Jeremiah 50
1 The
word that the
LORD spake against
Babylon and against the
land of the
Chaldeans by Jeremiah the
prophet. 2 Declare ye among the
nations, and
publish, and set
up a
standard; publish, and
conceal not:
say,
Babylon is
taken,
Bel is
confounded,
Merodach is broken in
pieces; her
idols are
confounded, her
images are broken in
pieces.
3 For out of the
north there cometh
up a
nation against her, which shall
make her
land desolate, and none shall
dwell therein: they shall
remove, they shall
depart, both
man and
beast. 4 In those
days, and in that
time, saith the
LORD, the
children of
Israel shall
come, they and the
children of
Judah together, going and
weeping: they shall
go, and
seek the
LORD their
God. 5 They shall
ask the
way to
Zion with their
faces thitherward, saying,
Come, and let us
join ourselves to the
LORD in a
perpetual covenant that shall not be
forgotten.
6 My
people hath been
lost sheep: their
shepherds have caused them to go
astray, they have turned them
away on the
mountains: they have
gone from
mountain to
hill, they have
forgotten their
restingplace. 7 All that
found them have
devoured them: and their
adversaries said, We
offend not, because they have
sinned against the
LORD, the
habitation of
justice, even the
LORD, the
hope of their
fathers. 8 Remove out of the
midst of
Babylon, and go
forth out of the
land of the
Chaldeans, and be as the he
goats before the
flocks. 9 For, lo, I will
raise and cause to come
up against
Babylon an
assembly of
great nations from the
north country: and they shall set themselves in
array against her; from thence she shall be
taken: their
arrows shall be as of a
mighty expert
man; none shall
return in
vain. 10 And
Chaldea shall be a
spoil: all that
spoil her shall be
satisfied,
saith the
LORD. 11 Because ye were
glad, because ye
rejoiced, O ye
destroyers of mine
heritage, because ye are grown
fat as the
heifer at
grass, and
bellow as
bulls; 12 Your
mother shall be
sore confounded; she that
bare you shall be
ashamed: behold, the
hindermost of the
nations shall be a
wilderness, a dry
land, and a
desert. 13 Because of the
wrath of the
LORD it shall not be
inhabited, but it shall be wholly
desolate: every one that
goeth by
Babylon shall be
astonished, and
hiss at all her
plagues. 14 Put yourselves in
array against
Babylon round
about: all ye that
bend the
bow, shoot at her,
spare no
arrows: for she hath
sinned against the
LORD. 15 Shout against her round
about: she hath
given her
hand: her
foundations are
fallen, her
walls are thrown
down: for it is the
vengeance of the
LORD: take
vengeance upon her; as she hath
done,
do unto her.
16 Cut
off the
sower from
Babylon, and him that
handleth the
sickle in the
time of
harvest: for
fear of the
oppressing sword they shall
turn every
one to his
people, and they shall
flee every
one to his own
land. 17 Israel is a
scattered sheep; the
lions have driven him
away:
first the
king of
Assyria hath
devoured him; and
last this
Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon hath broken his
bones.
18 Therefore thus
saith the
LORD of
hosts, the
God of
Israel; Behold, I will
punish the
king of
Babylon and his
land, as I have
punished the
king of
Assyria. 19 And I will
bring Israel again to his
habitation, and he shall
feed on
Carmel and
Bashan, and his
soul shall be
satisfied upon
mount Ephraim and
Gilead. 20 In those
days, and in that
time, saith the
LORD, the
iniquity of
Israel shall be sought
for, and there shall be none; and the
sins of
Judah, and they shall not be
found: for I will
pardon them whom I
reserve.
21 Go
up against the
land of
Merathaim, even against it, and against the
inhabitants of
Pekod: waste and utterly
destroy after them,
saith the
LORD, and
do according to all that I have
commanded thee.
