1When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God—everything the LORD had sent him to tell thema— 2Azariah son of Hoshaiahb and Johananc son of Kareah and all the arrogantd men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!e The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’f 3But Baruchg son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,1 so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”h
4So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the peoplei disobeyed the LORD’s commandj to stay in the land of Judah.k 5Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.l 6They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women,m the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruchn son of Neriah along with them. 7So they entered Egypto in disobedience to the LORD and went as far as Tahpanhes.p
8In Tahpanhesq the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 9“While the Jews are watching, take some large stonesr with you and bury them in clay in the bricks pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palacet in Tahpanhes. 10Then say to them, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servantu Nebuchadnezzarv king of Babylon, and I will set his thronew over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopyx above them. 11He will come and attack Egypt,y bringing deathz to those destineda for death, captivity to those destined for captivity,b and the sword to those destined for the sword.c 12He will set fired to the templese of the godsf of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.g As a shepherd picksh his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. 13There in the temple of the sun2,i in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillarsj and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’ ”
Disaster Because of Idolatry
1This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypta—in Migdol,b Tahpanhesc and Memphisd—and in Upper Egypt:e 2“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disasterf I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.g Today they lie deserted and in ruinsh 3because of the evili they have done. They aroused my angerj by burning incensek to and worshiping other godsl that neither they nor you nor your ancestorsm ever knew. 4Again and againn I sent my servants the prophets,o who said, ‘Do not do this detestablep thing that I hate!’ 5But they did not listen or pay attention;q they did not turn from their wickednessr or stop burning incenses to other gods.t 6Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out;u it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruinsv they are today.
7“Now this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disasterw on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women,x the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?y 8Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made,z burning incensea to other gods in Egypt,b where you have come to live?c You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse1 and an object of reproachd among all the nations on earth. 9Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestorse and by the kingsf and queensg of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wivesh in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?i 10To this day they have not humbledj themselves or shown reverence,k nor have they followed my lawl and the decreesm I set before you and your ancestors.n
11“Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty,o the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disasterp on you and to destroy all Judah. 12I will take away the remnantq of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest,r they will die by sword or famine.s They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.t 13I will punishu those who live in Egypt with the sword,v famine and plague,w as I punished Jerusalem. 14None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”x
15Then all the men who knew that their wivesy were burning incensez to other gods, along with all the womena who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt,b said to Jeremiah, 16“We will not listenc to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD!d 17We will certainly do everything we said we would:e We will burn incensef to the Queen of Heaveng and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officialsh did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.i At that time we had plenty of foodj and were well off and suffered no harm.k 18But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offeringsl to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.m”
19The women added, “When we burned incensen to the Queen of Heaveno and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbandsp know that we were making cakesq impressed with her imager and pouring out drink offerings to her?”
20Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, 21“Did not the LORD remembers and call to mind the incenset burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalemu by you and your ancestors,v your kings and your officials and the people of the land?w 22When the LORD could no longer endurex your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a cursey and a desolate wastez without inhabitants, as it is today.a 23Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the LORD and have not obeyed him or followedb his law or his decreesc or his stipulations, this disasterd has come upon you, as you now see.”e
24Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,f “Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah in Egypt.g 25This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wivesh have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’i
“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!j 26But hear the word of the LORD, all you Jews living in Egypt:k ‘I swearl by my great name,’ says the LORD, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereignm LORD lives.”n 27For I am watchingo over them for harm,p not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perishq by sword and faminer until they are all destroyed.s 28Those who escape the swordt and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.u Then the whole remnantv of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will standw—mine or theirs.x
29“ ‘This will be the signy to you that I will punishz you in this place,’ declares the LORD, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’a 30This is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaohb Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiahc king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’ ”d
A Message to Baruch
1When Barucha son of Neriahb wrote on a scrollc the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakimd son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: 2“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: 3You said, ‘Woee to me! The LORD has added sorrowf to my pain;g I am worn out with groaningh and find no rest.’i 4But the LORD has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the LORD says: I will overthrow what I have built and uprootj what I have planted,k throughout the earth.l 5Should you then seek greatm things for yourself? Do not seek them.n For I will bring disastero on all people,p declares the LORD, but wherever you go I will let you escapeq with your life.’ ”r
A Message About Egypt
1This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:a
This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Nechoc king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemishd on the Euphratese River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakimf son of Josiah king of Judah:
3“Prepare your shields,g both large and small,
and march out for battle!
