Jeremiah 50

1 The word which the Lord spak of Babiloyne, and of the lond of Caldeis, in the hond of Jeremye, the profete.

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

2 Telle ye among hethene men, and make ye herd; reise ye a signe; preche ye, and nyle ye holde stille; seie ye, Babiloyne is takun, Bel is schent, Maradach is ouer comun; the grauun ymagis therof ben schent, the idols of hem ben ouer comun.

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 For a folk schal stie fro the north ayenus it, which folk schal sette the lond therof in to wildirnesse; and noon schal be that schal dwelle therynne, fro man `til to beeste; and thei ben moued, and yeden a wei.

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 In tho daies, and in that tyme, seith the Lord, the sones of Israel schulen come, thei and the sones of Juda togidere, goynge and wepynge; thei schulen haaste, and seke her Lord God in Sion,

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 and thei schulen axe the weie. Hidur the faces of hem schulen come, and thei schulen be set to the Lord with boond of pees euerlastynge, which schal not be don awei by ony foryetyng.

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 puple is maad a lost floc, the scheepherdis of hem disseyueden hem, and maden to go vnstabli in hillis; thei passiden fro mounteyn in to a litil hil, thei foryaten her bed.

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 Alle men that founden, eeten hem, and the enemyes of hem seiden, We synneden not, for that thei synneden to the Lord, the fairnesse of riytfulnesse, and to the Lord, the abidyng of her fadris.

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 Go ye awei fro the myddis of Babiloyne, and go ye out of the lond of Caldeis, and be ye as kydis bifore the floc.

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 For lo! Y schal reise, and brynge in to Babiloyne the gaderyng togidere of grete folkis, fro the lond of the north; and thei schulen be maad redi ayens it, and it schal be takun in the dai; the arowe therof as of a strong man a sleere, schal not turne ayen voide.

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 And Caldee schal be in to prey, alle that distrien it, schulen be fillid, seith the Lord.

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

11 For ye maken ful out ioye, and speken grete thingis, and rauyschen myn eritage; for ye ben sched out as caluys on erbe, and lowiden as bolis.

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 Youre modir is schent greetli, and sche that gendride you, is maad euene to dust; lo! sche schal be the last among folkis, and forsakun, with out weie, and drie.

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 For the wraththe of the Lord it schal not be enhabitid, but it schal be dryuun al in to wildirnesse; ech that schal passe bi Babiloyne, schal wondre, and schal hisse on alle the woundis therof.

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 Alle ye that beenden bowe, be maad redi ayens Babiloyne bi cumpas; ouercome ye it, spare ye not arowis, for it synnede to the Lord.

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 Crye ye ayens it, euery where it yaf hond; the foundementis therof fellen doun, and the wallis therof ben distried; for it is the veniaunce of the Lord. Take ye veniaunce of it; as it dide, do ye to it.

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 Leese ye a sowere of Babiloyne, and hym that holdith a sikil in the tyme of heruest, fro the face of swerd of the culuer; ech man schal be turned to his puple, and ech man schal flee to his lond.

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 Israel is a scaterid flok, liouns castiden out it; first kyng Assur eete it, this laste Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, dide awei the bonys therof.

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 Therfor the Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal visite the kyng of Babiloyne, and his lond, as Y visitide the kyng of Assur;

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 Y schal brynge ayen Israel to his dwellyng place. Carmele and Baasan schal be fed, and his soule schal be fillid in the hil of Effraym, and of Galaad.

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 In tho daies, and in that tyme, seith the Lord, the wickidnesse of Israel schal be souyt, and it schal not be; and the synne of Juda schal be souyt, and it schal not be foundun; for Y schal be merciful to hem, whiche Y schal forsake.

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 Stie thou on the lond of lordis, and visite thou on the dwelleris therof; scatere thou, and sle tho thingis, that ben aftir hem, seith the Lord; and do thou bi alle thingis which Y comaundide to thee.

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 The vois of batel and greet sorewe in the lond.

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

23 Hou is the hamer of al erthe brokun and al defoulid? hou is Babiloyne turned in to desert, among hethene men?

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

24 Babiloyne, Y haue snarid thee, and thou art takun, and thou wistist not; thou art foundun, and takun, for thou terridist the Lord to wraththe.

