Jeremiah 50:11-51:14

New International Version

¹¹ “Because you rejoice and are glad,
    you who pillage my inheritance,^(A)
because you frolic like a heifer^(B) threshing grain
    and neigh like stallions,
¹² your mother will be greatly ashamed;
    she who gave you birth will be disgraced.^(C)
She will be the least of the nations—
    a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.^(D)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
    but will be completely desolate.^(E)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;^(F)
    they will scoff^(G) because of all her wounds.^(H)

¹⁴ “Take up your positions around Babylon,
    all you who draw the bow.^(I)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,^(J)
    for she has sinned against the Lord.
¹⁵ Shout^(K) against her on every side!
    She surrenders, her towers fall,
    her walls^(L) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance^(M) of the Lord,
    take vengeance on her;
    do to her^(N) as she has done to others.^(O)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
    and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword^(P) of the oppressor
    let everyone return to their own people,^(Q)
    let everyone flee to their own land.^(R)

¹⁷ “Israel is a scattered flock^(S)
    that lions^(T) have chased away.
The first to devour^(U) them
    was the king^(V) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones^(W)
    was Nebuchadnezzar^(X) king^(Y) of Babylon.”

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
    as I punished the king^(Z) of Assyria.^(AA)
19 But I will bring^(AB) Israel back to their own pasture,
    and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied^(AC)
    on the hills^(AD) of Ephraim and Gilead.^(AE)
20 In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
    but there will be none,^(AF)
and for the sins^(AG) of Judah,
    but none will be found,
    for I will forgive^(AH) the remnant^(AI) I spare.

²¹ “Attack the land of Merathaim
    and those who live in Pekod.^(AJ)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy^[a] them,”
declares the Lord.
    “Do everything I have commanded you.
²² The noise^(AK) of battle is in the land,
    the noise of great destruction!
²³ How broken and shattered
    is the hammer^(AL) of the whole earth!^(AM)
How desolate^(AN) is Babylon
    among the nations!
²⁴ I set a trap^(AO) for you, Babylon,
    and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured^(AP)
    because you opposed^(AQ) the Lord.
²⁵ The Lord has opened his arsenal
    and brought out the weapons^(AR) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
    in the land of the Babylonians.^(AS)
26 Come against her from afar.^(AT)
    Break open her granaries;
    pile her up like heaps of grain.^(AU)
Completely destroy^(AV) her
    and leave her no remnant.
²⁷ Kill all her young bulls;^(AW)
    let them go down to the slaughter!^(AX)
Woe to them! For their day^(AY) has come,
    the time^(AZ) for them to be punished.
²⁸ Listen to the fugitives^(BA) and refugees from Babylon
    declaring in Zion^(BB)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,^(BC)
    vengeance for his temple.^(BD)

²⁹ “Summon archers against Babylon,
    all those who draw the bow.^(BE)
Encamp all around her;
    let no one escape.^(BF)
Repay^(BG) her for her deeds;^(BH)
    do to her as she has done.
For she has defied^(BI) the Lord,
    the Holy One^(BJ) of Israel.
³⁰ Therefore, her young men^(BK) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
³¹ “See, I am against^(BL) you, you arrogant one,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day^(BM) has come,
    the time for you to be punished.
³² The arrogant^(BN) one will stumble and fall^(BO)
    and no one will help her up;^(BP)
I will kindle a fire^(BQ) in her towns
    that will consume all who are around her.”

“The people of Israel are oppressed,^(BR)
    and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
    refusing to let them go.^(BS)
34 Yet their Redeemer^(BT) is strong;
    the Lord Almighty^(BU) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause^(BV)
    so that he may bring rest^(BW) to their land,
    but unrest to those who live in Babylon.

³⁵ “A sword^(BX) against the Babylonians!”^(BY)
    declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
    and against her officials and wise^(BZ) men!
³⁶ A sword against her false prophets!
    They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!^(CA)
    They will be filled with terror.^(CB)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots^(CC)
    and all the foreigners in her ranks!
    They will become weaklings.^(CD)
A sword against her treasures!^(CE)
    They will be plundered.
³⁸ A drought on^[b] her waters!^(CF)
    They will dry^(CG) up.
For it is a land of idols,^(CH)
    idols that will go mad with terror.

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

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

⁴⁵ Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
    what he has purposed^(CZ) against the land of the Babylonians:^(DA)
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
    their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
⁴⁶ At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;^(DB)
    its cry^(DC) will resound among the nations.

“See, I will stir^(DD) up the spirit of a destroyer
    against Babylon^(DE) and the people of Leb Kamai.^[c]
2 I will send foreigners^(DF) to Babylon
    to winnow^(DG) her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
    in the day^(DH) of her disaster.
³ Let not the archer string his bow,^(DI)
    nor let him put on his armor.^(DJ)
Do not spare her young men;
    completely destroy^[d] her army.
⁴ They will fall^(DK) down slain in Babylon,^[e]
    fatally wounded in her streets.^(DL)
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken^(DM)
    by their God, the Lord Almighty,
though their land^[f] is full of guilt^(DN)
    before the Holy One of Israel.

⁶ “Flee^(DO) from Babylon!
    Run for your lives!
    Do not be destroyed because of her sins.^(DP)
It is time^(DQ) for the Lord’s vengeance;^(DR)
    he will repay^(DS) her what she deserves.
⁷ Babylon was a gold cup^(DT) in the Lord’s hand;
    she made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
    therefore they have now gone mad.
⁸ Babylon will suddenly fall^(DU) and be broken.
    Wail over her!
Get balm^(DV) for her pain;
    perhaps she can be healed.

⁹ “‘We would have healed Babylon,
    but she cannot be healed;
let us leave^(DW) her and each go to our own land,
    for her judgment^(DX) reaches to the skies,
    it rises as high as the heavens.’

¹⁰ “‘The Lord has vindicated^(DY) us;
    come, let us tell in Zion
    what the Lord our God has done.’^(DZ)

¹¹ “Sharpen the arrows,^(EA)
    take up the shields!^(EB)
The Lord has stirred up the kings^(EC) of the Medes,^(ED)
    because his purpose^(EE) is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,^(EF)
    vengeance for his temple.^(EG)
12 Lift up a banner^(EH) against the walls of Babylon!
    Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,^(EI)
    prepare an ambush!^(EJ)
The Lord will carry out his purpose,^(EK)
    his decree against the people of Babylon.
¹³ You who live by many waters^(EL)
    and are rich in treasures,^(EM)
your end has come,
    the time for you to be destroyed.^(EN)
14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself:^(EO)
    I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,^(EP)
    and they will shout^(EQ) in triumph over you.