¹ The word that Jehovah spoke to^▵ Babylon, to^▵ the land of the Chaldeans, by the hand of Jeremiah^◦ the prophet.

² Tell it among^◦ the nations, and make it heard, and lift a standard; make it heard, and conceal^◦ not; say, Babylon is captured, Bel is shamed, Merodach is·​·dismayed; her images^◦ are shamed, her idols are·​·dismayed.

³ For out of the north there comes up a nation against her, which shall set^◦ her land as a desolation, and none shall dwell therein; they shall flee·​·away, they shall go^◦, both man and beast.

⁴ In those days, and in that time, says^◦ Jehovah, the sons of Israel shall come, they and the sons of Judah together, going and weeping; they shall go, and seek Jehovah their God.

⁵ They shall ask Zion concerning the way with their faces hither, saying: Come, and let us join ourselves to^▵ Jehovah in an eternal covenant that shall not be forgotten.

⁶ My people have been as a flock of the lost; their shepherds have caused them to go·​·astray; they have turned· them ·back on the mountains. They have walked from mountain to^▵ hill; they have forgotten their place·​·to·​·lie·​·down^◦.

⁷ All who found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said, We are· not ·guilty, on account of the fact that they have sinned against Jehovah, the home of justice, and the hope^◦ of their fathers, Jehovah.

⁸ Flee·​·away from the midst of Babylon, and from the land of the Chaldeans go·​·out, and be as the he-goats before the flock.

⁹ For, behold, I^▵ will stir·​·up and cause to go·​·up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north; and they shall set·​·themselves·​·in·​·array against her; from thence she shall be taken; his arrows shall be as a mighty·​·man bereaving; none shall return empty.

¹⁰ And Chaldea shall be a spoil; all who spoil her shall be satisfied, says^◦ Jehovah,

¹¹ because you were·​·glad, because you triumphed, O ye pillagers of My inheritance, because you are spread·​·out as the heifer on the tender·​·herb, and neigh as steeds.

¹² Your mother shall be very ashamed; she who gave·​·birth to you shall blush; behold, the last of the nations shall be a wilderness, an arid place, and a desert.

¹³ From the rage of Jehovah she shall not dwell, and all of her shall be desolate; all who pass·​·by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her blows^◦.

¹⁴ Set· yourselves ·in·​·array against Babylon all around; all ye that bend^◦ the bow, shoot·​·out at her, spare not the arrow: for she has sinned against Jehovah.

¹⁵ Shout against her all around; she has given her hand; her foundations are fallen, her walls are broken·​·down; for it is the vengeance of Jehovah; avenge on her; as^◦ she has done, do to her.

¹⁶ Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handles the sickle in the time of harvest; for fear of the oppressing sword they shall face every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

¹⁷ As an animal·​·of·​·the·​·flock Israel is scattered^◦; the lions have expelled him; first the king of Assyria has eaten him up; and afterwards Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, has removed· his ·bones.

¹⁸ Therefore thus says Jehovah of Armies, the God of Israel, Behold, I will visit the king of Babylon and his land, as^◦ I have visited the king of Assyria.

¹⁹ And I will return Israel to^▵ his home, and he shall pasture on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied on^◦ Mount Ephraim and Gilead.

²⁰ In those^◦ days, and in that^◦ time, says^◦ Jehovah, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found; for I will pardon them whom I have left.

²¹ Against the land of Merathaim, go·​·up against her, and against those who dwell in Pekod; waste and doom thou after them, says^◦ Jehovah, and do according·​·to all that I have commanded thee.

²² A voice of battle is in the land, and of great breaking.

²³ How^◦ is the mallet of all the earth hewn·​·off and broken! How^◦ is Babylon become a desolation among^◦ the nations!

²⁴ I have set a snare for thee, and thou art also captured, O Babylon, and thou dost· not ·know; thou art·​·found, and also caught, for thou hast meddled with Jehovah.

²⁵ Jehovah has opened His treasury, and has brought·​·out the weapons^◦ of His indignation; for it is the business of the Lord Jehovih^* of Armies in the land of the Chaldeans.

²⁶ Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses; build· her ·up as stacks, and doom her: let nothing of her be left.

²⁷ Waste all her bullocks; let them go·​·down to the butchering. Woe to them! For their day is come, the time of their visitation.

²⁸ The voice of them that flee and are delivered from the land of Babylon, to tell in Zion about the vengeance of Jehovah our God, the vengeance of His temple.

²⁹ Cause the shooters of arrows to hear against Babylon; all ye who bend^◦ the bow, camp against her all around; let none thereof escape^◦; repay her according·​·to her work; according·​·to all that she has done, do to her: for she has been·​·presumptuous to^▵ Jehovah, to^▵ the Holy·​·One of Israel.

³⁰ Therefore shall her young·​·men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be·​·still in that day, says^◦ Jehovah.