4Harness the horses,
mount the steeds!
Take your positions
with helmets on!
Polishh your spears,
put on your armor!i
5What do I see?
They are terrified,
they are retreating,
their warriors are defeated.
They fleej in haste
without looking back,
and there is terrork on every side,”
declares the LORD.
6“The swift cannot fleel
nor the strong escape.
In the north by the River Euphratesm
they stumble and fall.n
7“Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like rivers of surging waters?o
like rivers of surging waters.
She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;
I will destroy cities and their people.’q
9Charge, you horses!
Drive furiously, you charioteers!r
March on, you warriors—men of Cush1,s and Put who carry shields,
men of Lydiat who draw the bow.
10But that dayu belongs to the Lord, the LORD Almighty—
a day of vengeancev, for vengeance on his foes.
The sword will devourw till it is satisfied,
till it has quenched its thirst with blood.x
For the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will offer sacrificey
in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.z
11“Go up to Gilead and get balm,a
Virginb Daughter Egypt.
But you try many medicines in vain;
there is no healingc for you.
12The nations will hear of your shame;
your cries will fill the earth.
One warrior will stumble over another;
both will falld down together.”
13This is the message the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylone to attack Egypt:f
14“Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;
proclaim it also in Memphisg and Tahpanhes:h
‘Take your positions and get ready,
for the sword devoursi those around you.’ Photo
15Why will your warriors be laid low?
They cannot stand, for the LORD will push them down.j
16They will stumblek repeatedly;
they will falll over each other.
They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back
to our own peoplem and our native lands,
away from the sword of the oppressor.’n
17There they will exclaim,
‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;o
he has missed his opportunity.p’
18“As surely as I live,” declares the King,q
whose name is the LORD Almighty,
“one will come who is like Taborr among the mountains,
like Carmels by the sea.
19Pack your belongings for exile,t
you who live in Egypt,
for Memphisu will be laid wastev
and lie in ruins without inhabitant.
20“Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
but a gadfly is coming
against her from the north.w
21The mercenariesx in her ranks
are like fattened calves.y
They too will turn and fleez together,
they will not stand their ground,
for the daya of disaster is coming upon them,
the timeb for them to be punished.
22Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent
as the enemy advances in force;
they will come against her with axes,
like men who cut down trees.c
23They will chop down her forest,”
declares the LORD,
“dense though it be.
They are more numerous than locusts,d
they cannot be counted.
24Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,
given into the hands of the people of the north.e”
25The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,f on Pharaoh,g on Egypt and her godsh and her kings, and on those who relyi on Pharaoh. 26I will give them into the handsj of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar kingk of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabitedl as in times past,” declares the LORD.
27“Do not be afraid,m Jacobn my servant;o
do not be dismayed, Israel.
I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.p
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
28Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant,
for I am with you,”q declares the LORD.
“Though I completely destroyr all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”
A Message About the Philistines
1This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistinesa before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:b
2This is what the LORD says:
“See how the waters are rising in the north;c
they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
all who dwell in the land will waild
3at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,
at the noise of enemy chariotse
and the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not turn to help their children;
their hands will hang limp.f
4For the day has come
to destroy all the Philistines
and to remove all survivors
who could help Tyreg and Sidon.h
The LORD is about to destroy the Philistines,i
the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.1,j
5Gaza will shavek her head in mourning;
Ashkelonl will be silenced.
You remnant on the plain,
how long will you cutm yourselves?
how long till you rest?
Return to your sheath;
cease and be still.’o
7But how can it rest
when the LORD has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”p
A Message About Moab
48:29-36pp — Isa 16:6-12
This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Woe to Nebo,b for it will be ruined.
Kiriathaimc will be disgraced and captured;
the stronghold1 will be disgraced and shattered.
2Moab will be praisedd no more;
in Heshbon2,e people will plot her downfall:
‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’f
You, the people of Madmen,3 will also be silenced;
the sword will pursue you.
3Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,g
cries of great havoc and destruction.
