Chapter 51

Thus saith¹ the LORD; Behold, I will raise up⁵⁶ against Babylon, and against them that dwell⁶ in the midst of them that rise up⁵ against me, a destroying⁵⁶ wind;

And will send¹⁴ unto Babylon fanners,⁵ that shall fan¹⁴ her, and shall empty³⁴ her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.

Against [him that] bendeth⁴ let the archer⁶ bend⁴ his bow, and against [him that] lifteth himself up¹⁰¹ in his brigandine: and spare⁴ ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly⁵⁴ all her host.

Thus the slain shall fall¹ in the land of the Chaldeans, and [they that are] thrust through³⁰ in her streets.

For Israel [hath] not [been] forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled¹ with sin against the Holy One of Israel.

Flee³ out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver¹⁶ every man his soul: be not cut off¹¹ in her iniquity; for this [is] the time of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render¹⁸ unto her a recompence.

Babylon [hath been] a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken:¹⁸ the nations have drunken¹ of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.¹⁰⁸

Babylon is suddenly fallen¹ and destroyed:¹¹ howl⁵⁴ for her; take³ balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.¹¹

We would have healed¹⁴ Babylon, but she is not healed:⁸ forsake³ her, and let us go⁴ every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth¹ unto heaven, and is lifted up⁸ [even] to the skies.

The LORD hath brought forth⁵² our righteousness: come,³ and let us declare¹⁷ in Zion the work of the LORD our God.

Make bright⁵⁴ the arrows; gather³ the shields: the LORD hath raised up⁵² the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device [is] against Babylon, to destroy⁵³ it; because it [is] the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.

Set up³ the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong,⁵⁴ set up⁵⁴ the watchmen,⁶ prepare⁵⁴ the ambushes:⁶ for the LORD hath both devised¹ and done¹ that which he spake¹⁴ against the inhabitants⁶ of Babylon.

O thou that dwellest^{6 7931 1} upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come,⁶ [and] the measure of thy covetousness.

The LORD of hosts hath sworn⁸ by himself, [saying], Surely I will fill¹⁴ thee with men, as with caterpillers; and they shall lift up¹ a shout against thee.

He hath made⁶ the earth by his power, he hath established⁵⁶ the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out¹ the heaven by his understanding.

When he uttereth² [his] voice, [there is] a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend⁵⁵ from the ends of the earth: he maketh¹ lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth⁵⁵ the wind out of his treasures.

Every man is brutish⁸ by [his] knowledge; every founder⁶ is confounded⁵² by the graven image: for his molten image [is] falsehood, and [there is] no breath in them.

They [are] vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.⁴

The portion of Jacob [is] not like them; for he [is] the former⁶ of all things: and [Israel is] the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts [is] his name.

Thou [art] my battle axe [and] weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces¹⁴ the nations, and with thee will I destroy⁵² kingdoms;

And with thee will I break in pieces¹⁴ the horse and his rider;⁶ and with thee will I break in pieces¹⁴ the chariot and his rider;⁶

With thee also will I break in pieces¹⁴ man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces¹⁴ old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces¹⁴ the young man and the maid;

I will also break in pieces¹⁴ with thee the shepherd⁶ and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces¹⁴ the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces¹⁴ captains and rulers.

And I will render¹⁴ unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants⁶ of Chaldea all their evil that they have done¹ in Zion in your sight, saith⁷ the LORD.

Behold, I [am] against thee, O destroying mountain, saith⁷ the LORD, which destroyest⁵⁶ all the earth: and I will stretch out¹ mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down⁴³ from the rocks, and will make¹ thee a burnt mountain.

And they shall not take⁴ of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith⁷ the LORD.

Set ye up³ a standard in the land, blow³ the trumpet among the nations, prepare¹⁶ the nations against her, call together⁵⁴ against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint³ a captain against her; cause the horses to come up⁵⁴ as the rough caterpillers.

Prepare¹⁶ against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion.

