Jeremiah 50

1 Yahweh gave to [me, ] Jeremiah the prophet, a message about Babylon [city] and the country of Babylonia.

The word which Yahweh spake Against Babylon Against the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:

2 [This is what Yahweh says]: “Proclaim [DOU] [a message] among the nations; do not withhold any of it; raise up a signal flag to announce that Babylon will be captured. [Its chief god] Marduk, [whose other name is] Bel, will be completely disgraced, and all the [other] statues and idols will be shattered.

Tell ye among the nations And let it be heard And lift ye up a standard, Let it be heard do not conceal: Say ye—Captured is Babylon, Confounded is Bel, Broken in pieces is Merodach, Confounded are her images, Broken down her manufactured gods;

3 [The army of] a nation will come from the north to attack Babylon and destroy the city very thoroughly, [with the result that] no one will live there [again]. Both people and animals will run away.”

For there hath come up against her—a nation out of the North The same, shall make her land an astonishment, And there shall be none to dwell therein, —Both man and beast, have removed—have gone.

4 “But [I, ] Yahweh, say that in the future, when that is about to happen, the people of Israel and the people of Judah will join together. They will be weeping and wanting [to worship] me, their God.

In those days, and at that time, Declareth Yahweh, Shall the sons of Israel come in, They and the sons of Judah together: Weeping as they travel, so shall they journey on, And Yahweh their God, shall they seek;

5 They will inquire about the road to Jerusalem, [and then] they will start traveling [IDM] toward it. They will say [to each other], ‘We must return to Yahweh [again]!’ They will make an everlasting agreement with me that they will never forget.

To Zion, shall they ask the way, Hitherward, their faces, Come and let us join ourselves unto Yahweh, In a covenant age-abiding, which shall not be forgotten.

6 My people have been [like] [MET] lost sheep. Their [leaders/rulers] have caused them [to abandon me] like [MET] shepherds who have allowed their sheep to wander in the hills and mountains. [My people are like] [MET] sheep that do not know the path to return to the sheepfold.

Wandering sheep, have my people, been, Their own shepherds led them astray, On the mountains, they seduced them, From mountain to hill, have they gone, They have forgotten their couching-place.

7 All their enemies who found them attacked them. They said, ‘We did not sin [by attacking them], because they sinned against Yahweh; he is the one who provides what they need; he is the one to whom they should have remained faithful; he is the one whom their ancestors confidently expected [to help them].’

All who found them, devoured them, And, their adversaries, said—We shall not be, guilty, —Because they have sinned, Against, Yahweh the pasturage of righteousness, Yea the hope of their fathers—Yahweh.

8 [But now, I say to the leaders of my people], ‘Flee from Babylon! Leave the land of Babylonia! Be like [SIM] male goats [that go] in front of [the rest of] the flock; [lead my people back to their own land].

Remove ye out of the midst of Babylon, And out of the land of the Chaldeans, come ye forth, —And become ye like he-goats before the flock;

9 [Do that] because I am going to gather an army of great nations to the north [of Babylon]. They will join together to attack Babylon and will capture it. Their arrows will be like [SIM] skilled warriors that always hit what they aim at.

For lo! I am rousing and bringing up against Babylon a gathered host of great nations, out of the land of the North, And they shall array themselves against her, From thence, shall she be captured, —His arrows, are as of a hero making childless, None shall return empty.

10 Babylonia will be conquered, and those who conquer it will take away everything they want. [That will surely happen because I, ] Yahweh, have said it.’”

So shall the Chaldeans become a spoil, —All her spoilers, shall be satisfied, Declareth Yahweh;

11 “You people [of Babylon] who (plundered/stole everything valuable from) my chosen people, now you are very happy [DOU]. You run around joyfully like [SIM] a calf in a meadow, and are happy like [SIM] male horses are happy when they are neighing.

