Add parallel Print Page Options

50 The Davar that Hashem spoke against Bavel and against Eretz Kasdim (Chaldeans) by Yirmeyah HaNavi.

Declare ye among the Goyim, and publish, and lift up a nes (banner); publish, and conceal not; say, Bavel is captured, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed; her atzabim (images) are shamed, her gilulim (idols) are dismayed.

For out of the tzafon (north) there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land a horror, and none shall dwell therein; they shall wander, they shall depart, both adam and behemah.

In those yamim, and in that time, saith Hashem, the Bnei Yisroel shall go, they and the Bnei Yehudah together, in tears weeping; they shall go, and seek Hashem Eloheihem.

They shall ask the derech to Tziyon with their faces turned toward it, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to Hashem in a Brit Olam that shall not be forgotten.

My people hath been tzon ovedot (lost sheep); their ro’im (shepherds) have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the harim; they have wandered from har to givah (hill), they have forgotten their resting place.

All that found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against Hashem, the naveh tzedek, even Hashem, the mikveh Avoteihem.

Flee out of the midst of Bavel, and go forth out of the Eretz Kasdim (Chaldeans), and leave as the male goats before the tzon.

For, hinei, I will stir up and cause to come up against Bavel a Kahal Goyim Gedolim from eretz tzafon (land of the north); and they shall set themselves in array against her; from there she shall be captured; their khitzim (arrows) shall be as of a gibbor maskil, one that does not return empty-handed.

10 And Kasdim (Chaldea) shall be a plunder: all that plunder her shall have their fill, saith Hashem.

11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye pillagers of Mine nachalah, because ye frisk about as the eglah (heifer) threshing grain, and neigh like stallions;

12 Your em shall be deeply ashamed; she that bore you shall be disgraced; hinei, the least of the Goyim shall be a midbar, a dry land, and an aravah.

13 Because of the wrath of Hashem it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate; every one that passeth by Bavel shall be horrified, and hiss at all her makkot.

14 Put yourselves in array against Bavel all around; all ye that bend the keshet, shoot at her, spare no khetz (arrow); for she hath sinned against Hashem.

15 Shout against her all around; she hath surrendered her yad; her bulwarks are fallen, her chomot (walls) are torn down; for it is the vengeance of Hashem; take vengeance upon her; just as she hath done, do unto her.

16 Cut off the sower from Bavel, and him that reapeth with the magal (sickle) in the time of katzir; for fear of the oppressing cherev they shall turn every ish to his people, and they shall flee every ish to his own land.

17 Yisroel is a seh pezurah (scattered sheep); the aryot (lions) have driven him away; first Melech Ashur (King of Assyria) hath devoured him; and last this Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel hath broken his atzmot.

18 Therefore thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel: Hineni, I will punish Melech Bavel and his land, as I have punished Melech Ashur.

19 And I will bring Yisroel back to his naveh (habitation), and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his nefesh shall be satisfied upon Har Ephrayim and Gil‘ad.

20 In those yamim, and at that time, saith Hashem, the avon Yisroel shall be searched for, and there shall be none; and the chattot Yehudah, and they shall not be found; for I will pardon them whom I preserve as remnant.

21 Go up against Eretz Meratayim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod; lay waste and utterly destroy after them, saith Hashem, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

22 A sound of milchamah is in ha’aretz, and of shever gadol (great destruction).

23 How is the patish (hammer) of kol ha’aretz (the whole earth) shattered and broken! How is Bavel become a desolation among the Goyim!

24 I have laid a trap for thee, and thou art indeed caught, O Bavel, and thou wast not aware; thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against Hashem.

25 Hashem hath opened His armory, and hath brought forth the weapons of His indignation; for this is the work of Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os in Eretz Kasdim.

26 Come against her from afar, open her storehouses; pile her up like heaps of grain, and destroy her utterly; let nothing of her be she’erit (remnant).

27 Slay all her bulls; let them go down latevach (to the slaughter; see Isaiah 53:7); woe unto them! For their day is come, the time of their visitation [for punishment].

28 The voice of them that flee and escape as fugitives out of Eretz Bavel, to declare in Tziyon the vengeance of Hashem Eloheinu, the vengeance of His Heikhal.

