Thus saith the LORD
; Behold, I will raise up
against Babylon
, and against them that dwell
in the midst
of them that rise up
against me, a destroying
wind
;
And will send unto Babylon
fanners
, that shall fan
her, and shall empty
her land
: for in the day
of trouble
they shall be against her round about
.
Against him that bendeth let the archer
bend
his bow
, and against him that lifteth himself up
in his brigandine
: and spare
ye not her young men
; destroy ye utterly
all her host
.
Thus the slain shall fall
in the land
of the Chaldeans
, and they that are thrust through
in her streets
.
For Israel hath not been forsaken
, nor Judah
of his God
, of the LORD
of hosts
; though their land
was filled
with sin
against the Holy One
of Israel
.
Flee out of the midst
of Babylon
, and deliver
every man
his soul
: be not cut off
in her iniquity
; for this is the time
of the LORD'S
vengeance
; he will render
unto her a recompence
.
Babylon hath been a golden
cup
in the LORD'S
hand
, that made all the earth
drunken
: the nations
have drunken
of her wine
; therefore the nations
are mad
.
Babylon is suddenly
fallen
and destroyed
: howl
for her; take
balm
for her pain
, if so be she may be healed
.
We would have healed Babylon
, but she is not healed
: forsake
her, and let us go
every one
into his own country
: for her judgment
reacheth
unto heaven
, and is lifted up
even to the skies
.
The LORD hath brought forth
our righteousness
: come
, and let us declare
in Zion
the work
of the LORD
our God
.
Make bright the arrows
; gather
the shields
: the LORD
hath raised up
the spirit
of the kings
of the Medes
: for his device
is against Babylon
, to destroy
it; because it is the vengeance
of the LORD
, the vengeance
of his temple
.
Set up the standard
upon the walls
of Babylon
, make the watch
strong
, set up
the watchmen
, prepare
the ambushes
: for the LORD
hath both devised
and done
that which he spake
against the inhabitants
of Babylon
.
O thou that dwellest upon many
waters
, abundant
in treasures
, thine end
is come
, and the measure
of thy covetousness
.
The LORD of hosts
hath sworn
by himself
, saying , Surely I will fill
thee with men
, as with caterpillers
; and they shall lift up
a shout
against thee.
He hath made the earth
by his power
, he hath established
the world
by his wisdom
, and hath stretched out
the heaven
by his understanding
.
When he uttereth his voice
, there is a multitude
of waters
in the heavens
; and he causeth the vapours
to ascend
from the ends
of the earth
: he maketh
lightnings
with rain
, and bringeth forth
the wind
out of his treasures
.
Every man is brutish
by his knowledge
; every founder
is confounded
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
.
The portion of Jacob
is not like them; for he is the former
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 pieces
the nations
, and with thee will I destroy
kingdoms
;
And with thee will I break in pieces the horse
and his rider
; and with thee will I break in pieces
the chariot
and his rider
;
With thee also will I break in pieces man
and woman
; and with thee will I break in pieces
old
and young
; and with thee will I break in pieces
the young man
and the maid
;
I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd
and his flock
; and with thee will I break in pieces
the husbandman
and his yoke of oxen
; and with thee will I break in pieces
captains
and rulers
.
And I will render unto Babylon
and to all the inhabitants
of Chaldea
all their evil
that they have done
in Zion
in your sight
, saith
the LORD
.
Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain
, saith
the LORD
, which destroyest
all the earth
: and I will stretch out
mine hand
upon thee, and roll thee down
from the rocks
, and will make
thee a burnt
mountain
.
And they shall not take of thee a stone
for a corner
, nor a stone
for foundations
; but thou shalt be desolate
for ever
, saith
the LORD
.
Set ye up a standard
in the land
, blow
the trumpet
among the nations
, prepare
the nations
against her, call together
against her the kingdoms
of Ararat
, Minni
, and Ashchenaz
; appoint
a captain
against her; cause the horses
to come up
as the rough
caterpillers
.
Prepare 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 tremble
and sorrow
: for every purpose
of the LORD
shall be performed
against Babylon
, to make
the land
of Babylon
a desolation
without an inhabitant
.
The mighty men of Babylon
have forborn
to fight
, they have remained
in their holds
: their might
hath failed
; they became as women
: they have burned
her dwellingplaces
; her bars
are broken
.
One post shall run
to meet
another
, and one messenger
to meet
another
, to shew
the king
of Babylon
that his city
is taken
at one end
,
And that the passages are stopped
, and the reeds
they have burned
with fire
, and the men
of war
are affrighted
.
For thus saith the LORD
of hosts
, the God
of Israel
; The daughter
of Babylon
is like a threshingfloor
, it is time
to thresh
her: yet a little while
, and the time
of her harvest
shall come
.
