Jeremiah 48-52
New American Standard Bible
Prophecy against Moab
48 Concerning (A)Moab. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:
“Woe to (B)Nebo, for it has been destroyed;
(C)Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured;
The high stronghold has been put to shame and [a]shattered.
2 There is no longer praise for Moab;
In (D)Heshbon they have devised disaster against her:
‘Come and let’s cut her off from being a nation!’
You too, [b]Madmen, will be silenced;
The sword will follow you.
3 The sound of an outcry from (E)Horonaim,
‘Devastation and great destruction!’
4 Moab is broken,
Her little ones have sounded out a cry of distress.
5 For they will go up by the ascent of (F)Luhith
With continual weeping;
For at the descent of Horonaim
They have heard the [c]anguished cry of destruction.
6 (G)Flee, save yourselves,
So that you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.
7 For because of your (H)trust in your own achievements and treasures,
You yourself will also be captured;
And (I)Chemosh will go off into exile
Together with his priests and his leaders.
8 A destroyer will come to every city,
So that no city will escape;
The valley also will be ruined
And the (J)plateau will be destroyed,
As the Lord has said.
9 Give [d](K)wings to Moab,
For she will [e]flee away;
And her cities will become a (L)desolation,
Without inhabitants in them.
10 (M)Cursed is the one who does the Lord’s work (N)negligently,
And cursed is the one who restrains his (O)sword from blood.
11 “Moab has been (P)at ease since his youth;
He has also been (Q)peaceful, like wine on [f]its dregs,
And he has not been (R)poured from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into exile.
Therefore [g]he retains his flavor,
And his aroma has not changed.
12 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will pour out his vessels and smash [h]his jars. 13 And Moab will be (S)ashamed of (T)Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed of (U)Bethel, their confidence.
14 How can you say, ‘We are (V)warriors,
And men competent for battle’?
15 Moab has been destroyed and [i]men have gone up to [j]his cities;
His choicest [k](W)young men have also gone down to the slaughter,”
Declares the (X)King, whose name is the Lord of armies.
16 “The disaster of Moab will (Y)soon come,
And his catastrophe has hurried quickly.
17 Mourn for him, all you who live around him,
And all of you who know his name;
Say, ‘How the mighty [l](Z)scepter has been broken,
A staff of splendor!’
18 (AA)Come down from your glory
And sit on the parched ground,
O (AB)daughter living in (AC)Dibon,
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you,
He has ruined your strongholds.
19 Stand by the road and keep watch,
You inhabitant of (AD)Aroer;
(AE)Ask him who flees and her who escapes
And say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab has been put to shame, for it has been [m]shattered.
Wail and cry out;
Declare by the (AF)Arnon
That Moab has been destroyed.
21 “Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, (AG)Jahzah, and against (AH)Mephaath, 22 against Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and (AI)Beth-meon, 24 against (AJ)Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 The (AK)horn of Moab has been cut off, and his (AL)arm broken,” declares the Lord. 26 “(AM)Make him drunk, for he has [n]become (AN)arrogant toward the Lord; so Moab will [o]vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock. 27 Now was Israel not a (AO)laughingstock to you? Or was he [p](AP)caught among thieves? For whenever you speak about him you (AQ)shake your head in scorn.
28 Leave the cities and live among the (AR)rocky cliffs,
You inhabitants of Moab,
And be like a (AS)dove that nests
Beyond the mouth of the chasm.
29 (AT)We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud—
Of his haughtiness, his (AU)pride, his arrogance, and [q]his self-exaltation.
30 I know his (AV)fury,” declares the Lord,
“But it is futile;
His idle boasts have accomplished nothing.
31 Therefore I will (AW)wail for Moab,
For all of Moab I will cry out;
[r]I will moan for the men of (AX)Kir-heres.
32 More than the (AY)weeping for (AZ)Jazer
I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah!
Your tendrils stretched across the sea,
They reached to the sea of Jazer;
Upon your summer fruits and your grape harvest
The destroyer has fallen.
33 So (BA)joy and rejoicing are removed
From the fruitful field, and from the land of Moab.
And I have (BB)eliminated the wine from the wine presses;
No one will tread them with shouting,
The shouting will not be shouts of joy.
