raise your battle cry against her on every side!
She has (DL)given [ai]herself up, her towers have fallen,
Her (DM)walls have been torn down.
For this is the (DN)vengeance of the Lord:
Take vengeance on her;
(DO)As she has done to others, so do to her.
16 Eliminate the (DP)sower from Babylon
And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest;
From [aj]the (DQ)sword of the oppressor
(DR)Each of them will turn back to his own people
And each of them will flee to his own land.
17 “Israel is a (DS)scattered [ak]flock, the (DT)lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the (DU)king of Assyria, and this last one who has gnawed his bones is (DV)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 18 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I (DW)punished the king of Assyria. 19 And I will (DX)bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his [al]desire will be satisfied in the (DY)hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days and at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for the wrongdoing of Israel, but (DZ)there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will forgive those (EA)whom I leave as a remnant.’
21 “Against the land of [am]Merathaim, go up against it,
And against the inhabitants of [an](EB)Pekod.
Kill and [ao]completely destroy them,” declares the Lord,
“And do according to everything that I have commanded you.
22 The (EC)noise of battle is in the land,
And great destruction.
23 How the (ED)hammer of the whole earth
Has been cut off and broken!
How Babylon has become
An object of horror among the nations!
24 I (EE)set a trap for you and you were also (EF)caught, Babylon,
While you yourself were not aware;
You have been found and also seized
Because you have engaged in (EG)conflict with the Lord.”
25 The Lord has opened His armory
And has brought out the (EH)weapons of His indignation,
For it is a (EI)work of the Lord [ap]God of armies
In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come to her from the [aq]farthest border;
(EJ)Open up her barns,
Pile her up like heaps of grain
And [ar](EK)completely destroy her,
Let nothing be left to her.
27 (EL)Put all her bulls to the sword;
Let them (EM)go down to the slaughter!
Woe be upon them, for their (EN)day has come,
The time of their punishment.
28 There is a (EO)sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon,
To declare in Zion the (EP)vengeance of the Lord our God,
Vengeance for His (EQ)temple.
29 “Summon [as]many against Babylon,
All those who [at]bend the bow:
Encamp against her on every side,
Let there be no escape[au].
Repay her according to her work;
(ER)According to all that she has done, so do to her;
For she has become (ES)arrogant against the Lord,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore her (ET)young men will fall in her streets,
And all her men of war will (EU)perish on that day,” declares the Lord.
31 “Behold, (EV)I am against you, [av]arrogant one,”
Declares the Lord [aw]God of armies,
“For your day has come,
The time [ax]when I will punish you.
32 The [ay](EW)arrogant one will stumble and fall
With no one to raise him up;
And I will (EX)set fire to his cities,
And it will devour all his surroundings.”
33 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“The sons of Israel are oppressed,
And the sons of Judah as well;
And (EY)all who took them captive have held them firmly,
They have refused to let them go.
34 Their (EZ)Redeemer is strong, (FA)the Lord of armies is His name;
He will vigorously (FB)plead their case
So that He may (FC)bring rest to their land,
But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 A (FD)sword against the Chaldeans,” declares the Lord,
“And against the inhabitants of Babylon
And against her (FE)leaders and her (FF)wise men!
36 A sword against the (FG)oracle priests, and they will become fools!
A sword against her (FH)warriors, and they will be [az](FI)shattered!
37 A sword against [ba]their (FJ)horses, against [bb]their chariots,
And against all the [bc](FK)foreigners who are in the midst of her,
And they will become (FL)women!
A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!
38 A [bd](FM)drought on her waters, and they will be dried up!
For it is a land of (FN)idols,
And they go insane at frightful images.
39 “Therefore the (FO)desert creatures will live there with the jackals;
The ostriches also will live in it.
It will (FP)never again be inhabited
Nor lived in from generation to generation.
40 As when God overthrew (FQ)Sodom
And Gomorrah with its neighbors,” declares the Lord,
“No one will live there,
Nor will [be]anyone of mankind reside in it.
41 “Behold, a people is coming (FR)from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Will be roused from the remote parts of the earth.
42 They (FS)seize their bow and javelin;
They are (FT)cruel and have no mercy.
Their (FU)voice roars like the sea;
And they ride on (FV)horses,
(FW)Drawn up like a man for the battle
Against you, daughter of Babylon.
43 The (FX)king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands hang limp;
(FY)Distress has gripped him,
Agony like a woman in childbirth.
44 “(FZ)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase them away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is (GA)chosen. For who is (GB)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can (GC)stand against Me?” 45 Therefore hear the (GD)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has in mind against the land of the Chaldeans: (GE)they will certainly drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; He will certainly make their pasture desolate because of them. 46 At the [bf]shout, “Babylon has been conquered!” the (GF)earth quakes, and an (GG)outcry is heard among the nations.
Babylon Judged for Sins against Israel
51 This is what the Lord says:
“Behold, I am going to stir up
[bg]The (GH)spirit of a destroyer against Babylon
And against the inhabitants of [bh]Leb-kamai.
2 I will send [bi]foreigners to Babylon so that they may (GI)winnow her
And devastate her land;
For they will be opposed to her on every side
On the day of her disaster.
3 Let not [bj]him who [bk](GJ)bends his bow [bl]bend it,
Nor let him rise up in his (GK)coat of armor.
