1 T he word that the Lord spoke concerning and against Babylon and concerning and against the land of the Chaldeans through Jeremiah the prophet:

The word that Jehovah hath spoken concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet:

2 D eclare it among the nations and publish it and set up a signal —publish and conceal it not; say, Babylon has been taken; Bel is put to shame, Merodach (Bel) is dismayed and broken down. images are put to shame, her idols are thrown down!

`Declare ye among nations, and sound, And lift up an ensign, sound, do not hide, Say ye: Captured hath been Babylon, Put to shame hath been Bel, Broken hath been Merodach, Put to shame have been her grievous things, Broken have been her idols.

3 F or out of the north there has come up a nation against her which will make her land desolate, and none will dwell there. They will have fled, they will be gone—from man even to beast.

For come up against her hath a nation from the north, It maketh her land become a desolation, And there is not an inhabitant in it. From man even unto beast, They have moved, they have gone.

4 I n those days and at that time, says the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; they shall come up weeping as they come and seek the Lord their God.

In those days, and at that time, An affirmation of Jehovah, Come in do sons of Israel, They and sons of Judah together, Going on and weeping they go, And Jehovah their God they seek.

5 T hey shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces in that direction, saying, Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

Zion they ask the way, Thitherward their faces: Come in, and we are joined unto Jehovah, A covenant age-during -- not forgotten.

6 M y people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray on mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting-place.

A perishing flock hath My people been, Their shepherds have caused them to err, the mountains causing them to go back, From mountain unto hill they have gone, They have forgotten their crouching-place.

7 A ll who found them devoured them; and their adversaries said, We are not guilty, because they have sinned against the Lord, their true habitation of righteousness and justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.

All finding them have devoured them, And their adversaries have said: We are not guilty, Because that they sinned against Jehovah, The habitation of righteousness, And the hope of their fathers -- Jehovah.

8 F lee out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans; and be as the he-goats before the flocks.

Move ye from the midst of Babylon, And from the land of the Chaldeans go out. And be as he-goats before a flock.

9 F or behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country. They will equip and set themselves against her; from there she will be taken. Their arrows will be like an expert, mighty warrior and like his arrows—none will return in vain.

For, lo, I am stirring up, And am causing to come up against Babylon, An assembly of great nations from a land of the north, And they have set in array against her, From thence she is captured, Its arrow -- as a skilful hero -- returneth not empty,

10 A nd Chaldea shall become plunder; all who plunder her shall be satisfied, says the Lord.

And Chaldea hath been for a spoil, All her spoilers are satisfied, An affirmation of Jehovah.

11 T hough you are glad, though you rejoice, O you who plunder My heritage, though you are wanton and skip about like a heifer at grass and neigh like strong stallions,

Because thou rejoicest, because thou exultest, O spoilers of Mine inheritance, Because thou increasest as a heifer the tender grass, And dost cry aloud as bulls,

12 Y our mother shall be put to great shame; she who bore you shall blush and be disgraced. Behold, she shall be at the rear of the nations —a wilderness, waste, and desert.

Ashamed hath been your mother greatly, Confounded hath she been that bare you, Lo, the hindermost of nations a wilderness, A dry land, and a desert.

13 B ecause of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited but shall be wholly desolate; everyone who goes by Babylon shall be appalled and hiss and mock at all her wounds and plagues.

Because of the wrath of Jehovah it is not inhabited, And it hath been a desolation -- all of it. Every passer by at Babylon is astonished, And doth hiss because of all her plagues.

14 S et yourselves in array against Babylon round about, all you archers. Shoot at her! Spare not the arrows, for she has sinned against the Lord.

Set yourselves in array against Babylon round about, All ye treading a bow, Shoot at her, have no pity on the arrow, For against Jehovah she hath sinned.

15 R aise the battle cry against her round about! She gives her hand and surrenders; her supports and battlements fall, her walls are thrown down. For this is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance on her; as she has done, do to her.

Shout against her round about, She hath given forth her hand, Fallen have her foundations, Thrown down have been her walls, For it the vengeance of Jehovah, Be avenged of her, as she did -- do ye to her.

16 E xterminate the sower from Babylon, and the one who handles the sickle in the time of harvest. For fear of the sword of the oppressor everyone shall return to his people, and everyone shall flee to his own land.

