Jeremiah 39–52

nIn the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. Then all othe officials of the king of Babylon came pand sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim qthe Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon. When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward rthe Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in sthe plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at tRiblah, in the land of Hamath; uand he passed sentence on him. The king of Babylon vslaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at tRiblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon vslaughtered all the nobles of Judah. wHe put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. xThe Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the house of the people, yand broke down the walls of Jerusalem. Then zNebuzaradan, the acaptain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, bthose who had deserted to him, and the people who remained. 10 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, cleft in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, 12 dTake him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you. 13 So eNebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, eand all the chief officers of the king of Babylon 14 sent and took Jeremiah from fthe court of the guard. They entrusted him to gGedaliah the son of hAhikam, son of iShaphan, that he should take him home. So jhe lived among the people.

15 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah kwhile he was shut up in the court of the guard: 16 Go, and say to lEbed-melech the Ethiopian, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: mBehold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and nnot for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. 17 But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men oof whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your plife as a prize of war, qbecause you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord rafter Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from sRamah, when he took him tbound in chains along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, uThe Lord your God pronounced this disaster against this place. The Lord has brought it about, and has done as he said. vBecause you sinned against the Lord and did not obey his voice, this thing has come upon you. Now, behold, I release you today from tthe chains on your hands. wIf it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you well, wbut if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, do not come. xSee, the whole land is before you; go wherever you think it good and right to go. If you remain,1 then return to yGedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, zwhom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever you think it right to go. So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present, and let him go. Then Jeremiah went to yGedaliah the son of Ahikam, at aMizpah, and lived with him bamong the people cwho were left in the land.

dWhen all the captains of the forces in the open country and their men heard that ethe king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land and had committed to him men, women, and children, those of fthe poorest of the land who had not been taken into exile to Babylon, they went to Gedaliah at aMizpahgIshmael the son of Nethaniah, hJohanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, iJezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, jand it shall be well with you. 10 As for me, I will dwell at aMizpah, to represent you before the Chaldeans who will come to us. But as for you, lgather wine and summer fruits and oil, and store them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken. 11 Likewise, when all the Judeans who were in mMoab and among nthe Ammonites and in oEdom and in other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 pthen all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they had been driven and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they qgathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance.

13 Now rJohanan the son of Kareah and sall the leaders of the forces in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, Do you know that Baalis the king of tthe Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam would not believe them. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah at Mizpah, Please let me go and strike down Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life, so that all the Judeans who are gathered about you would be scattered, uand the remnant of Judah would perish? 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, You shall not do this thing, for you are speaking falsely of Ishmael.

vIn the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, one of the chief officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at wMizpah. As they xate bread together there at Mizpah, yIshmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men with him rose up and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him, zwhom the king of Babylon had appointed governor in the land. Ishmael also struck down all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at wMizpah, and the Chaldean soldiers who happened to be there.

On the day after the murder of Gedaliah, before anyone knew of it, eighty men arrived from aShechem and bShiloh and cSamaria, with dtheir beards shaved and etheir clothes torn, and dtheir bodies gashed, fbringing grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the Lord. And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah came out from gMizpah to meet them, weeping as he came. As he met them, he said to them, Come in to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. When they came into the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them and cast them into a cistern. But there were ten men among them who said to Ishmael, Do not put us to death, for we have hstores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in the fields. So he refrained and did not put them to death with their companions.

Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men whom he had struck down along with2 Gedaliah was the large cistern that iKing Asa had made for defense against iBaasha king of Israel; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain. 10 Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, jthe king’s daughters and all the people who were left at Mizpah, whom kNebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to lthe Ammonites.

11 But when mJohanan the son of Kareah and nall the leaders of the forces with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12 they took all their men and went to fight against Ishmael the son of Nethaniah. They came upon him at othe great pool that is in pGibeon. 13 And when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and qall the leaders of the forces with him, they rejoiced. 14 rSo all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to sthe Ammonites. 16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah and qall the leaders of the forces with him took from Mizpah all the rest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikamsoldiers, twomen, children, and eunuchs, whom Johanan brought back from uGibeon. 17 And they went and stayed at Geruth vChimham near wBethlehem, intending to go to Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans. For they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, xwhom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.

