THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah 50 ©
A prolix prophecy concerning the destruction of the city of Babel, and of the land of the Chaldeans, by the Persians and the Medes, because of their idolatry, tyranny and pride; with gracious promises inserted between, concerning the deliverance of the people of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity, and of the catholic church from spiritual captivity by the Messiah.
THE word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans 1by Jeremiah the prophet.
Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and 2set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon 3is taken, 4Bela is confounded, 5Merodach is broken in pieces; 6her 7idols are confounded, her 8images are broken in pieces.
For out of the 9north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall 10remove, they shall depart, both 11man and beast.
¶In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of 12Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and 13weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.
They shall ask the way to Zion with their 14faces thitherward, saying, 15Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD 16in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.
My people hath been lost sheep: their 17shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their 18restingplace.
All that found them have 19devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the 20habitationb of justice, 21even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.
Removec out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the 22he goats 23before the flocks.
¶For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in 24array against her; from thence she shall be taken: 25their arrows shall be as of a 26mighty expert man; none shall return 27in vain.
And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be 28satisfied, saith the LORD.
Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O 29ye destroyers of mine 30heritage, because ye are grown 31fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as 32bulls;
Your 33mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the 34hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: everyd one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and 35hiss at all her plagues.
Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that 36bend the bow, shoot 37at her, spare no 38arrows: for she hath sinned against the LORD.
Shout against her round about: she hath given her 39hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, 40do unto her.
Cut off the 41sower from Babylon, and him that handleth 42the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the 43oppressing sword 44they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
¶Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of 45Assyria hath 46devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his 47bones.
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will 48punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the kinge of Assyria.
And I will bring Israel 49again to his habitation, and he shall feed on 50Carmel and 51Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.
In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be 52sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I 53reserve.
¶Go up 54against the land of 55Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of 56Pekod: waste and 57utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
A sound of battle is in the land, and of great 58destruction.
59How is the 60hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a 61desolation among the nations!
62I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also 63taken, O Babylon, 64and thou wast not aware: thou art 65found, and also caught, because thou hast 66striven against the LORD.
The LORD hath opened his 67armoury, and hath brought forth the 68weapons of his indignation: for this is the 69work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
Come against 70her from the 71utmost border, open her storehouses: 72cast her up as heaps, and 73destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.
74Slay all her 75bullocks; let them 76go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their 77day is come, the time of their visitation.
The voice of them 78that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his 79temple.
Call together the 80archers against Babylon: all ye that 81bend the bow, camp against it round about; 82let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, 83do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the 84Holy One of Israel.
Therefore shall her youngf men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD.
Behold, I am 85against thee, O thou 86most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy 87day is come, the time that I will visit thee.
And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.
¶Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.
Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall 88throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the 89land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
¶A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.
A sword is upon the 90liars; and they shall dote:g a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.
A sword is upon 91their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the 92mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as 93women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.
94A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land 95of graven images, and they are 96mad upon their 97idols.
Therefore the 98wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the 99owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more 100inhabited for ever; neither shall it be 101dwelt in 102from generation to generation.
Ash God 103overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide 104there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
Behold, a people shalli come from the 105north, and a great nation, and 106many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the 107earth.
They shall hold the bow and the lance:j they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one 108put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguishk took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
109Behold,l he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I 110will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for whomis like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
Therefore hear ye the counseln of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.
At the 111noise of the taking of Babylon the eartho is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.