Do not spare her young men;
Devote all her army to destruction.
4 They will fall down [bm]dead in the land of the Chaldeans,
And (GL)pierced through in their streets.”
5 For (GM)neither Israel nor Judah has been [bn]forsaken
By his God, the Lord of armies,
Although their land is (GN)full of guilt
[bo]Before the Holy One of Israel.
6 (GO)Flee from the midst of Babylon,
And each of you save his life!
Do not (GP)perish in her [bp]punishment,
For this is the (GQ)Lord’s time of vengeance;
He is going to (GR)repay to her what she deserves.
7 Babylon has been a golden (GS)cup in the hand of the Lord,
Intoxicating all the earth.
The (GT)nations have drunk of her wine;
Therefore the nations are (GU)going insane.
8 Suddenly (GV)Babylon has fallen and been broken;
(GW)Wail over her!
(GX)Bring [bq]balm for her pain;
Perhaps she may be healed.
9 We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed;
Abandon her and (GY)let’s each go to his own country,
For her judgment has (GZ)reached to heaven
And it rises to the clouds.
10 The Lord has (HA)brought [br]about our vindication;
Come and let’s (HB)recount in Zion
The work of the Lord our God!
11 (HC)Sharpen 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 (HD)vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple.
12 (HE)Lift up a signal flag against the walls of Babylon;
Post a strong guard,
Station [bs]sentries,
Set up an ambush!
For the Lord has both (HF)planned and performed
What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 You who (HG)live by many waters,
Abundant in (HH)treasures,
Your end has come,
The [bt]measure of your [bu](HI)end.
14 The (HJ)Lord of armies has sworn by Himself:
“I will certainly fill you with a [bv]population like (HK)locusts,
And they will cry out with shouts of victory over you.”
15 It is (HL)He who made the earth by His power,
Who established the world by His wisdom,
And by His understanding He (HM)stretched out the heavens.
16 When He utters His (HN)voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens,
And He makes the (HO)clouds ascend from the end of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
And brings out (HP)wind from His storehouses.
17 (HQ)Every person is stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his [bw]idols,
For his cast metal images are (HR)deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
18 They are (HS)worthless, a work of mockery;
At the time of their punishment they will perish.
19 The (HT)portion of Jacob is not like these;
For He is the [bx]Maker of everything,
And of the [by]tribe of His inheritance;
The (HU)Lord of armies is His name.
20 He says, “You are My [bz](HV)war-club, My weapon of war;
And with you I (HW)shatter nations,
And with you I destroy kingdoms.
21 With you I (HX)shatter the horse and his rider,
And with you I shatter the (HY)chariot and its rider,
22 And with you I shatter (HZ)man and woman,
And with you I shatter the old man and (IA)youth,
And with you I shatter the young man and virgin,
23 And 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 (IB)Chaldea for (IC)all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes,” declares the Lord.
25 “Behold, (ID)I am against you, mountain of (IE)destruction
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 (IF)burnt out mountain.
26 They will not take from you even a stone for a corner
Nor a stone for foundations,
But you will be (IG)desolate forever,” declares the Lord.
27 (IH)Lift up a signal flag in the land,
Blow a trumpet among the nations!
Consecrate the nations against her,
Summon against her the (II)kingdoms of (IJ)Ararat, Minni, and (IK)Ashkenaz;
Appoint an officer against her,
Bring up the (IL)horses like bristly locusts.
28 Consecrate the nations against her,
The kings of the Medes,
[ca]Their governors and all [cb]their officials,
And every land [cc]under their control.
29 So the (IM)land quakes and writhes,
For the plans of the Lord against Babylon stand,
To make the land of Babylon
[cd]A (IN)desolation without inhabitants.
30 The (IO)warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting,
They stay in the strongholds;
(IP)Their strength is [ce]exhausted,
They are becoming (IQ)like women;
Their homes are set on fire,
The (IR)bars of her gates are broken.
31 One [cf](IS)courier runs to meet [cg]another,
And one [ch](IT)messenger to meet [ci]another,
To tell the king of Babylon
That his city has been captured from end to end;
32 The river crossing places have been seized,
And they have burned the marshes with fire,
And the men of war are terrified.
33 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:
“The daughter of Babylon is like a (IU)threshing floor
At the time that [cj]it is tread down;
In just a little while the time of (IV)harvest will come for her.”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has (IW)devoured me, he has crushed me,
He has set me down like an (IX)empty vessel;
He has (IY)swallowed me like a monster,
He has filled his stomach with my delicacies;
He has washed me away.
35 May the (IZ)violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,”
The [ck]inhabitant of Zion will say;
And, “May my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
Jerusalem will say.
36 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, I am going to (JA)plead your case
And (JB)take vengeance for you;
And (JC)I will dry up her [cl]sea
And make her fountain dry.
37 (JD)Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals,
An (JE)object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.
38 They will roar together like (JF)young lions,
They will growl like lions’ cubs.
39 When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet
And (JG)make them drunk, so that they may rejoice in triumph,
And may (JH)sleep a perpetual sleep
And not wake up,” declares the Lord.
40 “I will bring them down like [cm]lambs (JI)to the slaughter,
Like rams together with male goats.
41 “How [cn](JJ)Sheshak has been captured,
And (JK)the praise of the whole earth has been seized!
How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!