4Moab will be broken;
her little ones will cry out.4
5They go up the hill to Luhith,h
weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaimi
anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
become like a bush5 in the desert.k
7Since you trust in your deeds and riches,l
you too will be taken captive,
and Chemoshm will go into exile,n
together with his priests and officials.o
8The destroyerp will come against every town,
and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
and the plateauq destroyed,
because the LORD has spoken.
her towns will become desolate,
with no one to live in them.
10“A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps their swordt from bloodshed!u
11“Moab has been at restv from youth,
like wine left on its dregs,w
not poured from one jar to another—
she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged. Photo
12But days are coming,”
declares the LORD,
“when I will send men who pour from pitchers,
and they will pour her out;
they will empty her pitchers
and smash her jars.
13Then Moab will be ashamedx of Chemosh,y
as Israel was ashamed
when they trusted in Bethel.z
14“How can you say, ‘We are warriors,a
men valiant in battle’?
15Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
her finest young menb will go down in the slaughter,c”
declares the King,d whose name is the LORD Almighty.e
16“The fall of Moab is at hand;f
her calamity will come quickly.
17Mourn for her, all who live around her,
all who know her fame;g
say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter,h
how broken the glorious staff!’
18“Come down from your glory
and sit on the parched ground,i
you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,j
for the one who destroys Moab
will come up against you
and ruin your fortified cities.k
19Stand by the road and watch,
you who live in Aroer.l
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
ask them, ‘What has happened?’
20Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
Wailm and cry out!
Announce by the Arnonn
that Moab is destroyed.
21Judgment has come to the plateauo—
to Holon,p Jahzahq and Mephaath,r
22to Dibon,s Nebot and Beth Diblathaim,
23to Kiriathaim,u Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,v
to all the townsy of Moab, far and near.
her arma is broken,”
declares the LORD.
for she has defiedc the LORD.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;d
let her be an object of ridicule.e
27Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?f
Was she caught among thieves,g
that you shake your headh in scorni
whenever you speak of her?
28Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,
you who live in Moab.
Be like a dovej that makes its nest
at the mouth of a cave.k
29“We have heard of Moab’s pridel—
how great is her arrogance!—
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
and the haughtinessm of her heart.
30I know her insolence but it is futile,”
declares the LORD,
“and her boastsn accomplish nothing.
31Therefore I wailo over Moab,
for all Moab I cry out,
I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.p
32I weep for you, as Jazerq weeps,
you vines of Sibmah.r
Your branches spread as far as the sea8;
they reached as far as9 Jazer.
The destroyer has fallen
on your ripened fruit and grapes.
33Joy and gladness are gone
from the orchards and fields of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wines from the presses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy.t
Although there are shouts,
they are not shouts of joy.
34“The sound of their cry rises
from Heshbonu to Elealehv and Jahaz,w
from Zoarx as far as Horonaimy and Eglath Shelishiyah,
for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.z
35In Moab I will put an end
to those who make offerings on the high placesa
and burn incenseb to their gods,”
declares the LORD.
36“So my heart lamentsc for Moab like the music of a pipe;
it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.d
The wealth they acquirede is gone.
and every beardg cut off;
every hand is slashed
and every waist is covered with sackcloth.h
38On all the roofs in Moab
and in the public squaresi
there is nothing but mourning,
for I have broken Moab
like a jarj that no one wants,”
declares the LORD.
39“How shatteredk she is! How they wail!
How Moab turns her back in shame!
Moab has become an object of ridicule,l
an object of horror to all those around her.”
40This is what the LORD says:
“Look! An eagle is swoopingm down,
spreading its wingsn over Moab.
41Kerioth10,o will be captured
and the strongholds taken.
In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriorsp
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.q
42Moab will be destroyedr as a nations
because she defiedt the LORD.
43Terroru and pit and snarev await you,
you people of Moab,”
declares the LORD.
44“Whoever fleesw from the terror
will fall into a pit,
whoever climbs out of the pit
will be caught in a snare;
for I will bring on Moab
the yearx of her punishment,”
declares the LORD.
45“In the shadow of Heshbon
the fugitives stand helpless,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the midst of Sihon;y
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
the skullsz of the noisy boasters.
The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
and your daughters into captivity.
47“Yet I will restoreb the fortunes of Moab
in days to come,”
declares the LORD.