Then yall the commanders of the forces, and zJohanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of aHoshaiah, and all the people bfrom the least to the greatest, came near and said to Jeremiah the prophet, Let cour plea for mercy come before you, and dpray to the Lord your God for us, for all ethis remnantfbecause we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us that gthe Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do. Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and hwhatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. hI will keep nothing back from you. Then they said to Jeremiah, iMay the Lord be a true and jfaithful witness against us kif we do not act according to all the word lwith which the Lord your God sends you to us. Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, mthat it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.

nAt the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. Then he summoned zJohanan the son of Kareah and yall the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people bfrom the least to the greatest, and said to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, oto whom you sent me to present your plea for mercy before him: 10 If you will remain in this land, pthen I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; qfor I relent of the disaster that I did to you. 11 rDo not fear the king of Babylon, rof whom you are afraid. sDo not fear him, declares the Lord, sfor I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand. 12 tI will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land. 13 uBut if you say, We will not remain in this land, disobeying the voice of the Lord your God 14 and saying, No, vwe will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war or whear the sound of the trumpet or xbe hungry for bread, and we will dwell there, 15 then hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: yIf you set your faces to enter Egypt zand go to live there, 16 then the sword athat you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are afraid shall follow close after you to Egypt, band there you shall die. 17 All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. They shall have cno remnant or survivor from the disaster that I will bring upon them.

18 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: dAs my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. eYou shall become an execration, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. You shall see this place no more. 19 The Lord has said to you, O remnant of Judah, fDo not go to Egypt. gKnow for a certainty that I have warned you this day 20 that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. hFor you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, hPray for us to the Lord our God, and iwhatever the Lord our God says, declare to us and we will do it. 21 And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in anything jthat he sent me to tell you. 22 kNow therefore know for a certainty that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live.

When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all these words of the Lord their God, with which the Lord their God had sent him to them, Azariah the son of lHoshaiah and mJohanan the son of Kareah and nall the insolent men said to Jeremiah, You are telling a lie. The Lord our God did not send you to say, oDo not go to Egypt to live there, but pBaruch the son of Neriah qhas set you against us, rto deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may kill us or take us into exile in Babylon. So mJohanan the son of Kareah and all sthe commanders of the forces and all the people did not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took tall the remnant of Judah who had returned to live in the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been driven uthe men, the women, the children, vthe princesses, and every person whom wNebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with xGedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan; also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they arrived at yTahpanhes.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in yTahpanhes: Take in your hands large stones and hide them in the mortar in the pavement that is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in yTahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah, 10 and say to them, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, zmy servant, aand I will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden, and he will spread his royal canopy over them. 11 He shall come band strike the land of Egypt, cgiving over to the pestilence those who are doomed to the pestilence, to captivity those who are doomed to captivity, and to the sword those who are doomed to the sword. 12 dI shall kindle a fire ein the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them fand carry them away captive. gAnd he shall clean the land of Egypt gas a shepherd cleans his cloak of vermin, and he shall go away from there in peace. 13 He shall break the hobelisks of Heliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt, eand the temples of the gods of Egypt he shall burn with fire.

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, at iMigdol, at jTahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of kPathros, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah. Behold, this day lthey are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, because of the evil that they committed, mprovoking me to anger, nin that they went to make offerings oand serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. pYet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate! qBut they did not listen qor incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods. rTherefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, sand they became a waste and a desolation, as at this day. And now thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil tagainst yourselves, to cut off from you uman and woman, uinfant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant? mWhy do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, nmaking offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live, so that you may be cut off and become va curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth? Have you forgotten the evil of your fathers, wthe evil of the kings of Judah, xthe evil of their3 wives, your own evil, yand the evil of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not humbled themselves even to this day, znor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers.

11 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: aBehold, I will set my face against you for harm, to cut off all Judah. 12 I will take the remnant of Judah who have bset their faces to come to the land of Egypt to live, and they shall all be consumed. cIn the land of Egypt they shall fall; by the sword and by famine cthey shall be consumed. dFrom the least to the greatest, they shall die by the sword and by famine, eand they shall become an oath, a horror, va curse, and a taunt. 13 fI will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, 14 gso that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive hor return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return to dwell there. For they shall not return, iexcept some fugitives.

15 Then all the men who knew that jtheir wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in kPathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah: 16 As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, lwe will not listen to you. 17 mBut we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to nthe queen of heaven oand pour out drink offerings to her, pas we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18 But since we left off making offerings to nthe queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything qand have been consumed by the sword and by famine. 19 And the women said,4 When we made offerings to the queen of heaven rand poured out drink offerings to her, was it swithout our husbands’ approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, tmen and women, all the people who had given him this answer: 21 uAs for the offerings that you offered in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your officials, and the people of the land, vdid not the Lord remember them? Did it not come into his mind? 22 wThe Lord could no longer bear your evil deeds and xthe abominations that you committed. yTherefore your land has become za desolation and a waste and a curse, awithout inhabitant, as it is this day. 23 It is because you made offerings band because you sinned against the Lord and did not obey the voice of the Lord or walk in his law and in his statutes and in his testimonies cthat this disaster has happened to you, as at this day.

