Jeremiæ 50
1 Verbum, quod locutus est Dominus de Babylone, et de terra Chaldæorum in manu Ieremiæ prophetæ.
Yahweh gave to [me, ] Jeremiah the prophet, a message about Babylon [city] and the country of Babylonia.
2 Annunciate in Gentibus, et auditum facite: levate signum, prædicate, et nolite celare: dicite: Capta est Babylon, confusus est Bel, victus est Merodach, confusa sunt sculptilia eius, superata sunt idola eorum.
[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.
3 Quoniam ascendit contra eam gens ab Aquilone, quæ ponet terram eius in solitudinem: et non erit qui habitet in ea ab homine usque ad pecus: et moti sunt, et abierunt.
[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.”
4 In diebus illis, et in tempore illo, ait Dominus: venient filii Israel, ipsi et filii Iuda simul: ambulantes et flentes properabunt, et Dominum Deum suum quærent.
“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.
5 In Sion interrogabunt viam, huc facies eorum. Venient, et apponentur ad Dominum fœdere sempiterno, quod nulla oblivione delebitur.
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.
6 Grex perditus factus est populus meus: pastores eorum seduxerunt eos, feceruntque vagari in montibus: de monte in collem transierunt, obliti sunt cubilis sui.
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.
7 Omnes, qui invenerunt, comederunt eos: et hostes eorum dixerunt: Non peccavimus: pro eo quod peccaverunt Domino decori iustitiæ, et expectationi patrum eorum Domino.
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].’
8 Recedite de medio Babylonis, et de terra Chaldæorum egredimini: et estote quasi hœdi ante gregem.
[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].
9 Quoniam ecce ego suscito, et adducam in Babylonem congregationem Gentium magnarum de terra Aquilonis: et præparabuntur adversus eam, et inde capietur: sagitta eius quasi viri fortis interfectoris, non revertetur vacua.
[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.
10 Et erit Chaldæa in prædam: omnes vastantes eam replebuntur, ait Dominus.
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.’”
11 Quoniam exultatis, et magna loquimini, diripientes hereditatem meam: quoniam effusi estis sicut vituli super herbam, et mugistis sicut tauri.
“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.
12 Confusa est mater vestra nimis, et adæquata pulveri, quæ genuit vos: ecce novissima erit in Gentibus, deserta, invia, et arens.
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.
13 Ab ira Domini non habitabitur, sed redigetur tota in solitudinem: omnis, qui transibit per Babylonem, stupebit, et sibilabit super universis plagis eius.
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.
14 Præparamini contra Babylonem per circuitum omnes qui tenditis arcum; debellate eam, non parcatis iaculis: quia Domino peccavit.
[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.
15 Clamate adversus eam, ubique dedit manum, ceciderunt fundamenta eius, destructi sunt muri eius, quoniam ultio Domini est: ultionem accipite de ea, sicut fecit, facite ei.
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!
16 Disperdite satorem de Babylone, et tenentem falcem in tempore messis: a facie gladii columbæ unusquisque ad populum suum convertetur, et singuli ad terram suam fugient.
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]!”
17 Grex dispersus Israel, leones eiecerunt eum: primus comedit eum rex Assur: iste novissimus exossavit eum Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis.
“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.
18 Propterea hæc dicit Dominus exercituum Deus Israel: Ecce ego visitabo regem Babylonis, et terram eius, sicut visitavi regem Assur:
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.
19 et reducam Israel ad habitaculum suum: et pascetur Carmelum, et Basan, et in monte Ephraim, et Galaad saturabitur anima eius.
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.
20 In diebus illis, et in tempore illo, ait Dominus: quæretur iniquitas Israel, et non erit: et peccatum Iuda, et non invenietur: quoniam propitius ero eis, quos reliquero.
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.’”
21 Super terram dominantium ascende, et super habitatores eius visita, dissipa, et interfice quæ post eos sunt, ait Dominus: et fac iuxta omnia quæ præcepi tibi.
“[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.
22 Vox belli in terra, et contritio magna.
Shout your battle cries throughout the land; shout [when you are causing] great destruction.
23 Quomodo confractus est, et contritus malleus universæ terræ? quomodo versa est in desertum Babylon in Gentibus?
[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.’
