| Christian Standard Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1This is what the LORD says: I am about to rouse the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon and against the population of Leb-qamai. | 1Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I am going to arouse against Babylon And against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai The spirit of a destroyer. |
| 2I will send strangers to Babylon who will scatter her and strip her land bare, for they will come against her from every side in the day of disaster. | 2"I will dispatch foreigners to Babylon that they may winnow her And may devastate her land; For on every side they will be opposed to her In the day of her calamity. |
| 3Don't let the archer string his bow; don't let him put on his armor. Don't spare her young men; completely destroy her entire army! | 3"Let not him who bends his bow bend it, Nor let him rise up in his scale-armor; So do not spare her young men; Devote all her army to destruction. |
| 4Those who were slain will fall in the land of the Chaldeans, those who were pierced through, in her streets. | 4"They will fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans, And pierced through in their streets." |
| 5For Israel and Judah are not left widowed by their God, the LORD of Armies, though their land is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel. | 5For neither Israel nor Judah has been forsaken By his God, the LORD of hosts, Although their land is full of guilt Before the Holy One of Israel. |
| 6Leave Babylon; save your lives, each of you! Don't perish because of her guilt. For this is the time of the LORD's vengeance--he will pay her what she deserves. | 6Flee from the midst of Babylon, And each of you save his life! Do not be destroyed in her punishment, For this is the LORD'S time of vengeance; He is going to render recompense to her. |
| 7Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD's hand, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore, the nations go mad. | 7Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad. |
| 8Suddenly Babylon fell and was shattered. Wail for her; get balm for her wound--perhaps she can be healed. | 8Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; Wail over her! Bring balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed. |
| 9We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches as far as the clouds. | 9We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; Forsake her and let us each go to his own country, For her judgment has reached to heaven And towers up to the very skies. |
| 10The LORD has brought about our vindication; come, let's tell in Zion what the LORD our God has accomplished. | 10The LORD has brought about our vindication; Come and let us recount in Zion The work of the LORD our God! |
| 11Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has roused the spirit of the kings of the Medes because his plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the LORD's vengeance, vengeance for his temple. | 11Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, Because His purpose is against Babylon to destroy it; For it is the vengeance of the LORD, vengeance for His temple. |
| 12Raise up a signal flag against the walls of Babylon; fortify the watch post; set the watchmen in place; prepare the ambush. For the LORD has both planned and accomplished what he has threatened against those who live in Babylon. | 12Lift up a signal against the walls of Babylon; Post a strong guard, Station sentries, Place men in ambush! For the LORD has both purposed and performed What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon. |
| 13You who reside by abundant water, rich in treasures, your end has come, your life thread is cut. | 13O you who dwell by many waters, Abundant in treasures, Your end has come, The measure of your end. |
| 14The LORD of Armies has sworn by himself: I will fill you up with men as with locusts, and they will sing the victory song over you. | 14The LORD of hosts has sworn by Himself: "Surely I will fill you with a population like locusts, And they will cry out with shouts of victory over you." |
| 15He made the earth by his power, established the world by his wisdom, and spread out the heavens by his understanding. | 15It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, And by His understanding He stretched out the heavens. |
| 16When he thunders, the waters in the heavens are tumultuous, and he causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from his storehouses. | 16When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain And brings forth the wind from His storehouses. |
| 17Everyone is stupid and ignorant. Every goldsmith is put to shame by his carved image, for his cast images are a lie; there is no breath in them. | 17All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them. |
| 18They are worthless, a work to be mocked. At the time of their punishment they will be destroyed. | 18They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish. |
| 19Jacob's Portion is not like these because he is the one who formed all things. Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of Armies is his name. | 19The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And of the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name. |
| 20You are my war club, my weapons of war. With you I will smash nations; with you I will bring kingdoms to ruin. | 20He says, "You are My war-club, My weapon of war; And with you I shatter nations, And with you I destroy kingdoms. |
| 21With you I will smash the horse and its rider; with you I will smash the chariot and its rider. | 21"With you I shatter the horse and his rider, And with you I shatter the chariot and its rider, |
| 22With you I will smash man and woman; with you I will smash the old man and the youth; with you I will smash the young man and the young woman. | 22And with you I shatter man and woman, And with you I shatter old man and youth, And with you I shatter young man and virgin, |
| 23With you I will smash the shepherd and his flock; with you I will smash the farmer and his ox-team. With you I will smash governors and officials. | 23And with you I shatter the shepherd and his flock, And with you I shatter the farmer and his team, And with you I shatter governors and prefects. |