24 Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, Hear the word of the Lord, dall you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: eYou and your wives have declared with your mouths, and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have made, fto make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her. Then confirm your vows and perform your vows! 26 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, dall you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: gBehold, I have sworn by my great name, says the Lord, hthat my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, isaying, As the Lord God lives. 27 jBehold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. kAll the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them. 28 lAnd those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, mfew in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, nshall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs. 29 This shall be the sign to you, declares the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, in order that you may know that omy words will surely stand against you for harm: 30 Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will give pPharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies qand into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave rZedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and sought his life.

The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to sBaruch the son of Neriah, twhen he wrote these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah, uin the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: You said, vWoe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain. wI am weary with my groaning, xand I find no rest. Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord: yBehold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking upthat is, the whole land. And zdo you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, aI am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you byour life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.

The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet cconcerning the nations.

About Egypt. dConcerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in ethe fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

fPrepare buckler and shield,

and advance for battle!

gHarness the horses;

mount, O horsemen!

Take your stations with your helmets,

fpolish your spears,

put on your armor!

Why have I seen it?

They are dismayed

and have turned backward.

Their hwarriors are beaten down

and have fled in haste;

ithey look not back

jterror on every side!

declares the Lord.

The swift cannot flee away,

nor the warrior escape;

din the north by the river Euphrates

kthey have stumbled and fallen.

Who is this, lrising like the Nile,

like rivers mwhose waters surge?

Egypt rises like the Nile,

like rivers mwhose waters surge.

He said, I will rise, I will cover the earth,

I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.

nAdvance, O horses,

and rage, O chariots!

Let the warriors go out:

men of Cush and oPut who handle the shield,

pmen of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.

10  qThat day is the day of the Lord God of hosts,

ra day of vengeance,

sto avenge himself on his foes.

tThe sword shall devour and be sated

and drink its fill of their blood.

For the Lord God of hosts holds ua sacrifice

vin the north country wby the river Euphrates.

11  xGo up to Gilead, and take xbalm,

O virgin daughter of Egypt!

In vain you have used many medicines;

ythere is no healing for you.

12  The nations have heard of your shame,

and the earth is full of your cry;

zfor warrior has stumbled against warrior;

they have both fallen together.

13 The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of aNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt:

14  Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in bMigdol;

proclaim in bMemphis and bTahpanhes;

say, cStand ready and be prepared,

for dthe sword shall devour around you.

15  Why are your mighty ones face down?

They do not stand5

because the Lord thrust them down.

16  He made many stumble, fand they fell,

and they said one to another,

Arise, and let us go back to our own people

and to the land of our birth,

gbecause of the sword of the oppressor.

17  Call the name of hPharaoh, king of Egypt,

Noisy one who lets the hour go by.

18  iAs I live, declares the King,

jwhose name is the Lord of hosts,

like kTabor among the mountains

and like lCarmel by the sea, shall one come.

19  mPrepare yourselves baggage for exile,

O ninhabitants of Egypt!

For oMemphis shall become a waste,

a ruin, pwithout inhabitant.

20  A beautiful qheifer is Egypt,

but a biting fly rfrom the north has come upon her.

21  Even her hired soldiers in her midst

are like sfattened calves;

yes, they have turned and fled together;

they did not stand,

for the day of their calamity has come upon them,

tthe time of their punishment.

22  She makes ua sound like a serpent gliding away;

for her enemies march in force

and come against her with axes

vlike those who fell trees.

23  vThey shall cut down her forest,

declares the Lord,

though it is impenetrable,

because wthey are more numerous than locusts;

they are without number.

24  The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame;

she shall be delivered into the hand of ra people from the north.

25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, said: Behold, I am bringing punishment upon xAmon of yThebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt zand her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 aI will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. bAfterward Egypt shall be inhabited cas in the days of old, declares the Lord.

27  dBut fear not, O Jacob my servant,

nor be dismayed, O Israel,

for behold, I will save you from far away,

and your offspring from the land of their captivity.

Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,

and none shall make him afraid.

28  dFear not, O Jacob my servant,

declares the Lord,

for I am with you.

I will make a full end of all the nations

to which I have driven you,

but of you I will not make a full end.

eI will discipline you in just measure,

and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet fconcerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh struck down gGaza.

Thus says the Lord:

hBehold, waters are rising iout of the north,

hand shall become an overflowing torrent;

they shall overflow jthe land and all that fills it,

the city and those who dwell in it.

Men shall cry out,

and every inhabitant of the land shall wail.

At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his stallions,

lat the rushing of his chariots, at the rumbling of their wheels,

the fathers mlook not back to their children,

so feeble are their hands,

because of the day that is coming to destroy

all fthe Philistines,

to cut off from nTyre and Sidon

every helper that remains.

For the Lord is destroying the Philistines,

othe remnant of the coastland of pCaphtor.

qBaldness has come upon Gaza;

rAshkelon has perished.

O remnant of their valley,

show long will you gash yourselves?

tAh, sword of the Lord!

How long till you are quiet?

