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.