42 The [co](JL)sea has come up over Babylon;
She has been engulfed by its roaring waves.
43 Her cities have become an (JM)object of horror,
A dry land and a desert,
A land in which (JN)no one lives
And through which no [cp]one of mankind passes.
44 (JO)I will punish Bel in Babylon,
And I will make what he has swallowed (JP)come out of his mouth;
And the nations will no longer (JQ)stream toward him.
Even the (JR)wall of Babylon has fallen down!
45 “(JS)Come out from her midst, My people,
And each of you (JT)save yourselves
From the fierce anger of the Lord.
46 Now, (JU)so that your heart does not grow faint,
And you are not afraid at the (JV)report that will be heard in the land—
For the report will come in [cq]one year,
And after that [cr]another report in [cs]another year,
And violence will be in the land
With (JW)ruler against ruler—
47 Therefore behold, days are coming
When I will punish the (JX)idols of Babylon;
And her whole land will be (JY)put to shame.
And all her slain will fall in her midst.
48 Then (JZ)heaven and earth and everything that is in them
Will shout for joy over Babylon,
Because (KA)the destroyers will come to her from the north,”
Declares the Lord.
49 (KB)Indeed, Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel,
As (KC)the slain of all the earth have also fallen for Babylon.
50 You (KD)who have escaped the sword,
Go! Do not stay!
(KE)Remember the Lord from far away,
And let Jerusalem [ct]come to your mind.
51 (KF)We are ashamed because we have heard rebuke;
Disgrace has covered our faces,
Because (KG)strangers 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 (KH)idols,
And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.
53 Though Babylon (KI)ascends to the heavens,
And though she fortifies [cu]her lofty stronghold,
Destroyers will come from (KJ)Me to her,” declares the Lord.
54 The (KK)sound of an outcry from Babylon,
And of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55 For the Lord is going to destroy Babylon,
And He will make her loud [cv]noise vanish from her.
And their (KL)waves will roar like many waters;
The clamor of their voices [cw]sounds forth.
56 For the (KM)destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon,
And her warriors will be captured,
Their (KN)bows shattered;
For the Lord is a God of (KO)retribution,
He will fully repay.
57 “I will (KP)make her leaders and her wise men drunk,
Her governors, her officials, and her warriors,
So that they will sleep a (KQ)perpetual sleep and not wake up,”
(KR)Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of armies.
58 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“The broad (KS)wall of Babylon will be completely demolished,
And her high (KT)gates will be set on fire;
So the peoples will (KU)labor for nothing,
And the nations become (KV)exhausted only for fire.”
59 The [cx]command that Jeremiah the prophet [cy]gave Seraiah the son of (KW)Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with (KX)Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (And Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60 Jeremiah (KY)wrote [cz]on a single scroll all the disaster which would come against Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon. 61 Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud, 62 and say, ‘You, Lord, have [da]promised concerning this place to (KZ)cut it off, so that there will be (LA)nothing living in it, [db]whether man or animal; but it will be a permanent desolation.’ 63 And as soon as you finish reading this [dc]scroll, you shall tie a stone to it and (LB)throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and (LC)not rise again, because of the disaster that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become (LD)exhausted.’” (LE)To this point are the words of Jeremiah.
The Fall of Jerusalem
52 (LF)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [dd](LG)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of (LH)Libnah. 2 He did (LI)evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that (LJ)Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the (LK)anger of the Lord this came about in Jerusalem and Judah, until He drove them out from His presence. And Zedekiah (LL)revolted against the king of Babylon. 4 (LM)Now it came about in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and built a [de](LN)bulwark all around [df]it. 5 (LO)So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the (LP)fourth month the (LQ)famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was (LR)breached, and all the (LS)warriors fled and left the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were [dg](LT)all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and (LU)overtook Zedekiah in the [dh]desert plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they captured the king and (LV)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (LW)Riblah in the land of (LX)Hamath, and he [di]passed sentence on him. 10 And the king of Babylon (LY)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the commanders of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he (LZ)blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze shackles and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.
12 (MA)Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the (MB)nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, (MC)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who [dj]was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 And he (MD)burned the house of the Lord, the (ME)king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14 So the entire army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard (MF)tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard (MG)took into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the (MH)deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But (MI)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.
17 Now the bronze (MJ)pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the (MK)stands and the bronze [dk](ML)sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans smashed to pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took the (MM)pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the [dl]pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 19 The captain of the guard also took the (MN)bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the [dm]pans, and the drink offering bowls, whatever was fine gold, and whatever was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one [dn]sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under [do]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these vessels was (MO)beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the (MP)height of each pillar was [dp]eighteen cubits, and [dq]it was twelve cubits in (MQ)circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Also, a (MR)capital of bronze was on top of it; and the height of each capital was [dr]five cubits, with latticework and (MS)pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six [ds]exposed pomegranates; all (MT)the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the latticework all around.
24 Then the captain of the guard took (MU)Seraiah the chief priest and (MV)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [dt](MW)officers of the temple. 25 He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the warriors, seven [du]of the (MX)king’s advisers who were found in the city, the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land who were found inside the city. 26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and (MY)brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon (MZ)struck them and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was (NA)led into exile from its land.
28 These are the people whom (NB)Nebuchadnezzar took into exile: in the [dv]seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, (NC)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 people in all.