Put yourself into your scabbard;

rest and be still!

How can it6 be quiet

uwhen the Lord has given it a charge?

Against vAshkelon and against the seashore

whe has appointed it.

xConcerning Moab.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:

Woe to yNebo, for it is laid waste!

zKiriathaim is put to shame, it is taken;

the fortress is put to shame aand broken down;

the renown of Moab is no more.

In bHeshbon they planned disaster against her:

Come, let us cut her off cfrom being a nation!

You also, O dMadmen, shall be brought to silence;

the sword shall pursue you.

A voice! A cry from eHoronaim,

Desolation and great destruction!

Moab is destroyed;

her little ones have made a cry.

eFor at the ascent of Luhith

they go up weeping;7

for eat the descent of Horonaim

they have heard the distressed cry8 of destruction.

Flee! Save yourselves!

You will be like fa juniper in the desert!

For, gbecause you trusted in your works and your treasures,

you also shall be taken;

and hChemosh ishall go into exile

with jhis priests and his officials.

kThe destroyer shall come upon every city,

and no city shall escape;

the valley shall perish,

and lthe plain shall be destroyed,

as the Lord has spoken.

Give wings to Moab,

for she would fly away;

her cities shall become a desolation,

with no inhabitant in them.

10 mCursed is he who does nthe work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

11  Moab has been at ease from his youth

and has osettled on his dregs;

he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,

nor has he gone into exile;

so his taste remains in him,

and his scent is not changed.

12 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his9 jars in pieces. 13 Then pMoab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as qthe house of Israel was ashamed of rBethel, their confidence.

14  How do you say, We are heroes

and mighty men of war?

15  The destroyer of sMoab and his cities has come up,

and the choicest of his young men have tgone down to slaughter,

declares uthe King, uwhose name is the Lord of hosts.

16  The calamity of Moab is near at hand,

and his affliction hastens swiftly.

17  vGrieve for him, all you who are around him,

and all who know his name;

say, wHow the mighty scepter is broken,

the glorious staff.

18  xCome down from your glory,

and sit on the parched ground,

O inhabitant of yDibon!

For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you;

he has destroyed your strongholds.

19  zStand by the way zand watch,

O inhabitant of aAroer!

Ask him who flees and her who escapes;

say, What has happened?

20  Moab is put to shame, for it is broken;

vwail and cry!

Tell it beside bthe Arnon,

that sMoab is laid waste.

21 Judgment has come upon cthe tableland, upon Holon, and dJahzah, and Mephaath, 22 and yDibon, and eNebo, and Beth-diblathaim, 23 and fKiriathaim, and Beth-gamul, and gBeth-meon, 24 and hKerioth, and iBozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. 25 jThe horn of Moab is cut off, and khis arm is broken, declares the Lord.

26 lMake him drunk, mbecause he magnified himself against the Lord, so that Moab shall lwallow in his vomit, nand he too shall be held in derision. 27 oWas not Israel a derision to you? pWas he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him qyou wagged your head?

28  rLeave the cities, and dwell in the rock,

O inhabitants of Moab!

Be slike the dove that nests

in the sides of the mouth of a gorge.

29  tWe have heard of the pride of Moab

he is very proud

of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance,

and the haughtiness of his heart.

30  I know his insolence, declares the Lord;

uhis boasts are false,

his deeds are false.

31  vTherefore I wail for Moab;

I cry out for all Moab;

for the men of wKir-hareseth I mourn.

32  More than for xJazer I weep for you,

yO vine of zSibmah!

aYour branches passed over the sea,

reached to the Sea of xJazer;

on your summer fruits and your grapes

the destroyer has fallen.

33  bGladness and joy have been taken away

from the fruitful land of Moab;

I have made the wine cease from the winepresses;

no one treads them with shouts of joy;

the shouting is not the shout of joy.

34 cFrom the outcry at Heshbon even to Elealeh, as far as Jahaz they utter their voice, from Zoar to dHoronaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For the waters of Nimrim also have become desolate. 35 And I will bring to an end in Moab, declares the Lord, him who offers sacrifice in ethe high place and makes offerings to his god. 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of fKir-hareseth. gTherefore the riches they gained have perished.

37 hFor every head is shaved and every beard cut off. iOn all the hands are gashes, and jaround the waist is sackcloth. 38 On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like ka vessel for which no one cares, declares the Lord. 39 How it is broken! How they wail! lHow Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab mhas become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.

40  For thus says the Lord:

Behold, none shall fly swiftly like an eagle

oand spread his wings against Moab;

41  pthe cities shall be taken

and the strongholds seized.

qThe heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day

like the heart of ra woman in her birth pains;

42  Moab shall be sdestroyed and be no longer a people,

because the magnified himself against the Lord.

43  uTerror, pit, and snare

are before you, O inhabitant of Moab!

declares the Lord.

