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Prophecy against Babylon

50 This is what the Lord said concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians through the prophet Jeremiah:

Tell the nations;
    proclaim it far and wide!
Set up a flag;
    proclaim it far and wide!
Hold nothing back;
    just shout it:
“Babylon is captured;
    Bel is shamed;
Marduk is panic-stricken.
    Her images are shamed;
        her idols are panic-stricken.”
A nation from the north
    has risen up against her.
It will decimate her land,
    and no one will live in it.
        Every living thing will flee.
In those days and at that time,
        declares the Lord,
    the people of Israel and Judah
        will come out of Babylon[a] together;
    with weeping they will leave
        as they seek the Lord their God.
They will search for Zion,
    turning their faces toward it.
They will come[b] and
    unite with the Lord,
    in an everlasting covenant
        that will never be forgotten.
My people were lost sheep;
        their shepherds led them astray;
    they deserted them on the mountains,
        where they wandered off among the hills,
                forgetting their resting place.
All who found them devoured them;
        and their attackers said,
    “It’s not our fault,
        because they have sinned against the Lord,
            the true pasture,[c]
            the hope of their ancestors—the Lord.”
Now wander far from Babylon.
        Get out of that country.
    Like rams of the flock,
        lead the way home.
I’m stirring up against Babylon
    a coalition of mighty nations.
It will mobilize in the north,
    and from there she will be captured.
Their arrows are like those of an expert archer
    who does not return empty-handed.
10 Babylon will be defeated;
    its attackers will carry off all that they want,
        declares the Lord.

11 Sure, you gloat and rejoice,
        you plunderers of my possession.
Sure, you dance around like a calf
    and neigh like a stallion.
12 But Mother Babylon[d] will be humiliated;
    the one who bore you will be disgraced.
She will become the least of the nations:
    a wilderness, a desert, and parched land.
13 Because of the Lord’s anger,
    no one will live there;
        she will be reduced to total ruin.
All who pass by Babylon will be shocked;
    they will gasp at all her injuries.
14 Take up your positions around Babylon,
        all you archers;
    now shoot at her;
        save none of your arrows,
        because she’s sinned against the Lord.
15 Raise a victory shout against her on every side!
    She’s surrendered;
        her towers have collapsed;
        her walls are destroyed.
This is the Lord’s retribution;
    now pay her back:
        do to her what she’s done to others!
16 Cut Babylon off from those who plant
    and those who harvest the crops,
        because of its ruthless sword.[e]
Now return, all of you, to your people;
    flee to your homeland!

17 Israelites are scattered sheep,
    driven away by lions.
First the king of Assyria devoured them,
    and now Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar has ravaged them.[f]

18 Therefore, the Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims:

I’m going to punish the king of Babylon and his land,
    just as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 But I will restore Israel to their pasture;
    they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
    they will eat their fill
        in the highlands of Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days and at that time,
        declares the Lord,
    if one searches for the sin of Israel,
        they will find nothing;
    if one seeks out the wrongdoing of Judah,
        they will look in vain.
            I will forgive those I have spared.

21 Attack the land of Merathaim;[g]
        crush those living in Pekod.
    Ruin and destroy them,
        declares the Lord;
    do all I have commanded you.
22 There’s the sound of war in the land
    and enormous devastation.
23 How the hammer of the whole earth
    has been broken and shattered into pieces!
How Babylon has become a wasteland
    among the nations!
24 You set a trap for others, Babylon,[h]
    but you yourself were caught in it unaware;
        you have been found and captured
        because you have defied the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
    and brought out his brutal weapons.
The Lord God of heavenly forces
    has a job to do in the land of the Babylonians.
26 Come against her from every side;
    throw open her granaries;
    pile her up like stalks of grain;
    totally destroy her;
    leave nothing intact.
27 Destroy all her bulls;
    prepare them for slaughter.
How terrible for them!
    Their time has come,
        the day of reckoning.
28 A voice of fugitives and refugees,
        from the land of Babylon,
    declaring in Zion
        the retribution of the Lord our God
            because of what has been done to his temple.
29 Send the archers against Babylon,
    all who draw the bow!
Surround her
    and let no one escape.
Pay her back for her deeds;
    do to her what she’s done to others.
She has acted arrogantly toward the Lord,
    the holy one of Israel!

