THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH

Jeremiah 51 ©

A further prophecy of the fall and destruction of voluptuous, covetous, tyrannical and idolatrous Babel, and of the gracious deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity, v. 1, etc. Jeremiah commands Seraiah to cast the book wherein he had written these prophecies into the river Euphrates near Babel with a stone bound to it, for a sign of Babel’s everlasting decay, 59.

1

THUS saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the 1midst of them that rise up against me, a 2destroying wind;a

2

And will send unto Babylon 3fanners,b that shall fanc her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of 4trouble they 5shall be against her round about.

3

Against him that 6bendeth let the 7archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his 8brigandine:d and spare ye not 9her young men; 10destroy ye utterly all her host.

4

Thus the slain shall 11fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.e

5

For Israel hath not been 12forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of 13hosts; though 14their land was filled with 15sin against the 16Holy One of Israel.

6

Fleef out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her 17iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance;g he will render unto her a 18recompence.

7

Babylon hath been a golden 19cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of 20her wine; therefore the nations are 21mad.

8

Babylon is suddenly fallenh and destroyed: howl for her; take 22balmi for her pain, if so be she may be healed.

9

We would have 23healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsakej her, and 24let us go every one into his own country: for her 25judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is 26lifted up even to the 27skies.

10

28The LORD hath brought forth our 29righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.

11

30Makek bright the arrows; 31gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the 32Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeancel of his 33temple.

12

Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the 34ambushes: for the LORD hath both 35devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon.

13

O thou that dwellest upon many 36waters, abundant in treasures, thine 37end is come, and the 38measure of thy covetousness.

14

Them LORD of hosts hath sworn by 39himself, saying, 40Surely I will fill thee with men, as with 41caterpillers; and they shall lift up a 42shout 43against thee.

15

44He hath made the earthn by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretchedo out the heaven by his understanding.

16

When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

17

Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founderp is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

18

They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

19

The portionq of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and 45Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.

20

46Thou art my 47battle axerand 48weapons of war: for with thee 49will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;

21

And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his 50rider;

22

With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;

23

I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his 51yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.

24

52And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of 53Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in 54your sight, saith the LORD.

25

Behold, I 55am against thee, O destroying 56mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the 57earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the 58rocks, and will make thee a 59burnt mountain.

26

And they shall not take of thee a 60stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; 61but thou shalt be desolate 62for ever, saith the LORD.

27

Set ye up a standards in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, 63prepare the nations against her, 64call together against her the kingdoms of 65Ararat, 66Minni, and 67Ashchenaz; appoint a 68captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the 69rough 70caterpillers.

28

Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the 71Medes, the captains 72thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land 73of his dominion.

29

And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for 74every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.

30

The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have 75remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became ast76women: 77they have burned her dwellingplaces; her 78bars are broken.

31

79One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken 80at one end,

32

And that the 81passages are stopped, and the 82reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.

33

For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; 83The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to 84thresh her: yet a 85little while, and the time of her 86harvest shall come.

34

87Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath 88devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his 89belly with my delicates,u he hath 90cast me out.

35

The violence done 91to me and 92to my flesh 93be upon Babylon, shall the 94inhabitant of Zion say; and my 95blood upon the inhabitants of 96Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.

36

Therefore thus saith the LORD; 97Behold, I will 98plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her 99sea,v and make her 100springs dry.

37

And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an 101astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.

38

102They shall roar together like lions: they shall 103yell as lions' whelps.

39

In their 104heat I will make their 105feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may 106rejoice, and sleep a 107perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD.

40

I will bring them down like lambs to the 108slaughter, like rams 109with he goats.

41

110How is 111Sheshachw taken! and how is the 112praisex of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an 113astonishment among the nations!

42

114The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.

43

Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land 115wherein 116no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.

44

And I will punish 117Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath 118swallowed up: and the nations shall not 119flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon 120shall fall.

45

My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul 121from the fierce anger of the LORD.

46

And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the 122rumour that shall be heard in the land; a rumour shall both come 123one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, 124ruler against ruler.

47

Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the 125graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all 126her slain shall 127fall in the midst of her.

48

Then the 128heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing 129for Babylon: for the spoilers 130shall come unto her from the 131north, saith the LORD.

49

As Babylon hath caused the 132slain of Israel 133to fall, so 134at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.

50

135Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD 136afar off, and let Jerusalem 137come into your mind.

51

138We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: for 139strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house.

52

140Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon 141her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall 142groan.

53

Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and 143though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

54

A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great 144destruction from the land of the Chaldeans:

55

Because the 145LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the 146great voice; when 147her waves do roar like 148great waters, a 149noise of their voice 150is uttered:

56

151Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows 152is broken: for the LORD God of recompences shall 153surely requite.

57

And I will make 154drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a 155perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

58

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The 156broad 157walls of Babylon shall be utterly 158broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the 159people shall labour 160in vain, and the folk in the 161fire, and they shall be weary.

59

¶The 162word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went 163with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a 164quiet prince.

60

So Jeremiah wrote in a 165book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon.

61

And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt 166see, and shalt read all these words;

62

Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate 167for ever.

63

And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of 168Euphrates:

64

And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise 169from the evil that I will bring upon 170her: and 171they shall be weary. 172Thus far are the 173words of Jeremiah.