Jeremiæ 51
1 Haec dicit Dominus: Ecce ego suscitabo super Babylonem et super habitatores eius, qui cor suum levaverunt contra me, quasi ventum pestilentem.
Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will raise up, over Babylon and over its inhabitants, who have lifted up their heart against me, something like a pestilent wind.
2 Et mittam in Babylonem ventilatores, et ventilabunt eam et demolientur terram eius: quoniam venerunt super eam undique in die afflictionis eius.
And I will send winnowers into Babylon, and they will winnow her, and they will demolish her land. For they will overwhelm her from every side in the day of her affliction.
3 Non tendat qui tendit arcum suum, et non ascendat loricatus, nolite parcere iuvenibus eius, interficite omnem militiam eius.
Let him who draws the bow, not draw his bow. And let him who wears armor, not rise up. Do not spare her young men. Destroy her entire military.
4 Et cadent interfecti in terra Chaldaeorum, et vulnerati in regionibus eius.
And the slain will fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and the wounded in its regions.
5 Quoniam non fuit viduatus Israel et Iuda a Deo suo Domino exercituum: terra autem eorum repleta est delicto a sancto Israel.
Yet Israel and Judah have not been widowed by their God, the Lord of hosts, though their land has been filled with transgression against the Holy One of Israel.
6 Fugite de medio Babylonis, et salvet unusquisque animam suam: nolite tacere super iniquitatem eius: quoniam tempus ultionis est a Domino, vicissitudinem ipse retribuet ei.
Flee from the midst of Babylon! And let each one save his own life. Do not be silent about her iniquity. For it is the time of revenge from the Lord. He himself will repay her, in her turn.
7 Calix aureus Babylon in manu Domini, inebrians omnem terram: de vino eius biberunt Gentes, et ideo commotae sunt.
Babylon is a gold cup in the hand of the Lord, inebriating the entire earth. The nations have drunk from her wine, and therefore they have staggered.
8 Subito cecidit Babylon, et contrita est: ululate super eam, tollite resinam ad dolorem eius, si forte sanetur.
Suddenly, Babylon has fallen and been crushed. Wail over her! Take a balm to her pain, if perhaps she may be healed.”
9 Curavimus Babylonem, et non est sanata: derelinquamus eam, et eamus unusquisque in terram suam: quoniam pervenit usque ad caelos iudicium eius, et elevatum est usque ad nubes.
“We would have cured Babylon, but there is no cure. Let us abandon her, and let each one of us go to his own land. For her judgment has reached even to the heavens, and has been lifted up even to the clouds.
10 Protulit Dominus iustitias nostras: venite, et narremus in Sion opus Domini Dei nostri.
The Lord has brought forth our justices. Come and let us describe in Zion the work of the Lord our God.”
11 Acuite sagittas, implete pharetras: suscitavit Dominus spiritum regum Medorum: et contra Babylonem mens eius est ut perdat eam, quoniam ultio Domini est, ultio templi sui.
Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers. The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. And his mind is against Babylon, so that he may destroy her. For this is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple.
12 Super muros Babylonis levate signum, augete custodiam: levate custodes, praeparate insidias: quia cogitavit Dominus, et fecit quaecumque locutus est contra habitatores Babylonis.
Upon the walls of Babylon, lift up a sign. Increase the watch! Rouse the watchmen! Prepare ambushes! For the Lord has planned and has accomplished all that he has spoken, against the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 Quae habitas super aquas multas, locuples in thesauris: venit finis tuus pedalis praecisionis tuae.
You who live above many waters, rich in treasures: your end has arrived, your measure has been cut short.
14 Iuravit Dominus exercituum per animam suam: Quoniam replebo te hominibus quasi brucho, et super te celeuma cantabitur.
The Lord of hosts has sworn by himself, saying: “For I will fill you with men as with locusts, and they will sing a rhythmic chant against you.”
15 Qui fecit terram in fortitudine sua, praeparavit orbem in sapientia sua, et prudentia sua extendit caelos.
The One who made the earth by his strength, who prepared the world by his wisdom, and who stretched out the heavens by his prudence:
16 Dante eo vocem, multiplicantur aquae in caelo: qui levat nubes ab extremo terrae, fulgura in pluviam fecit: et produxit ventum de thesauris suis.
when he utters his voice, the waters will be multiplied in the heavens. The One who lifts up the clouds from the ends of the earth: he has turned lightning into rain, and he has brought forth wind from his storehouses.