30 Therefore, her soldiers will fall in the streets;
    all her warriors will be silenced on that day,
        declares the Lord.
31 I’m against you, you arrogant one!
    declares the Lord God of heavenly forces.
Your day has come,
    your time of reckoning.
32 The arrogant one will stumble and fall,
    and no one will help her up.
I’ll set your cities on fire,
    and it will consume all that’s around her.
33 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
The people of Israel were oppressed,
    together with the people of Judah.
Their captors held them
    and refused to let them go.
34 Yet their redeemer is strong;
    the Lord of heavenly forces is his name.
He will surely defend their cause
    and give them rest in the land.
But he will unsettle the people of Babylon.

35 A sword against Babylon and its people,
    declares the Lord,
        along with its officials and sages.
36 A sword against its diviners
    so that they become fools.
A sword against its warriors
    so that they are terrified.
37 A sword against its horses and chariots,
    and the mercenaries[i] in its midst
        so that they lose courage.[j]
A sword against its treasures
    so that they are looted.
38 A sword[k] against the water supplies
    so that they dry up.
It is truly the land of idols,
    idols about which they have gone utterly mad!
39 Therefore, Babylon will become a ghost town,
    a place for desert animals,
        hyenas, and ravenous birds.[l]
No one will live there again;
    no one will make it their home.
40 Just as God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors,
        declares the Lord,
    so no one will live in Babylon
        or settle there again.

41 Look! An army is on the move
    from the northern regions.
A powerful nation and many kings are coming
    from the ends of the earth.
42 Equipped with bow and spear,
    they are cruel and show no mercy.
Their horsemen sound like the roaring sea,
    arrayed in battle formation against you,
    Daughter Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports of them
    and is panic-stricken;
    distress overwhelms him,
        pain like that of a woman in labor.

44 Like a lion coming up from
        the jungle of the Jordan
    to a well-watered meadow,[m]
        so I will suddenly chase down Babylon
        and single out its choicest of rams.
Who is like me?
    Who can direct me?
    What shepherd can withstand me?
45 Therefore, listen to the counsel
    that the Lord has for Babylon
    and the plans he’s devised
        against the land of Babylon:
    The little ones of the flock
        will be dragged off,
        as their pasture watches
        in utter disbelief.[n]
46 The earth quakes
    at the sound of Babylon’s capture;
        its screams echo throughout the world.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 50:4 Heb lacks of Babylon.
  2. Jeremiah 50:5 Heb uncertain
  3. Jeremiah 50:7 Or righteous dwelling place
  4. Jeremiah 50:12 Or your mother
  5. Jeremiah 50:16 Heb uncertain
  6. Jeremiah 50:17 Or gnawed their bones
  7. Jeremiah 50:21 Or Double rebellion
  8. Jeremiah 50:24 Or I set a trap for you, Babylon, and you were
  9. Jeremiah 50:37 Or foreigners
  10. Jeremiah 50:37 Or become like women
  11. Jeremiah 50:38 Or A drought
  12. Jeremiah 50:39 Heb uncertain
  13. Jeremiah 50:44 Heb uncertain
  14. Jeremiah 50:45 Heb uncertain

A Message About Babylon(A)

50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon(B) and the land of the Babylonians[a]:

“Announce and proclaim(C) among the nations,
    lift up a banner(D) and proclaim it;
    keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;(E)
    Bel(F) will be put to shame,(G)
    Marduk(H) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
    and her idols(I) filled with terror.’
A nation from the north(J) will attack her
    and lay waste her land.
No one will live(K) in it;
    both people and animals(L) will flee away.

“In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together(M)
    will go in tears(N) to seek(O) the Lord their God.
They will ask the way(P) to Zion
    and turn their faces toward it.
They will come(Q) and bind themselves to the Lord
    in an everlasting covenant(R)
    that will not be forgotten.

“My people have been lost sheep;(S)
    their shepherds(T) have led them astray(U)
    and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill(V)
    and forgot their own resting place.(W)
Whoever found them devoured(X) them;
    their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,(Y)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
    the Lord, the hope(Z) of their ancestors.’

“Flee(AA) out of Babylon;(AB)
    leave the land of the Babylonians,
    and be like the goats that lead the flock.
For I will stir(AC) up and bring against Babylon
    an alliance of great nations(AD) from the land of the north.(AE)
They will take up their positions against her,
    and from the north she will be captured.(AF)
Their arrows(AG) will be like skilled warriors
    who do not return empty-handed.
10 So Babylonia[b] will be plundered;(AH)
    all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.