22 A
sound of
battle is in the
land, and of
great destruction. 23 How is the
hammer of the whole
earth cut
asunder and
broken! how is
Babylon become a
desolation among the
nations! 24 I have laid a
snare for thee, and thou art also
taken, O
Babylon, and thou wast not
aware: thou art
found, and also
caught, because thou hast
striven against the
LORD. 25 The
LORD hath
opened his
armoury, and hath brought
forth the
weapons of his
indignation: for this is the
work of the
Lord GOD of
hosts in the
land of the
Chaldeans. 26 Come against her from the utmost
border, open her
storehouses: cast her
up as
heaps, and destroy her
utterly: let nothing of her be
left. 27 Slay all her
bullocks; let them go
down to the
slaughter: woe unto them! for their
day is
come, the
time of their
visitation. 28 The
voice of them that
flee and escape
out of the
land of
Babylon, to
declare in
Zion the
vengeance of the
LORD our
God, the
vengeance of his
temple. 29 Call
together the
archers against
Babylon: all ye that
bend the
bow, camp against it round
about; let none thereof
escape: recompense her according to her
work; according to all that she hath
done,
do unto her: for she hath been
proud against the
LORD, against the Holy
One of
Israel. 30 Therefore shall her young
men fall in the
streets, and all her
men of
war shall be cut
off in that
day, saith the
LORD. 31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou most
proud, saith the
Lord GOD of
hosts: for thy
day is
come, the
time that I will
visit thee.
32 And the most
proud shall
stumble and
fall, and none shall raise him
up: and I will
kindle a
fire in his
cities, and it shall
devour all round
about him.
33 Thus
saith the
LORD of
hosts; The
children of
Israel and the
children of
Judah were
oppressed together: and all that took them
captives held them
fast; they
refused to let them
go.
34 Their
Redeemer is
strong; the
LORD of
hosts is his
name: he shall
throughly plead their
cause, that he may give
rest to the
land, and
disquiet the
inhabitants of
Babylon. 35 A
sword is upon the
Chaldeans, saith the
LORD, and upon the
inhabitants of
Babylon, and upon her
princes, and upon her
wise men.
36 A
sword is upon the
liars; and they shall
dote: 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 mingled
people that are in the
midst of her; and they shall become as
women: a
sword is upon her
treasures; and they shall be
robbed.
38 A
drought is upon her
waters; and they shall be dried
up: for it is the
land of graven
images, and they are
mad upon their
idols. 39 Therefore the wild beasts of the
desert with the wild beasts of the
islands shall
dwell there, and the
owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more
inhabited for
ever; neither shall it be
dwelt in from
generation to
generation. 40 As
God overthrew Sodom and
Gomorrah and the
neighbour cities thereof,
saith the
LORD; so shall no
man abide there, neither shall any
son of
man dwell therein.
41 Behold, a
people shall
come from the
north, and a
great nation, and
many kings shall be raised
up from the
coasts of the
earth. 42 They shall
hold the
bow and the
lance: they are
cruel, and will not shew
mercy: their
voice shall
roar like the
sea, and they shall
ride upon
horses, every one put in
array, like a
man to the
battle, against thee, O
daughter of
Babylon. 43 The
king of
Babylon hath
heard the
report of them, and his
hands waxed
feeble:
anguish took
hold of him, and
pangs as of a woman in
travail.
44 Behold, he shall come
up like a
lion from the
swelling of
Jordan unto the
habitation of the
strong: but I will
make them
suddenly run
away from her: and who is a
chosen man, that I may
appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the
time? and who is that
shepherd that will
stand before me?
45 Therefore
hear ye the
counsel of the
LORD, that he hath
taken against
Babylon; and his
purposes, that he hath
purposed against the
land of the
Chaldeans: Surely the
least of the
flock shall draw them
out: surely he shall make their
habitation desolate with them.
46 At the
noise of the
taking of
Babylon the
earth is
moved, and the
cry is
heard among the
nations.