Cut off the sower from Babylon, And him handling the sickle in the time of harvest, Because of the oppressing sword, Each unto his people -- they turn, And each to his land -- they flee.

17 I srael is a hunted and scattered sheep; the lions have chased him. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon has broken and gnawed his bones.

A scattered sheep is Israel, lions have driven away, At first, devour him did the king of Asshur, And now, at last, broken his bone Hath Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.

18 T herefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will visit and punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I visited and punished the king of Assyria.

Therefore thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Lo, I am seeing after the king of Babylon, And after his land, As I have seen after the king of Asshur;

19 A nd I will bring Israel again to his fold and pasturage, and he will feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul will be satisfied upon the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.

And I have brought back Israel unto his habitation, And he hath fed on Carmel, and on Bashan. And in mount Ephraim, and on Gilead is his soul satisfied.

20 I n those days and at that time, says the Lord, the iniquity of Israel will be sought, but there will be none, and the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will pardon those whom I cause to remain as a remnant (the preserved ones who come forth after a long tribulation).

In those days, and at that time, An affirmation of Jehovah, Sought is the iniquity of Israel, and it is not, And the sin of Judah, and it is not found, For I am propitious to those whom I leave!

21 G o up against the land of Merathaim, even against it and against the inhabitants of Pekod. Slay and utterly destroy them, says the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded you.

Against the land of Merathaim: Go up against it, and unto the inhabitants of Pekod, Waste and devote their posterity, An affirmation of Jehovah, And do according to all that I have commanded thee.

22 T he cry and noise of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.

A noise of battle in the land, and of great destruction.

23 H ow the hammer of the whole earth is crushed and broken! How Babylon has become a horror of desolation among the nations!

How hath it been cut and broken, The hammer of the whole earth! How hath Babylon been for a desolation among nations!

24 I set a trap for you, and you also were taken, O Babylon, and you did not know it; you were found and also caught because you have struggled and contended against the Lord.

I have laid a snare for thee, And also -- thou art captured, O Babylon, And thou -- thou hast known, Thou hast been found, and also art caught, For against Jehovah thou hast stirred thyself up.

25 T he Lord has opened His armory and has brought forth the weapons of His indignation and wrath, for the Lord God of hosts has work to do in the land of the Chaldeans.

Jehovah hath opened His treasury, And He bringeth out the weapons of His indignation, For a work to the Lord Jehovah of Hosts, In the land of the Chaldeans.

26 C ome against her from every quarter and from the utmost border. Open her granaries and storehouses; pile up like heaps of rubbish. Burn and destroy her utterly; let nothing be left of her.

Come ye in to her from the extremity, Open ye her storehouses, Raise her up as heaps, and devote her, Let her have no remnant.

27 S lay all her bullocks (her choice youths, the strength of her army); let them go down to the slaughter! Woe to! For their day has come, the time of their visitation (their inspection and punishment).

Slay all her kine, they go down to slaughter, Wo on them, for come hath their day, The time of their inspection.

28 L isten! The voice of those who flee and escape out of the land of Babylon proclaiming in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance for His temple.

A voice of fugitives and escaped ones from the land of Babylon, To declare in Zion the vengeance of Jehovah our God, The vengeance of His temple.

29 C all together archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. Encamp against her round about; let none from there escape. Recompense her according to her deeds; just as she has done, do to her. For against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel, has she been proudly defiant and presumptuous.

Summon unto Babylon archers, all treading the bow, Encamp against her round about, Let have no escape; Recompense to her according to her work, According to all that she did -- do to her, For unto Jehovah she hath been proud, Unto the Holy One of Israel.

30 T herefore shall her young men fall in her streets and squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, says the Lord.

Therefore fall do her young men in her broad places, And all her men of war are cut off in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah.

31 B ehold, I am against you, O Babylon, says the Lord, the Lord of hosts, for your day has come, the time when I will visit and punish you.

Lo, I against thee, O pride, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah of Hosts, For thy day hath come, the time of thy inspection.

32 A nd Pride (the arrogant one) shall stumble (totter) and fall, and none shall raise him up. And I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all who are round about him.

And stumbled hath pride, And he hath fallen, and hath no raiser up, And I have kindled a fire in his cities, And it hath devoured all round about him.