17 Stultus factus est omnis homo a scientia: confusus est omnis conflator in sculptili. quia mendax est conflatio eorum, nec est spiritus in eis.
Each man has become foolish before his own knowledge. Each sculptor has been confounded by his own sculpture. For what he has formed of them is a lie, and there is no spirit in them.
18 Vana sunt opera, et risu digna, in tempore visitationis suae peribunt.
They are empty works, deserving of ridicule. In the time of their visitation, they will perish.
19 Non sicut haec pars Iacob: quia qui fecit omnia ipse est, et Israel sceptrum hereditatis eius: Dominus exercituum nomen eius.
The portion of Jacob is not like their portion. For the One who made all things is his portion, and Israel is the scepter of his inheritance. The Lord of hosts is his name:
20 Collidis tu mihi vasa belli, et ego collidam in te Gentes, et disperdam in te regna:
“For me, you strike together the instruments of war; and with you, I will strike together nations; and with you, I will scatter the kingdoms.
21 et collidam in te equum, et equitem eius: et collidam in te currum, et ascensorem eius:
And with you, I will strike together the horse and his rider; and with you, I will strike together the chariot and its rider.
22 et collidam in te virum et mulierem: et collidam in te senem et puerum: et collidam in te iuvenem et virginem:
And with you, I will strike together man and woman; and with you, I will strike together the old man and the boy; and with you, I will strike together the young man and the virgin.
23 et collidam in te pastorem et gregem eius: et collidam in te agricolam et iugales eius: et collidam in te duces et magistratus.
And with you, I will strike together the pastor and his flock; and with you, I will strike together the farmer and his yoke of oxen; and with you, I will strike together military leaders and civil leaders.
24 Et reddam Babyloni, et cunctis habitatoribus Chaldaeae omne malum suum, quod fecerunt in Sion, in oculis vestris, ait Dominus.
And I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all their evil that they have done in Zion, before your eyes, says the Lord.
25 Ecce ego ad te mons pestifer, ait Dominus, qui corrumpis universam terram: et extendam manum meam super te, et evolvam te de petris, et dabo te in montem combustionis.
Behold, I am against you, you pestilent mountain, says the Lord, for you are corrupting the entire earth. And I will extend my hand over you, and I will roll you down from the rocks, and I will make you into a burning mountain.
26 Et non tollent de te lapidem in angulum, et lapidem in fundamenta, sed perditus in aeternum eris, ait Dominus.
And they will not take from you a stone for the corner, nor a stone for the foundations. Instead, you will be destroyed unto eternity,” says the Lord.
27 Levate signum in terra: clangite buccina in montibus, sanctificate super eam Gentes: annunciate contra illam regibus Ararat, Menni, et Ascenez: numerate contra eam Taphsar, adducite equum quasi bruchum aculeatum.
Lift up a sign in the land! Sound the trumpet among the nations! Sanctify the nations against her. Announce against her the kings of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Number against her Taphsar. Lead in the horse, like the stinging locust.
28 Sanctificate contra eam Gentes, reges Mediae, duces eius, et universos magistratus eius, cunctamque terram potestatis eius.
Sanctify the nations against her: the kings of Media, their military leaders, and all their civil leaders, and the entire land under their authority.
29 Et commovebitur terra, et conturbabitur: quia evigilabit contra Babylonem cogitatio Domini ut ponat Terram Babylonis desertam et inhabitabilem.
And the earth will be shaken and will be disturbed. For the plan of the Lord against Babylon will awaken, so that he may make the land of Babylon desolate and uninhabitable.
30 Cessaverunt fortes Babylonis a praelio, habitaverunt in praesidiis: devoratum est robur eorum, et facti sunt quasi mulieres: incensa sunt tabernacula eius, contriti sunt vectes eius.
The strong ones of Babylon have ceased to do battle. They have lived in fortresses. Their health has been devoured, and they have become like women. Her tabernacles have been set ablaze; her bars have been broken.
31 Currens obviam currenti veniet: et nuncius obvius nuncianti: ut annunciet regi Babylonis quia capta est civitas eius a summo usque ad summum:
Runner will go forth to meet runner, and messenger will meet messenger, so as to tell the king of Babylon that his city has been captured, from one end to the other,
32 et vada praeoccupata sunt, et paludes incensae sunt igne, et viri bellatores conturbati sunt.
and that the fords were seized in advance, and that the marshes have been burned with fire, and that the men of war have been set in disarray.