31 (ND)Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that [dw]Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, [dx](NE)showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 (NF)Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So [dy]Jehoiachin (NG)changed his prison clothes, and [dz](NH)had his meals in [ea]the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life. 34 And as his allowance, a (NI)regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day, all the days of his life until the day of his death.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 49:1 In 1 Kin 11:5, 33 and Zeph 1:5, Milcom
- Jeremiah 49:3 See note v 1
- Jeremiah 49:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 49:5 Lit each one before him
- Jeremiah 49:8 Or brought
- Jeremiah 49:8 Or punished
- Jeremiah 49:10 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 49:10 Or relatives
- Jeremiah 49:11 Or fatherless
- Jeremiah 49:12 Lit whose judgment was not to
- Jeremiah 49:16 Or Sela
- Jeremiah 49:17 Or whistle
- Jeremiah 49:18 Lit a son of man
- Jeremiah 49:21 Lit Sea of Reeds
- Jeremiah 49:22 Or one
- Jeremiah 49:22 Or over
- Jeremiah 49:28 Lit sons
- Jeremiah 49:33 Lit a son of man
- Jeremiah 49:35 Lit first
- Jeremiah 49:37 Or dismay
- Jeremiah 50:2 Heb Merodach
- Jeremiah 50:2 Or dismayed
- Jeremiah 50:5 Lit toward here
- Jeremiah 50:5 MT come, that
- Jeremiah 50:5 Or will have come
- Jeremiah 50:8 Another reading is let them go out
- Jeremiah 50:8 Or in front of
- Jeremiah 50:9 As in some mss and ancient versions; MT a warrior who makes childless
- Jeremiah 50:10 Or the Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 50:11 Another reading is in the grass
- Jeremiah 50:11 Lit mighty ones
- Jeremiah 50:12 Or has become
- Jeremiah 50:12 Or has become
- Jeremiah 50:14 Lit step on (in order to string)
- Jeremiah 50:15 Lit her hand
- Jeremiah 50:16 Or the oppressing sword
- Jeremiah 50:17 Lit sheep
- Jeremiah 50:19 Lit soul
- Jeremiah 50:21 Or double rebellion
- Jeremiah 50:21 I.e., punishment (uncertain)
- Jeremiah 50:21 Lit put under the ban
- Jeremiah 50:25 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 50:26 Lit end
- Jeremiah 50:26 Lit put under the ban
- Jeremiah 50:29 Another reading is archers
- Jeremiah 50:29 Lit step on (in order to string)
- Jeremiah 50:29 Some mss add to her
- Jeremiah 50:31 Lit arrogance
- Jeremiah 50:31 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 50:31 Another reading is of your punishment
- Jeremiah 50:32 Lit arrogance
- Jeremiah 50:36 Or filled with terror
- Jeremiah 50:37 Lit his
- Jeremiah 50:37 Lit his
- Jeremiah 50:37 Lit mixed multitude
- Jeremiah 50:38 Another reading is sword
- Jeremiah 50:40 Lit a son of man
- Jeremiah 50:46 Lit voice
- Jeremiah 51:1 Or a destroying wind
- Jeremiah 51:1 Cryptic name for Chaldea; or the heart of those who rise up against Me
- Jeremiah 51:2 Some ancient versions winnowers
- Jeremiah 51:3 I.e., the Chaldean defender
- Jeremiah 51:3 Lit step(s) on; MT in order to string
- Jeremiah 51:3 Lit step(s) on; MT in order to string
- Jeremiah 51:4 Lit killed; or wounded
- Jeremiah 51:5 Lit widowed
- Jeremiah 51:5 Lit From
- Jeremiah 51:6 Or penalty for wrongdoing
- Jeremiah 51:8 Or balsam resin
- Jeremiah 51:10 Lit forth
- Jeremiah 51:12 Or watchmen
- Jeremiah 51:13 Lit cubit
- Jeremiah 51:13 Lit being cut off
- Jeremiah 51:14 Or mankind
- Jeremiah 51:17 Or images
- Jeremiah 51:19 Lit Fashioner
- Jeremiah 51:19 Or scepter; cf. Num 24:17
- Jeremiah 51:20 Lit shatterer
- Jeremiah 51:28 Lit her
- Jeremiah 51:28 Lit her
- Jeremiah 51:28 Lit of his dominion
- Jeremiah 51:29 Or An object of horror
- Jeremiah 51:30 Lit dried up
- Jeremiah 51:31 Lit runner
- Jeremiah 51:31 Lit runner
- Jeremiah 51:31 Lit announcer
- Jeremiah 51:31 Lit announcer
- Jeremiah 51:33 Lit of treading it
- Jeremiah 51:35 Lit inhabitress
- Jeremiah 51:36 Or broad river
- Jeremiah 51:40 Or young rams
- Jeremiah 51:41 Cryptic name for Babylon
- Jeremiah 51:42 Or broad river
- Jeremiah 51:43 Lit son of man
- Jeremiah 51:46 Lit the
- Jeremiah 51:46 Lit the
- Jeremiah 51:46 Lit the
- Jeremiah 51:50 Lit come upon your heart
- Jeremiah 51:53 Lit the height of her strength
- Jeremiah 51:55 Or voice
- Jeremiah 51:55 Lit is given
- Jeremiah 51:59 Lit word
- Jeremiah 51:59 Lit commanded
- Jeremiah 51:60 Or in...book
- Jeremiah 51:62 Lit spoken
- Jeremiah 51:62 Lit from man even to beast
- Jeremiah 51:63 Or book
- Jeremiah 52:1 Another reading is Hamital
- Jeremiah 52:4 I.e., a defensive wall
- Jeremiah 52:4 Lit against it
- Jeremiah 52:7 Lit against the city on every side
- Jeremiah 52:8 Heb Arabah
- Jeremiah 52:9 Lit spoke judgments with
- Jeremiah 52:12 Lit stood before the king
- Jeremiah 52:17 I.e., large basin
- Jeremiah 52:18 Or spoons for incense
- Jeremiah 52:19 Or spoons for incense
- Jeremiah 52:20 As in LXX and Syriac; MT omits the sea; i.e., large basin
- Jeremiah 52:20 As in LXX and Syriac; MT omits the sea; i.e., large basin
- Jeremiah 52:21 About 27 ft. high and 18 ft. in circumference or 8 m and 5.4 m
- Jeremiah 52:21 Lit a thread of 12 cubits would encircle it
- Jeremiah 52:22 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
- Jeremiah 52:23 Lit windward
- Jeremiah 52:24 Lit keepers of the door
- Jeremiah 52:25 Lit men of those seeing the king’s face
- Jeremiah 52:28 Or possibly seventeenth