11 “Because you rejoice and are glad,
    you who pillage my inheritance,(AI)
because you frolic like a heifer(AJ) threshing grain
    and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother will be greatly ashamed;
    she who gave you birth will be disgraced.(AK)
She will be the least of the nations—
    a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.(AL)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
    but will be completely desolate.(AM)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;(AN)
    they will scoff(AO) because of all her wounds.(AP)

14 “Take up your positions around Babylon,
    all you who draw the bow.(AQ)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,(AR)
    for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout(AS) against her on every side!
    She surrenders, her towers fall,
    her walls(AT) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance(AU) of the Lord,
    take vengeance on her;
    do to her(AV) as she has done to others.(AW)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
    and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword(AX) of the oppressor
    let everyone return to their own people,(AY)
    let everyone flee to their own land.(AZ)

17 “Israel is a scattered flock(BA)
    that lions(BB) have chased away.
The first to devour(BC) them
    was the king(BD) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(BE)
    was Nebuchadnezzar(BF) king(BG) 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(BH) of Assyria.(BI)
19 But I will bring(BJ) Israel back to their own pasture,
    and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied(BK)
    on the hills(BL) of Ephraim and Gilead.(BM)
20 In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
    but there will be none,(BN)
and for the sins(BO) of Judah,
    but none will be found,
    for I will forgive(BP) the remnant(BQ) I spare.

21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
    and those who live in Pekod.(BR)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[c] them,”
declares the Lord.
    “Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(BS) of battle is in the land,
    the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
    is the hammer(BT) of the whole earth!(BU)
How desolate(BV) is Babylon
    among the nations!
24 I set a trap(BW) for you, Babylon,
    and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(BX)
    because you opposed(BY) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
    and brought out the weapons(BZ) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
    in the land of the Babylonians.(CA)
26 Come against her from afar.(CB)
    Break open her granaries;
    pile her up like heaps of grain.(CC)
Completely destroy(CD) her
    and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(CE)
    let them go down to the slaughter!(CF)
Woe to them! For their day(CG) has come,
    the time(CH) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(CI) and refugees from Babylon
    declaring in Zion(CJ)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(CK)
    vengeance for his temple.(CL)

29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
    all those who draw the bow.(CM)
Encamp all around her;
    let no one escape.(CN)
Repay(CO) her for her deeds;(CP)
    do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(CQ) the Lord,
    the Holy One(CR) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(CS) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(CT) you, you arrogant one,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(CU) has come,
    the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(CV) one will stumble and fall(CW)
    and no one will help her up;(CX)
I will kindle a fire(CY) 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,(CZ)
    and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
    refusing to let them go.(DA)
34 Yet their Redeemer(DB) is strong;
    the Lord Almighty(DC) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(DD)
    so that he may bring rest(DE) to their land,
    but unrest to those who live in Babylon.

35 “A sword(DF) against the Babylonians!”(DG)
    declares the Lord
“against those who live in Babylon
    and against her officials and wise(DH) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
    They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(DI)
    They will be filled with terror.(DJ)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(DK)
    and all the foreigners in her ranks!
    They will become weaklings.(DL)
A sword against her treasures!(DM)
    They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[d] her waters!(DN)
    They will dry(DO) up.
For it is a land of idols,(DP)
    idols that will go mad with terror.

39 “So desert creatures(DQ) and hyenas will live there,
    and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
    or lived in from generation to generation.(DR)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah(DS)
    along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
    no people will dwell in it.(DT)

41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(DU)
    a great nation and many kings
    are being stirred(DV) up from the ends of the earth.(DW)
42 They are armed with bows(DX) and spears;
    they are cruel(DY) and without mercy.(DZ)
They sound like the roaring sea(EA)
    as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(EB)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
    and his hands hang limp.(EC)
Anguish has gripped him,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(ED)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(EE)
    to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
    Who is the chosen(EF) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(EG)
    And what shepherd can stand against me?”

45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
    what he has purposed(EH) against the land of the Babylonians:(EI)
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;(EJ)
    its cry(EK) will resound among the nations.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 50:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 25, 35 and 45
  2. Jeremiah 50:10 Or Chaldea
  3. 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.
  4. Jeremiah 50:38 Or A sword against