Because they used to be glad Because they used to be uproarious When plundering mine inheritance, —Because they used to caper about as a heifer at grass, And bellow like bulls.

12 But [soon] your people will be very disgraced [DOU] [as a result of being conquered]. Your country will be the most insignificant nation; it will be a desert, a dry and deserted land.

Your mother, hath turned very pale, She that bare you, hath turned red, —Lo! the last of nations, is—A desert, A parched land, and A waste plain,

13 Because [I, ] Yahweh, am angry [with you people of Babylon], I will cause your city to become completely deserted. All who pass by will be horrified and will (gasp/be shocked) because of the destruction there.

Because of the vexation of Yahweh, she shall not be inhabited, But Shall become a complete desolation, —Every one passing by Babylon, shall be astonished and hiss, over all her plagues.

14 [All you nations that surround Babylon, ] prepare to attack it! Tell your archers to shoot at their enemies; shoot all of your arrows at them [LIT], because [the people/leaders of Babylon have sinned against me, ] Yahweh.

Set yourselves in array against Babylon round about All ye who tread the bow, Shoot at her, do not spare so much as an arrow, —For against Yahweh, hath she sinned.

15 Shout [war-cries] against Babylon from all sides [of the city]. [The soldiers of] Babylon will surrender; the towers and walls will be torn down. It is [I, ] Yahweh, who will be getting revenge [on the people of Babylon], [so help me to] get revenge. Do to [the people of] Babylon what they have done to others!

Raise a shout against her round about She hath stretched forth her hand, Fallen are her buttresses, Torn down are her walls, —Because, the avenging of Yahweh it is, Take ye vengeance upon her, As she hath done, do ye, unto her.

16 Take away from Babylon those who plant [crops] and those who reap the harvests! Because of the swords carried by those who will attack [Babylon], [those people in Babylon who have come from other countries] should all run away, back to their own countries [DOU]!”

Cut ye off the sower from Babylon, And him that graspeth the sickle in the time of harvest, From the face of the sword of the oppressor, Each, to his own people will they turn, and Each, to his own land will they flee.

17 “The Israeli [people] are [like] [MET] sheep that have been scattered by lions. First [the army of] the King of Assyria defeated them. Then [the army of] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon smashed them.

A sheep all alone, is Israel Lions, have driven him away, —At the first, the king of Assyria devoured him, And here, at the last, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones!

18 So this is what I, the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom the Israeli people [worship], say: ‘Now I will punish the King of Babylon and the people of his land, like I punished the King of Assyria.

Therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, Behold me! bringing punishment against the king of Babylon, and against his land, —Just as I brought punishment against the king of Assyria.

19 And I will bring the people of Israel back to their own land where they will eat [the food that grows] in the fields of the Carmel and Bashan [regions], and [the people in] the hilly areas of Ephraim and Gilead will have all they want to eat.

So will I bring back Israel unto his own pasture, And he shall feed upon Carmel and Bashan; And in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead, shall, his soul, be satisfied.

20 At that time, there will not be people in Israel and in Judah who [are still guilty for having] sinned [DOU], because I will forgive the small group of people whom I enable to still be alive.’”

In those days and in that time, Declareth Yahweh, The iniquity of Israel, shall be sought, and there shall be none, And the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found; For I will grant pardon to them whom I suffer to remain.

21 “[So, I, Yahweh, say to the enemies of Babylonia, ]‘Attack [the people who live in] the Merathaim [region] and the people in the Pekod [region of Babylonia]. Pursue them, kill them, and completely get rid of them, as I have commanded you to do.

Against the land of Merathaim, go thou up against her, And against the inhabitants of Pekod, —Lay waste and devote to destruction after them Declareth Yahweh, And do according to all which I have commanded thee.

22 Shout your battle cries throughout the land; shout [when you are causing] great destruction.

The sound of battle is in the earth, —And a great destruction.

