Jeremiah 50
50
The First Oracle Against Babylon. 1The word the Lord spoke against Babylon,#50:1–51:58] A collection of miscellaneous oracles against Babylon introducing the story in 51:59–64. against the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:#Jer 51:1; Is 13:1–14; 21:1–10.
2Proclaim this among the nations, announce it!
Announce it, do not hide it, but say:
Babylon is captured, Bel#Bel: originally the title of the god of Nippur in Mesopotamia, later associated with Merodach (Marduk), chief god of Babylon (cf. Is 46:1). put to shame, Marduk terrified;
its images are put to shame, its idols shattered.
3A nation from the north advances against it,
making the land desolate
So that no one can live there;
human beings and animals have fled.#Jer 51:48; Is 13:17.
4In those days and at that time—oracle of the Lord—
Israelite and Judahite shall come together,
Weeping as they come, to seek the Lord, their God;#Jer 3:18; Ps 126:6.
5They shall ask for Zion,
seeking out the way.
“Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant, never to be forgotten.”#Jer 31:31; 32:40.
6Lost sheep were my people,
their shepherds misled them,
leading them astray on the mountains;
From mountain to hill they wandered,
forgetting their fold.#Is 53:6; 1 Pt 2:25.
7Whoever happened upon them devoured them;
their enemies said, “We are not guilty,
Because they sinned against the Lord,
the abode of justice, the hope of their ancestors.”#Jer 31:23.
8Flee from the midst of Babylon,
leave the land of the Chaldeans,
be like rams at the head of the flock.#Jer 51:6, 45; Is 48:20.
9See, I am stirring up against Babylon
a band of great nations from the land of the north;
They are arrayed against her,
from there she shall be taken.
Their arrows are like the arrows of a skilled warrior
who never returns empty-handed.#Jer 51:27.
10Chaldea shall become plunder;
all its plunderers shall be enriched—
oracle of the Lord.
11Yes, rejoice and exult,
you that plunder my heritage;
Frisk like calves on the grass,
neigh like stallions!
12Your mother will indeed be put to shame,
she that bore you shall be abashed;
See, the last of the nations,
a wilderness, a dry wasteland.#Jer 51:43; Is 13:20–22.
13Because of the Lord’s wrath it shall be uninhabited,
become an utter wasteland;
Everyone who passes by Babylon will be appalled
and hiss at all its wounds.#Jer 25:12.
14Take your posts encircling Babylon,
you who bend the bow;
Shoot at it, do not spare your arrows,#Jer 51:11; Is 21:2.
15raise the war cry against it on every side.
It surrenders, its bastions fall,
its walls are torn down:#Its walls are torn down: the prophet describes the downfall of Babylon in conventional language. Babylon surrendered peacefully to the Persians in 539 B.C.
This is retribution from the Lord! Take retribution on her,
as she has done, do to her;
for she sinned against the Lord.#Jer 51:11, 44, 58; Ps 137:8.
16Cut off the sower from Babylon
and those who wield sickles at harvest time!
Before the destroying sword,
all of them turn back to their own people,
all flee to their own land.#Is 13:14.
17Israel was a stray sheep
that lions pursued;
The king of Assyria once devoured him;
now Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon gnaws his bones.#2 Kgs 17:24; 18:14.
18Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
I will punish the king of Babylon and his land,
as I once punished the king of Assyria;#Is 10:12; 14:24–25.
19But I will bring Israel back to its pasture,
to feed on Carmel and Bashan,
And on Mount Ephraim and Gilead,
until they have their fill.#Jer 23:3; Ez 34:13–14.
20In those days, at that time—oracle of the Lord:
The guilt of Israel may be sought, but it no longer exists,
the sin of Judah, but it can no longer be found;
for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.#Jer 31:34; Is 43:25; Mi 7:19.
21Attack the land of Merathaim,
and those who live in Pekod;#Merathaim…Pekod: “twice bitter,” “punishment,” symbolic terms for Babylon that recall the names of regions in the country.
Slaughter and put them under the ban—oracle of the Lord—
do all I have commanded you.
22Battle alarm in the land,
great destruction!
23How the hammer of the whole earth
has been cut off and broken!
What an object of horror
Babylon has become among the nations!#Jer 51:20; Is 14:6.
24You ensnared yourself and were caught,
Babylon, before you knew it!
You were discovered and seized,
because you challenged the Lord.#Jer 51:57.
25The Lord opens his armory,
brings out the weapons of his wrath;
The Lord God of hosts has work to do
in the land of the Chaldeans.#Jer 51:11–12; Is 13:5.