- Jeremiah 52:31 Or Awil-Marduk (“Man of Marduk”)
- Jeremiah 52:31 Lit lifted up the head of
- Jeremiah 52:33 Lit he
- Jeremiah 52:33 Lit ate bread
- Jeremiah 52:33 Lit his presence
Jeremiah 49-52
New International Version
Jeremiah 49-52
New International Version
A Message About Ammon
49 Concerning the Ammonites:(A)
This is what the Lord says:
“Has Israel no sons?
Has Israel no heir?
Why then has Molek[a](B) taken possession of Gad?(C)
Why do his people live in its towns?
2 But the days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I will sound the battle cry(D)
against Rabbah(E) of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,(F)
and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
those who drove her out,(G)”
says the Lord.
3 “Wail, Heshbon,(H) for Ai(I) is destroyed!
Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth(J) and mourn;
rush here and there inside the walls,
for Molek(K) will go into exile,(L)
together with his priests and officials.
4 Why do you boast of your valleys,
boast of your valleys so fruitful?
Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,(M)
you trust in your riches(N) and say,
‘Who will attack me?’(O)
5 I will bring terror on you
from all those around you,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
“Every one of you will be driven away,
and no one will gather the fugitives.(P)
6 “Yet afterward, I will restore(Q) the fortunes of the Ammonites,”
declares the Lord.
A Message About Edom(R)(S)
7 Concerning Edom:(T)
This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?(U)
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8 Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,(V)
you who live in Dedan,(W)
for I will bring disaster on Esau
at the time when I punish him.
9 If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?
If thieves came during the night,
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
10 But I will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his hiding places,(X)
so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
also his allies and neighbors,
so there is no one(Y) to say,
11 ‘Leave your fatherless children;(Z) I will keep them alive.
Your widows(AA) too can depend on me.’”
12 This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup(AB) must drink it, why should you go unpunished?(AC) You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13 I swear(AD) by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah(AE) will become a ruin and a curse,[b] an object of horror(AF) and reproach;(AG) and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”(AH)
14 I have heard a message from the Lord;
an envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Assemble yourselves to attack it!
Rise up for battle!”
15 “Now I will make you small among the nations,
despised by mankind.
16 The terror you inspire
and the pride(AI) of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,(AJ)
who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nest(AK) as high as the eagle’s,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an object of horror;(AL)
all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
because of all its wounds.(AM)
18 As Sodom(AN) and Gomorrah(AO) were overthrown,
along with their neighboring towns,”
says the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell(AP) in it.
19 “Like a lion(AQ) coming up from Jordan’s thickets(AR)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Edom from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is like(AS) me and who can challenge me?(AT)
And what shepherd(AU) can stand against me?”
20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom,(AV)
what he has purposed(AW) against those who live in Teman:(AX)
The young of the flock(AY) will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.(AZ)
21 At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;(BA)
their cry(BB) will resound to the Red Sea.[c]
22 Look! An eagle will soar and swoop(BC) down,
spreading its wings over Bozrah.(BD)
In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors(BE)
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.(BF)
A Message About Damascus
23 Concerning Damascus:(BG)
“Hamath(BH) and Arpad(BI) are dismayed,
for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
troubled like[d] the restless sea.(BJ)
24 Damascus has become feeble,
she has turned to flee
and panic has gripped her;
anguish and pain have seized her,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(BK)
25 Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
the town in which I delight?
26 Surely, her young men(BL) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced(BM) in that day,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
27 “I will set fire(BN) to the walls of Damascus;(BO)
it will consume(BP) the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.(BQ)”
A Message About Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning Kedar(BR) and the kingdoms of Hazor,(BS) which Nebuchadnezzar(BT) king of Babylon attacked:
This is what the Lord says:
“Arise, and attack Kedar
and destroy the people of the East.(BU)
29 Their tents and their flocks(BV) will be taken;
their shelters will be carried off
with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
‘Terror(BW) on every side!’
30 “Flee quickly away!
