King James Version w/ Apocrypha KJVA
          
          
            New International Version NIV
          
            
              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; 
            
            
                1
This is what the LORD says: “See, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai.            
            
              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. 
            
            
                2
I will send foreigners to Babylon to winnow her and to devastate her land; they will oppose her on every side in the day of her disaster.            
            
              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. 
            
            
                3
Let not the archer string his bow, nor let him put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; completely destroy her army.            
            
              4 Thus the slain  shall fall   in the land  of the Chaldeans,  and they that are thrust through   in her streets. 
            
            
                4
They will fall down slain in Babylon,fatally wounded 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. 
            
            
                5
For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the LORD Almighty, though their land is full of guilt before 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. 
            
            
                6
“Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the LORD’s vengeance; he will repay her what she deserves.            
            
              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  .
            
            
                7
Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad.            
            
              8 Babylon  is suddenly  fallen   and destroyed  : howl   for her; take   balm  for her pain,  if so be she may be healed  .
            
            
                8
Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her! Get balm for her pain; perhaps she can 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. 
            
            
                9
“ ‘We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to our own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the heavens.’            
            
              10 The LORD  hath brought forth   our righteousness:  come  , and let us declare   in Zion  the work  of the LORD  our God. 
            
            
                10
“ ‘The LORD has vindicated us; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD our God has done.’            
            
              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. 
            
            
                11
“Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The LORD has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The LORD will take vengeance, vengeance for 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. 
            
            
                12
Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, prepare an ambush! The LORD will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon.            
            
              13 O thou that dwellest      upon many  waters,  abundant  in treasures,  thine end  is come  , and the measure  of thy covetousness. 
            
            
                13
You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has come, the time for you to be destroyed.            
            
              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.
            
            
                14
The LORD Almighty has sworn by himself: I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you.            
            
              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. 
            
            
                15
“He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens 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. 
            
            
                16
When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.            
            
              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.
            
            
                17
“Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them.            
            
              18 They are vanity,  the work  of errors:  in the time  of their visitation  they shall perish  .
            
            
                18
They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will 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. 
            
            
                19
He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including the people of his inheritance— the LORD Almighty 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; 
            
            
                20
“You are my war club, my weapon for battle— with you I shatter nations, with you 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  ;
            
            
                21
with you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver,            
            
              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; 
            
            
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with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth, with you I shatter young man and young woman,            
            
              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. 
            
            
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with you I shatter shepherd and flock, with you I shatter farmer and oxen, with you I shatter governors and officials.            
            
              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. 
            
            
                24
“Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares 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. 
            
            
                25
“I am against you, you destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth,” declares the LORD. “I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out 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. 
            
            
                26
No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone, nor any stone for a foundation, for you will be desolate forever,” declares 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. 
            
            
                27
“Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations for battle against her; summon against her these kingdoms: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Appoint a commander against her; send up horses like a swarm of locusts.            
            
              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. 
            
            
                28
Prepare the nations for battle against her— the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the countries they rule.            
            
              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  .
            
            
                29
The land trembles and writhes, for the LORD’s purposes against Babylon stand— to lay waste the land of Babylon so that no one will live there.            
            
              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  .
            
            
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Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting; they remain in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become weaklings. Her dwellings are set on fire; the bars of her gates 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, 
            
            
                31
One courier follows another and messenger follows messenger to announce to the king of Babylon that his entire city is captured,            
            
              32 And that the passages  are stopped  , and the reeds  they have burned   with fire,  and the men  of war  are affrighted  .
            
            
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the river crossings seized, the marshes set on fire, and the soldiers terrified.”            
            
              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  .
            
            
                33
This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled; the time to harvest her will soon 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  .
            
            
                34
“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us, 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 spewed us 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  .
            
            
                35
May the violence done to our flesh be on Babylon,” say the inhabitants of Zion. “May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,” says Jerusalem.            
            
              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  .
            
            
                36
Therefore this is what the LORD says: “See, I will defend your cause and avenge you; 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  .
            
            
                37
Babylon will be a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and scorn, a place where no one lives.            
            
              38 They shall roar   together  like lions:  they shall yell   as lions'  whelps. 
            
            
                38
Her people all roar like young lions, they growl like lion cubs.            
            
              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. 
            
            
                39
But while they are aroused, I will set out a feast for them and make them drunk, so that they shout with laughter— then sleep forever and not awake,” declares the LORD.            
            
              40 I will bring them down   like lambs  to the slaughter  , like rams  with he goats. 
            
            
                40
“I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams and 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! 
            
            
                41
“How Sheshak will be captured, the boast of the whole earth seized! How desolate Babylon will be among the nations!            
            
              42 The sea  is come up   upon Babylon:  she is covered   with the multitude  of the waves  thereof.
            
            
                42
The sea will rise over Babylon; its roaring waves will cover her.            
            
              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. 
            
            
                43
Her towns will be desolate, a dry and desert land, a land where no one lives, through which no one travels.            
            
              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  .
            
            
                44
I will punish Bel in Babylon and make him spew out what he has swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him. And the wall of Babylon will 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. 
            
            
                45
“Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run 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  .
            
            
                46
Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of 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.
            
            
                47
For the time will surely come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within 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. 
            
            
                48
Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her,” declares the LORD.            
            
              49 As  Babylon  hath caused the slain  of Israel  to fall  , so at Babylon  shall fall   the slain  of all the earth. 
            
            
                49
“Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon.            
            
              50 Ye that have escaped  the sword,  go away  , stand not still  : remember   the LORD  afar off,  and let Jerusalem  come   into your mind. 
            
            
                50
You who have escaped the sword, leave and do not linger! Remember the LORD in a distant land, and call to mind Jerusalem.”            
            
              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. 
            
            
                51
“We are disgraced, for we have been insulted and shame covers our faces, because foreigners have entered the holy places 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  .
            
            
                52
“But days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish her idols, and throughout her land the wounded will 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. 
            
            
                53
Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, I will send destroyers against her,” declares the LORD.            
            
              54 A sound  of a cry  cometh from Babylon,  and great  destruction  from the land  of the Chaldeans: 
            
            
                54
“The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians.            
            
              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  :
            
            
                55
The LORD will destroy Babylon; he will silence her noisy din. Waves of enemies will rage like great waters; the roar of their voices will resound.            
            
              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  .
            
            
                56
A destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken. For the LORD is a God of retribution; he will repay in full.            
            
              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. 
            
            
                57
I will make her officials and wise men drunk, her governors, officers and warriors as well; they will sleep forever and not awake,” declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty.            
            
              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  .
            
            
                58
This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Babylon’s thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire; the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”            
            
              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. 
            
            
                59
This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign.            
            
              60 So Jeremiah  wrote   in a  book  all the evil  that should come   upon Babylon,  even all these words  that are written   against Babylon. 
            
            
                60
Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon.            
            
              61 And Jeremiah  said   to Seraiah,  When thou comest   to Babylon,  and shalt see  , and shalt read   all these words; 
            
            
                61
He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud.            
            
              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. 
            
            
                62
Then say, ‘LORD, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.’            
            
              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: 
            
            
                63
When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the 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. 
            
            
                64
Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people will fall.’ ” The words of Jeremiah end here.            
          
            
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              Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011  by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.