Bible in 90 Days
Word Against Moab
48 Concerning (A)Moab. Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel,
“Woe to (B)Nebo, for it has been destroyed;
(C)Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured;
The lofty stronghold has been put to shame and [a]shattered.
2 There is praise for Moab no longer;
In (D)Heshbon they have devised calamity against her:
‘Come and let us cut her off from being a nation!’
You too, [b]Madmen, will be silenced;
The sword will follow after you.
3 The sound of an outcry from (E)Horonaim,
‘[c]Devastation and great destruction!’
4 Moab is broken;
Her little ones have made their cry of distress heard.
5 For by the ascent of (F)Luhith
They will ascend with continual weeping;
For at the descent of Horonaim
They have heard the distressed cry of destruction.
6 (G)Flee, escape with your lives,
That you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.
7 For because of your (H)trust in your own works and treasures,
Even you yourself will be captured;
And (I)Chemosh will go off into exile
Together with his priests and his princes.
8 A destroyer will come to every city,
So that no city will escape;
The valley also will perish,
And the (J)plateau will be destroyed,
As Yahweh 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 be the one who does the work of Yahweh (N)with a slack hand,
And cursed be the one who restrains his (O)sword from blood.
11 “Moab has been (P)at ease since his youth;
He has also had (Q)quiet, like wine on [f]its dregs,
And he has not been (R)emptied 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 Yahweh, “when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter [h]his jars. 13 And Moab will be (S)ashamed of (T)Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of (U)Bethel, their trust.
14 How can you say, ‘We are (V)mighty warriors,
And men valiant 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 Yahweh of hosts.
16 “The disaster of Moab will (Y)soon come,
And his calamity has quickly hastened.
17 Mourn for him, all you who live around him,
Even all of you who know his name;
Say, ‘How has the strong [l](Z)scepter been broken,
A staff of beauty!’
18 (AA)Come down from your glory
And inhabit [m]the parched ground,
O inhabitant of the (AB)daughter of (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,
O 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 [n]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, upon (AG)Jahzah, and against (AH)Mephaath, 22 and against Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and (AI)Beth-meon, 24 and 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 in pieces and his (AL)arm broken,” declares Yahweh. 26 “(AM)Make him drunk, for he has (AN)magnified himself against Yahweh; so Moab will [o]wallow in his vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock. 27 Now was not Israel a (AO)laughingstock to you? Or was he [p](AP)caught among thieves? For each time you speak about him you (AQ)shake your head in scorn.
28 Leave the cities and dwell among the (AR)crags,
O 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 the exaltedness of his heart.
30 I know his (AV)fury,” declares Yahweh,
“But it is nothing;
His idle boasts have accomplished nothing.
31 Therefore I will (AW)wail for Moab,
Even for all Moab will I cry out;
[q]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 branches 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)gladness and joy are gathered up
From the fruitful orchard, even from the land of Moab.
And I have made the wine to (BB)cease 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 even to (BD)Elealeh, even to Jahaz they have given forth their voice, from (BE)Zoar even to Horonaim and to Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate. 35 I will make Moab cease,” declares Yahweh, “the one who offers offerings on the (BF)high place and the one who (BG)offers offerings in smoke to his gods.
36 “Therefore My (BH)heart moans for Moab like flutes; My heart also moans like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have (BI)lost the abundance it produced. 37 For (BJ)every head is bald and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands and (BK)sackcloth on the loins. 38 On all the (BL)rooftops of Moab and in its open squares [r]there is lamentation everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable (BM)vessel,” declares Yahweh. 39 “How [s]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 thus says Yahweh:
“Behold, one will (BO)swoop 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 mighty men of Moab in 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 (BT)magnified himself against Yahweh.
43 (BU)Panic and pit and pitfall are coming upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab,” declares Yahweh.
44 “The one who (BV)flees from the panic
Will fall into the pit,
And the one who climbs up out of the pit
Will be caught in the pitfall;
For I shall bring upon her, even upon Moab,
The year of their (BW)punishment,” declares Yahweh.