Stay in deep caves,(BX) you who live in Hazor,(BY)”
declares the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar(BZ) king of Babylon has plotted against you;
he has devised a plan against you.
31 “Arise and attack a nation at ease,
which lives in confidence,”
declares the Lord,
“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;(CA)
its people live far from danger.
32 Their camels(CB) will become plunder,
and their large herds(CC) will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the winds(CD) those who are in distant places[e](CE)
and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor(CF) will become a haunt of jackals,(CG)
a desolate(CH) place forever.
No one will live there;
no people will dwell(CI) in it.”
A Message About Elam
34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(CJ) early in the reign of Zedekiah(CK) king of Judah:
35 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will break the bow(CL) of Elam,
the mainstay of their might.
36 I will bring against Elam the four winds(CM)
from the four quarters of heaven;(CN)
I will scatter them to the four winds,
and there will not be a nation
where Elam’s exiles do not go.
37 I will shatter Elam before their foes,
before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
even my fierce anger,”(CO)
declares the Lord.
“I will pursue them with the sword(CP)
until I have made an end of them.
38 I will set my throne in Elam
and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the Lord.
39 “Yet I will restore(CQ) the fortunes of Elam
in days to come,”
declares the Lord.
A Message About Babylon(CR)
50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon(CS) and the land of the Babylonians[f]:
2 “Announce and proclaim(CT) among the nations,
lift up a banner(CU) and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;(CV)
Bel(CW) will be put to shame,(CX)
Marduk(CY) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols(CZ) filled with terror.’
3 A nation from the north(DA) will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live(DB) in it;
both people and animals(DC) will flee away.
4 “In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together(DD)
will go in tears(DE) to seek(DF) the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way(DG) to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come(DH) and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant(DI)
that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have been lost sheep;(DJ)
their shepherds(DK) have led them astray(DL)
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill(DM)
and forgot their own resting place.(DN)
7 Whoever found them devoured(DO) them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,(DP)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
the Lord, the hope(DQ) of their ancestors.’
8 “Flee(DR) out of Babylon;(DS)
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.
9 For I will stir(DT) up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nations(DU) from the land of the north.(DV)
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.(DW)
Their arrows(DX) will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
10 So Babylonia[g] will be plundered;(DY)
all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.
11 “Because you rejoice and are glad,
you who pillage my inheritance,(DZ)
because you frolic like a heifer(EA) threshing grain
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother will be greatly ashamed;
she who gave you birth will be disgraced.(EB)
She will be the least of the nations—
a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.(EC)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
but will be completely desolate.(ED)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;(EE)
they will scoff(EF) because of all her wounds.(EG)
14 “Take up your positions around Babylon,
all you who draw the bow.(EH)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,(EI)
for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout(EJ) against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
her walls(EK) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance(EL) of the Lord,
take vengeance on her;
do to her(EM) as she has done to others.(EN)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword(EO) of the oppressor
let everyone return to their own people,(EP)
let everyone flee to their own land.(EQ)
17 “Israel is a scattered flock(ER)
that lions(ES) have chased away.
The first to devour(ET) them
was the king(EU) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(EV)
was Nebuchadnezzar(EW) king(EX) of Babylon.”
18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the king(EY) of Assyria.(EZ)
19 But I will bring(FA) Israel back to their own pasture,
and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied(FB)
on the hills(FC) of Ephraim and Gilead.(FD)
20 In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,(FE)
and for the sins(FF) of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive(FG) the remnant(FH) I spare.
21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.(FI)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[h] them,”
declares the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(FJ) of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
is the hammer(FK) of the whole earth!(FL)
How desolate(FM) is Babylon
among the nations!
24 I set a trap(FN) for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(FO)
because you opposed(FP) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weapons(FQ) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.(FR)
26 Come against her from afar.(FS)
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.(FT)
Completely destroy(FU) her
and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(FV)
let them go down to the slaughter!(FW)
Woe to them! For their day(FX) has come,
the time(FY) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(FZ) and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zion(GA)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(GB)
vengeance for his temple.(GC)
29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.(GD)
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.(GE)
Repay(GF) her for her deeds;(GG)
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(GH) the Lord,
the Holy One(GI) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(GJ) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(GK) you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(GL) has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(GM) one will stumble and fall(GN)
and no one will help her up;(GO)
I will kindle a fire(GP) in her towns
that will consume all who are around her.”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“The people of Israel are oppressed,(GQ)
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.(GR)
34 Yet their Redeemer(GS) is strong;
the Lord Almighty(GT) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(GU)
so that he may bring rest(GV) to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.
35 “A sword(GW) against the Babylonians!”(GX)
declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wise(GY) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(GZ)
They will be filled with terror.(HA)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(HB)
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.(HC)
A sword against her treasures!(HD)
They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[i] her waters!(HE)
They will dry(HF) up.
For it is a land of idols,(HG)
idols that will go mad with terror.
39 “So desert creatures(HH) and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.(HI)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah(HJ)
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.(HK)
41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(HL)
a great nation and many kings
are being stirred(HM) up from the ends of the earth.(HN)
42 They are armed with bows(HO) and spears;
they are cruel(HP) and without mercy.(HQ)
They sound like the roaring sea(HR)
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(HS)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.(HT)
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(HU)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(HV)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen(HW) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(HX)
And what shepherd can stand against me?”