26Come upon them from every side,
open their granaries,
Pile them up in heaps and put them under the ban;
do not leave a remnant.
27Slay all the oxen,
take them down to slaughter;
Woe to them! their day has come,
the time of their punishment.
28Listen! the fugitives, the refugees
from the land of Babylon:
They announce in Zion
the retribution of the Lord, our God.#Jer 51:10–11.
29Call archers out against Babylon,
all who bend the bow;
Encamp around them;
let no one escape.
Repay them for their deeds;
what they have done, do to them,
For they insulted the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.#Jer 51:56.
30Therefore their young men shall fall in the squares,
all their warriors shall be stilled on that day—
oracle of the Lord.#Jer 49:26; 51:4.
31I am against you, O Insolence—
oracle of the Lord God of hosts;
For your day has come,
the time for me to punish you.
32Insolence stumbles and falls;
there is no one to raise him up.
I will kindle a fire in his cities
to devour everything around him.
33Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Oppressed are the people of Israel,
together with the people of Judah;
All their captors hold them fast
and refuse to let them go.
34Strong is their Redeemer,
whose name is Lord of hosts,
The sure defender of their cause,
who gives rest to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.#Jer 51:36.
35A sword upon the Chaldeans—oracle of the Lord—
upon the inhabitants of Babylon, her princes and sages!
36A sword upon the soothsayers,
and they become fools!
A sword upon the warriors,
and they tremble;
37A sword upon their motley throng,
and they become women!
A sword upon their treasures,
and they are plundered;#Jer 51:30; Na 3:13.
38A drought upon the waters,
and they dry up!
For it is a land of idols,
soon made frantic by phantoms.#Jer 51:32, 36.
39Hence, wildcats shall dwell there with hyenas,
and ostriches occupy it;
Never again shall it be inhabited or settled,
from age to age.#Jer 51:37; Is 13:21–22.
40As happened when God overturned Sodom
and Gomorrah and their neighbors—oracle of the Lord—
No one shall dwell there,
no mortal shall settle there.#Jer 51:43.
41See, a people comes from the north,
a great nation, and mighty kings
rising from the ends of the earth.#Jer 51:27–28.
42Bow and javelin they wield,
cruel and pitiless are they;
They sound like the roaring sea,
as they ride forth on horses,
Each in place for battle
against you, daughter Babylon.
43The king of Babylon hears news of them,
and his hands hang helpless;
Anguish takes hold of him,
like the pangs of a woman giving birth.#Is 13:7.
44As happens when a lion comes up from a thicket of the Jordan
to permanent pasture,
So I, in an instant, will chase them off,
and establish there whomever I choose!
For who is like me? Who can call me to account?
What shepherd can stand against me?#Jer 49:19.
45Therefore, hear the strategy of the Lord,
which he has devised against Babylon;
Hear the plans drawn up
against the land of the Chaldeans:
They shall be dragged away, even the smallest sheep;
their own pasture aghast because of them.#Jer 51:12, 29.
46At the cry “Babylon is captured!” the earth quakes;
the outcry is heard among the nations.#Jer 51:29.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Jeremiah 50
50
The Prophecy concerning Babylon
1 #
Isa 13.1—14.23; 47.1-15. The word that the Lord spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chalde´ans by Jeremiah the prophet.
2Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Mer´odach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces. 3For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
4In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. 5They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.
6My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place. 7All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.
8 #
Rev 18.4. Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chalde´ans, and be as the he goats before the flocks. 9For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain. 10And Chalde´a shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord.
11Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls; 12your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert. 13Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. 14Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord. 15Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her. 16Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
17Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrez´zar king of Babylon hath broken his bones. 18Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria. 19And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount E´phra-im and Gil´e-ad. 20In 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.
21Go up against the land of Meratha´im,#50.21 That is, Of the rebels. even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod:#50.21 That is, Visitation. waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded thee. 22A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction. 23How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! 24I 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. 25The Lord hath opened his armory, 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 Chalde´ans. 26Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left. 27Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation. 28The 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 #
Rev 18.6. 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. 30Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord. 31Behold, 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. 32And 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.
33Thus 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. 34Their Redeemer is strong; The Lord of hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35A sword is upon the Chalde´ans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men. 36A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed. 37A 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. 38A 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#Rev 18.2. 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#Gen 19.24,25. As God overthrew Sodom and Gomor´rah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
41Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. 42They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not show 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. 43The 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. 44Behold, 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? 45Therefore 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 Chalde´ans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them. 46At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.