| 24"Before your very eyes, I will repay Babylon and all the residents of Chaldea for all their evil they have done in Zion." This is the LORD's declaration. | 24"But I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes," declares the LORD. |
| 25Look, I am against you, devastating mountain. This is the LORD's declaration. You devastate the whole earth. I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you down from the cliffs, and turn you into a charred mountain. | 25"Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, Who destroys the whole earth," declares the LORD, "And I will stretch out My hand against you, And roll you down from the crags, And I will make you a burnt out mountain. |
| 26No one will be able to retrieve a cornerstone or a foundation stone from you, because you will become desolate forever. This is the LORD's declaration. | 26"They will not take from you even a stone for a corner Nor a stone for foundations, But you will be desolate forever," declares the LORD. |
| 27Raise a signal flag in the land; blow a ram's horn among the nations; set apart the nations against her. Summon kingdoms against her--Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a marshal against her; bring up horses like a swarm of locusts. | 27Lift up a signal in the land, Blow a trumpet among the nations! Consecrate the nations against her, Summon against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz; Appoint a marshal against her, Bring up the horses like bristly locusts. |
| 28Set apart the nations for battle against her--the kings of Media, her governors and all her officials, and all the lands they rule. | 28Consecrate the nations against her, The kings of the Medes, Their governors and all their prefects, And every land of their dominion. |
| 29The earth quakes and trembles because the LORD's intentions against Babylon stand: to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant. | 29So the land quakes and writhes, For the purposes of the LORD against Babylon stand, To make the land of Babylon A desolation without inhabitants. |
| 30Babylon's warriors have stopped fighting; they sit in their strongholds. Their might is exhausted; they have become like women. Babylon's homes have been set ablaze, her gate bars are shattered. | 30The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting, They stay in the strongholds; Their strength is exhausted, They are becoming like women; Their dwelling places are set on fire, The bars of her gates are broken. |
| 31Messenger races to meet messenger, and herald to meet herald, to announce to the king of Babylon that his city has been captured from end to end. | 31One courier runs to meet another, And one messenger to meet another, To tell the king of Babylon That his city has been captured from end to end; |
| 32The fords have been seized, the marshes set on fire, and the fighting men are terrified. | 32The fords also have been seized, And they have burned the marshes with fire, And the men of war are terrified. |
| 33For this is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled. In just a little while her harvest time will come. | 33For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor At the time it is stamped firm; Yet in a little while the time of harvest will come for her." |
| 34"King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an empty dish; he has swallowed me like a sea monster; he filled his belly with my delicacies; he has vomited me out. | 34"Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me and crushed me, He has set me down like an empty vessel; He has swallowed me like a monster, He has filled his stomach with my delicacies; He has washed me away. |
| 35Let the violence done to me and my family be done to Babylon," says the inhabitant of Zion. "Let my blood be on the inhabitants of Chaldea," says Jerusalem. | 35"May the violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon," The inhabitant of Zion will say; And, "May my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea," Jerusalem will say. |
| 36Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I am about to champion your cause and take vengeance on your behalf; I will dry up her sea and make her fountain run dry. | 36Therefore thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am going to plead your case And exact full vengeance for you; And I will dry up her sea And make her fountain dry. |
| 37Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a jackals' den, a desolation and an object of scorn, without inhabitant. | 37"Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, An object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants. |
| 38They will roar together like young lions; they will growl like lion cubs. | 38"They will roar together like young lions, They will growl like lions' cubs. |
| 39While they are flushed with heat, I will serve them a feast, and I will make them drunk so that they celebrate. Then they will fall asleep forever and never wake up. This is the LORD's declaration. | 39"When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet And make them drunk, that they may become jubilant And may sleep a perpetual sleep And not wake up," declares the LORD. |
| 40I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams together with male goats. | 40"I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, Like rams together with male goats. |
| 41How Sheshach has been captured, the praise of the whole earth seized. What a horror Babylon has become among the nations! | 41"How Sheshak has been captured, And the praise of the whole earth been seized! How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations! |
| 42The sea has risen over Babylon; she is covered with its tumultuous waves. | 42"The sea has come up over Babylon; She has been engulfed with its tumultuous waves. |
| 43Her cities have become a desolation, an arid desert, a land where no one lives, where no human being even passes through. | 43"Her cities have become an object of horror, A parched land and a desert, A land in which no man lives And through which no son of man passes. |
| 44I will punish Bel in Babylon. I will make him vomit what he swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him; even Babylon's wall will fall. | 44"I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will make what he has swallowed come out of his mouth; And the nations will no longer stream to him. Even the wall of Babylon has fallen down! |