23 [The army of Babylon is like] [MET] the most powerful hammer on the earth, but it will be completely shattered. Babylon will be deserted among the [other] nations.’

How is cut and broken the hammer of all the earth! How hath Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!

24 You [people of] Babylon, [listen, ] [because] I have set a trap for you; you will be caught [in that trap], because you fought against me.

I laid a snare for thee yea and thou wast captured O Babylon, when, thou wast not aware, —Thou wast found out yea and taken, For with Yahweh, hadst thou contended.

25 [It is as though] I have opened the place where I store my weapons, and I have brought out [all] the weapons [to use against the people with whom] I am angry. [I, ] the Commander of the armies of angels, have [a lot of] work to do [to punish] the people of Babylonia.

Yahweh opened his armoury, and brought out his weapons of indignation, —For, a work, it is pertaining to My Lord, Yahweh of hosts, in the land of the Chaldeans,

26 [So, you enemies of Babylonia, ] come from distant lands and attack it. Break open the places where they store the grain. Crush the walls of the city and the houses and pile up [the rubble like] [SIM] heaps of grain. Destroy everything; do not leave anything that is not destroyed.

Come ye against her from farthest parts, Throw open her granaries, Cast her up as heaps, and devote her to destruction, —Do not let her have a remnant.

27 Destroy all the [young men who are as strong as] [MET] bulls; take them to where you will slaughter them. It will be terrible for them, because it will be time for them to be punished.

Cut up all her bullocks, Let them go down to the slaughter, —Alas for them! For their day, hath come, Their time for punishment.

28 Listen to the people who have fled and escaped from Babylon while they tell in Jerusalem how [I, ] Yahweh, have gotten revenge against those who destroyed my temple [in Jerusalem].

The voice Of them who are in flight and Of such as are escaping, out of the land of Babylon, —To tell in Zion The avenging of Yahweh our God, The avenging of his temple.

29 Summon archers [DOU] to come to attack Babylon; surround the city in order that no one will escape. Do to [the people of] Babylon what they have done to others [DOU], because they have defied [me, ] the Holy One of the Israeli [people].

Publish against Babylon ye chiefs of all who tread the bow—Encamp against her round about Let there be none to escape, Recompense to her according to her work, According to all which she did, do ye to her, —For Against Yahweh, hath she acted presumptuously, Against the Holy One of Israel.

30 The young men of Babylon will fall in the streets; all their soldiers will be killed in one day.

Therefore, shall her young men fall in her broadways, —And, all her men of war, be silenced in that day, Declareth Yahweh.

31 [I, ] the Commander of the armies of angels, say this: ‘You arrogant/proud people, it is now the time; it is the time [DOU] when I will punish you.

Behold me! against thee most insolent one, Declareth My Lord Yahweh of hosts; For thy day, hath come, Thy time for punishment;

32 [Your land is full of] proud people, but you will stumble and fall, and no one will lift you up [again]. I will light a fire in the cities in Babylonia that will burn up everything that is nearby.’

So shall the most insolent one stumble and fall, And he shall have none to lift him up, —And I will kindle a fire in his cities which shall devour all who are round about him.

33 [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, also say this: ‘The people of Israel and Judah were (oppressed/treated cruelly); those who captured them guarded them carefully and would not allow them to leave [Babylon].

Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts—Oppressed were the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah, together, —And, all who took them captive, Held them fast Refused to let them go: —

34 But I am strong, and I will free them. I am the Commander of the armies of angels; I will defend my people and enable them [to return to] their land where they will have peace, but the people of Babylonia will not have peace.

Their Redeemer, can hold fast, Yahweh of hosts, is his name, He will, thoroughly plead, their plea, —That he may quiet the earth, And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

35 [I will send enemy soldiers carrying] swords [PRS] to strike the people of Babylonia; they will strike the officials and wise men and all the [other] people who live in Babylon.