44  He who flees from the terror

shall fall into the pit,

and he who climbs out of the pit

shall be caught in the snare.

vFor I will bring these things upon Moab,

the year of their punishment,

declares the Lord.

45  In the shadow of Heshbon

fugitives stop without strength,

for fire came out from Heshbon,

flame from the house of Sihon;

it has destroyed wthe forehead of Moab,

the crown of wthe sons of tumult.

46  xWoe to you, O Moab!

The people of yChemosh are undone,

for your sons have been taken captive,

and your daughters into captivity.

47  zYet I will restore the fortunes of Moab

in the latter days, declares the Lord.

Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

aConcerning the Ammonites.

Thus says the Lord:

Has Israel no sons?

Has he no heir?

Why then has bMilcom10 cdispossessed Gad,

and his people settled in its cities?

Therefore, behold, the days are coming,

declares the Lord,

when I will cause dthe battle cry to be heard

against eRabbah of the Ammonites;

it shall become a desolate fmound,

and its villages shall be burned with fire;

then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him,

says the Lord.

Wail, O gHeshbon, for Ai is laid waste!

Cry out, O daughters of eRabbah!

hPut on sackcloth,

lament, and run to and fro among the hedges!

For iMilcom shall go into exile,

jwith his priests and his officials.

Why do you boast of your valleys,11

kO faithless daughter,

lwho trusted in her treasures, saying,

Who will come against me?

Behold, mI will bring terror upon you,

declares the Lord God of hosts,

from all who are around you,

and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him,

with none to gather the fugitives.

But nafterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the Lord.

Concerning oEdom.

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

pIs wisdom no more in pTeman?

qHas counsel perished from the prudent?

qHas their wisdom vanished?

rFlee, turn back, dwell in the depths,

O inhabitants of sDedan!

For I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him,

tthe time when I punish him.

uIf grape gatherers came to you,

would they not leave vgleanings?

uIf thieves came by night,

would they not destroy only enough for themselves?

10  wBut I have stripped Esau bare;

uI have uncovered his hiding places,

and he is not able to conceal himself.

His children are destroyed, and his brothers,

and his neighbors; and xhe is no more.

11  yLeave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive;

yand let your widows trust in me.

12 For thus says the Lord: zIf those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, awill you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, but you must drink. 13 bFor I have sworn by myself, declares the Lord, that cBozrah shall become da horror, a taunt, a waste, and a curse, and all her cities shall be perpetual wastes.

14  eI have heard a message from the Lord,

and an envoy has been sent among the nations:

fGather yourselves together and come against her,

and rise up for battle!

15  For behold, I will make you small among the nations,

despised among mankind.

16  The horror you inspire has deceived you,

and the pride of your heart,

you who live in the clefts of the rock,12

who hold the height of the hill.

Though you gmake your nest as high as the eagle’s,

I will bring you down from there,

declares the Lord.

17 hEdom shall become a horror. iEveryone who passes by it will be horrified iand will hiss because of all its disasters. 18 jAs when Sodom and Gomorrah and their kneighboring cities were overthrown, says the Lord, lno man shall dwell there, lno man shall sojourn in her. 19 mBehold, nlike a lion coming up from othe jungle of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make him13 run away from her. And I will appoint over her whomever I choose. pFor who is like me? qWho will summon me? rWhat shepherd can stand before me? 20 Therefore hear the plan that the Lord has made against sEdom and the purposes that he has formed against the inhabitants of tTeman: uEven the little ones of the flock shall be dragged away. Surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 21 At the sound of their fall vthe earth shall tremble; the sound of their cry shall be heard at the Red Sea. 22 Behold, wone shall mount up and fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against xBozrah, and the heart of the warriors of Edom shall be in that day like the heart yof a woman in her birth pains.

23 Concerning zDamascus:

aHamath and bArpad are confounded,

for they have heard bad news;

they melt in fear,

cthey are troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet.

24  zDamascus has become feeble, dshe turned to flee,

and panic seized her;

anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her,

as yof a woman in labor.

25  How is ethe famous city not forsaken,

the city of my joy?

26  fTherefore her young men shall fall in her squares,

and all her soldiers shall be destroyed in that day,

declares the Lord of hosts.

27  And gI will kindle a fire in the wall of zDamascus,

and it shall devour the strongholds of hBen-hadad.

28 Concerning iKedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down.

Thus says the Lord:

jRise up, advance against iKedar!

Destroy kthe people of the east!

29  lTheir tents and their flocks shall be taken,

their lcurtains and all their goods;

their camels shall be led away from them,

and men shall cry to them: mTerror on every side!

30  nFlee, wander far away, dwell in the depths,

O inhabitants of Hazor!

declares the Lord.

For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon

has made a plan against you

and formed a purpose against you.