45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposed(HY) against the land of the Babylonians:(HZ)
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;(IA)
its cry(IB) will resound among the nations.
51 This is what the Lord says:
“See, I will stir(IC) up the spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon(ID) and the people of Leb Kamai.[j]
2 I will send foreigners(IE) to Babylon
to winnow(IF) her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
in the day(IG) of her disaster.
3 Let not the archer string his bow,(IH)
nor let him put on his armor.(II)
Do not spare her young men;
completely destroy[k] her army.
4 They will fall(IJ) down slain in Babylon,[l]
fatally wounded in her streets.(IK)
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken(IL)
by their God, the Lord Almighty,
though their land[m] is full of guilt(IM)
before the Holy One of Israel.
6 “Flee(IN) from Babylon!
Run for your lives!
Do not be destroyed because of her sins.(IO)
It is time(IP) for the Lord’s vengeance;(IQ)
he will repay(IR) her what she deserves.
7 Babylon was a gold cup(IS) in the Lord’s hand;
she made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
therefore they have now gone mad.
8 Babylon will suddenly fall(IT) and be broken.
Wail over her!
Get balm(IU) for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.
9 “‘We would have healed Babylon,
but she cannot be healed;
let us leave(IV) her and each go to our own land,
for her judgment(IW) reaches to the skies,
it rises as high as the heavens.’
11 “Sharpen the arrows,(IZ)
take up the shields!(JA)
The Lord has stirred up the kings(JB) of the Medes,(JC)
because his purpose(JD) is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,(JE)
vengeance for his temple.(JF)
12 Lift up a banner(JG) against the walls of Babylon!
Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,(JH)
prepare an ambush!(JI)
The Lord will carry out his purpose,(JJ)
his decree against the people of Babylon.
13 You who live by many waters(JK)
and are rich in treasures,(JL)
your end has come,
the time for you to be destroyed.(JM)
14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself:(JN)
I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,(JO)
and they will shout(JP) in triumph over you.
15 “He made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom(JQ)
and stretched(JR) out the heavens by his understanding.(JS)
16 When he thunders,(JT) the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain(JU)
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(JV)
17 “Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;(JW)
they have no breath in them.
18 They are worthless,(JX) the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
19 He who is the Portion(JY) of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance(JZ)—
the Lord Almighty is his name.
20 “You are my war club,(KA)
my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter(KB) nations,(KC)
with you I destroy kingdoms,
21 with you I shatter horse and rider,(KD)
with you I shatter chariot(KE) and driver,
22 with you I shatter man and woman,
with you I shatter old man and youth,
with you I shatter young man and young woman,(KF)
23 with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
with you I shatter governors and officials.(KG)
24 “Before your eyes I will repay(KH) Babylon(KI) and all who live in Babylonia[n] for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.
25 “I am against(KJ) you, you destroying mountain,
you who destroy the whole earth,”(KK)
declares the Lord.
“I will stretch out my hand(KL) against you,
roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.(KM)
26 No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
nor any stone for a foundation,
for you will be desolate(KN) forever,”
declares the Lord.
27 “Lift up a banner(KO) in the land!
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
summon against her these kingdoms:(KP)
Ararat,(KQ) Minni and Ashkenaz.(KR)
Appoint a commander against her;
send up horses like a swarm of locusts.(KS)
28 Prepare the nations for battle against her—
the kings of the Medes,(KT)
their governors and all their officials,
and all the countries they rule.(KU)
29 The land trembles(KV) and writhes,
for the Lord’s purposes(KW) against Babylon stand—
to lay waste(KX) the land of Babylon
so that no one will live there.(KY)
30 Babylon’s warriors(KZ) have stopped fighting;
they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
they have become weaklings.(LA)
Her dwellings are set on fire;(LB)
the bars(LC) of her gates are broken.
31 One courier(LD) follows another
and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
that his entire city is captured,(LE)
32 the river crossings seized,
the marshes set on fire,(LF)
and the soldiers terrified.(LG)”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Daughter Babylon(LH) is like a threshing floor(LI)
at the time it is trampled;
the time to harvest(LJ) her will soon come.(LK)”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar(LL) king of Babylon has devoured(LM) us,(LN)
he has thrown us into confusion,
he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
and then has spewed(LO) us out.
35 May the violence(LP) done to our flesh[o] be on Babylon,”
say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
says Jerusalem.(LQ)
36 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“See, I will defend your cause(LR)
and avenge(LS) you;
I will dry up(LT) her sea
and make her springs dry.
37 Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
a haunt(LU) of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,(LV)
a place where no one lives.(LW)
38 Her people all roar like young lions,(LX)
they growl like lion cubs.
39 But while they are aroused,
I will set out a feast for them
and make them drunk,(LY)
so that they shout with laughter—
then sleep forever(LZ) and not awake,”
declares the Lord.(MA)
40 “I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats.(MB)
41 “How Sheshak[p](MC) will be captured,(MD)
the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolate(ME) Babylon will be
among the nations!
42 The sea will rise over Babylon;
its roaring waves(MF) will cover her.
43 Her towns will be desolate,
a dry and desert(MG) land,
a land where no one lives,
through which no one travels.(MH)
44 I will punish Bel(MI) in Babylon
and make him spew out(MJ) what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
And the wall(MK) of Babylon will fall.