Here ends the judgment on Moab.
A Message About Ammon
This is what the LORD says:
“Has Israel no sons?
Has Israel no heir?
Why then has Molek1,b taken possession of Gad?c
Why do his people live in its towns?
2But the days are coming,”
declares the LORD,
“when I will sound the battle cryd
against Rabbahe of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,f
and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
those who drove her out,g”
says the LORD.
3“Wail, Heshbon,h for Aii is destroyed!
Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!
Put on sackclothj and mourn;
rush here and there inside the walls,
for Molekk will go into exile,l
together with his priests and officials.
4Why do you boast of your valleys,
boast of your valleys so fruitful?
Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,m
you trust in your richesn and say,
‘Who will attack me?’o
5I will bring terror on you
from all those around you,”
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
“Every one of you will be driven away,
and no one will gather the fugitives.p
6“Yet afterward, I will restoreq the fortunes of the Ammonites,”
declares the LORD.
A Message About Edom
49:9-10pp — Ob 5-6
49:14-16pp — Ob 1-4
This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?s
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
8Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,t
you who live in Dedan,u
for I will bring disaster on Esau
at the time when I punish him.
9If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?
If thieves came during the night,
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
10But I will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his hiding places,v
so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
also his allies and neighbors,
so there is no onew to say,
11‘Leave your fatherless children;x I will keep them alive.
Your widowsy too can depend on me.’ ”
12This is what the LORD says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cupz must drink it, why should you go unpunished?a You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. 13I swearb by myself,” declares the LORD, “that Bozrahc will become a ruin and a curse,2 an object of horrord and reproach;e and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”f
14I have heard a message from the LORD;
an envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Assemble yourselves to attack it!
Rise up for battle!”
15“Now I will make you small among the nations,
despised by mankind.
16The terror you inspire
and the prideg of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,h
who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nesti as high as the eagle’s,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares the LORD.
17“Edom will become an object of horror;j
all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
because of all its wounds.k
18As Sodoml and Gomorrahm were overthrown,
along with their neighboring towns,”
says the LORD,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwelln in it.
19“Like a liono coming up from Jordan’s thicketsp
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Edom from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is likeq me and who can challenge me?r
And what shepherds can stand against me?”
20Therefore, hear what the LORD has planned against Edom,t
what he has purposedu against those who live in Teman:v
The young of the flockw will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.x
21At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;y
their cryz will resound to the Red Sea.3
22Look! An eagle will soar and swoopa down,
spreading its wings over Bozrah.b
In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriorsc
will be like the heart of a woman in labor.d
A Message About Damascus
“Hamathf and Arpadg are dismayed,
for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
troubled like4 the restless sea.h
24Damascus has become feeble,
she has turned to flee
and panic has gripped her;
anguish and pain have seized her,
pain like that of a woman in labor.i
25Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
the town in which I delight?
26Surely, her young menj will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silencedk in that day,”
declares the LORD Almighty.
A Message About Kedar and Hazor
28Concerning Kedarp and the kingdoms of Hazor,q which Nebuchadnezzarr king of Babylon attacked:
This is what the LORD says:
“Arise, and attack Kedar
and destroy the people of the East.s
29Their tents and their flockst will be taken;
their shelters will be carried off
with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
‘Terroru on every side!’
30“Flee quickly away!
Stay in deep caves,v you who live in Hazor,w”
declares the LORD.
“Nebuchadnezzarx king of Babylon has plotted against you;
he has devised a plan against you.
31“Arise and attack a nation at ease,
which lives in confidence,”
declares the LORD,
“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;y
its people live far from danger.
32Their camelsz will become plunder,
and their large herdsa will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the windsb those who are in distant places5,c
and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the LORD.
33“Hazord will become a haunt of jackals,e
a desolatef place forever.
No one will live there;
no people will dwellg in it.”
A Message About Elam
34This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,h early in the reign of Zedekiahi king of Judah:
35This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“See, I will break the bowj of Elam,
the mainstay of their might.
36I will bring against Elam the four windsk
from the four quarters of heaven;l
I will scatter them to the four winds,
and there will not be a nation
where Elam’s exiles do not go.
37I will shatter Elam before their foes,
before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
even my fierce anger,”m
declares the LORD.