33 Quia haec dicit Dominus exercituum, Deus Israel: Filia Babylonis quasi area, tempus triturae eius: adhuc modicum, et veniet tempus messionis eius.
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor. This is the time of her threshing. A little while longer, and the time of her harvest will arrive.”
34 Comedit me, devoravit me Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis: reddidit me quasi vas inane, absorbuit me quasi draco, replevit ventrem suum teneritudine mea, et eiecit me.
“Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has consumed me, has devoured me. He has made me like an empty vessel. He has swallowed me like a dragon. He has filled his belly with my tender ones, and he has cast me out.
35 Iniquitas adversum me, et caro mea super Babylonem, dicit habitatio Sion: et sanguis meus super habitatores Chaldaeae, dicit Ierusalem.
This iniquity is against me, and so my flesh is upon Babylon,” says the habitation of Zion. “And my blood is upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,” says Jerusalem.
36 Propterea haec dicit Dominus: Ecce ego iudicabo causam tuam, et ulciscar ultionem tuam, et desertum faciam mare eius, et siccabo venam eius.
Because of this, thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will judge your case, and I will avenge your vengeance, and I will make her sea into a desert, and I will dry up her spring.
37 Et erit Babylon in tumulos, habitatio draconum, stupor, et sibilus, eo quod non sit habitator.
And Babylon will become a tumult, the habitation of dragons, an astonishment, and a hissing, because there is no inhabitant.
38 Simul ut leones rugient, excutient comas veluti catuli leonum.
They will roar together, like lions, they will shake their manes, like young lions.
39 In calore eorum ponam potus eorum, et inebriabo eos, ut sopiantur, et dormiant somnum sempiternum, et non consurgant, dicit Dominus.
In their heat, I will give them a drink, and I will inebriate them, so that they become drowsy, and sleep an everlasting sleep, and do not rise up, says the Lord.
40 Deducam eos quasi agnos ad victimam, et quasi arietes cum hoedis.
I will lead them away, like lambs to the slaughter, and like rams with young goats.
41 Quomodo capta est Sesach, et comprehensa est inclyta universae terrae? quomodo facta est in stuporem Babylon inter gentes?
How was Sesac captured, and how was the renowned one of all the earth seized? How has Babylon become an astonishment among the nations?
42 Ascendit super Babylonem mare, multitudine fluctuum eius operta est.
The sea has ascended over Babylon; she has been covered by the multitude of its waves.
43 Factae sunt civitates eius in stuporem, terra inhabitabilis et deserta, terra in qua nullus habitet, nec transeat per eam filius hominis.
Her cities have become an astonishment, an uninhabited and desolate land, a land in which no one may live, nor may a son of man pass through it.
44 Et visitabo super Bel in Babylone, et eiiciam quod absorbuerat de ore eius, et non confluent ad eum ultra Gentes, siquidem et murus Babylonis corruet.
And I will visit against Bel in Babylon, and I will cast from his mouth what he has swallowed. And the nations will no longer flow together before him. For even the wall of Babylon will also fall.
45 Egredimini de medio eius populus meus: ut salvet unusquisque animam suam ab ira furoris Domini.
Go forth from her midst, my people, so that each one may save his life from the wrath of the fury of the Lord.
46 Et ne forte mollescat cor vestrum, et timeatis auditum, qui audietur in terra: et veniet in anno auditio, et post hunc annum auditio: et iniquitas in terra, et dominator super dominatorem.
For otherwise, your heart may faint, and you may be afraid at the news that is heard in the land. And the news will arrive within a year, and after that year more news will arrive. And iniquity will be in the land, and one ruler will be over another ruler.
47 Propterea ecce dies veniunt, et visitabo super sculptilia Babylonis: et omnis terra eius confundetur, et universi interfecti eius cadent in medio eius.
Because of this, behold, the days are approaching, when I will visit against the graven images of Babylon. And her entire land will be confounded, and all her slain will fall in her midst.
48 Et laudabunt super Babylonem caeli et terra, et omnia quae in eis sunt: quia ab Aquilone venient ei praedones, ait Dominus.
And the heavens and the earth, and all the things that are in them, will give praise over Babylon. For despoilers will approach her from the north, says the Lord.
49 Et quomodo fecit Babylon ut caderent occisi in Israel: sic de Babylone cadent occisi in universa terra.
And in the manner that Babylon has caused the slain to fall in Israel, so the slain of Babylon will fall over the entire earth.