24 Illaqueavi te, et capta es Babylon, et nesciebas: inventa es et apprehensa: quoniam Dominum provocasti.
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.
25 Aperuit Dominus thesaurum suum, et protulit vasa iræ suæ: quoniam opus est Domino Deo exercituum in terra Chaldæorum.
[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.
26 Venite ad eam ab extremis finibus, aperite ut exeant qui conculcent eam: tollite de via lapides, et redigite in acervos, et interficite eam: nec sit quidquam reliquum.
[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.
27 Dissipate universos fortes eius, descendant in occisionem: væ eis, quia venit dies eorum, tempus visitationis eorum.
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.
28 Vox fugientium, et eorum, qui evaserunt de terra Babylonis, ut annuncient in Sion ultionem Domini Dei nostri, ultionem templi eius.
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].
29 Annunciate in Babylonem plurimis omnibus, qui tendunt arcum: consistite adversus eam per gyrum, et nullus evadat: reddite ei secundum opus suum: iuxta omnia quæ fecit, facite illi: quia contra Dominum erecta est, adversum sanctum Israel.
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].
30 Idcirco cadent iuvenes eius in plateis eius: et omnes viri bellatores eius conticescent in die illa, ait Dominus.
The young men of Babylon will fall in the streets; all their soldiers will be killed in one day.
31 Ecce ego ad te superbe, dicit Dominus Deus exercituum: quia venit dies tuus, tempus visitationis tuæ.
[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.
32 Et cadet superbus, et corruet, et non erit qui suscitet eum: et succendam ignem in urbibus eius, et devorabit omnia in circuitu eius.
[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.’
33 Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Calumniam sustinent filii Israel, et filii Iuda simul: omnes, qui ceperunt eos, tenent, nolunt dimittere eos.
[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].
34 Redemptor eorum fortis, Dominus exercituum nomen eius, iudicio defendet causam eorum, ut exterreat terram, et commoveat habitatores Babylonis.
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.
35 Gladius ad Chaldæos, ait Dominus, et ad habitatores Babylonis, et ad principes, et ad sapientes eius.
[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.
36 Gladius ad divinos eius, qui stulti erunt: gladius ad fortes illius, qui timebunt.
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.
37 Gladius ad equos eius, et ad currus eius, et ad omne vulgus, quod est in medio eius: et erunt quasi mulieres: gladius ad thesauros eius, qui diripientur.
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.
38 Siccitas super aquas eius erit, et arescent: quia terra sculptilium est, et in portentis gloriantur.
[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.
39 propterea habitabunt dracones cum faunis ficariis: et habitabunt in ea struthiones: et non inhabitabitur ultra usque in sempiternum, nec extruetur usque ad generationem, et generationem.
[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].
40 Sicut subvertit Dominus Sodomam et Gomorrham, et vicinas eius, ait Dominus: non habitabit ibi vir, et non incolet eam filius hominis.
[I will destroy Babylon] like I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the nearby towns; no one will [ever] live there [again] [DOU].
41 Ecce populus venit ab Aquilone, et gens magna, et reges multi consurgent a finibus terræ.
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].
42 Arcum et scutum apprehendent: crudeles sunt et immisericordes: vox eorum quasi mare sonabit, et super equos ascendent: sicut vir paratus ad prælium contra te filia Babylon.
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.
43 Audivit rex Babylonis famam eorum, et dissolutæ sunt manus eius: angustia apprehendit eum, dolor quasi parturientem.
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.”
44 Ecce quasi leo ascendet de superbia Iordanis ad pulchritudinem robustam: quia subito currere faciam eum ad illam: et quis erit electus, quem præponam ei? quis est enim similis mei? et quis sustinebit me? et quis est iste pastor, qui resistat vultui meo?
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.
45 Propterea audite consilium Domini, quod mente concepit adversum Babylonem: et cogitationes eius, quas cogitavit super terram Chaldæorum: Nisi detraxerint eos parvuli gregum, nisi dissipatum fuerit cum ipsis habitaculum eorum.
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.
46 A voce captivitatis Babylonis commota est terra, et clamor inter Gentes auditus est.
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.’”