³¹ Behold, I am against thee, O thou most presumptuous, says^◦ the Lord Jehovih of Armies; for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

³² And the presumptuous shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise· him ·up; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all those around him.

³³ Thus says Jehovah of Armies; The sons of Israel and the sons of Judah were oppressed together; and all that took them captives held· them ·firm; they refused to send· them ·out.

³⁴ Their Redeemer is firm; Jehovah of Armies is His name; pleading He shall plead their plea, so·​·that He may give·​·repose to the land, and make those who dwell in Babylon tremble.

³⁵ A sword is upon the Chaldeans, says^◦ Jehovah, and upon those who dwell in Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.

³⁶ A sword is upon the fabricators; and they shall become·​·stupid; 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 commingled crowd that are in her midst; and they shall become as women; a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be preyed·​·on.

³⁸ A drought is to her waters; and they shall be dried·​·up; for she is a land of carved images, and they rave by terrors.

³⁹ Therefore the Tsiim with^◦ the Ijim^* shall dwell there, and in her shall dwell the daughters of an owl; and no^◦ one shall dwell·​·in her any·​·more perpetually; neither shall it be inhabited even·​·to generation and generation.

⁴⁰ As God overturned Sodom and Gomorrah and her neighbor^◦, says^◦ Jehovah; a man^◦ shall not dwell there, a son of man shall not sojourn in her.

⁴¹ Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be stirred·​·up from the flanks of the earth.

⁴² They shall take·​·hold of the bow and the javelin; they are cruel, and will not have·​·compassion; their voice shall make a noise as the sea, and they shall ride on horses, every one set·​·in·​·array, as a man^◦ for the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

⁴³ The king of Babylon has heard the rumor of them, and his hands have slackened; adversity held· him ·firmly, and travailing as a woman giving·​·birth.

⁴⁴ Behold, he shall come·​·up as a lion from the pride of the Jordan to^▵ the home of Ethan^*; but^◦ running I will make him run away from her in a moment. And who is chosen that I may appoint over her? For who is like^▵ Me? And who will cause Me to congregate, and who is this shepherd that will stand before Me?

⁴⁵ Therefore hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, that He has taken counsel against Babylon; and His thoughts, that He has reckoned against the land of the Chaldeans; Surely the little ones of the flock shall drag· them ·out; surely He shall make their home desolate with them.

⁴⁶ At the voice of the occupying of Babylon the earth has quaked, and a cry is heard among^◦ the nations.

¹ "They say, 'If a man puts away his wife, and she goes from him, and become another man's, will he return to her again?' Wouldn't that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the prostitute with many lovers; yet return again to me," says Yahweh.

² "Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been lain with? You have sat for them by the ways, as an Arabian in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and with your wickedness.

³ Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no latter rain; yet you have a prostitute's forehead, you refused to be ashamed.

⁴ Will you not from this time cry to me, 'My Father, you are the guide of my youth?'

⁵ "'Will he retain [his anger] forever? Will he keep it to the end?' Behold, you have spoken and have done evil things, and have had your way."

⁶ Moreover, Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, "Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has played the prostitute.

⁷ I said after she had done all these things, 'She will return to me;' but she didn't return; and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

⁸ I saw, when, for this very cause that backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce, yet treacherous Judah, her sister, didn't fear; but she also went and played the prostitute.

⁹ It happened through the lightness of her prostitution, that the land was polluted, and she committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

¹⁰ Yet for all this her treacherous sister, Judah, has not returned to me with her whole heart, but only in pretense," says Yahweh.

¹¹ Yahweh said to me, "Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.

¹² Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, 'Return, you backsliding Israel,' says Yahweh; 'I will not look in anger on you; for I am merciful,' says Yahweh. 'I will not keep [anger] forever.

¹³ Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against Yahweh your God, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice,' says Yahweh."

¹⁴ "Return, backsliding children," says Yahweh; "for I am a husband to you. I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

¹⁵ I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

¹⁶ It shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days," says Yahweh, "they shall say no more, 'The ark of the covenant of Yahweh!' neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more.

¹⁷ At that time they shall call Jerusalem 'The throne of Yahweh;' and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of Yahweh, to Jerusalem. Neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.

¹⁸ In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I gave for an inheritance to your fathers.

¹⁹ "But I said, 'How I would put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the armies of the nations!' and I said, 'You shall call me "My Father," and shall not turn away from following me.'

²⁰ "Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so you have dealt treacherously with me, house of Israel," says Yahweh.

²¹ A voice is heard on the bare heights, the weeping [and] the petitions of the children of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten Yahweh their God.

²² Return, you backsliding children, I will heal your backsliding. "Behold, we have come to you; for you are Yahweh our God.

²³ Truly in vain is [the help that is looked for] from the hills, the tumult on the mountains. Truly the salvation of Israel is in Yahweh our God.

²⁴ But the shameful thing has devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

²⁵ Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover us; for we have sinned against Yahweh our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day. We have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God."