34 (BC)From the outcry at Heshbon to (BD)Elealeh, to Jahaz they have [s]raised their voice, from (BE)Zoar to Horonaim, and to Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate. 35 And I will put an end to Moab,” declares the Lord, “the one who offers sacrifice on the (BF)high place and the one who [t](BG)burns incense to his gods.
36 “Therefore My (BH)heart makes a sound like flutes for Moab; My heart also makes a sound like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have (BI)lost the abundance it produced. 37 For (BJ)every head is shaved bald, and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands, and (BK)sackcloth around the waists. 38 On all the (BL)housetops of Moab and in its public squares [u]there is mourning everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable (BM)vessel,” declares the Lord. 39 “How [v]shattered it is! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back—he is ashamed! So Moab will become a laughingstock and an (BN)object of terror to all around him.”
40 For this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, one will (BO)fly swiftly like an eagle
And (BP)spread out his wings against Moab.
41 Kerioth has been captured
And the strongholds have been seized,
So the (BQ)hearts of the warriors of Moab on that day
Will be like the heart of a (BR)woman in labor.
42 Moab will be (BS)destroyed from being a people
Because he has [w]become (BT)arrogant toward the Lord.
43 (BU)Terror, pit, and snare are coming upon you,
Inhabitant of Moab,” declares the Lord.
44 “The one who (BV)flees from the terror
Will fall into the pit,
And the one who climbs up out of the pit
Will be caught in the snare;
For I will bring upon her, upon Moab,
The year of their (BW)punishment,” declares the Lord.
45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
The fugitives stand without strength;
For a fire has spread out from Heshbon
And a (BX)flame from the midst of (BY)Sihon,
And it has devoured the (BZ)forehead of Moab
And the scalps of the [x]loud revelers.
46 (CA)Woe to you, Moab!
The people of (CB)Chemosh have perished;
For your sons have been taken away captive,
And your daughters into captivity.
47 Yet I will (CC)restore the fortunes of Moab
In the [y]latter days,” declares the Lord.
This is the extent of the judgment on Moab.
Prophecy against Ammon
49 Concerning the sons of (CD)Ammon. This is what the Lord says:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Or has he no heirs?
Why then has [z]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 (CE)war to be heard
Against (CF)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon;
And it will become a desolate heap,
And her (CG)towns will be set on fire.
Then Israel will take (CH)possession of his possessors,”
Says the Lord.
3 “Wail, (CI)Heshbon, for (CJ)Ai has been destroyed!
Cry out, daughters of Rabbah,
(CK)Put on sackcloth and mourn,
And move about inside the walls;
For [aa]Malcam will (CL)go into exile
Together with his priests and his leaders.
4 How you (CM)boast about the valleys!
Your valley is flowing away,
You (CN)backsliding daughter
Who trusts in her (CO)treasures, saying,
‘(CP)Who can come against me?’
5 Behold, I am going to bring (CQ)terror upon you,”
Declares the Lord [ab]God of armies,
“From all directions around you;
And you will be (CR)driven away [ac]one after another,
With no one to gather the (CS)fugitives together.
6 But afterward I will (CT)restore
The fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”
Declares the Lord.
Prophecy against Edom
7 Concerning (CU)Edom.
This is what the Lord of armies says:
“Is there no longer any (CV)wisdom in (CW)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 (CX)Dedan,
For I [ad]will bring the (CY)disaster of Esau upon him
At the time I [ae]punish him.
9 (CZ)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 (DA)stripped Esau bare,
I have uncovered his hiding places
So that he will not be able to conceal himself;
His [af]offspring have been destroyed along with his [ag]brothers
And his neighbors, and (DB)he no longer exists.
11 Leave your [ah](DC)orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
And let your (DD)widows trust in Me.”
12 For this is what the Lord says: “Behold, those [ai]who were not sentenced to drink the (DE)cup will certainly drink it, so are you the one who will be held (DF)completely blameless? You will not be held blameless, but you will certainly drink it. 13 For I have (DG)sworn by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that (DH)Bozrah will become an (DI)object of horror, a disgrace, a wasteland, and a curse; and all its cities will become permanent ruins.”