50 Qui fugistis gladium, venite, nolite stare: recordamini procul Domini, et Ierusalem ascendat super cor vestrum.
You who have fled from the sword, approach, do not stand still. Remember from afar the Lord, and let Jerusalem rise up in your heart.
51 Confusi sumus, quoniam audivimus opprobrium: operuit ignominia facies nostras: quia venerunt alieni super sanctificationem domus Domini.
We have been confounded, for we heard reproach. Shame has covered our faces, for strangers have overwhelmed the holiness of the house of the Lord.
52 Propterea ecce dies veniunt, ait Dominus: et visitabo super sculptilia eius, et in omni terra eius mugiet vulneratus.
Because of this, behold, the days are approaching, says the Lord, when I will visit against her graven images, and within all her land the wounded will groan.
53 Si ascenderit Babylon in caelum, et firmaverit in excelso robur suum: a me venient vastatores eius, ait Dominus.
If Babylon were to ascend to heaven, and establish her strength on high, her despoilers would go forth from me, says the Lord.”
54 Vox clamoris de Babylone, et contritio magna de Terra Chaldaeorum:
A voice of outcry from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55 quoniam vastavit Dominus Babylonem, et perdidit ex ea vocem magnam: et sonabunt fluctus eorum quasi aquae multae: dedit sonitum vox eorum:
For the Lord has despoiled Babylon, and he has perished the great voice from her. And their wave will make a sound like many waters. Their voice has uttered a noise.
56 Quia venit super eam, id est super Babylonem praedo, et apprehensi sunt fortes eius, et emarcuit arcus eorum, quia fortis ultor Dominus reddens retribuet.
For the despoiler has overwhelmed her, that is, Babylon, and her strong ones have been apprehended, and their bow has been weakened. For the Lord, the powerful revenger, will certainly repay.
57 Et inebriabo principes eius, et sapientes eius, et duces eius, et magistratus eius, et fortes eius: et dormient somnum sempiternum, et non expergiscentur, ait rex, Dominus exercituum nomen eius.
“And I will inebriate her leaders, and her wise ones, and her military rulers, and her civil rulers, and her strong ones. And they will sleep an everlasting sleep, and they will not awaken,” says the King: the Lord of hosts is his name.
58 Haec dicit Dominus exercituum: Murus Babylonis ille latissimus suffossione suffodietur, et portae eius excelsae igne comburentur, et labores populorum ad nihilum, et gentium in ignem erunt, et disperibunt.
Thus says the Lord of hosts: “That very wide wall of Babylon will be utterly overturned, and her exalted gates will be burned with fire, and the labors of the people will be as nothing, and the labors of the nations will be sent into the fire and will perish.”
59 Verbum, quod praecepit Ieremias propheta, Saraiae filio Neriae filii Maasiae cum pergeret cum Sedechia rege in Babylonem, in anno quarto regni eius: Saraias autem erat princeps prophetiae.
The word that Jeremiah, the prophet, instructed to Seraiah, the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he traveled with king Zedekiah into Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Now Seraiah was the leader of the prophets.
60 Et scripsit Ieremias omne malum, quod venturum erat super Babylonem in libro uno: omnia verba haec, quae scripta sunt contra Babylonem.
And Jeremiah wrote in one book all the evil that was to overwhelm Babylon; all these words were written against Babylon.
61 Et dixit Ieremias ad Saraiam: Cum veneris in Babylonem, et videris, et legeris omnia verba haec,
And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you will enter into Babylon, and you will see and read all these words,
62 dices: Domine tu locutus es contra locum istum ut disperderes eum: ne sit qui in eo habitet ab homine usque ad pecus, et ut sit perpetua solitudo.
you will say: ‘O Lord, you have spoken against this place so that you may destroy it, so that there would not be anyone, from man even to beast, who may live in it, and so that it may be desolate forever.’
63 Cumque compleveris legere librum istum, ligabis ad eum lapidem, et proiicies illum in medium Euphraten:
And when you will have completed reading this book, you will tie a stone to it, and you will cast it into the midst of the Euphrates.
64 et dices: Sic submergetur Babylon, et non consurget a facie afflictionis, quam ego adduco super eam, et dissolvetur. Hucusque verba Ieremiae.
And you will say: ‘So shall Babylon be submerged! And she will not rise up before the face of the affliction that I will lead over her. And she will be broken.’” The words of Jeremiah thus far.