31  jRise up, advance against a nation oat ease,

pthat dwells securely,

declares the Lord,

pthat has no gates or bars,

that dwells alone.

32  qTheir camels shall become plunder,

their herds of livestock a spoil.

rI will scatter to every wind

sthose who cut the corners of their hair,

and I will bring their calamity

from every side of them,

declares the Lord.

33  Hazor shall become ta haunt of jackals,

an everlasting waste;

uno man shall dwell there;

uno man shall sojourn in her.

34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning vElam, in the beginning of the reign of wZedekiah king of Judah.

35 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will break xthe bow of vElam, the mainstay of their might. 36 And I will bring upon vElam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven. And I will scatter them to all those winds, and there shall be no nation to which those driven out of vElam shall not come. 37 I will yterrify vElam before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, zmy fierce anger, declares the Lord. aI will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them, 38 and I will set my throne in vElam and destroy their king and officials, declares the Lord.

39 But in the latter days bI will restore the fortunes of vElam, declares the Lord.

The word that the Lord spoke concerning cBabylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, dby Jeremiah the prophet:

Declare among the nations and proclaim,

set up a banner and proclaim,

conceal it not, and say:

eBabylon is taken,

fBel is put to shame,

Merodach is dismayed.

eHer images are put to shame,

her idols are dismayed.

For gout of the north a nation has come up against her, hwhich shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; iboth man and beast shall flee away.

jIn those days and in that time, declares the Lord, jthe people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, kweeping as they come, and they lshall seek the Lord their God. mThey shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, nsaying, Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an oeverlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.

pMy people have been lost sheep. qTheir shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. All who found them have devoured them, rand their enemies have said, We are not guilty, for sthey have sinned against the Lord, ttheir habitation of righteousness, the Lord, uthe hope of their fathers.

vFlee from the midst of Babylon, vand go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock. For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon wa gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed. 10 xChaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, declares the Lord.

11  yThough you rejoice, though you exult,

O plunderers of my heritage,

though you frolic like a heifer in the pasture,

and neigh like stallions,

12  your mother shall be utterly shamed,

and she who bore you shall be disgraced.

Behold, she shall be the last of the nations,

za wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

13  aBecause of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited

but shall be an utter desolation;

beveryone who passes by Babylon shall be appalled,

band hiss because of all her wounds.

14  cSet yourselves in array against Babylon all around,

dall you who bend the bow;

shoot at her, spare no arrows,

efor she has sinned against the Lord.

15  fRaise a shout against her all around;

she has surrendered;

her bulwarks have fallen;

gher walls are thrown down.

For hthis is the vengeance of the Lord:

take vengeance on her;

ido to her as she has done.

16  Cut off from Babylon the sower,

and the one who handles the sickle in time of harvest;

jbecause of the sword of the oppressor,

kevery one shall turn to his own people,

and every one shall flee to his own land.

17 lIsrael is a hunted sheep mdriven away by lions. nFirst the king of Assyria odevoured him, and now at last pNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon qhas gnawed his bones. 18 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, rI am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, sas I punished the king of Assyria. 19 tI will restore Israel to his pasture, and the shall feed on uCarmel and in uBashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in uGilead. 20 In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, viniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for wI will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

21  Go up against the land of Merathaim,14

and against the inhabitants of Pekod.15

Kill, xand devote them to destruction,16

declares the Lord,

and do all that I have commanded you.

22  yThe noise of battle is in the land,

and great destruction!

23  zHow the hammer of the whole earth

is cut down and broken!

aHow Babylon bhas become

a horror among the nations!

24  cI set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,

and dyou did not know it;

you were found and caught,

because you opposed the Lord.

25  The Lord has opened his armory

and brought out ethe weapons of his wrath,

for the Lord God of hosts has a work to do

in the land of the Chaldeans.

26  Come against her from every quarter;

open her granaries;

fpile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction;

let nothing be left of her.

27  Kill all gher bulls;

let them go down to the slaughter.

Woe to them, for their day has come,

hthe time of their punishment.

28 A voice! They iflee and escape from the land of Babylon, jto declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for khis temple.

29 lSummon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. lEncamp around her; let no one escape. mRepay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has nproudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 30 oTherefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, declares the Lord.

31  Behold, I am against you, O nproud one,

declares the Lord God of hosts,

pfor your day has come,

the time when I will punish you.

32  nThe proud one shall stumble and fall,

with none to raise him up,

qand I will kindle a fire in his cities,

and it will devour all that is around him.

33 Thus says the Lord of hosts: rThe people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; sthey refuse to let them go. 34 tTheir Redeemer is strong; uthe Lord of hosts is his name. vHe will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

35  A sword against the Chaldeans, declares the Lord,

and against the inhabitants of Babylon,

and against wher officials and her xwise men!

36  A sword against the diviners,

that they may become fools!