“I will pursue them with the swordn
until I have made an end of them.
38I will set my throne in Elam
and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the LORD.
39“Yet I will restoreo the fortunes of Elam
in days to come,”
declares the LORD.
A Message About Babylon
51:15-19pp — Jer 10:12-16
1This is the word the LORD spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylona and the land of the Babylonians1: Map: Nations and Cities Under Judgment in Jeremiah
2“Announce and proclaimb among the nations,
lift up a bannerc and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;d
Mardukg filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idolsh filled with terror.’
3A nation from the northi will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will livej in it;
both people and animalsk will flee away.
4“In those days, at that time,”
declares the LORD,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah togetherl
will go in tearsm to seekn the LORD their God.
5They will ask the wayo to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will comep and bind themselves to the LORD
in an everlasting covenantq
that will not be forgotten.
6“My people have been lost sheep;r
their shepherdss have led them astrayt
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hillu
and forgot their own resting place.v
7Whoever found them devouredw them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,x
for they sinned against the LORD, their verdant pasture,
the LORD, the hopey of their ancestors.’
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.
9For I will stirb up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nationsc from the land of the north.d
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.e
Their arrowsf will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
10So Babylonia2 will be plundered;g
all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the LORD.
11“Because you rejoice and are glad,
you who pillage my inheritance,h
because you frolic like a heiferi threshing grain
and neigh like stallions,
12your mother will be greatly ashamed;
she who gave you birth will be disgraced.j
She will be the least of the nations—
a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.k
13Because of the LORD’s anger she will not be inhabited
but will be completely desolate.l
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;m
they will scoffn because of all her wounds.o
14“Take up your positions around Babylon,
all you who draw the bow.p
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,q
for she has sinned against the LORD.
15Shoutr against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
her wallss are torn down.
Since this is the vengeancet of the LORD,
take vengeance on her;
do to heru as she has done to others.v
16Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the swordw of the oppressor
let everyone return to their own people,x
let everyone flee to their own land.y
17“Israel is a scattered flockz
that lionsa have chased away.
The first to devourb them
was the kingc of Assyria;
the last to crush their bonesd
18Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the kingg of Assyria.h
19But I will bringi Israel back to their own pasture,
and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfiedj
on the hillsk of Ephraim and Gilead.l
20In those days, at that time,”
declares the LORD,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,m
and for the sinsn of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgiveo the remnantp I spare.
21“Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.q
Pursue, kill and completely destroy3 them,”
declares the LORD.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
22The noiser of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
23How broken and shattered
is the hammers of the whole earth!t
How desolateu is Babylon
among the nations!
24I set a trapv for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and capturedw
because you opposedx the LORD.
25The LORD has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weaponsy of his wrath,
for the Sovereign LORD Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.z
26Come against her from afar.a
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.b
Completely destroyc her
and leave her no remnant.
let them go down to the slaughter!e
Woe to them! For their dayf has come,
the timeg for them to be punished.
28Listen to the fugitivesh and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zioni
how the LORD our God has taken vengeance,j
vengeance for his temple.k
29“Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.l
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.m
do to her as she has done.
For she has defiedp the LORD,
the Holy Oneq of Israel.
30Therefore, her young menr will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the LORD.
31“See, I am againsts you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty,
“for your dayt has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32The arrogantu one will stumble and fallv
and no one will help her up;w
I will kindle a firex in her towns
that will consume all who are around her.”
33This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“The people of Israel are oppressed,y
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.z
34Yet their Redeemera is strong;
the LORD Almightyb is his name.
He will vigorously defend their causec
so that he may bring restd to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.
35“A sworde against the Babylonians!”f
declares the LORD—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wiseg men!
36A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!h
They will be filled with terror.i
37A sword against her horses and chariotsj
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.k
A sword against her treasures!l
They will be plundered.
They will dryn up.
For it is a land of idols,o
idols that will go mad with terror.
39“So desert creaturesp and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.q
40As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrahr
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the LORD,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.s
41“Look! An army is coming from the north;t
a great nation and many kings
are being stirredu up from the ends of the earth.v
42They are armed with bowsw and spears;
they are cruelx and without mercy.y
They sound like the roaring seaz
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.a
43The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.b
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.c
44Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thicketsd
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosene one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?f
And what shepherd can stand against me?”