14 I have (DJ)heard a message from the Lord,
And a (DK)messenger is being sent among the nations, saying,
“(DL)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 [aj]the (DM)rock,
Who occupy the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest as (DN)high as an eagle’s,
I will (DO)bring you down from there,” declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an (DP)object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will [ak](DQ)hiss at all its wounds. 18 Like the (DR)overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says the Lord, “(DS)no one will live there, nor will [al]anyone of mankind reside in it. 19 (DT)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the (DU)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 (DV)chosen. For who is (DW)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd (DX)who can stand against Me?”
20 Therefore hear the (DY)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 (DZ)desolate because of them. 21 The (EA)earth has quaked at the noise of their downfall. There is an outcry! The noise of it has been heard at the [am]Red Sea. 22 Behold, [an]He will mount up and (EB)swoop like an eagle, and spread out His wings [ao]against Bozrah; and the (EC)hearts of the warriors of Edom on that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Prophecy against Damascus
23 Concerning (ED)Damascus:
“(EE)Hamath and (EF)Arpad are put to shame,
For they have heard bad news;
They (EG)despair.
There is anxiety at the sea,
It (EH)cannot be calmed.
24 Damascus has become helpless;
She has turned away to flee,
And panic has gripped her;
(EI)Distress and labor pains have seized her
Like a woman in childbirth.
25 How the (EJ)city of praise has not been deserted,
The town of My joy!
26 Therefore, her (EK)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 (EL)set fire to the wall of Damascus,
And it will devour the fortified palace of (EM)Ben-hadad.”
Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning (EN)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 [ap](EO)people of the east.
29 They will take away their tents and their flocks;
They will carry off for themselves
Their tent (EP)curtains, all their goods and their (EQ)camels,
And they will call out to one another, ‘(ER)Horror on every side!’
30 Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths,
You inhabitants of Hazor,” declares the Lord;
“For (ES)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 (ET)at ease,
Which lives securely,” declares the Lord.
“It has (EU)no gates or bars;
They (EV)dwell alone.
32 Their camels will become plunder,
And their many livestock for spoils,
And I will (EW)scatter to all the winds those who (EX)cut the corners of their hair;
And I will bring their disaster from every side,” declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor will become a (EY)haunt of jackals,
A desolation forever;
No one will live there,
Nor will [aq]anyone of mankind reside in it.”
Prophecy against Elam
34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning (EZ)Elam, (FA)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 (FB)break the bow of Elam,
The [ar]finest of their might.
36 I will bring upon Elam the (FC)four winds
From the four ends of heaven,
And will (FD)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 [as]shatter Elam before their enemies
And before those who seek their lives;
And I will (FE)bring disaster upon them,
Even My (FF)fierce anger,’ declares the Lord,
‘And I will (FG)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 (FH)restore the fortunes of Elam,’”
Declares the Lord.
Prophecy against Babylon
50 The word which the Lord spoke concerning (FI)Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:
2 “(FJ)Declare and proclaim among the nations.
Proclaim it and (FK)lift up a flag,
Do not conceal it. Say,
‘(FL)Babylon has been captured,
(FM)Bel has been put to shame, [at]Marduk has been [au]shattered;
Her (FN)idols have been put to shame, her images have been shattered.’
3 For a nation has come up against her from the (FO)north; it will make her land (FP)an object of horror, and there will be (FQ)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 (FR)as well; they will go along (FS)weeping as they go, and it will be (FT)the Lord their God whom they will seek. 5 They will (FU)ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces [av]in its direction; [aw]they [ax]will come so that they may join themselves to the Lord in an (FV)everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have become (FW)lost sheep;
(FX)Their shepherds have led them astray.
They have made them turn aside on the (FY)mountains.
They have gone from mountain to hill,
They have forgotten their (FZ)resting place.
7 All who found them have devoured them;
And their adversaries have said, ‘(GA)We are not guilty,
Since they have sinned against the Lord who is the (GB)habitation of righteousness,
The Lord, the (GC)hope of their fathers.’
8 “Wander away from the (GD)midst of Babylon
And [ay]go out from the land of the Chaldeans;
Be like male goats [az]at the head of the flock.
9 For behold, I am going to (GE)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 [ba]an expert warrior
Who does not return empty-handed.
