1
Thus
saith the
LORD; Behold, I will raise
up against
Babylon, and against them that
dwell in the
midst of them that rise
up against me, a
destroying wind;
2
And will
send unto
Babylon fanners , that shall
fan her, and shall
empty her
land: for in the
day of
trouble they shall be against her round
about.
3
Against him that
bendeth let the
archer bend his
bow, and against him that lifteth himself
up in his
brigandine: and
spare ye not her young
men; destroy ye
utterly all her
host.
4
Thus the
slain shall
fall in the
land of the
Chaldeans, and they that are thrust
through in her
streets.
5
For
Israel hath not been
forsaken, nor
Judah of his
God, of the
LORD of
hosts; though their
land was
filled with
sin against the Holy
One of
Israel.
6
Flee
out of the
midst of
Babylon, and
deliver every
man his
soul: be not cut
off in her
iniquity; for this is the
time of the
LORD'S vengeance; he will
render unto her a
recompence.
7
Babylon hath been a
golden cup in the
LORD'S hand, that made all the
earth drunken : the
nations have
drunken of her
wine; therefore the
nations are
mad .
8
Babylon is
suddenly fallen and
destroyed :
howl for her;
take balm for her
pain, if so be she may be
healed .
9
We would have
healed Babylon, but she is not
healed :
forsake her, and let us
go every
one into his own
country: for her
judgment reacheth unto
heaven, and is lifted
up even to the
skies.
10
The
LORD hath brought
forth our
righteousness: come , and let us
declare in
Zion the
work of the
LORD our
God.
11
Make
bright the
arrows; gather the
shields: the
LORD hath raised
up the
spirit of the
kings of the
Medes: for his
device is against
Babylon, to
destroy it; because it is the
vengeance of the
LORD, the
vengeance of his
temple.
12
Set
up the
standard upon the
walls of
Babylon, make the
watch strong , set
up the
watchmen ,
prepare the
ambushes : for the
LORD hath both
devised and
done that which he
spake against the
inhabitants of
Babylon.
13
O thou that
dwellest upon
many waters, abundant in
treasures, thine
end is
come , and the
measure of thy
covetousness.
14
The
LORD of
hosts hath
sworn by
himself, saying, Surely I will
fill thee with
men, as with
caterpillers; and they shall lift
up a
shout against thee.
15
He hath
made the
earth by his
power, he hath
established the
world by his
wisdom, and hath stretched
out the
heaven by his
understanding.
16
When he
uttereth his
voice, there is a
multitude of
waters in the
heavens; and he causeth the
vapours to
ascend from the
ends of the
earth: he
maketh lightnings with
rain, and bringeth
forth the
wind out of his
treasures.
17
Every
man is
brutish by his
knowledge; every
founder is
confounded by the graven
image: for his molten
image is
falsehood, and there is no
breath in them.
18
They are
vanity, the
work of
errors: in the
time of their
visitation they shall
perish .
19
The
portion of
Jacob is not like them; for he is the
former of all things: and Israel is the
rod of his
inheritance: the
LORD of
hosts is his
name.
20
Thou art my battle
axe and
weapons of
war: for with thee will I break in
pieces the
nations, and with thee will I
destroy kingdoms;
21
And with thee will I break in
pieces the
horse and his
rider ; and with thee will I break in
pieces the
chariot and his
rider ;
22
With thee also will I break in
pieces man and
woman; and with thee will I break in
pieces old and
young; and with thee will I break in
pieces the young
man and the
maid;
23
I will also break in
pieces with thee the
shepherd and his
flock; and with thee will I break in
pieces the
husbandman and his yoke of
oxen; and with thee will I break in
pieces captains and
rulers.
24
And I will
render unto
Babylon and to all the
inhabitants of
Chaldea all their
evil that they have
done in
Zion in your
sight, saith the
LORD.
25
Behold, I am against thee, O
destroying mountain, saith the
LORD, which
destroyest all the
earth: and I will stretch
out mine
hand upon thee, and roll thee
down from the
rocks, and will
make thee a
burnt mountain.
26
And they shall not
take of thee a
stone for a
corner, nor a
stone for
foundations; but thou shalt be
desolate for
ever, saith the
LORD.
27
Set ye
up a
standard in the
land, blow the
trumpet among the
nations, prepare the
nations against her, call
together against her the
kingdoms of
Ararat, Minni, and
Ashchenaz; appoint a
captain against her; cause the
horses to come
up as the
rough caterpillers.
28
Prepare against her the
nations with the
kings of the
Medes, the
captains thereof, and all the
rulers thereof, and all the
land of his
dominion.
29
And the
land shall
tremble and
sorrow : for every
purpose of the
LORD shall be
performed against
Babylon, to
make the
land of
Babylon a
desolation without an
inhabitant .
30
The mighty
men of
Babylon have
forborn to
fight , they have
remained in their
holds: their
might hath
failed ; they became as
women: they have
burned her
dwellingplaces; her
bars are
broken .
31
One
post shall
run to
meet another , and one
messenger to
meet another , to
shew the
king of
Babylon that his
city is
taken at one
end,
32
And that the
passages are
stopped , and the
reeds they have
burned with
fire, and the
men of
war are
affrighted .