A sword, is over the Chaldeans, Declareth Yahweh, —And against the inhabitants of Babylon, And against her princes, And against her wise men:

36 They will strike their false prophets with swords and they will become foolish. They will strike the [strongest] warriors of Babylonia, and they will all be terrified.

A sword, is against the praters, And they shall be shewn to be foolish, A sword, is against her heroes And they shall be dismayed:

37 They will strike their horses and chariots and the foreigners who are in the army of Babylonia, and they will [all] become [as weak] as [MET] women. They will seize [MTY] all the valuable things there in Babylon and take them away.

A sword, is against his horses and against his chariots and, against all the rabble that are in her midst And they shall become women, —A sword, is against her treasures And they shall be made a prey:

38 [I] cause the streams to become dry. [I will do all those things] because the [entire] land [of Babylonia] is filled with idols, and those [horrible] idols have caused the people [who worship them] to become crazy.

A drought, is against her waters, And they shall be dried up, —For a land of images, it is, And with their shocking things, they act as men who are mad:

39 [Soon only] hyenas and [other] wild creatures will live there; and it will be a place where owls live. People will never live there again; it will be uninhabited forever [DOU].

Therefore shall the criers dwell with, the howlers, Yea ostriches, shall dwell therein, —So shall it be dwelt in no more for ever, Neither shall it be inhabited unto generation after generation.

40 [I will destroy Babylon] like I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the nearby towns; no one will [ever] live there [again] [DOU].

Like the divine overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and her neighbours, Declareth Yahweh, —There shall not dwell there—a man, Nor sojourn therein—a son of the earth-born.

41 Look! A [great] army will come from the north. A great nation far away with many kings is preparing [to attack you people of Babylon].

Lo! a people coming in from the North, —Yea, a great nation and many kings, shall be roused up out of the remote parts of the earth:

42 Their [army] has bows [and arrows] and spears; they are [very] cruel, and do not act mercifully [to anyone]. [As] they ride along on [their] horses, the sound of the horses’ hooves is like [SIM] the roaring of the ocean [waves]; they are riding in battle formation to attack you, you people of Babylon.

Bow and javelin, shall they grasp, Cruel, are they and will not have compassion, Their voice, like the sea, will roar, And, on horses, will they ride, —Set in array, as one man for battle, Against thee, O daughter of Babylon!

43 The King of Babylon says, “[I] have heard reports about the enemy [approaching]; [so I am very frightened, with the result that] I am weak. I am [very fearful, and] anguished/worried, like [SIM] a woman who is about to give birth to a baby.”

The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, And unnerved are his hands, —Anguish, hath seized him, Writhing pain, as a woman in child-birth.

44 I, [Yahweh], will come to Babylon [suddenly] like a lion comes out of the jungle and [leaps on the sheep that are eating] the good pastureland. I will quickly chase the people of Babylonia from their land. And [then] I will appoint for them [a leader] whom I will choose; [I will do that] because there is no one [RHQ] like me who can say that what I have done is not right. No ruler can [RHQ] oppose me.

Lo! as a lion, shall he come up from the majesty of the Jordan, Unto the pasture perennial, But I will wink—I will make them run away therefrom, Who then shall be the Chosen One whom against it, I may set in charge? For who shall be like unto, me? And who shall appoint me, a time? And who is the Shepherd that shall stand before me?

45 Listen to what I have planned to do to the people of Babylon [city] and the rest of Babylonia: [even] the little children will be dragged away, and I will completely destroy the people [MET] who live there.

Therefore hear ye, The counsel of Yahweh, which he hath counselled against Babylon, And his devices which he hath devised against the land of the Chaldeans, —Surely the little ones of the flock, shall drag them away, Surely he will cause the pasture to be astounded over them.

46 When Babylon is destroyed, the noise will be extremely loud, with the result that the earth will shake, and the wailing of the people will be heard by the [people of other] nations.’”

At the noise of the taking of Babylon, the earth trembled, —And, the outcry, among the nations, was heard.