10 [bb](GF)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 (GG)pillage My heritage,
Because you skip about [bc]like a threshing (GH)heifer
And neigh like [bd]stallions,
12 Your (GI)mother [be]will be greatly ashamed,
She who gave you birth [bf]will be humiliated.
Behold, she will be the least of the nations,
A (GJ)wilderness, a dry land and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of the Lord she will (GK)not be inhabited,
But she will be (GL)completely desolate;
Everyone who passes by Babylon (GM)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 [bg]bend the bow;
Shoot at her, do not spare your arrows,
For she has (GN)sinned against the Lord.
15 Raise your battle cry against her on every side!
She has (GO)given [bh]herself up, her towers have fallen,
Her (GP)walls have been torn down.
For this is the (GQ)vengeance of the Lord:
Take vengeance on her;
(GR)As she has done to others, so do to her.
16 Eliminate the (GS)sower from Babylon
And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest;
From [bi]the (GT)sword of the oppressor
(GU)Each of them will turn back to his own people
And each of them will flee to his own land.
17 “Israel is a (GV)scattered [bj]flock, the (GW)lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the (GX)king of Assyria, and this last one who has gnawed his bones is (GY)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 (GZ)punished the king of Assyria. 19 And I will (HA)bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his [bk]desire will be satisfied in the (HB)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 (HC)there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will forgive those (HD)whom I leave as a remnant.’
21 “Against the land of [bl]Merathaim, go up against it,
And against the inhabitants of [bm](HE)Pekod.
Kill and [bn]completely destroy them,” declares the Lord,
“And do according to everything that I have commanded you.
22 The (HF)noise of battle is in the land,
And great destruction.
23 How the (HG)hammer of the whole earth
Has been cut off and broken!
How Babylon has become
An object of horror among the nations!
24 I (HH)set a trap for you and you were also (HI)caught, Babylon,
While you yourself were not aware;
You have been found and also seized
Because you have engaged in (HJ)conflict with the Lord.”
25 The Lord has opened His armory
And has brought out the (HK)weapons of His indignation,
For it is a (HL)work of the Lord [bo]God of armies
In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come to her from the [bp]farthest border;
(HM)Open up her barns,
Pile her up like heaps of grain
And [bq](HN)completely destroy her,
Let nothing be left to her.
27 (HO)Put all her bulls to the sword;
Let them (HP)go down to the slaughter!
Woe be upon them, for their (HQ)day has come,
The time of their punishment.
28 There is a (HR)sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon,
To declare in Zion the (HS)vengeance of the Lord our God,
Vengeance for His (HT)temple.
29 “Summon [br]many against Babylon,
All those who [bs]bend the bow:
Encamp against her on every side,
Let there be no escape[bt].
Repay her according to her work;
(HU)According to all that she has done, so do to her;
For she has become (HV)arrogant against the Lord,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore her (HW)young men will fall in her streets,
And all her men of war will (HX)perish on that day,” declares the Lord.
31 “Behold, (HY)I am against you, [bu]arrogant one,”
Declares the Lord [bv]God of armies,
“For your day has come,
The time [bw]when I will punish you.
32 The [bx](HZ)arrogant one will stumble and fall
With no one to raise him up;
And I will (IA)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 (IB)all who took them captive have held them firmly,
They have refused to let them go.
34 Their (IC)Redeemer is strong, (ID)the Lord of armies is His name;
He will vigorously (IE)plead their case
So that He may (IF)bring rest to their land,
But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 A (IG)sword against the Chaldeans,” declares the Lord,
“And against the inhabitants of Babylon
And against her (IH)leaders and her (II)wise men!
36 A sword against the (IJ)oracle priests, and they will become fools!
A sword against her (IK)warriors, and they will be [by](IL)shattered!
37 A sword against [bz]their (IM)horses, against [ca]their chariots,
And against all the [cb](IN)foreigners who are in the midst of her,
And they will become (IO)women!
A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!
38 A [cc](IP)drought on her waters, and they will be dried up!
For it is a land of (IQ)idols,
And they go insane at frightful images.
39 “Therefore the (IR)desert creatures will live there with the jackals;
The ostriches also will live in it.