33
For thus
saith the
LORD of
hosts, the
God of
Israel; The
daughter of
Babylon is like a
threshingfloor, it is
time to
thresh her: yet a little
while, and the
time of her
harvest shall
come .
34
Nebuchadrezzar the
king of
Babylon hath
devoured me, he hath
crushed me, he hath
made me an
empty vessel, he hath swallowed me
up like a
dragon, he hath
filled his
belly with my
delicates, he hath cast me
out .
35
The
violence done to me and to my
flesh be upon
Babylon, shall the
inhabitant of
Zion say ; and my
blood upon the
inhabitants of
Chaldea, shall
Jerusalem say .
36
Therefore thus
saith the
LORD; Behold, I will
plead thy
cause, and take
vengeance for
thee; and I will dry
up her
sea, and make her
springs dry .
37
And
Babylon shall become
heaps, a
dwellingplace for
dragons, an
astonishment, and an
hissing, without an
inhabitant .
38
They shall
roar together like
lions: they shall
yell as
lions' whelps.
39
In their
heat I will
make their
feasts, and I will make them
drunken , that they may
rejoice , and
sleep a
perpetual sleep, and not
wake ,
saith the
LORD.
40
I will bring them
down like
lambs to the
slaughter , like
rams with he
goats.
41
How is
Sheshach taken ! and how is the
praise of the whole
earth surprised ! how is
Babylon become an
astonishment among the
nations!
42
The
sea is come
up upon
Babylon: she is
covered with the
multitude of the
waves thereof.
43
Her
cities are a
desolation, a
dry land, and a
wilderness, a
land wherein no
man dwelleth , neither doth any
son of
man pass thereby.
44
And I will
punish Bel in
Babylon, and I will bring
forth out of his
mouth that which he hath swallowed
up: and the
nations shall not flow
together any more unto him: yea, the
wall of
Babylon shall
fall .
45
My
people, go ye
out of the
midst of her, and
deliver ye every
man his
soul from the
fierce anger of the
LORD.
46
And lest your
heart faint , and ye
fear for the
rumour that shall be
heard in the
land; a
rumour shall both
come one
year, and
after that in another
year shall come a
rumour, and
violence in the
land, ruler against
ruler .
47
Therefore, behold, the
days come , that I will do
judgment upon the graven
images of
Babylon: and her whole
land shall be
confounded , and all her
slain shall
fall in the
midst of her.
48
Then the
heaven and the
earth, and all that is therein, shall
sing for
Babylon: for the
spoilers shall
come unto her from the
north, saith the
LORD.
49
As Babylon hath caused the
slain of
Israel to
fall , so at
Babylon shall
fall the
slain of all the
earth.
50
Ye that have
escaped the
sword, go
away , stand not
still :
remember the
LORD afar
off, and let
Jerusalem come into your
mind.
51
We are
confounded , because we have
heard reproach: shame hath
covered our
faces: for
strangers are
come into the
sanctuaries of the
LORD'S house.
52
Wherefore, behold, the
days come ,
saith the
LORD, that I will do
judgment upon her graven
images: and through all her
land the
wounded shall
groan .
53
Though
Babylon should mount
up to
heaven, and though she should
fortify the
height of her
strength, yet from me shall
spoilers come unto her,
saith the
LORD.
54
A
sound of a
cry cometh from
Babylon, and
great destruction from the
land of the
Chaldeans:
55
Because the
LORD hath
spoiled Babylon, and
destroyed out of her the
great voice; when her
waves do
roar like
great waters, a
noise of their
voice is
uttered :
56
Because the
spoiler is
come upon her, even upon
Babylon, and her mighty
men are
taken , every one of their
bows is
broken : for the
LORD God of
recompences shall
surely requite .
57
And I will make
drunk her
princes, and her
wise men, her
captains, and her
rulers, and her mighty
men: and they shall
sleep a
perpetual sleep, and not
wake ,
saith the
King, whose
name is the
LORD of
hosts.
58
Thus
saith the
LORD of
hosts; The
broad walls of
Babylon shall be
utterly broken , and her
high gates shall be
burned with
fire; and the
people shall
labour in
vain, and the
folk in the
fire, and they shall be
weary .
59
The
word which
Jeremiah the
prophet commanded Seraiah the
son of
Neriah, the
son of
Maaseiah, when he
went with
Zedekiah the
king of
Judah into
Babylon in the
fourth year of his
reign . And this
Seraiah was a
quiet prince.
60
So
Jeremiah wrote in
a book all the
evil that should
come upon
Babylon, even all these
words that are
written against
Babylon.
61
And
Jeremiah said to
Seraiah, When thou
comest to
Babylon, and shalt
see , and shalt
read all these
words;
62
Then shalt thou
say , O
LORD, thou hast
spoken against this
place, to cut it
off , that none shall
remain in it, neither
man nor
beast, but that it shall be
desolate for
ever.
63
And it shall be, when thou hast made an
end of
reading this
book, that thou shalt
bind a
stone to it, and
cast it into the
midst of
Euphrates:
64
And thou shalt
say , Thus shall
Babylon sink , and shall not
rise from the
evil that I will
bring upon her: and they shall be
weary . Thus far are the
words of
Jeremiah.