45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
Those who flee stand without strength;
For a fire has gone forth from Heshbon
And a (BX)flame from the midst of (BY)Sihon,
And it has devoured the (BZ)top of the head of Moab
And the scalps of [t]those who rumble.
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 [u](CC)return the [v]fortunes of Moab
In the last days,” declares Yahweh.
Thus far the judgment on Moab.
Word Against Ammon
49 Concerning the sons of (CD)Ammon. Thus says Yahweh:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Or has he no one who can take possession?
Why then has [w]Malcam taken possession of Gad
And his people settled in its cities?
2 Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh,
“That I will cause a [x](CE)trumpet blast of 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 Yahweh.
3 “Wail, O (CI)Heshbon, for (CJ)Ai has been destroyed!
Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah,
(CK)Gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament,
And rush back and forth inside the walls;
For [y]Malcam will (CL)go into exile
Together with his priests and his princes.
4 How (CM)boastful you are about the valleys!
Your valley is flowing away,
O (CN)faithless daughter
Who trusts in her (CO)treasures, saying,
‘(CP)Who will come against me?’
5 Behold, I am going to bring (CQ)dread upon you,”
Declares Lord Yahweh of hosts,
“From all around you;
And each of you will be (CR)banished [z]headlong,
With no one to gather the (CS)one who flees.
6 But afterward I will [aa](CT)return
The [ab]fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”
Declares Yahweh.
Word Against Edom
7 Concerning (CU)Edom.
Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Is there no longer any (CV)wisdom in (CW)Teman?
Has counsel been lost to the understanding?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8 Flee away, turn back, inhabit the depths,
O inhabitants of (CX)Dedan,
For I [ac]will bring the (CY)disaster of Esau upon him
At the time I [ad]punish him.
9 (CZ)If grape gatherers came to you,
Would they not have gleanings remain?
If thieves came by night,
They would ruin only [ae]until they had enough.
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 seed has been destroyed along with his [af]relatives
And his neighbors, and (DB)he is no more.
11 Leave your [ag](DC)orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
And let your (DD)widows trust in Me.”
12 For thus says Yahweh, “Behold, those who are not under judgment to drink the (DE)cup will certainly drink it, but are you the one who will go (DF)completely unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but you will certainly drink it. 13 For I have (DG)sworn by Myself,” declares Yahweh, “that (DH)Bozrah will become an (DI)object of horror, a reproach, a ruin, and an imprecation; and all its cities will become perpetual [ah]ruins.”
14 I have (DJ)heard a message from Yahweh,
And an (DK)envoy is 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 men.
16 As for the terror of you,
The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
O you who dwell in the clefts of [ai]the (DM)rock,
Who seize 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 Yahweh.
17 “Edom will become [aj]an (DP)object of horror; everyone who passes by it will [ak]be horrified and will (DQ)hiss at all its wounds. 18 Like the (DR)overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says Yahweh, “(DS)no one will live there, nor will a son of man sojourn in it. 19 (DT)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the [al](DU)thickets of the Jordan against an enduring pasture; for in an instant I will make him run away from it, and whoever is (DV)chosen I shall appoint over it. For who is (DW)like Me, and who will [am]summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd (DX)who can stand against Me?”
20 Therefore hear the (DY)counsel of Yahweh which He has counseled against Edom, and His purposes which He has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will 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 [an]Red Sea. 22 Behold, [ao]He will mount up and (EB)swoop like an eagle and spread out His wings [ap]against Bozrah; and the (EC)hearts of the mighty men of Edom in that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Word Against Damascus
23 Concerning (ED)Damascus.
“(EE)Hamath and (EF)Arpad are put to shame,
For they have heard a bad report;
They are (EG)melting away.
There is anxiety by the sea,
It (EH)cannot be quieted.
24 Damascus has become limp in their hands;
She has turned away to flee,
And panic has taken hold of her;
(EI)Distress and pangs have seized her
Like a woman in childbirth.
25 How [aq]the (EJ)city of praise has not been forsaken,
The town of My joy!