Nebuchadrezzar the king
of Babylon
hath devoured
me, he hath crushed
me, he hath made
me an empty
vessel
, he hath swallowed me up
like a dragon
, he hath filled
his belly
with my delicates
, he hath cast me out
.
The violence done to me and to my flesh
be upon Babylon
, shall the inhabitant
of Zion
say
; and my blood
upon the inhabitants
of Chaldea
, shall Jerusalem
say
.
Therefore thus saith the LORD
; Behold, I will plead
thy cause
, and take vengeance
for thee
; and I will dry up
her sea
, and make her springs
dry
.
And Babylon shall become heaps
, a dwellingplace
for dragons
, an astonishment
, and an hissing
, without an inhabitant
.
They shall roar together
like lions
: they shall yell
as lions
' whelps
.
In their heat I will make
their feasts
, and I will make them drunken
, that they may rejoice
, and sleep
a perpetual
sleep
, and not wake
, saith
the LORD
.
I will bring them down like lambs
to the slaughter
, like rams
with he goats
.
How is Sheshach taken
! and how is the praise
of the whole earth
surprised
! how is Babylon
become an astonishment
among the nations
!
The sea is come up
upon Babylon
: she is covered
with the multitude
of the waves
thereof.
Her cities are a desolation
, a dry
land
, and a wilderness
, a land
wherein no man
dwelleth
, neither doth any son
of man
pass
thereby
.
And I will punish Bel
in Babylon
, and I will bring forth
out of his mouth
that which he hath swallowed up
: and the nations
shall not flow together
any more unto him: yea, the wall
of Babylon
shall fall
.
My people, go ye out
of the midst
of her, and deliver
ye every man
his soul
from the fierce
anger
of the LORD
.
And lest your heart faint
, and ye fear
for the rumour
that shall be heard
in the land
; a rumour
shall both come
one year
, and after
that in another year
shall come a rumour
, and violence
in the land
, ruler
against ruler
.
Therefore, behold, the days come
, that I will do judgment
upon the graven images
of Babylon
: and her whole land
shall be confounded
, and all her slain
shall fall
in the midst
of her.
Then the heaven and the earth
, and all that is therein, shall sing
for Babylon
: for the spoilers
shall come
unto her from the north
, saith
the LORD
.
As Babylon
hath caused the slain
of Israel
to fall
, so at Babylon
shall fall
the slain
of all the earth
.
Ye that have escaped the sword
, go away
, stand not still
: remember
the LORD
afar off
, and let Jerusalem
come
into your mind
.
We are confounded, because we have heard
reproach
: shame
hath covered
our faces
: for strangers
are come
into the sanctuaries
of the LORD'S
house
.
Wherefore, behold, the days come
, saith
the LORD
, that I will do judgment
upon her graven images
: and through all her land
the wounded
shall groan
.
Though Babylon should mount up
to heaven
, and though she should fortify
the height
of her strength
, yet
from me shall spoilers
come
unto her, saith
the LORD
.
A sound of a cry
cometh from Babylon
, and great
destruction
from the land
of the Chaldeans
:
Because the LORD hath spoiled
Babylon
, and destroyed
out of her the great
voice
; when her waves
do roar
like great
waters
, a noise
of their voice
is uttered
:
Because the spoiler is come
upon her, even upon Babylon
, and her mighty men
are taken
, every one of their bows
is broken
: for the LORD
God
of recompences
shall surely
requite
.
And I will make drunk her princes
, and her wise
men , her captains
, and her rulers
, and her mighty men
: and they shall sleep
a perpetual
sleep
, and not wake
, saith
the King
, whose name
is the LORD
of hosts
.
Thus saith the LORD
of hosts
; The broad
walls
of Babylon
shall be utterly
broken
, and her high
gates
shall be burned
with fire
; and the people
shall labour
in vain
, and the folk
in
the fire
, and they shall be weary
.
The word which Jeremiah
the prophet
commanded
Seraiah
the son
of Neriah
, the son
of Maaseiah
, when he went
with Zedekiah
the king
of Judah
into Babylon
in the fourth
year
of his reign
. And this Seraiah
was a quiet
prince
.
So Jeremiah wrote
in a
book
all the evil
that should come
upon Babylon
, even all these words
that are written
against Babylon
.
And Jeremiah said
to Seraiah
, When thou comest
to Babylon
, and shalt see
, and shalt read
all these words
;
Then shalt thou say, O LORD
, thou hast spoken
against this place
, to cut it off
, that none shall remain
in it, neither man
nor beast
, but that it shall be desolate
for ever
.
And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading
this book
, that thou shalt bind
a stone
to it, and cast
it into the midst
of Euphrates
:
And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon
sink
, and shall not rise
from
the evil
that I will bring
upon her: and they shall be weary
. Thus far are the words
of Jeremiah
.