A sword against her ywarriors,

that they may be destroyed!

37  A sword against her horses and against her chariots,

and against all zthe foreign troops in her midst,

that athey may become women!

bA sword against all her treasures,

that they may be plundered!

38  cA drought against her waters,

that they may be dried up!

dFor it is a land of images,

and they are mad over idols.

39 eTherefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon,17 and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations. 40 fAs when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the Lord, gso no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.

41  hBehold, a people comes from the north;

a mighty nation and many kings

are stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.

42  They lay hold of bow and spear;

they are cruel and have no mercy.

The sound of them is like the roaring of the sea;

they ride on horses,

arrayed as a man for battle

against you, O daughter of Babylon!

43  The king of Babylon heard the report of them,

and his hands fell helpless;

anguish seized him,

pain as of a woman in labor.

44 iBehold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd jcan stand before me? 45 Therefore hear kthe plan that the Lord has made against Babylon, kand the purposes that he has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: lSurely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 46 mAt the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.

Thus says the Lord:

Behold, I will stir up nthe spirit of a destroyer

against Babylon,

against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai,18

and I will send to Babylon winnowers,

and othey shall winnow her,

and they shall empty her land,

when they come against her from every side

pon the day of trouble.

qLet not the archer bend his bow,

and let him not stand up in his armor.

Spare not her young men;

rdevote to destruction19 all her army.

They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans,

sand wounded in her streets.

tFor Israel and Judah have not been forsaken

by their God, the Lord of hosts,

but the land of the Chaldeans20 is full of guilt

against the Holy One of Israel.

uFlee from the midst of Babylon;

let every one save his life!

vBe not cut off in her punishment,

wfor this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance,

the repayment he is rendering her.

Babylon was xa golden cup in the Lord’s hand,

ymaking all the earth drunken;

zthe nations drank of her wine;

therefore the nations went mad.

aSuddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;

bwail for her!

cTake balm for her pain;

perhaps she may be healed.

We would have healed Babylon,

but she was not healed.

dForsake her, and elet us go

each to his own country,

for fher judgment has reached up to heaven

and has been lifted up even to the skies.

10  gThe Lord has brought about our vindication;

hcome, let us declare in Zion

the work of the Lord our God.

11  iSharpen the arrows!

Take up the shields!

jThe Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of kthe Medes, because lhis purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, mfor that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for mhis temple.

12  nSet up a standard against the walls of Babylon;

omake the watch strong;

set up watchmen;

prepare the ambushes;

lfor the Lord has both planned and done

what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.

13  pO you who dwell by many waters,

rich in treasures,

your end has come;

the thread of your life is cut.

14  qThe Lord of hosts has sworn by himself:

Surely I will fill you with men, ras many as locusts,

sand they shall raise the shout of victory over you.

15  tIt is he who made the earth by his power,

who established the world by his wisdom,

and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

16  When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,

and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.

He makes lightning for the rain,

and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

17  Every man is stupid and without knowledge;

every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,

for his images are false,

and there is no breath in them.

18  They are worthless, a work of delusion;

at the time of their punishment they shall perish.

19  Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,

for he is the one who formed all things,

and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;

the Lord of hosts is his name.

20  You are my hammer and weapon of war:

with you I ubreak nations in pieces;

with you I destroy kingdoms;

21  with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider;

with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer;

22  with you I break in pieces man and woman;

with you I break in pieces vthe old man and the youth;

with you I break in pieces vthe young man and the young woman;

23  with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;

with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team;

with you I break in pieces wgovernors and commanders.

24 xI will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the Lord.

25  Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain,

declares the Lord,

which destroys the whole earth;

I will stretch out my hand against you,

and roll you down from the crags,

yand make you a burnt mountain.

26  No zstone shall be taken from you for a corner

and no stone for a foundation,

but you shall be aa perpetual waste,

declares the Lord.

27  bSet up a standard on the earth;

cblow the trumpet among the nations;

dprepare ethe nations for war against her;

summon against her fthe kingdoms,

gArarat, Minni, and hAshkenaz;

appoint a imarshal against her;

jbring up horses like bristling locusts.

28  dPrepare ethe nations for war against her,

the kings of kthe Medes, lwith their governors land deputies,

and every mland under their dominion.

29  nThe land trembles and writhes in pain,

ofor the Lord’s purposes against Babylon stand,

to make the land of Babylon a desolation,

without inhabitant.

30  The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting;

they remain in their strongholds;

their strength has failed;

pthey have become women;

qher dwellings are on fire;

rher bars are broken.

31  One srunner runs to meet another,

and one messenger to meet another,

to tell the king of Babylon

that his city is taken on every side;

32  the fords have been tseized,

the marshes are burned with fire,

and the soldiers are in panic.