26 Therefore, her (EK)young men will fall in her open squares,
And all the men of war will be [ar]silenced in that day,” declares Yahweh of hosts.
27 “I will (EL)set fire to the wall of Damascus,
And it will devour the [as]fortified towers of (EM)Ben-hadad.”
Word Against Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning (EN)Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down. Thus says Yahweh,
“Arise, go up to Kedar
And destroy the [at](EO)men 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)Terror on every side!’
30 Run away, flee earnestly! Inhabit the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor,” declares Yahweh;
“For (ES)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you
And purposed a purpose against you.
31 Arise, go up against a nation which is (ET)at ease,
Which inhabits its land securely,” declares Yahweh.
“It has (EU)no gates or bars;
They (EV)dwell alone.
32 Their camels will become plunder,
And their many cattle for spoil,
And I will (EW)scatter to all the winds those who (EX)cut the corners of their hair;
And I will bring their [au]disaster from every side,” declares Yahweh.
33 “Hazor will become a (EY)haunt of jackals,
A desolation forever;
No one will inhabit there,
Nor will a son of man sojourn in it.”
Word Against Elam
34 That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah the prophet concerning (EZ)Elam, (FA)in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:
35 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
‘Behold, I am going to (FB)break the bow of Elam,
The [av]finest of their might.
36 I will bring upon Elam the (FC)four winds
From the four ends of heaven,
And I will (FD)scatter them to all these winds;
And there will be no nation
To which the banished ones of Elam will not go.
37 So I will [aw]shatter Elam before their enemies
And before those who seek their lives;
And I will (FE)bring calamity upon them,
Even My (FF)burning anger,’ declares Yahweh,
‘And I will (FG)send out the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
38 Then I will set My throne in Elam
And cause king and princes from there to perish,’
Declares Yahweh.
39 ‘But it will be in the last days
That I will [ax](FH)return the [ay]fortunes of Elam,’”
Declares Yahweh.
Word Against Babylon
50 The word which Yahweh spoke concerning (FI)Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet:
2 “(FJ)Declare and make it heard among the nations.
Make it heard and (FK)lift up a standard.
Do not conceal it but say,
‘(FL)Babylon has been captured;
(FM)Bel has been put to shame; [az]Marduk has been [ba]shattered;
Her (FN)images have been put to shame; her idols have been shattered.’
3 For a nation has come up against her out of the (FO)north; it will make her land (FP)an object of horror, and there will be (FQ)no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off; they have gone away!
4 “In those days and at that time,” declares Yahweh, “the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah (FR)as well; they will go along (FS)weeping as they go, and it will be (FT)Yahweh their God they will seek. 5 They will (FU)ask for the way to Zion—turning their faces [bb]in its direction and saying, ‘[bc]Come!’—in order that they may join themselves to Yahweh 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 away on the (FY)mountains;
They have gone along from mountain to hill
And have forgotten their (FZ)resting place.
7 All who came out against them have devoured them;
And their adversaries have said, ‘(GA)We are not guilty,
Inasmuch as they have sinned against Yahweh, who is the (GB)abode of righteousness,
Even Yahweh, the (GC)hope of their fathers.’
8 “Wander away from the (GD)midst of Babylon
And [bd]go forth from the land of the Chaldeans;
Be also like male goats [be]at the head of the flock.
9 For behold, I am going to (GE)arouse and bring up against Babylon
An assembly of great nations from the land of the north,
And they will arrange their battle lines against her;
From there she will be taken captive.
Their arrows will be like [bf]a warrior who makes one childless
Who does not return empty-handed.
10 [bg](GF)Chaldea will become spoil;
All who take her spoil will have enough,” declares Yahweh.
11 “Because you are glad, because you exult,
O you who (GG)plunder My inheritance,
Because you skip about [bh]like a threshing (GH)heifer
And neigh like [bi]valiant steeds,
12 Your (GI)mother [bj]will be greatly ashamed;
She who gave you birth [bk]will be humiliated.
