1 T hus said Jehovah: Lo, I am stirring up against Babylon, And the inhabitants of Leb -- My withstanders, A destroying wind,

Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, Against those who dwell in Leb Kamai, A destroying wind.

2 A nd I have sent to Babylon fanners, And they have fanned it, and they empty its land, For they have been against it, Round about -- in the day of evil.

And I will send winnowers to Babylon, Who shall winnow her and empty her land. For in the day of doom They shall be against her all around.

3 L et not the treader tread his bow, Nor lift himself up in his coat of mail, Nor have ye pity on her young men, Devote ye to destruction all her host.

Against her let the archer bend his bow, And lift himself up against her in his armor. Do not spare her young men; Utterly destroy all her army.

4 A nd fallen have the wounded in the land of the Chaldeans, And the pierced-through in her streets.

Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, And those thrust through in her streets.

5 F or, not forsaken is Israel and Judah, By its God -- by Jehovah of Hosts, For their land hath been full of guilt, Against the Holy One of Israel.

For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the Lord of hosts, Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.”

6 F lee ye from the midst of Babylon, And deliver ye each his soul, Be not cut off in its iniquity, For a time of vengeance it to Jehovah, Recompence He is rendering to her.

Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is the time of the Lord ’s vengeance; He shall recompense her.

7 A golden cup Babylon in the hand of Jehovah, Making drunk all the earth, Of its wine drunk have nations, Therefore boast themselves do nations.

Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord ’s hand, That made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged.

8 S uddenly hath Babylon fallen, Yea, it is broken, howl ye for it, Take balm for her pain, if so be it may be healed.

Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed.

9 W e healed Babylon, and she was not healed, Forsake her, and we go, each to his land, For come unto the heavens hath its judgment, And it hath been lifted up unto the clouds.

We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.

10 J ehovah hath brought forth our righteousnesses, Come, and we recount in Zion the work of Jehovah our God.

The Lord has revealed our righteousness. Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.

11 C leanse ye the arrows, fill the shields, Stirred up hath Jehovah the spirit of the kings of Madia, For against Babylon His device to destroy it, For the vengeance of Jehovah it, The vengeance of His temple.

Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the Lord, The vengeance for His temple.

12 U nto the walls of Babylon lift up an ensign, Strengthen the watch, Establish the watchers, prepare the ambush, For Jehovah hath both devised and done that which He spake, Concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.

Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon; Make the guard strong, Set up the watchmen, Prepare the ambushes. For the Lord has both devised and done What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.

13 O dweller on many waters, abundant in treasures, Come in hath thine end, the measure of thy dishonest gain.

O you who dwell by many waters, Abundant in treasures, Your end has come, The measure of your covetousness.

14 S worn hath Jehovah of Hosts by Himself, That, Surely I have filled thee men as the cankerworm, And they have cried against thee -- shouting.

The Lord of hosts has sworn by Himself: “Surely I will fill you with men, as with locusts, And they shall lift up a shout against you.”

15 T he maker of earth by His power, The establisher of the world by His wisdom, Who by His understanding stretched out the heavens,

He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.

16 A t the voice He giveth forth, A multitude of waters in the heavens, And He causeth vapours to come up from the end of the earth, Lightnings for rain He hath made, And He bringeth out wind from His treasures.

When He utters His voice— There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: “He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”

17 B rutish hath been every man by knowledge, Put to shame hath been every refiner by a graven image, For false his molten image, And there is no breath in them.

Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them.

18 V anity they -- work of errors, In the time of their inspection they perish.

They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish.

19 N ot like these the portion of Jacob, For He former of all things, And the rod of His inheritance, Jehovah of Hosts His name.

The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things; And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The Lord of hosts is His name.

20 A n axe thou to me -- weapons of war, And I have broken in pieces by thee nations, And I have destroyed by thee kingdoms,

“You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms;

21 A nd I have broken in pieces by thee horse and its rider, And I have broken in pieces by thee chariot and its charioteer,

With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider; With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider;

22 A nd I have broken in pieces by thee man and woman, And I have broken in pieces by thee old and young, And I have broken in pieces by thee young man and virgin,

With you also I will break in pieces man and woman; With you I will break in pieces old and young; With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden;

23 A nd I have broken in pieces by thee shepherd and his drove, And I have broken in pieces by thee husbandman and his team, And I have broken in pieces by thee governors and prefects.

With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen; And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers.

24 A nd I have recompensed to Babylon, And to all inhabitants of Chaldea, All the evil that they have done in Zion, Before your eyes -- an affirmation of Jehovah.

“And I will repay Babylon And all the inhabitants of Chaldea For all the evil they have done In Zion in your sight,” says the Lord.