33 T hus says the Lord of hosts: The children of Israel and the children of Judah are oppressed together; all who took them captive have held them fast; they refuse to let them go.

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Oppressed are the sons of Israel, And the sons of Judah together, And all their captors have kept hold on them, They have refused to send them away.

34 T heir Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is His name. He will surely and thoroughly plead their case and defend their cause, that He may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

Their Redeemer strong, Jehovah of Hosts His name, He doth thoroughly plead their cause, So as to cause the land to rest, And He hath given trouble to the inhabitants of Babylon.

35 A sword upon the Chaldeans, says the Lord—upon the inhabitants of Babylon and upon her princes (rulers in civic matters) and upon her wise men (the astrologers and rulers in religious affairs)!

A sword for the Chaldeans, An affirmation of Jehovah, And it on the inhabitants of Babylon, And on her heads, and on her wise men;

36 A sword upon the babbling liars (the diviners), that they may become fools! A sword upon her mighty warriors, that they may be dismayed and destroyed!

A sword on the princes, And they have become foolish; A sword on her mighty ones, And they have been broken down;

37 A sword upon their horses and upon their chariots and upon all the mixed foreign troops that are in the midst of her, that they may become women! A sword upon her treasures, that they may be plundered!

A sword on his horses and on his chariot, And on all the rabble who in her midst, And they have become women; A sword on her treasuries, And they have been spoiled;

38 A sword and a drought upon her waters, that they may be dried up! For it is a land of images, and they are mad over idols (objects of terror in which they foolishly trust).

A sword on her waters, and they have been dried up, For it a land of graven images, And in idols they do boast themselves.

39 T herefore wild beasts of the desert shall dwell with the jackals, and ostriches shall dwell there. And it shall never again be inhabited with people, even from generation to generation.

Therefore dwell do Ziim with Iim, Yea, dwelt in her have daughters of the ostrich, And it is not inhabited any more for ever, Nor dwelt in unto all generations.

40 A s when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, says the Lord, so no man shall dwell there; neither shall any son of man live there temporarily.

As overthrown by God with Sodom, And with Gomorrah, and with its neighbours, An affirmation of Jehovah, none doth dwell there, Nor sojourn in her doth a son of man.

41 B ehold, a people is coming from the north; and a great nation and many kings are stirring from the uttermost parts of the earth.

Lo, a people hath come from the north, Even a great nation, And many kings are stirred up from the sides of the earth.

42 T hey lay hold of bow, lance, and spear; they are cruel and have no mercy or compassion. They sound like the roaring of the sea; they ride upon horses, every man equipped like a man for the battle against you, O Daughter of Babylon!

Bow and halbert they seize, Cruel they, and they have no mercy, Their voice as a sea soundeth, and on horses they ride, Set in array as a man for battle, Against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

43 T he king of Babylon has heard the news about them, and his hands fall feeble and helpless; anguish has seized him, and pangs like that of a woman in childbirth.

Heard hath the king of Babylon their report, And feeble have been his hands, Distress hath seized him; pain as a travailing woman.

44 S ee, there comes up one like a lion from the jungles (the pride) of the Jordan against the strong habitation and into the permanent pasturage and sheepfold; for in a twinkling I will drive him from there. And I will appoint over him the one whom I choose. For who is like Me? And who will challenge Me and prosecute Me for this proceeding? And what shepherd can stand before Me and defy Me?

Lo, as a lion he cometh up, Because of the rising of the Jordan, Unto the enduring habitation, But I cause to rest, I cause them to run from off her. And who is chosen? on her I lay a charge, For who like Me? And who doth convene Me? And who this shepherd who standeth before Me?

45 T herefore hear the plan of the Lord which He has made against Babylon, and His purposes which He has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely they shall be dragged away, even the little ones of the flock; surely He shall make their habitation desolate because of them and their fold amazed and appalled at their fate.

Therefore, hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, That He counselled concerning Babylon, And His devices that He hath devised Concerning the land of the Chaldeans; Drag them out do not little ones of the flock, Doth He not make desolate over them the habitation?

46 A t the cry, Babylon has been taken! the earth shall tremble, and the cry shall be heard among the nations.

From the voice: Captured was Babylon, Hath the earth been shaken, And a cry among nations hath been heard!