Behold, she will be the least of the nations,
A (GJ)wilderness, a parched land, and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of Yahweh she will (GK)not be inhabited,
But she will be (GL)completely desolate;
Everyone who passes by Babylon (GM)will be in desolation
And will hiss because of all her wounds.
14 Arrange your battle lines against Babylon on every side,
All you who [bl]bend the bow;
Shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows,
For she has (GN)sinned against Yahweh.
15 Raise a loud shout against her on every side!
She has (GO)given [bm]herself up, her pillars have fallen,
Her (GP)walls have been pulled down.
For this is the (GQ)vengeance of Yahweh:
Take vengeance on her;
(GR)As she has done to others, so do to her.
16 Cut off the (GS)sower from Babylon
And the one who seizes the sickle at the time of harvest;
From before [bn]the (GT)sword of the oppressor
(GU)They will each turn back to his own people,
And they will each flee to his own land.
17 “Israel is a (GV)scattered [bo]flock; the (GW)lions have banished them away. The first one who devoured him was the (GX)king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is (GY)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 18 Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘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 [bp](HA)return Israel back to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his [bq]desire will be satisfied in the (HB)hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days and at that time,’ declares Yahweh, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but (HC)there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those (HD)whom I leave as a remnant.’
21 “Against the land of [br]Merathaim, go up against it,
And against the inhabitants of [bs](HE)Pekod.
Put them to the sword and [bt]devote them to destruction,” declares Yahweh,
“And do according to all 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 in pieces and broken!
How Babylon has become
An object of horror among the nations!
24 I (HH)set a snare for you, and you were also (HI)caught, O Babylon,
But you yourself did not know;
You have been found and also seized
Because you have engaged in (HJ)conflict with Yahweh.”
25 Yahweh has opened His armory
And has brought forth the (HK)weapons of His indignation,
For it is a (HL)work of Lord Yahweh of hosts
In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come to her from the [bu]farthest border;
(HM)Open up her barns;
Pile her up like heaps,
And [bv](HN)devote her to destruction;
Let nothing of her remain.
27 (HO)Put all her young 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 those who flee and escape from the land of Babylon,
To declare in Zion the (HS)vengeance of Yahweh our God,
Vengeance for His (HT)temple.
29 “Summon [bw]many against Babylon,
All those who [bx]bend the bow:
Encamp against her on every side,
Let there be no escape[by].
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 Yahweh,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore her (HW)young men will fall in her open squares,
And all her men of war will be [bz](HX)silenced in that day,” declares Yahweh.
31 “Behold, (HY)I am against you, O [ca]arrogant one,”
Declares Lord Yahweh of hosts,
“For your day has come,
The time [cb]when I will punish you.
32 The [cc](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 him on every side.”
33 Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“The sons of Israel are oppressed,
And the sons of Judah as well;
And (IB)all who took them captive have held them fast;
They have refused to let them go.
34 Their (IC)Redeemer is strong, (ID)Yahweh of hosts is His name;
He will vigorously (IE)plead their case
So that He may (IF)bring relief to [cd]the earth,
But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 A (IG)sword against the Chaldeans,” declares Yahweh,
“And against the inhabitants of Babylon
And against her (IH)officials and her (II)wise men!
36 A sword against the (IJ)oracle priests, and they will become fools!
A sword against her (IK)mighty men, and they will be [ce](IL)shattered!
37 A sword against [cf]their (IM)horses and against [cg]their chariots
And against all the [ch](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 [ci](IP)drought on her waters, and they will be dried up!
For it is a land of (IQ)graven images,
And they are mad over terrifying idols.
39 “Therefore the (IR)desert creatures will live there along with the jackals;
The ostriches also will live in it,
And it will (IS)never again be lived in
Or dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 As when God overthrew (IT)Sodom
And Gomorrah with its neighbors,” declares Yahweh,
“No man will live there,
Nor will any son of man sojourn in it.
41 “Behold, a people is coming (IU)from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.
42 They (IV)seize their bow and [cj]javelin;
They are (IW)cruel and have no compassion.
Their (IX)voice roars like the sea;
And they ride on (IY)horses,
(IZ)Arranged like a man for the battle
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.