25 L o, I against thee, O destroying mount, An affirmation of Jehovah, That is destroying all the earth, And I have stretched out My hand against thee, And I have rolled thee from the rocks, And given thee for a burnt mountain.

“Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, Who destroys all the earth,” says the Lord. “And I will stretch out My hand against you, Roll you down from the rocks, And make you a burnt mountain.

26 A nd they take not out of thee a stone for a corner, And a stone for foundations, For desolations age-during art thou, An affirmation of Jehovah.

They shall not take from you a stone for a corner Nor a stone for a foundation, But you shall be desolate forever,” says the Lord.

27 L ift ye up an ensign in the land, Blow a trumpet among nations, Sanctify against it nations, Summon against it the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz, Appoint against it an infant head, Cause the horse to ascend as the rough cankerworm.

Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts.

28 S anctify against it the nations with the kings of Media, Its governors and all its prefects, And all the land of its dominion.

Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion.

29 A nd shake doth the land, and it is pained, For stood against Babylon have the purposes of Jehovah, To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant.

And the land will tremble and sorrow; For every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant.

30 C eased have the mighty of Babylon to fight, They have remained in strongholds, Failed hath their might, they have become woman, They have burnt her tabernacles, Broken have been her bars.

The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting, They have remained in their strongholds; Their might has failed, They became like women; They have burned her dwelling places, The bars of her gate are broken.

31 R unner to meet runner doth run, And announcer to meet announcer, To announce to the king of Babylon, For, captured hath been his city -- at the extremity.

One runner will run to meet another, And one messenger to meet another, To show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides;

32 A nd the passages have been captured, And the reeds they have burnt with fire, And the men of war have been troubled.

The passages are blocked, The reeds they have burned with fire, And the men of war are terrified.

33 F or thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, The daughter of Babylon as a threshing-floor, The time of her threshing -- yet a little, And come hath the time of her harvest.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor When it is time to thresh her; Yet a little while And the time of her harvest will come.”

34 D evoured us, crushed us, hath Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, He hath set us an empty vessel, He hath swallowed us as a dragon, He hath filled his belly with my dainties, He hath driven us away.

“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon Has devoured me, he has crushed me; He has made me an empty vessel, He has swallowed me up like a monster; He has filled his stomach with my delicacies, He has spit me out.

35 M y wrong, and my flesh on Babylon, Say doth the inhabitant of Zion, And my blood on the inhabitants of Chaldea, Say doth Jerusalem.

Let the violence done to me and my flesh be upon Babylon,” The inhabitant of Zion will say; “And my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea!” Jerusalem will say.

36 T herefore, thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am pleading thy cause, And I have avenged thy vengeance, And dried up its sea, and made its fountains dry.

Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry.

37 A nd Babylon hath been for heaps, A habitation of dragons, An astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant.

Babylon shall become a heap, A dwelling place for jackals, An astonishment and a hissing, Without an inhabitant.

38 T ogether as young lions they roar, They have shaken themselves as lions' whelps.

They shall roar together like lions, They shall growl like lions’ whelps.

39 I n their heat I make their banquets, And I have caused them to drink, so that they exult, And have slept a sleep age-during, And awake not -- an affirmation of Jehovah.

In their excitement I will prepare their feasts; I will make them drunk, That they may rejoice, And sleep a perpetual sleep And not awake,” says the Lord.

40 I cause them to go down as lambs to slaughter, As rams with he-goats.

“I will bring them down Like lambs to the slaughter, Like rams with male goats.

41 H ow hath Sheshach been captured, Yea, caught is the praise of the whole earth, How hath Babylon been for an astonishment among nations.

“Oh, how Sheshach is taken! Oh, how the praise of the whole earth is seized! How Babylon has become desolate among the nations!

42 C ome up against Babylon hath the sea, With a multitude of its billows it hath been covered.

The sea has come up over Babylon; She is covered with the multitude of its waves.

43 I ts cities have been for a desolation, A dry land, and a wilderness, A land -- none doth dwell in them, Nor pass over into them doth a son of man.

Her cities are a desolation, A dry land and a wilderness, A land where no one dwells, Through which no son of man passes.

44 A nd I have seen after Bel in Babylon, And I have brought forth that which he swallowed -- from his mouth, And flow no more unto him do nations, Also the wall of Babylon hath fallen.

I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will bring out of his mouth what he has swallowed; And the nations shall not stream to him anymore. Yes, the wall of Babylon shall fall.

45 G o forth from its midst, O My people, And deliver ye, each his soul, Because of the fierceness of the anger of Jehovah,

“My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierce anger of the Lord.