45Therefore, hear what the LORD has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposedg against the land of the Babylonians:h
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
46At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;i
its cryj will resound among the nations.
1This is what the LORD says:
“See, I will stira up the spirit of a destroyer
against Babylonb and the people of Leb Kamai.1
2I will send foreignersc to Babylon
to winnowd her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
in the daye of her disaster.
3Let not the archer string his bow,f
nor let him put on his armor.g
Do not spare her young men;
completely destroy2 her army.
4They will fallh down slain in Babylon,3
fatally wounded in her streets.i
5For Israel and Judah have not been forsakenj
by their God, the LORD Almighty,
though their land4 is full of guiltk
before the Holy One of Israel.
Run for your lives!
Do not be destroyed because of her sins.m
It is timen for the LORD’s vengeance;o
he will repayp her what she deserves.
7Babylon was a gold cupq in the LORD’s hand;
she made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
therefore they have now gone mad.
8Babylon will suddenly fallr and be broken.
Wail over her!
Get balms for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.
9“ ‘We would have healed Babylon,
but she cannot be healed;
let us leavet her and each go to our own land,
for her judgmentu reaches to the skies,
it rises as high as the heavens.’
10“ ‘The LORD has vindicatedv us;
come, let us tell in Zion
what the LORD our God has done.’w
take up the shields!y
The LORD has stirred up the kingsz of the Medes,a
because his purposeb is to destroy Babylon.
The LORD will take vengeance,c
vengeance for his temple.d
12Lift up a bannere against the walls of Babylon!
Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,f
prepare an ambush!g
The LORD will carry out his purpose,h
his decree against the people of Babylon.
13You who live by many watersi
and are rich in treasures,j
your end has come,
the time for you to be destroyed.k
14The LORD Almighty has sworn by himself:l
I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,m
and they will shoutn in triumph over you.
15“He made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdomo
and stretchedp out the heavens by his understanding.q
16When he thunders,r the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rains
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.t
17“Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;u
they have no breath in them.
18They are worthless,v the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
19He who is the Portionw of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritancex—
the LORD Almighty is his name.
my weapon for battle—
with you I destroy kingdoms,
21with you I shatter horse and rider,b
with you I shatter chariotc and driver,
22with you I shatter man and woman,
with you I shatter old man and youth,
with you I shatter young man and young woman,d
23with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
with you I shatter governors and officials.e
24“Before your eyes I will repayf Babylong and all who live in Babylonia5 for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the LORD.
25“I am againsth you, you destroying mountain,
you who destroy the whole earth,”i
declares the LORD.
“I will stretch out my handj against you,
roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.k
26No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
nor any stone for a foundation,
for you will be desolatel forever,”
declares the LORD.
27“Lift up a bannerm in the land!
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
summon against her these kingdoms:n
Appoint a commander against her;
send up horses like a swarm of locusts.q
28Prepare the nations for battle against her—
the kings of the Medes,r
their governors and all their officials,
and all the countries they rule.s
29The land tremblest and writhes,
for the LORD’s purposesu against Babylon stand—
to lay wastev the land of Babylon
so that no one will live there.w
30Babylon’s warriorsx have stopped fighting;
they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
they have become weaklings.y
Her dwellings are set on fire;z
the barsa of her gates are broken.
31One courierb follows another
and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
that his entire city is captured,c
32the river crossings seized,
the marshes set on fire,d
and the soldiers terrified.e”
33This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Daughter Babylonf is like a threshing floorg
at the time it is trampled;
the time to harvesth her will soon come.i”
34“Nebuchadnezzarj king of Babylon has devouredk us,l
he has thrown us into confusion,
he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
and then has spewedm us out.
35May the violencen done to our flesh6 be on Babylon,”
say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
says Jerusalem.o
36Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“See, I will defend your causep
and avengeq you;
I will dry upr her sea
and make her springs dry.
37Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
a haunts of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,t
a place where no one lives.u
38Her people all roar like young lions,v
they growl like lion cubs.
39But while they are aroused,
I will set out a feast for them
and make them drunk,w
so that they shout with laughter—
then sleep foreverx and not awake,”
declares the LORD.y
40“I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats.z
41“How Sheshak7,a will be captured,b
the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolatec Babylon will be
among the nations!