43 The (JA)king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands hang limp;
(JB)Distress has taken hold of him,
Agony like a woman in childbirth.
44 “(JC)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the [ck]thicket of the Jordan to an enduring pasture; for in an instant I will make them run away from it, and whoever is (JD)chosen I will appoint over it. For who is (JE)like Me, and who will [cl]summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can (JF)stand before Me?” 45 Therefore hear the (JG)counsel of Yahweh which He has counseled against Babylon, and His purposes which He has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: (JH)surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their [cm]pasture desolate because of them. 46 At the sound, “Babylon has been seized!” the (JI)earth is shaken, and an (JJ)outcry is heard among the nations.
Yahweh Sends Calamity to Babylon
51 Thus says Yahweh:
“Behold, I am going to arouse against Babylon
And against the inhabitants of [cn]Leb-kamai
[co]The (JK)spirit of a destroyer.
2 I will send [cp]strangers to Babylon that they may (JL)winnow her
And may empty her land to destruction;
For on every side they will be against her
In the day of her calamity.
3 [cq]Let not [cr]him who [cs](JM)bends his bow [ct]bend it,
[cu]Nor let him rise up in his (JN)scale-armor;
So do not spare her young men;
Devote all her army to destruction.
4 They will fall down [cv]slain in the land of the Chaldeans,
And (JO)pierced through in their streets.”
5 For (JP)neither Israel nor Judah has been widowed
By his God, by Yahweh of hosts,
Although their land is (JQ)full of guilt
[cw]Before the Holy One of Israel.
6 (JR)Flee from the midst of Babylon,
And each of you escape with his life!
Do not be [cx](JS)silenced in her [cy]iniquity,
For this is (JT)Yahweh’s time of vengeance;
He is going to (JU)render recompense to her.
7 Babylon has been a golden (JV)cup in the hand of Yahweh,
Intoxicating all the earth.
The (JW)nations have drunk of her wine;
Therefore the nations are (JX)going mad.
8 Suddenly (JY)Babylon has fallen and been broken;
(JZ)Wail over her!
(KA)Take [cz]balm for her pain;
Perhaps she may be healed.
9 We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed;
Forsake her and (KB)let us each go to his own country,
For her judgment has (KC)touched heaven
And lifts up to the very skies.
10 Yahweh has (KD)brought [da]about our righteousness;
Come and let us (KE)recount in Zion
The work of Yahweh our God!
11 (KF)Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers!
Yahweh has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes
Because His purpose is against Babylon to destroy it;
For it is the (KG)vengeance of Yahweh, vengeance for His temple.
12 (KH)Lift up a standard against the walls of Babylon;
Make strong the watch;
Raise up [db]watchmen;
Establish men in ambush!
For Yahweh has both (KI)purposed and performed
What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 O you who (KJ)dwell by abundant waters,
Abundant in (KK)treasures,
Your end has come,
The [dc]measure of your [dd](KL)end.
14 (KM)Yahweh of hosts has sworn by Himself:
“Surely I will fill you with a [de]population like (KN)locusts,
And they will cry out with [df]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 gives forth His (KQ)voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
And He causes the (KR)clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain
And brings forth the (KS)wind from His storehouses.
17 (KT)All mankind is senseless, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his graven image,
For his molten images are (KU)a lie,
And there is no breath in them.
18 They are (KV)vanity, a work of mockery;
In the time of their punishment they will perish.
19 The (KW)portion of Jacob is not like these;
For the [dg]Maker of all is He,
And of the [dh]tribe of His inheritance;
(KX)Yahweh of hosts is His name.
20 He says, “You are My (KY)instrument of shattering, 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 old man and (LD)youth,
And with you I shatter choice man and virgin,
23 And with you I shatter the shepherd and his flock,
And with you I shatter the farmer and his pair of oxen,
And with you I shatter governors and prefects.
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 Yahweh.
25 “Behold, (LG)I am against you, (LH)O destroying mountain,
Who destroys the whole earth,” declares Yahweh,
“And I will stretch out My hand against you
And roll you down from the crags,
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 a perpetual (LJ)desolation,” declares Yahweh.