46 A nd lest your heart be tender, And ye be afraid of the report that is heard in the land, And come in a year hath the report, And after it in a year the report, And violence in the land, ruler against ruler;

And lest your heart faint, And you fear for the rumor that will be heard in the land (A rumor will come one year, And after that, in another year A rumor will come, And violence in the land, Ruler against ruler),

47 T herefore, lo, days are coming, And I have seen after the graven images of Babylon. And all its land is ashamed, And all its pierced ones do fall in its midst.

Therefore behold, the days are coming That I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon; Her whole land shall be ashamed, And all her slain shall fall in her midst.

48 A nd cried aloud against Babylon Have heavens and earth, and all that in them, For, from the north come to it do the spoilers, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Then the heavens and the earth and all that is in them Shall sing joyously over Babylon; For the plunderers shall come to her from the north,” says the Lord.

49 E ven Babylon to fall, ye pierced of Israel, Even they of Babylon have fallen, Ye pierced of all the earth.

As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, So at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall.

50 Y e escaped of the sword, go on, stand not, Remember ye from afar Jehovah, And let Jerusalem come up on your heart.

You who have escaped the sword, Get away! Do not stand still! Remember the Lord afar off, And let Jerusalem come to your mind.

51 W e have been ashamed, for we heard reproach, Covered hath shame our faces, For come in have strangers, against the sanctuaries of the house of Jehovah.

We are ashamed because we have heard reproach. Shame has covered our faces, For strangers have come into the sanctuaries of the Lord ’s house.

52 T herefore, lo, days are coming, An affirmation of Jehovah, And I have seen after its graven images, And in all its land groan doth the wounded.

“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will bring judgment on her carved images, And throughout all her land the wounded shall groan.

53 B ecause Babylon goeth up to the heavens, And because it fenceth the high place of its strength, From Me come into it do spoilers, An affirmation of Jehovah.

Though Babylon were to mount up to heaven, And though she were to fortify the height of her strength, Yet from Me plunderers would come to her,” says the Lord.

54 A voice of a cry from Babylon, And of great destruction from the land of the Chaldean.

The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, And great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans,

55 F or Jehovah is spoiling Babylon, And hath destroyed out of it a great voice, And sounded have its billows as many waters, Given forth a noise hath their voice.

Because the Lord is plundering Babylon And silencing her loud voice, Though her waves roar like great waters, And the noise of their voice is uttered,

56 F or come in against it -- against Babylon -- hath a spoiler, And captured have been its mighty ones, Broken have been their bows, For the God of recompences -- Jehovah -- doth certainly repay.

Because the plunderer comes against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men are taken. Every one of their bows is broken; For the Lord is the God of recompense, He will surely repay.

57 A nd I have caused its princes to drink, And its wise men, its governors, And its prefects, and its mighty ones, And they have slept a sleep age-during, And they awake not -- an affirmation of the king, Jehovah of Hosts His name.

“And I will make drunk Her princes and wise men, Her governors, her deputies, and her mighty men. And they shall sleep a perpetual sleep And not awake,” says the King, Whose name is the Lord of hosts.

58 T hus said Jehovah of Hosts, the wall of Babylon -- The broad one -- is utterly made bare, And her high gates with fire are burnt, And peoples labour in vain, And nations in fire, and have been weary!

Thus says the Lord of hosts: “The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, And her high gates shall be burned with fire; The people will labor in vain, And the nations, because of the fire; And they shall be weary.” Jeremiah’s Command to Seraiah

59 T he word that Jeremiah the prophet hath commanded Seraiah son of Neriah, son of Maaseiah, in his going with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign -- and Seraiah a quiet prince;

The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And Seraiah was the quartermaster.

60 a nd Jeremiah writeth all the evil that cometh unto Babylon on one book -- all these words that are written concerning Babylon.

So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon, all these words that are written against Babylon.

61 A nd Jeremiah saith unto Seraiah, `When thou dost enter Babylon, then thou hast seen, and hast read all these words,

And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words,

62 a nd hast said: Jehovah, Thou, Thou hast spoken concerning this place, to cut it off, that there is none dwelling in it, from man even unto cattle, for it is a desolation age-during.

then you shall say, ‘O Lord, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever.’

63 A nd it hath come to pass, when thou dost finish reading this book, thou dost bind to it a stone, and hast cast it into the midst of Phrat,

Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates.

64 a nd said, Thus sink doth Babylon, and it doth not arise, because of the evil that I am bringing in against it, and they have been weary.' Hitherto words of Jeremiah.

Then you shall say, ‘Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.’” Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.