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Jeremiah 50:20-46
King James Version
Jeremiah 50:20-46
King James Version
20 In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
21 Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
22 A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.
23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord.
25 The Lord hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord God of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.
27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.
28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his temple.
29 Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord.
31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord God of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.
32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.
33 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.
34 Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.
36 A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.
37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.
38 A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.
39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
41 Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.
46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.
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Jeremiah 50:20-46
New International Version
Jeremiah 50:20-46
New International Version
20 In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,(A)
and for the sins(B) of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive(C) the remnant(D) I spare.
21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.(E)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[a] them,”
declares the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(F) of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
is the hammer(G) of the whole earth!(H)
How desolate(I) is Babylon
among the nations!
24 I set a trap(J) for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(K)
because you opposed(L) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weapons(M) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.(N)
26 Come against her from afar.(O)
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.(P)
Completely destroy(Q) her
and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(R)
let them go down to the slaughter!(S)
Woe to them! For their day(T) has come,
the time(U) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(V) and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zion(W)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(X)
vengeance for his temple.(Y)
29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.(Z)
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.(AA)
Repay(AB) her for her deeds;(AC)
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(AD) the Lord,
the Holy One(AE) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(AF) will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(AG) you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(AH) has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(AI) one will stumble and fall(AJ)
and no one will help her up;(AK)
I will kindle a fire(AL) 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,(AM)
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.(AN)
34 Yet their Redeemer(AO) is strong;
the Lord Almighty(AP) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(AQ)
so that he may bring rest(AR) to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.
35 “A sword(AS) against the Babylonians!”(AT)
declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wise(AU) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(AV)
They will be filled with terror.(AW)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(AX)
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.(AY)
A sword against her treasures!(AZ)
They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[b] her waters!(BA)
They will dry(BB) up.
For it is a land of idols,(BC)
idols that will go mad with terror.
39 “So desert creatures(BD) and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.(BE)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah(BF)
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.(BG)
41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(BH)
a great nation and many kings
are being stirred(BI) up from the ends of the earth.(BJ)
42 They are armed with bows(BK) and spears;
they are cruel(BL) and without mercy.(BM)
They sound like the roaring sea(BN)
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(BO)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.(BP)
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(BQ)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(BR)
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen(BS) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(BT)
And what shepherd can stand against me?”
45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposed(BU) against the land of the Babylonians:(BV)
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;(BW)
its cry(BX) will resound among the nations.
Footnotes
- 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.
- Jeremiah 50:38 Or A sword against
New International Version (NIV) 
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