27 (LK)Lift up a standard in the land,
Blow a trumpet among the nations!
Set apart the nations against her;
Summon against her the (LL)kingdoms of (LM)Ararat, Minni, and (LN)Ashkenaz;
Appoint a marshal against her;
Bring up the (LO)horses like bristly locusts.
28 Set apart the nations against her,
The kings of the Medes,
[di]Their governors and all [dj]their [dk]prefects
And every land of [dl]their rule.
29 So the (LP)land quakes and writhes,
For the purposes of Yahweh against Babylon stand,
To make the land of Babylon
[dm]A (LQ)desolation without inhabitants.
30 The (LR)mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting;
They inhabit the strongholds;
(LS)Their might is dried up;
They are becoming (LT)like women;
Their dwelling places are set on fire;
The (LU)bars of her gates are broken.
31 One (LV)runner runs to meet [dn]another,
And one (LW)messenger to meet [do]another,
To give a message to the king of Babylon
That his city has been captured from end to end;
32 The fords also have been seized,
And they have burned the marshes with fire,
And the men of war are terrified.
33 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel:
“The daughter of Babylon is like a (LX)threshing floor
At the time [dp]it is stamped firm;
Yet in a little while the time of (LY)harvest will come for her.”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has (LZ)devoured me and brought me into confusion;
He has set me down like an (MA)empty vessel;
He has (MB)swallowed me like a sea monster;
He has filled his stomach with my delicacies;
He has rinsed me away.
35 May the (MC)violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,”
The [dq]inhabitant of Zion will say;
And, “May my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
Jerusalem will say.
36 Therefore thus says Yahweh,
“Behold, I am going to (MD)plead your case
And (ME)exact full vengeance for you;
And (MF)I will dry up her [dr]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 set before them their feast
And (MJ)make them drunk, that they may exult
And may (MK)sleep a perpetual sleep
And not wake up,” declares Yahweh.
40 “I will bring them down like [ds]lambs (ML)to the slaughter,
Like rams together with male goats.
41 “How [dt](MM)Sheshak has been captured,
And (MN)the praise of the whole earth been seized!
How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!
42 The [du](MO)sea has come up over Babylon;
She has been covered with its tumultuous waves.
43 Her cities have become an (MP)object of horror,
A parched land, and a desert,
A land in which (MQ)no man lives
And through which no son of man 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 to him.
Even the (MU)wall of Babylon has fallen down!
45 “(MV)Come forth from her midst, My people,
And each of you (MW)escape with his life
From the burning anger of Yahweh.
46 Now (MX)lest your heart grow faint,
And you fear the (MY)report that will be heard in the land—
For the report will come [dv]one year,
And after that [dw]another report in [dx]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)graven images 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 all that is in them
Will shout for joy over Babylon,
For (ND)the destroyers will come to her from the north,”
Declares Yahweh.
49 (NE)Indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel,
As also for Babylon (NF)the slain of all the earth have fallen.
50 You (NG)who have escaped the sword,
Go! Do not stand around!
(NH)Remember Yahweh from afar,
And let Jerusalem come upon your heart.
51 (NI)We are ashamed because we have heard reproach;
Dishonor has covered our faces,
For (NJ)strangers have entered
The holy places of the house of Yahweh.
52 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh,
“When I will punish her (NK)graven images,
And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.
53 Though Babylon should (NL)ascend to the heavens,
And though she should fortify [dy]her lofty stronghold,
From (NM)Me destroyers will come to her,” declares Yahweh.
54 The (NN)sound of an outcry from Babylon,
And of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55 For Yahweh is going to destroy Babylon,
And He will make her loud [dz]noise [ea]vanish from her.
And their (NO)waves will roar like many waters;
The rumbling of their voices [eb]sounds forth.
56 For the (NP)destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon,
And her mighty men will be captured;
Their (NQ)bows are shattered;
For Yahweh is a God of (NR)recompense,
He will fully repay.