And the land shall tremble⁴ and sorrow:⁴ for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed¹ against Babylon, to make² the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.⁶

The mighty men of Babylon have forborn¹ to fight,⁹ they have remained¹ in [their] holds: their might hath failed;¹ they became as women: they have burned⁵² her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.⁸

One post⁵ shall run⁴ to meet² another,⁵ and one messenger⁵⁶ to meet² another,⁵⁶ to shew⁵³ the king of Babylon that his city is taken⁸ at [one] end,

And that the passages are stopped,⁸ and the reeds they have burned¹ with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.⁸

For thus saith¹ the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon [is] like a threshingfloor, [it is] time to thresh⁵³ her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.¹

Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured¹ me, he hath crushed¹ me, he hath made⁵² me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up¹ like a dragon, he hath filled¹⁴ his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.⁵²

The violence done to me and to my flesh [be] upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant⁶ of Zion say;⁴ and my blood upon the inhabitants⁶ of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.⁴

Therefore thus saith¹ the LORD; Behold, I will plead⁵ thy cause, and take vengeance¹⁴ for thee; and I will dry up⁵² her sea, and make her springs dry.⁵²

And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.⁶

They shall roar⁴ together like lions: they shall yell¹ as lions' whelps.

In their heat I will make⁴ their feasts, and I will make them drunken,⁵² that they may rejoice,⁴ and sleep¹ a perpetual sleep, and not wake,⁵⁵ saith⁷ the LORD.

I will bring them down⁵⁵ like lambs to the slaughter,² like rams with he goats.

How is Sheshach taken!⁸ and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised!¹¹ how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!

The sea is come up¹ upon Babylon: she is covered⁸ with the multitude of the waves thereof.

Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth,⁴ neither doth [any] son of man pass⁴ thereby.

And I will punish¹ Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth⁵² out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together⁴ any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.¹

My people, go ye out³ of the midst of her, and deliver¹⁶ ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.

And lest your heart faint,¹¹ and ye fear⁴ for the rumour that shall be heard¹² in the land; a rumour shall both come¹ [one] year, and after that in [another] year [shall come] a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler⁶ against ruler.⁶

Therefore, behold, the days come,⁶ that I will do judgment¹ upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded,⁴ and all her slain shall fall⁴ in the midst of her.

Then the heaven and the earth, and all that [is] therein, shall sing¹⁴ for Babylon: for the spoilers⁶ shall come⁴ unto her from the north, saith⁷ the LORD.

As Babylon [hath caused] the slain of Israel to fall,² so at Babylon shall fall¹ the slain of all the earth.

Ye that have escaped the sword, go away,³ stand not still:⁴ remember³ the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come⁴ into your mind.

We are confounded,¹ because we have heard¹ reproach: shame hath covered¹⁴ our faces: for strangers⁵ are come¹ into the sanctuaries of the LORD'S house.

Wherefore, behold, the days come,⁶ saith⁷ the LORD, that I will do judgment¹ upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.⁴

Though Babylon should mount up⁴ to heaven, and though she should fortify¹⁷ the height of her strength, [yet] from me shall spoilers⁶ come⁴ unto her, saith⁷ the LORD.

A sound of a cry [cometh] from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans:

Because the LORD hath spoiled⁶ Babylon, and destroyed¹⁴ out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar¹ like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:⁸

Because the spoiler⁶ is come¹ upon her, [even] upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken,⁸ every one of their bows is broken:¹⁴ for the LORD God of recompences shall surely¹⁵ requite.¹⁷

And I will make drunk⁵² her princes, and her wise [men], her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep¹ a perpetual sleep, and not wake,⁵⁵ saith⁷ the King, whose name [is] the LORD of hosts.

Thus saith¹ the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly⁴⁴ broken,¹¹⁸ and her high gates shall be burned⁴ with fire; and the people shall labour⁴ in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.¹

The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded¹⁴ Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went² with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign.² And [this] Seraiah [was] a quiet prince.

So Jeremiah wrote⁴ in a book all the evil that should come⁴ upon Babylon, [even] all these words that are written⁷ against Babylon.

And Jeremiah said⁴ to Seraiah, When thou comest² to Babylon, and shalt see,¹ and shalt read¹ all these words;

Then shalt thou say,¹ O LORD, thou hast spoken¹⁴ against this place, to cut it off,⁵³ that none shall remain⁶ in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.

And it shall be, when thou hast made an end¹⁵ of reading² this book, [that] thou shalt bind⁴ a stone to it, and cast⁵² it into the midst of Euphrates:

And thou shalt say,¹ Thus shall Babylon sink,⁴ and shall not rise⁴ from the evil that I will bring⁵⁶ upon her: and they shall be weary.¹ Thus far [are] the words of Jeremiah.