| 45Come out from among her, my people! Save your lives, each of you, from the LORD's burning anger. | 45"Come forth from her midst, My people, And each of you save yourselves From the fierce anger of the LORD. |
| 46May you not become cowardly and fearful when the report is proclaimed in the land, for the report will come one year, and then another the next year. There will be violence in the land with ruler against ruler. | 46"Now so that your heart does not grow faint, And you are not afraid at the report that will be heard in the land-- For the report will come one year, And after that another report in another year, And violence will be in the land With ruler against ruler-- |
| 47Therefore, look, the days are coming when I will punish Babylon's carved images. Her entire land will suffer shame, and all her slain will lie fallen within her. | 47Therefore behold, days are coming When I will punish the idols of Babylon; And her whole land will be put to shame And all her slain will fall in her midst. |
| 48Heaven and earth and everything in them will shout for joy over Babylon because the destroyers from the north will come against her. This is the LORD's declaration. | 48"Then heaven and earth and all that is in them Will shout for joy over Babylon, For the destroyers will come to her from the north," Declares the LORD. |
| 49Babylon must fall because of the slain of Israel, even as the slain of the whole earth fell because of Babylon. | 49Indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel, As also for Babylon the slain of all the earth have fallen. |
| 50You who have escaped the sword, go and do not stand still! Remember the LORD from far away, and let Jerusalem come to your mind. | 50You who have escaped the sword, Depart! Do not stay! Remember the LORD from afar, And let Jerusalem come to your mind. |
| 51We are ashamed because we have heard insults. Humiliation covers our faces because foreigners have entered the holy places of the LORD's temple. | 51We are ashamed because we have heard reproach; Disgrace has covered our faces, For aliens have entered The holy places of the LORD'S house. |
| 52Therefore, look, the days are coming--this is the LORD's declaration--when I will punish her carved images, and the wounded will groan throughout her land. | 52"Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will punish her idols, And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land. |
| 53Even if Babylon should ascend to the heavens and fortify her tall fortresses, destroyers will come against her from me. This is the LORD's declaration. | 53"Though Babylon should ascend to the heavens, And though she should fortify her lofty stronghold, From Me destroyers will come to her," declares the LORD. |
| 54The sound of a cry from Babylon! The sound of terrible destruction from the land of the Chaldeans! | 54The sound of an outcry from Babylon, And of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans! |
| 55For the LORD is going to devastate Babylon; he will silence her mighty voice. Their waves roar like a huge torrent; the tumult of their voice resounds, | 55For the LORD is going to destroy Babylon, And He will make her loud noise vanish from her. And their waves will roar like many waters; The tumult of their voices sounds forth. |
| 56for a destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon. Her warriors will be captured, their bows shattered, for the LORD is a God of retribution; he will certainly repay. | 56For the destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men will be captured, Their bows are shattered; For the LORD is a God of recompense, He will fully repay. |
| 57I will make her princes and sages drunk, along with her governors, officials, and warriors. Then they will fall asleep forever and never wake up. This is the King's declaration; the LORD of Armies is his name. | 57"I will make her princes and her wise men drunk, Her governors, her prefects and her mighty men, That they may sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake up," Declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts. |
| 58This is what the LORD of Armies says: Babylon's thick walls will be totally demolished, and her high gates set ablaze. The peoples will have labored for nothing; the nations will weary themselves only to feed the fire. | 58Thus says the LORD of hosts, "The broad wall of Babylon will be completely razed And her high gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will toil for nothing, And the nations become exhausted only for fire." |
| 59This is what the prophet Jeremiah commanded Seraiah son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, the quartermaster, when he went to Babylon with King Zedekiah of Judah in the fourth year of Zedekiah's reign. | 59The message which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (Now Seraiah was quartermaster.) |
| 60Jeremiah wrote on one scroll about all the disaster that would come to Babylon; all these words were written against Babylon. | 60So Jeremiah wrote in a single scroll all the calamity which would come upon Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon. |
| 61Jeremiah told Seraiah, "When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. | 61Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, "As soon as you come to Babylon, then see that you read all these words aloud, |
| 62Say, 'LORD, you have threatened to cut off this place so that no one will live in it--people or animals. Indeed, it will remain desolate forever.' | 62and say, 'You, O LORD, have promised concerning this place to cut it off, so that there will be nothing dwelling in it, whether man or beast, but it will be a perpetual desolation.' |
| 63When you have finished reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates River. | 63"And as soon as you finish reading this scroll, you will tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, |
| 64Then say, 'In the same way, Babylon will sink and never rise again because of the disaster I am bringing on her. They will grow weary.'" The words of Jeremiah end here. | 64and say, 'Just so shall Babylon sink down and not rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become exhausted.'" Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. |
| The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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