57 “I will (NS)make her princes and her wise men drunk,
Her governors, her prefects, and her mighty men,
That they may sleep a (NT)perpetual sleep and not wake up,”
(NU)Declares the King, whose name is Yahweh of hosts.
58 Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“The broad (NV)wall of Babylon will be completely razed,
And her high (NW)gates will be set on fire;
So the peoples will (NX)toil for nothing,
And the nations become (NY)weary only for fire.”
59 The [ec]message which Jeremiah the prophet commanded 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. (Now Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60 So Jeremiah (OB)wrote in a single [ed]scroll all the calamity which would come upon 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, then see that you read all these words aloud, 62 and then you will say, ‘You, O Yahweh, have [ee]promised concerning this place to (OC)cut it off, so that there will be (OD)nothing inhabiting it, [ef]whether man or beast, but it will be a perpetual desolation.’ 63 And as soon as you finish reading this [eg]scroll, you will tie a stone to it and (OE)throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64 and then you will say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and (OF)not rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become (OG)utterly weary.’” (OH)Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
The Anger of Yahweh Towards Judah
52 (OI)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [eh](OJ)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of (OK)Libnah. 2 And he did (OL)what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that (OM)Jehoiakim had done. 3 For through the (ON)anger of Yahweh this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah (OO)rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 (OP)Now it happened 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 military force, against Jerusalem, and they camped against it and built a (OQ)siege wall all around [ei]it. 5 (OR)So the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the (OS)fourth month, the (OT)famine was so strong 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)men of war fled and went forth from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were [ej](OW)all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8 But the military force of the Chaldeans pursued the king and (OX)overtook Zedekiah in the [ek]plains of Jericho, and all his military force was scattered from him. 9 Then they seized the king and (OY)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (OZ)Riblah in the land of (PA)Hamath, and he [el]spoke his judgment on him. 10 Then the king of Babylon (PB)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the [em]princes of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he (PC)blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze fetters 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 stood before the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 And he (PG)burned the house of Yahweh, the (PH)king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14 So all the military force 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 away into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the [en](PK)defectors who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the artisans. 16 But (PL)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had some of the poorest of the land remain to be vinedressers and [eo]plowmen.
17 Now the bronze (PM)pillars which belonged to the house of Yahweh and the (PN)stands and the bronze (PO)sea, which were in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans shattered and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away the (PP)pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the bowls, the [ep]pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used to minister. 19 And the captain of the guard also took away the (PQ)cups, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the [eq]pans, and the offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under [er]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh—the bronze of all these vessels was (PR)beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the (PS)height of each pillar was [es]eighteen cubits, and [et]it was twelve cubits in (PT)circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Now a (PU)capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and (PV)pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six [eu]exposed pomegranates; all (PW)the pomegranates numbered one hundred on the network all around.
24 Then the captain of the guard took (PX)Seraiah the chief priest and (PY)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [ev](PZ)doorkeepers of the temple. 25 And from the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and seven [ew]of the (QA)king’s advisers who were found in the city, and the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. 26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and (QB)led them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon (QC)struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah (QD)went into exile from its land.
28 These are the people whom (QE)Nebuchadnezzar took away into exile: in the [ex]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 away into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 persons in all.
31 (QG)Now it happened 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 [ey]Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, (QH)lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison; 32 (QI)and he spoke to him good words, and he set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So [ez]Jehoiachin (QJ)changed his prison clothes and [fa](QK)had his meals in [fb]the king’s presence continually all the days of his life. 34 For his allowance, a (QL)continual allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, a daily portion all the days of his life until the day of his death.
Zion Lays Desolate
Aleph
1 How (QM)lonely sits the city
That was (QN)great with people!
She has become like a (QO)widow
Who was once (QP)great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the [fc]provinces
Has become a (QQ)forced laborer!
Beth
2 She (QR)weeps bitterly in the night,
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She has none to comfort her
Among all her (QS)lovers.
All her friends have (QT)dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
Gimel
3 (QU)Judah has gone into exile because of affliction
And because of great slavery;
She sits (QV)among the nations,
But she has found no rest;
All (QW)her pursuers have overtaken her
In the midst of [fd]distress.