It will (IS)never again be inhabited
Nor lived in from generation to generation.
40 As when God overthrew (IT)Sodom
And Gomorrah with its neighbors,” declares the Lord,
“No one will live there,
Nor will [cd]anyone of mankind reside in it.
41 “Behold, a people is coming (IU)from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Will be roused from the remote parts of the earth.
42 They (IV)seize their bow and javelin;
They are (IW)cruel and have no mercy.
Their (IX)voice roars like the sea;
And they ride on (IY)horses,
(IZ)Drawn up like a man for the battle
Against you, daughter of Babylon.
43 The (JA)king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands hang limp;
(JB)Distress has gripped him,
Agony like a woman in childbirth.
44 “(JC)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 (JD)chosen. For who is (JE)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can (JF)stand against Me?” 45 Therefore hear the (JG)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has in mind against the land of the Chaldeans: (JH)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 [ce]shout, “Babylon has been conquered!” the (JI)earth quakes, and an (JJ)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
[cf]The (JK)spirit of a destroyer against Babylon
And against the inhabitants of [cg]Leb-kamai.
2 I will send [ch]foreigners to Babylon so that they may (JL)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 [ci]him who [cj](JM)bends his bow [ck]bend it,
Nor let him rise up in his (JN)coat of armor.
Do not spare her young men;
Devote all her army to destruction.
4 They will fall down [cl]dead in the land of the Chaldeans,
And (JO)pierced through in their streets.”
5 For (JP)neither Israel nor Judah has been [cm]forsaken
By his God, the Lord of armies,
Although their land is (JQ)full of guilt
[cn]Before the Holy One of Israel.
6 (JR)Flee from the midst of Babylon,
And each of you save his life!
Do not (JS)perish in her [co]punishment,
For this is the (JT)Lord’s time of vengeance;
He is going to (JU)repay to her what she deserves.
7 Babylon has been a golden (JV)cup in the hand of the Lord,
Intoxicating all the earth.
The (JW)nations have drunk of her wine;
Therefore the nations are (JX)going insane.
8 Suddenly (JY)Babylon has fallen and been broken;
(JZ)Wail over her!
(KA)Bring [cp]balm for her pain;
Perhaps she may be healed.
9 We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed;
Abandon her and (KB)let’s each go to his own country,
For her judgment has (KC)reached to heaven
And it rises to the clouds.
10 The Lord has (KD)brought [cq]about our vindication;
Come and let’s (KE)recount in Zion
The work of the Lord our God!
11 (KF)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 (KG)vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple.
12 (KH)Lift up a signal flag against the walls of Babylon;
Post a strong guard,
Station [cr]sentries,
Set up an ambush!
For the Lord has both (KI)planned and performed
What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 You who (KJ)live by many waters,
Abundant in (KK)treasures,
Your end has come,
The [cs]measure of your [ct](KL)end.
14 The (KM)Lord of armies has sworn by Himself:
“I will certainly fill you with a [cu]population like (KN)locusts,
And they will cry out with shouts of victory over you.”
15 It is (KO)He who made the earth by His power,
Who established the world by His wisdom,
And by His understanding He (KP)stretched out the heavens.
16 When He utters His (KQ)voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens,
And He makes the (KR)clouds ascend from the end of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
And brings out (KS)wind from His storehouses.
17 (KT)Every person is stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his [cv]idols,
For his cast metal images are (KU)deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
18 They are (KV)worthless, a work of mockery;
At the time of their punishment they will perish.
19 The (KW)portion of Jacob is not like these;
For He is the [cw]Maker of everything,
And of the [cx]tribe of His inheritance;
The (KX)Lord of armies is His name.
20 He says, “You are My [cy](KY)war-club, My weapon of war;
And with you I (KZ)shatter nations,
And with you I destroy kingdoms.
21 With you I (LA)shatter the horse and his rider,
And with you I shatter the (LB)chariot and its rider,
22 And with you I shatter (LC)man and woman,
And with you I shatter the old man and (LD)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 (LE)Chaldea for (LF)all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes,” declares the Lord.
25 “Behold, (LG)I am against you, mountain of (LH)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 (LI)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 (LJ)desolate forever,” declares the Lord.