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 The Lord openide his tresour, and brouyte forth the vessels of his wraththe; for whi a werk is to the Lord God of oostis in the lond of Caldeis.

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 Come ye to it fro the fertheste endis, opene ye, that thei go out, that schulen defoule it; take ye awei stoonys fro the weie, and dryue ye in to heepis, and sle ye it, and nothing be residue.

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 Distrie ye alle the stronge men therof, go thei doun in to sleynge; wo to hem, for the dai of hem cometh, the tyme of visityng of hem.

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 The vois of fleeris, and of hem that ascapiden fro the lond of Babiloyne, that thei telle in Sion the veniaunce of oure Lord God, the veniaunce of his temple.

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 Telle ye ayens Babiloyne to ful many men, to alle that beenden bowe. Stonde ye togidere ayens it bi cumpas, and noon ascape; yelde ye to it aftir his werk, aftir alle thingis whiche it dide, do ye to it; for it was reisid ayens the Lord, ayens the hooli of Israel.

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 Therfor yonge men therof schulen falle doun in the stretis therof, and alle men werriours therof schulen be stille in that dai, seith the Lord.

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

31 Lo! thou proude, Y to thee, seith the Lord God of oostis, for thi dai is comun, the tyme of thi visitacioun.

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

32 And the proude schal falle, and schal falle doun togidere, and noon schal be, that schal reise hym; and Y schal kyndle fier in the citees of hym, and it schal deuoure alle thingis in cumpas of it.

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 The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, The sones of Israel and the sones of Juda togidere suffren fals caleng; alle that token hem, holden, thei nylen delyuere hem.

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 The ayenbyere of hem is strong, the Lord of oostis is his name; bi dom he schal defende the cause of hem, that he make the lond aferd, and stire togidere the dwelleris of Babiloyne.

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 A swerd to Caldeis, seith the Lord, and to the dwelleris of Babiloyne, and to the princes, and to the wise men therof.

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

36 A swerd to the false dyuynours therof, that schulen be foolis; a swerd to the stronge men therof, that schulen drede.

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 Swerd to the horsis therof, and to the charis therof, and to al the comyn puple whiche is in the myddis therof, and thei schulen be as wymmen; a swerd to the tresours therof, that schulen be rauyschid.

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 Drynesse schal be on the watris therof, and tho schulen be drye; for it is the lond of grauun ymagis, and hath glorie in false feynyngis.

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 Therfor dragouns schulen dwelle with fonned wielde men, and ostrigis schulen dwelle therynne; and it schal no more be enhabitid `til in to with outen ende, and it schal not be bildid `til to generacioun and generacioun;

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 as the Lord distriede Sodom and Gomorre, and the niy citees therof, seith the Lord. A man schal not dwelle there, and the sone of man schal not dwelle in it.

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 Lo! a puple cometh fro the north, and a greet folc, and many kyngis schulen rise togidere fro the endis of erthe.

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 Thei schulen take bowe and swerd, thei ben cruel and vnmerciful; the vois of hem schal sowne as the see, and thei schulen stie on horsis as a man maad redi to batel, ayens thee, thou douyter of Babiloyne.

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 kyng of Babiloyne herde the fame of hem, and hise hondis ben aclumsid; angwisch took hym, sorewe took hym, as a womman trauelynge of child.

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 Lo! as a lioun he schal stie fro the pride of Jordan to the stronge fairnesse, for Y schal make hym to renne sudenli to it; and who schal be the chosun man, whom Y schal sette bifore him? For who is lijk me? and who schal suffre me? and who is this scheepherde, that schal ayenstonde my cheer?

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 Therfore here ye the councel of the Lord, which he conseyuede in mynde ayens Babiloyne, and hise thouytis, whiche he thouyte on the lond of Caldeis, no but the litle of the flockis drawen hem doun, no but the dwellyng place of hem be destried with hem, ellis no man yyue credence to me.

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 The erthe is mouyd of the vois of caitiftee of Babiloyne, and cry is herd among hethene men.

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