Jeremiah 51:1-19

English Standard Version

The Utter Destruction of Babylon

51 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will stir up ^(A)the spirit of a destroyer
    against Babylon,
    against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai,^[a]
²and I will send to Babylon winnowers,
    and ^(B)they shall winnow her,
and they shall empty her land,
    when they come against her from every side
    ^(C)on the day of trouble.
³^(D)Let not the archer bend his bow,
    and let him not stand up in his armor.
Spare not her young men;
    ^(E)devote to destruction^[b] all her army.
⁴They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans,
    ^(F)and wounded in her streets.
⁵^(G)For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
    by their God, the Lord of hosts,
but the land of the Chaldeans^[c] is full of guilt
    against the Holy One of Israel.

⁶^(H)“Flee from the midst of Babylon;
    let every one save his life!
^(I)Be not cut off in her punishment,
    ^(J)for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance,
    the repayment he is rendering her.
⁷Babylon was ^(K)a golden cup in the Lord's hand,
    ^(L)making all the earth drunken;
^(M)the nations drank of her wine;
    therefore the nations went mad.
⁸^(N)Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;
    ^(O)wail for her!
^(P)Take balm for her pain;
    perhaps she may be healed.
⁹We would have healed Babylon,
    but she was not healed.
^(Q)Forsake her, and ^(R)let us go
    each to his own country,
for ^(S)her judgment has reached up to heaven
    and has been lifted up even to the skies.
¹⁰^(T)The Lord has brought about our vindication;
    ^(U)come, let us declare in Zion
    the work of the Lord our God.

¹¹^(V)“Sharpen the arrows!
Take up the shields!

^(W)The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of ^(X)the Medes, because ^(Y)his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, ^(Z)for that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for ^(AA)his temple.

¹²^(AB)“Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon;
    ^(AC)make the watch strong;
set up watchmen;
    prepare the ambushes;
^(AD)for the Lord has both planned and done
    what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
¹³^(AE)O you who dwell by many waters,
    rich in treasures,
your end has come;
    the thread of your life is cut.
¹⁴^(AF)The Lord of hosts has sworn by himself:
Surely I will fill you with men, ^(AG)as many as locusts,
    ^(AH)and they shall raise the shout of victory over you.

¹⁵^(AI)“It is he who made the earth by his power,
    who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
¹⁶When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
    and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
    and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
¹⁷Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
    every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
    and there is no breath in them.
¹⁸They are worthless, a work of delusion;
    at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
¹⁹Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,
    for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
    the Lord of hosts is his name.

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Footnotes

Jeremiah 51:1 A code name for Chaldea
Jeremiah 51:3 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
Jeremiah 51:5 Hebrew their land