27 (LK)Lift up a signal flag in the land,
Blow a trumpet among the nations!
Consecrate the nations against her,
Summon against her the (LL)kingdoms of (LM)Ararat, Minni, and (LN)Ashkenaz;
Appoint an officer against her,
Bring up the (LO)horses like bristly locusts.
28 Consecrate the nations against her,
The kings of the Medes,
[cz]Their governors and all [da]their officials,
And every land [db]under their control.
29 So the (LP)land quakes and writhes,
For the plans of the Lord against Babylon stand,
To make the land of Babylon
[dc]A (LQ)desolation without inhabitants.
30 The (LR)warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting,
They stay in the strongholds;
(LS)Their strength is [dd]exhausted,
They are becoming (LT)like women;
Their homes are set on fire,
The (LU)bars of her gates are broken.
31 One [de](LV)courier runs to meet [df]another,
And one [dg](LW)messenger to meet [dh]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 (LX)threshing floor
At the time that [di]it is tread down;
In just a little while the time of (LY)harvest will come for her.”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has (LZ)devoured me, he has crushed me,
He has set me down like an (MA)empty vessel;
He has (MB)swallowed me like a monster,
He has filled his stomach with my delicacies;
He has washed me away.
35 May the (MC)violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,”
The [dj]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 (MD)plead your case
And (ME)take vengeance for you;
And (MF)I will dry up her [dk]sea
And make her fountain dry.
37 (MG)Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals,
An (MH)object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.
38 They will roar together like (MI)young lions,
They will growl like lions’ cubs.
39 When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet
And (MJ)make them drunk, so that they may rejoice in triumph,
And may (MK)sleep a perpetual sleep
And not wake up,” declares the Lord.
40 “I will bring them down like [dl]lambs (ML)to the slaughter,
Like rams together with male goats.
41 “How [dm](MM)Sheshak has been captured,
And (MN)the praise of the whole earth has been seized!
How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!
42 The [dn](MO)sea has come up over Babylon;
She has been engulfed by its roaring waves.
43 Her cities have become an (MP)object of horror,
A dry land and a desert,
A land in which (MQ)no one lives
And through which no [do]one of mankind passes.
44 (MR)I will punish Bel in Babylon,
And I will make what he has swallowed (MS)come out of his mouth;
And the nations will no longer (MT)stream toward him.
Even the (MU)wall of Babylon has fallen down!
45 “(MV)Come out from her midst, My people,
And each of you (MW)save yourselves
From the fierce anger of the Lord.
46 Now, (MX)so that your heart does not grow faint,
And you are not afraid at the (MY)report that will be heard in the land—
For the report will come in [dp]one year,
And after that [dq]another report in [dr]another year,
And violence will be in the land
With (MZ)ruler against ruler—
47 Therefore behold, days are coming
When I will punish the (NA)idols of Babylon;
And her whole land will be (NB)put to shame.
And all her slain will fall in her midst.
48 Then (NC)heaven and earth and everything that is in them
Will shout for joy over Babylon,
Because (ND)the destroyers will come to her from the north,”
Declares the Lord.
49 (NE)Indeed, Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel,
As (NF)the slain of all the earth have also fallen for Babylon.
50 You (NG)who have escaped the sword,
Go! Do not stay!
(NH)Remember the Lord from far away,
And let Jerusalem [ds]come to your mind.
51 (NI)We are ashamed because we have heard rebuke;
Disgrace has covered our faces,
Because (NJ)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 (NK)idols,
And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.
53 Though Babylon (NL)ascends to the heavens,
And though she fortifies [dt]her lofty stronghold,
Destroyers will come from (NM)Me to her,” declares the Lord.
54 The (NN)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 [du]noise vanish from her.
And their (NO)waves will roar like many waters;
The clamor of their voices [dv]sounds forth.
56 For the (NP)destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon,
And her warriors will be captured,
Their (NQ)bows shattered;
For the Lord is a God of (NR)retribution,
He will fully repay.
57 “I will (NS)make her leaders and her wise men drunk,
Her governors, her officials, and her warriors,
So that they will sleep a (NT)perpetual sleep and not wake up,”
(NU)Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of armies.