42The sea will rise over Babylon;
its roaring wavesd will cover her.
43Her towns will be desolate,
a dry and deserte land,
a land where no one lives,
through which no one travels.f
44I will punish Belg in Babylon
and make him spew outh what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
And the walli of Babylon will fall.
45“Come outj of her, my people!
Runk for your lives!
Run from the fierce angerl of the LORD.
46Do not lose heartm or be afraidn
when rumorso are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
rumors of violence in the land
and of ruler against ruler.
47For the time will surely come
when I will punish the idolsp of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgracedq
and her slain will all lie fallen within her.r
48Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shouts for joy over Babylon,
for out of the northt
destroyersu will attack her,”
declares the LORD.
49“Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain,
just as the slain in all the earth
have fallen because of Babylon.v
50You who have escaped the sword,
leavew and do not linger!
Rememberx the LORD in a distant land,y
and call to mind Jerusalem.”
for we have been insulted
and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
the holy places of the LORD’s house.”a
52“But days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will punish her idols,b
and throughout her land
the wounded will groan.c
53Even if Babylon ascends to the heavensd
and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
I will send destroyerse against her,”
declares the LORD.
54“The sound of a cryf comes from Babylon,
the sound of great destructiong
from the land of the Babylonians.8
55The LORD will destroy Babylon;
he will silenceh her noisy din.
Wavesi of enemies will rage like great waters;
the roar of their voices will resound.
56A destroyerj will come against Babylon;
her warriors will be captured,
and their bows will be broken.k
For the LORD is a God of retribution;
he will repayl in full.
57I will make her officialsm and wisen men drunk,o
her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleepp forever and not awake,”
declares the King,q whose name is the LORD Almighty.
58This is what the LORD Almighty says:
“Babylon’s thick wallr will be leveled
and her high gatess set on fire;
the peoplest exhaustu themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”v
59This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah,w the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiahx king of Judah in the fourthy year of his reign. 60Jeremiah had written on a scrollz about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. 61He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62Then say, ‘LORD, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolatea forever.’ 63When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.b 64Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no morec because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her peopled will fall.’ ”e
The words of Jeremiah endf here.
The Fall of Jerusalem
52:1-3pp — 2Ki 24:18-20; 2Ch 36:11-16
52:4-16pp — Jer 39:1-10
52:4-21pp — 2Ki 25:1-21; 2Ch 36:17-20
1Zedekiaha was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.b 2He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as Jehoiakimc had done. 3It was because of the LORD’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah,d and in the end he thrust them from his presence.e
Now Zedekiah rebelledf against the king of Babylon.
4So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenthg day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalemh with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege worksi all around it.j 5The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.k 7Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled.l They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians1 were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,2 8but the Babylonian3 army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, 9and he was captured.m
He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblahn in the land of Hamath,o where he pronounced sentence on him. 10There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sonsp of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. 11Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.q
12On the tenth day of the fifthr month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradans commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13He set firet to the templeu of the LORD, the royal palace and all the housesv of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 14The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the wallsw around Jerusalem. 15Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exilex some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen4 and those who had desertedy to the king of Babylon. 16But Nebuzaradan left behindz the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
17The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars,a the movable standsb and the bronze Seac that were at the temple of the LORD and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.d 18They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls,e dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.f 19The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers,g sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands,h dishesi and bowls used for drink offeringsj—all that were made of pure gold or silver.k
20The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bullsl under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the LORD, was more than could be weighed.m 21Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference5; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.n 22The bronze capitalo on top of one pillar was five cubits6 high and was decorated with a network and pomegranatesp of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. 23There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranatesq above the surrounding network was a hundred.r
24The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiahs the chief priest, Zephaniaht the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.u 25Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretaryv who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. 26Nebuzaradanw the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27There at Riblah,x in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.
So Judah went into captivity, awayy from her land. 28This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile:z
in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
29in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,
832 people from Jerusalem;
30in his twenty-third year,
745 Jews taken into exilea by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard.
There were 4,600 people in all.b
Jehoiachin Released
52:31-34pp — 2Ki 25:27-30
31In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachinc king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison. 32He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.d 34Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowancee as long as he lived, till the day of his death.