Daleth
4 The roads [fe]of Zion are in mourning
Because (QX)no one comes to the appointed times.
All her gates are (QY)desolate;
Her priests are sighing,
Her (QZ)virgins are grieving,
And she herself [ff]is (RA)bitter.
He
5 Her adversaries have become [fg]her masters;
Her enemies are complacent;
For [fh]Yahweh has (RB)caused her grief
Because of the greatness of her transgressions;
Her infants have gone away
As captives before the adversary.
Vav
6 So all her (RC)majesty
Has gone out from the daughter of Zion;
Her princes have become like deer
That have found no pasture;
So they have [fi](RD)fled without strength
Before the pursuer.
Zayin
7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness
(RE)Jerusalem remembers all her precious things
That were from the days of old,
When her people fell into the hand of the adversary
And (RF)no one helped her.
The adversaries saw her;
They (RG)laughed at her [fj]ruin.
Heth
8 Jerusalem sinned (RH)greatly;
Therefore (RI)she has become an impure thing.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Even (RJ)she herself sighs and turns away.
Teth
9 Her (RK)uncleanness was in her skirts;
She did not remember her (RL)future.
Therefore she has (RM)gone down astonishingly;
(RN)She has no comforter.
“(RO)See, O Yahweh, my affliction,
For the enemy has (RP)magnified himself!”
Yodh
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand
Over all her desirable things,
For she has seen the (RQ)nations enter her sanctuary,
The ones whom You commanded
That they should (RR)not enter into Your assembly.
Kaph
11 All her people are sighing, (RS)seeking bread;
They have given their desirable things for food
To (RT)restore their souls.
“See, O Yahweh, and look,
For I am (RU)despised.”
Lamedh
12 “Is (RV)it nothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any [fk]pain like my [fl]pain
Which was dealt severely to me,
Which (RW)Yahweh grieved me with on the day of His (RX)burning anger.
Mem
13 From on high He sent fire into my (RY)bones,
And it dominated them.
He has spread a (RZ)net for my feet;
He has turned me back;
He has made me (SA)desolate,
[fm]Faint all day long.
Nun
14 The (SB)yoke of my transgressions is bound;
By His hand they are knit together.
They have (SC)come upon my neck;
He has made my strength stumble.
The Lord (SD)has given me into the hands
Of those against whom I am not able to stand.
Samekh
15 The (SE)Lord has rejected all my mighty men
In my midst;
He has called an appointed time against me
To break my (SF)young men;
The Lord has (SG)trodden as in a wine press
The virgin daughter of Judah.
Ayin
16 For these things I (SH)am weeping;
[fn]My eyes run down with water;
Because far from me is a (SI)comforter,
One who restores my soul.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy has prevailed.”
Pe
17 Zion (SJ)stretches out her hands;
There is no one to comfort her;
Yahweh has (SK)commanded concerning Jacob
That the ones round about him should be his adversaries;
(SL)Jerusalem has become an impure thing among them.
Tsadhe
18 “Yahweh is (SM)righteous;
For I have (SN)rebelled against His [fo]command;
Hear now, all peoples,
And (SO)behold my [fp]pain;
(SP)My virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.
Qoph
19 I (SQ)called to my lovers, but they deceived me;
My (SR)priests and my elders breathed their last in the city
While they sought food for themselves in order to (SS)restore their souls.
Resh
20 See, O Yahweh, for I am in distress;
My [fq](ST)inmost being is greatly disturbed;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very (SU)rebellious.
In the street the sword bereaves;
In the house it is like death.
Shin
21 They have heard that I (SV)am sighing;
There is no one to comfort me;
All my enemies have heard of the [fr]evil done to me;
They (SW)rejoice that You have done it.
You have brought the day which You have proclaimed,
So that they will become (SX)like me.
Tav
22 Let all their evil come before You;
And (SY)deal severely with them as You have dealt severely with me
For all my transgressions;
For my groans are great and my heart is faint.”
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.