58 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“The broad (NV)wall of Babylon will be completely demolished,
And her high (NW)gates will be set on fire;
So the peoples will (NX)labor for nothing,
And the nations become (NY)exhausted only for fire.”
59 The [dw]command that Jeremiah the prophet [dx]gave Seraiah the son of (NZ)Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with (OA)Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (And Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60 Jeremiah (OB)wrote [dy]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 [dz]promised concerning this place to (OC)cut it off, so that there will be (OD)nothing living in it, [ea]whether man or animal; but it will be a permanent desolation.’ 63 And as soon as you finish reading this [eb]scroll, you shall tie a stone to it and (OE)throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and (OF)not rise again, because of the disaster that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become (OG)exhausted.’” (OH)To this point are the words of Jeremiah.
The Fall of Jerusalem
52 (OI)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [ec](OJ)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of (OK)Libnah. 2 He did (OL)evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that (OM)Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the (ON)anger of the Lord this came about in Jerusalem and Judah, until He drove them out from His presence. And Zedekiah (OO)revolted against the king of Babylon. 4 (OP)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 [ed](OQ)bulwark all around [ee]it. 5 (OR)So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the (OS)fourth month the (OT)famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was (OU)breached, and all the (OV)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 [ef](OW)all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and (OX)overtook Zedekiah in the [eg]desert plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they captured the king and (OY)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (OZ)Riblah in the land of (PA)Hamath, and he [eh]passed sentence on him. 10 And the king of Babylon (PB)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the commanders of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he (PC)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 (PD)Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the (PE)nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, (PF)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who [ei]was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 And he (PG)burned the house of the Lord, the (PH)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 (PI)tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard (PJ)took into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the (PK)deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But (PL)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.
17 Now the bronze (PM)pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the (PN)stands and the bronze [ej](PO)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 (PP)pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the [ek]pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 19 The captain of the guard also took the (PQ)bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the [el]pans, and the drink offering bowls, whatever was fine gold, and whatever was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one [em]sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under [en]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these vessels was (PR)beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the (PS)height of each pillar was [eo]eighteen cubits, and [ep]it was twelve cubits in (PT)circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Also, a (PU)capital of bronze was on top of it; and the height of each capital was [eq]five cubits, with latticework and (PV)pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six [er]exposed pomegranates; all (PW)the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the latticework all around.
24 Then the captain of the guard took (PX)Seraiah the chief priest and (PY)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [es](PZ)officers of the temple. 25 He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the warriors, seven [et]of the (QA)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 (QB)brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon (QC)struck them and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was (QD)led into exile from its land.
28 These are the people whom (QE)Nebuchadnezzar took into exile: in the [eu]seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, (QF)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 people in all.
31 (QG)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 [ev]Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, [ew](QH)showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 (QI)Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So [ex]Jehoiachin (QJ)changed his prison clothes, and [ey](QK)had his meals in [ez]the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life. 34 And as his allowance, a (QL)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 48:1 Or dismayed
- Jeremiah 48:2 Heb Madmen; i.e., a city of Moab
- Jeremiah 48:5 Lit distresses of outcry
- Jeremiah 48:9 Or salt
- Jeremiah 48:9 Or fall in ruins
- Jeremiah 48:11 Lit his
- Jeremiah 48:11 Lit his flavor has stayed in him
- Jeremiah 48:12 Lit their
- Jeremiah 48:15 Lit one has
- Jeremiah 48:15 Lit her
- Jeremiah 48:15 I.e., warriors
- Jeremiah 48:17 Or rod
- Jeremiah 48:20 Or dismayed
- Jeremiah 48:26 Or magnified himself against
- Jeremiah 48:26 Lit vomit in his vomit
- Jeremiah 48:27 Or found
- Jeremiah 48:29 Lit elevation of his heart
- Jeremiah 48:31 Another reading is He
- Jeremiah 48:34 Lit given forth
- Jeremiah 48:35 Or offers up in smoke
- Jeremiah 48:38 Lit all of it is mourning
- Jeremiah 48:39 Or terrified
- Jeremiah 48:42 Or magnified himself against
- Jeremiah 48:45 Lit sons of uproar
- Jeremiah 48:47 Lit end of the days
- 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
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