45 “Come out(ML) of her, my people!
Run(MM) for your lives!
Run from the fierce anger(MN) of the Lord.
46 Do not lose heart(MO) or be afraid(MP)
when rumors(MQ) are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
rumors of violence in the land
and of ruler against ruler.
47 For the time will surely come
when I will punish the idols(MR) of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced(MS)
and her slain will all lie fallen within her.(MT)
48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout(MU) for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north(MV)
destroyers(MW) will attack her,”
declares the Lord.
49 “Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain,
just as the slain in all the earth
have fallen because of Babylon.(MX)
50 You who have escaped the sword,
leave(MY) and do not linger!
Remember(MZ) the Lord in a distant land,(NA)
and call to mind Jerusalem.”
51 “We are disgraced,(NB)
for we have been insulted
and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
the holy places of the Lord’s house.”(NC)
52 “But days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will punish her idols,(ND)
and throughout her land
the wounded will groan.(NE)
53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens(NF)
and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
I will send destroyers(NG) against her,”
declares the Lord.
54 “The sound of a cry(NH) comes from Babylon,
the sound of great destruction(NI)
from the land of the Babylonians.[q]
55 The Lord will destroy Babylon;
he will silence(NJ) her noisy din.
Waves(NK) of enemies will rage like great waters;
the roar of their voices will resound.
56 A destroyer(NL) will come against Babylon;
her warriors will be captured,
and their bows will be broken.(NM)
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
he will repay(NN) in full.
57 I will make her officials(NO) and wise(NP) men drunk,(NQ)
her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep(NR) forever and not awake,”
declares the King,(NS) whose name is the Lord Almighty.
58 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Babylon’s thick wall(NT) will be leveled
and her high gates(NU) set on fire;
the peoples(NV) exhaust(NW) themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”(NX)
59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah,(NY) the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah(NZ) king of Judah in the fourth(OA) year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll(OB) about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. 61 He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62 Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate(OC) forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.(OD) 64 Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more(OE) because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people(OF) will fall.’”(OG)
The words of Jeremiah end(OH) here.
The Fall of Jerusalem(OI)(OJ)(OK)
52 Zedekiah(OL) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.(OM) 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim(ON) had done. 3 It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah,(OO) and in the end he thrust them from his presence.(OP)
Now Zedekiah rebelled(OQ) against the king of Babylon.
4 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth(OR) day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem(OS) with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works(OT) all around it.(OU) 5 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.(OV) 7 Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled.(OW) They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians[r] were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,[s] 8 but the Babylonian[t] army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, 9 and he was captured.(OX)
He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah(OY) in the land of Hamath,(OZ) where he pronounced sentence on him. 10 There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons(PA) of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. 11 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.(PB)
12 On the tenth day of the fifth(PC) month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan(PD) commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He set fire(PE) to the temple(PF) of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses(PG) of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 14 The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls(PH) around Jerusalem. 15 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile(PI) some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen[u] and those who had deserted(PJ) to the king of Babylon. 16 But Nebuzaradan left behind(PK) the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
17 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars,(PL) the movable stands(PM) and the bronze Sea(PN) that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.(PO) 18 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls,(PP) dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.(PQ) 19 The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers,(PR) sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands,(PS) dishes(PT) and bowls used for drink offerings(PU)—all that were made of pure gold or silver.(PV)
20 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls(PW) under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed.(PX) 21 Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference[v]; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.(PY) 22 The bronze capital(PZ) on top of one pillar was five cubits[w] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates(QA) of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates(QB) above the surrounding network was a hundred.(QC)
24 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah(QD) the chief priest, Zephaniah(QE) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.(QF) 25 Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary(QG) who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. 26 Nebuzaradan(QH) the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 There at Riblah,(QI) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.
So Judah went into captivity, away(QJ) from her land. 28 This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile:(QK)
in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,
832 people from Jerusalem;
30 in his twenty-third year,
745 Jews taken into exile(QL) by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard.
There were 4,600 people in all.(QM)
Jehoiachin Released(QN)
31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin(QO) king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison. 32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.(QP) 34 Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance(QQ) as long as he lived, till the day of his death.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 49:1 Or their king; also in verse 3
- Jeremiah 49:13 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
- Jeremiah 49:21 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Jeremiah 49:23 Hebrew on or by
- Jeremiah 49:32 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
- Jeremiah 50:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 25, 35 and 45
- Jeremiah 50:10 Or Chaldea
- Jeremiah 50:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
- Jeremiah 50:38 Or A sword against
- Jeremiah 51:1 Leb Kamai is a cryptogram for Chaldea, that is, Babylonia.
- Jeremiah 51:3 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
- Jeremiah 51:4 Or Chaldea
- Jeremiah 51:5 Or Almighty, / and the land of the Babylonians
- Jeremiah 51:24 Or Chaldea; also in verse 35
- Jeremiah 51:35 Or done to us and to our children
- Jeremiah 51:41 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon.
- Jeremiah 51:54 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 52:7 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 17
- Jeremiah 52:7 Or the Jordan Valley
- Jeremiah 52:8 Or Chaldean; also in verse 14
- Jeremiah 52:15 Or the populace
- Jeremiah 52:21 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference
- Jeremiah 52:22 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters
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