33  For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:

uThe daughter of Babylon is like ua threshing floor

at the time when it is trodden;

yet a little while

and vthe time of her harvest will come.

34  Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon whas devoured me;

he has crushed me;

he has made me an empty vessel;

xhe has swallowed me like ya monster;

he has filled his stomach with my delicacies;

he has rinsed me out.21

35  The violence done to me and to my kinsmen be upon Babylon,

let the inhabitant of Zion say.

My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,

let Jerusalem say.

36  Therefore thus says the Lord:

Behold, zI will plead your cause

and take vengeance for you.

aI will dry up her sea

and bmake her fountain dry,

37  and Babylon shall become ca heap of ruins,

dthe haunt of jackals,

ea horror eand a hissing,

without inhabitant.

38  fThey shall roar together glike lions;

they shall growl like lions’ cubs.

39  hWhile they are inflamed hI will prepare them a feast

and imake them drunk, that they may become merry,

ithen sleep a perpetual sleep

and not wake, declares the Lord.

40  I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter,

like rams and male goats.

41  How jBabylon22 is taken,

kthe praise of the whole earth lseized!

How Babylon has become

a horror among the nations!

42  mThe sea has come up on Babylon;

she is covered with its tumultuous waves.

43  Her cities have become a horror,

na land of drought and a desert,

oa land in which no one dwells,

and through which no son of man passes.

44  And I will punish pBel in Babylon,

and qtake out of his mouth rwhat he has swallowed.

sThe nations shall no longer flow to him;

tthe wall of Babylon has fallen.

45  Go out of the midst of her, umy people!

Let every one save his life

from vthe fierce anger of the Lord!

46  Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful

wat the report heard in the land,

xwhen a report comes in one year

and afterward a report in another year,

and violence is in the land,

xand ruler is against ruler.

47  Therefore, behold, the days are coming

when yI will punish the images of Babylon;

zher whole land shall be put to shame,

and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.

48  aThen the heavens and the earth,

and all that is in them,

shall sing for joy over Babylon,

bfor the destroyers shall come against them out of the north,

declares the Lord.

49  Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel,

cjust as for Babylon have fallen the slain of all the earth.

50  dYou who have escaped from the sword,

go, do not stand still!

Remember the Lord from far away,

and let Jerusalem come into your mind:

51  eWe are put to shame, for we have heard reproach;

edishonor has covered our face,

ffor foreigners have come

into the holy places of the Lord’s house.

52  Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,

when yI will execute judgment upon her images,

gand through all her land

the wounded shall groan.

53  Though Babylon should hmount up to heaven,

and though she should ifortify her strong height,

yet destroyers would come from me against her,

declares the Lord.

54  jA voice! A cry from Babylon!

The noise of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!

55  For the Lord is laying Babylon waste

and stilling her mighty voice.

kTheir waves roar like many waters;

the noise of their voice is raised,

56  for a destroyer has come upon her,

upon Babylon;

her warriors are taken;

their bows are broken in pieces,

lfor the Lord is a God of recompense;

he will surely repay.

57  mI will make drunk her officials and her wise men,

nher governors, her commanders, and her warriors;

they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake,

declares othe King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.

58  Thus says the Lord of hosts:

The broad pwall of Babylon

shall be leveled to the ground,

qand her high gates

shall be burned with fire.

rThe peoples labor for nothing,

and sthe nations weary themselves only for fire.

59 The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah tthe son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, uin the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 vJeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, wall these words that are written concerning Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, 62 and say, O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so xthat nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be ydesolate forever. 63 When you finish reading this book, zatie a stone to it zand cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, 64 and say, zThus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, band they shall become exhausted.

Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

cZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, daccording to all that Jehoiakim had done. For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. eAnd in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at fRiblah. 11 gHe put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison gtill the day of his death.

12 hIn the fifth month, on ithe tenth day of the monththat was jthe nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of BabylonNebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who kserved the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 13 And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 14 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people and the rest of the people who were left in the city and lthe deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the artisans. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

17 And the mpillars of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the nbronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and ocarried all the bronze to Babylon. 18 And they took away pthe pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the basins and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service; 19 qalso the small bowls and the fire pans and the basins and the pots and rthe lampstands and sthe dishes for incense sand the bowls for drink offerings. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. 20 As for the two pillars, the one sea, tthe twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea,23 and the stands, which Solomon the king had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these things was beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits,24 uits circumference was twelve cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow. 22 On it was a capital of bronze. The height of the one capital was vfive cubits. A network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around.

24 And the captain of the guard took wSeraiah the chief priest, and xZephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; 25 and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and yseven men of the king’s council, who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city. 26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at zRiblah. 27 And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at zRiblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

28 This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: ain the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; 29 bin the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.

31 cAnd in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed25 dJehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of ethe kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, 34 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.

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2 View All Leviticus 19:27