29 Call together the archers against Bavel; all ye that bend the keshet, encamp against it all around; let none thereof escape; repay her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her; for she hath arrogantly defied Hashem Kadosh Yisroel.

30 Therefore shall her bochurim fall in the streets, and all her anshei milchamah shall be destroyed in that day, saith Hashem.

31 Hineni, I am against thee, O thou zadon (proud one), saith Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os; for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee [for punishment].

32 And the zadon shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; and I will kindle an eish in his towns, and it shall devour all around him.

33 Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os; The Bnei Yisroel and the Bnei Yehudah were oppressed together; and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.

34 Their Go’el is chazak (strong), Hashem Tzva’os Shmo: He shall thoroughly defend their cause, so that He may bring rest to ha’aretz, and disquiet the inhabitants of Bavel.

35 A cherev is upon the Kasdim (Chaldeans), saith Hashem, and upon the inhabitants of Bavel, and upon her sarim, and upon her chachamim.

36 A cherev is upon the diviners [false prophets who practice divination]; and they shall become fools; a cherev is upon her gibborim; and they shall be dismayed.

37 A cherev is upon their susim, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mixed rabble that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as nashim; a cherev is upon her otzarot; and they shall be plundered.

38 A chorev (drought) is upon her mayim; and they shall be dried up; for it is the eretz pesalim (land of idols), and they go mad over idols.

39 Therefore the wild animals of the desert with the hyenas shall dwell in her [Babylon], and the ostriches shall dwell therein; and it shall be no more inhabited lanetzach (forever); neither shall it be dwelt in from dor vador.

40 As Elohim overthrew Sodom and Amora (Gomorrah) and the neighboring towns thereof, saith Hashem; so shall no ish abide there, neither shall any ben adam dwell therein.

41 Hinei, an am (people, army) shall come from the tzafon (north), and a Goy Gadol, and melachim rabbim shall be stirred up from the ends of the earth.

42 They shall wield keshet and spear; they are cruel, and shall show no rachamim; their voice shall roar like the yam, and they shall ride upon susim, every one put in array, like an ish for the milchamah, against thee, O Bat Bavel.

43 Melech Bavel hath heard the report of them, and his hands fell feeble; anguish took hold of him, and labor pangs as of a woman in travail.

44 Hinei, like an aryeh (lion) coming up from the thicket of the Yarden unto perennial pastures, I will make them suddenly run away from her; and who is the Bachur (Chosen One) that over her I will appoint? For who is like Me? And who can arraign Me? And who is that Ro’eh that will stand before Me?

45 Therefore hear ye the etzah of Hashem, that He hath planned against Bavel; and His purposes, that He hath purposed against the Eretz Kasdim; Surely the little ones of the tzon shall be dragged away; surely He shall make their naveh (pasture) desolate because of them.

46 At the noise of the capture of Bavel ha’aretz (the earth) is shaken, and the outcry is heard among the Goyim.

A Message About Babylon(A)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

17 “Israel is a scattered flock(BA)
    that lions(BB) have chased away.
The first to devour(BC) them
    was the king(BD) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(BE)
    was Nebuchadnezzar(BF) king(BG) of Babylon.”

18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
    as I punished the king(BH) of Assyria.(BI)
19 But I will bring(BJ) Israel back to their own pasture,
    and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied(BK)
    on the hills(BL) of Ephraim and Gilead.(BM)
20 In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
    but there will be none,(BN)
and for the sins(BO) of Judah,
    but none will be found,
    for I will forgive(BP) the remnant(BQ) I spare.

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

29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
    all those who draw the bow.(CM)
Encamp all around her;
    let no one escape.(CN)
Repay(CO) her for her deeds;(CP)
    do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(CQ) the Lord,
    the Holy One(CR) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(CS) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(CT) you, you arrogant one,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(CU) has come,
    the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(CV) one will stumble and fall(CW)
    and no one will help her up;(CX)
I will kindle a fire(CY) in her towns
    that will consume all who are around her.”

33 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

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

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

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

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

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

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 50:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 25, 35 and 45
  2. Jeremiah 50:10 Or Chaldea
  3. Jeremiah 50:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
  4. Jeremiah 50:38 Or A sword against