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Babylon Will Be Captured

50 (A) The Lord told me to say:

Announce what will happen
and don't leave anything out.
    Raise the signal flags;
shout so all nations can hear—
    Babylon will be captured!

Marduk,[a] Babylon's god,
will be ashamed and terrified,
    and his idols broken.
The attack on the Babylonians
    will come from the north;
they and their animals will run,
    leaving the land empty.

Israel and Judah Will Return to Their Land

The Lord said:

People of Israel and Judah,
when these things happen
    you will weep, and together
you will return to your land
and worship me,
    the Lord your God.
You will ask the way to Zion
and then come and join with me
    in making an agreement
    you won't break or forget.

My people, you are lost sheep
abandoned in the mountains
    by their shepherds.
You don't even remember
    your resting place.
I am your true pastureland,
the one who gave hope
    to your ancestors.
But you abandoned me,
so when your enemies found you,
    they felt no guilt
    as they gobbled you up.

(B) Escape from Babylonia,
    my people.
Get out of that country!
    Don't wait for anyone else.
In the north I am bringing
    great nations together.
They will attack Babylon
    and capture it.
The arrows they shoot
are like the best soldiers,[b]
    always finding their target.
10 Babylonia will be conquered,
and its enemies will carry off
    everything they want.

Babylon Will Be Disgraced

The Lord said:

11 People of Babylonia,
you were glad
    to rob my people.
You had a good time,
making more noise
    than horses
and jumping around
    like calves threshing grain.[c]
12 The city of Babylon
    was like a mother to you.
But it will be disgraced
and become nothing
    but a barren desert.
13 My anger will destroy Babylon,
    and no one will live there.
Everyone who passes by
will be shocked to see
    what has happened.

14 Babylon has rebelled against me.
    Archers, take your places.
Shoot all your arrows at Babylon.
15     Attack from every side!

Babylon surrenders!
The enemy tears down
    its walls and towers.
I am taking my revenge
by doing to Babylon what it did
    to other cities.
16 There is no one in Babylonia
    to plant or harvest crops.
Even foreigners who lived there
have left for their homelands,
    afraid of the enemy armies.

17 Israel is a flock of sheep
    scattered by hungry lions.
The king of Assyria[d]
    first gobbled Israel up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar,[e]
king of Babylonia,
    crunched on Israel's bones.
18 I, the Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel,
    punished the king of Assyria,
and I will also punish
    the king of Babylonia.
19 But I will bring Israel
    back to its own land.
The people will be like sheep
    eating their fill
on Mount Carmel
    and in Bashan,
in the hill country of Ephraim
    and in Gilead.
20 I will rescue a few people
    from Israel and Judah.
I will forgive them so completely
that their sin and guilt
    will disappear,
    never to be found.

The Lord's Commands to the Enemies of Babylonia

21 The Lord said:

I have told
    the enemies of Babylonia,
“Attack the people of Merathaim
    and Pekod.[f]
Kill them all!
    Destroy their possessions!”

22 Sounds of war
and the noise of destruction
    can be heard.
23 Babylonia was a hammer
pounding every country,
    but now it lies broken.
What a shock to the nations
    of the world!

24 Babylonia challenged me,
    the Lord God All-Powerful,
but that nation doesn't know
it is caught in a trap
    that I set.
25 I've brought out my weapons,
and with them I will put a curse
    on Babylonia.

26 Come from far away,
    you enemies of Babylon!
Pile up the grain
    from its storehouses,
and destroy it completely,
    along with everything else.
27 Kill the soldiers of Babylonia,
because the time has come
    for them to be punished.

28 The Babylonian army
destroyed my temple,
    but soon I will take revenge.
Then refugees from Babylon
    will tell about it in Zion.

29 (C) Attack Babylon, enemy archers;
set up camp around the city,
    and don't let anyone escape.
It challenged me, the holy God,
so do to it
    what it did to other cities.

Proud Babylon Will Fall

30 People of Babylon,
    I, the Lord, promise
that even your best soldiers
    will lie dead in the streets.

31 Babylon, you should be named,
    “The Proud One.”
But the time has come when I,
the Lord All-Powerful,
    will punish you.
32 You are proud,
but you will stumble and fall,
    and no one will help you up.
I will set your villages on fire,
and everything around you
    will go up in flames.

33 You Babylonians were cruel
    to Israel and Judah.
You took them captive, and now
    you refuse to let them go.
34 But I, the Lord All-Powerful,
    will rescue and protect them.
I will bring peace to their land
    and trouble to yours.
35 I have declared war on you,
    your officials, and advisors.
36 This war will prove
that your prophets
    are liars and fools.
And it will frighten
    your warriors.
37 Then your chariot horses
and the foreigners in your army
    will refuse to go into battle,
and the enemy will carry away
    everything you treasure.
38 Your rivers and canals
    will dry up.

All of this will happen,
because your land
    is full of idols,
and they have made fools
    of you.
39 (D) Never again will people live
    in your land—
only desert animals, jackals,[g]
    and unclean birds.
40 (E) I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah
    and the nearby towns,
and I will destroy Babylon
    just as completely.
No one will live there again.

Babylonia Is Invaded

The Lord said:

41 Far to the north,
a nation and its allies
    have been awakened.
They are powerful
    and ready for war.
42 Bows and arrows and swords
    are in their hands.
The soldiers are cruel
    and show no pity.
The hoofbeats of their horses echo
    like ocean waves
    crashing against the shore.
The army has lined up for battle
and is coming to attack you,
    people of Babylonia!

43 Ever since your king heard
    about this army,
he has been weak with fear;
he twists and turns in pain
    like a woman giving birth.
44 Babylonia, I will attack you
    like a lion from the forest,
attacking sheep in a meadow
    along the Jordan.
In a moment the flock runs,
    and the land is empty.
Who will I choose to attack you?
    I will do it myself!
No one can force me to fight
    or chase me away.
45 Listen to my plans for you,
    people of Babylonia.
Your children will be dragged off,
    and your country destroyed.
46 The sounds of your destruction
will be heard among the nations,
    and the earth will shake.

Footnotes

  1. 50.2 Marduk: The Hebrew text has “Bel” and “Marduk,” two names for the same god.
  2. 50.9 the best soldiers: Some Hebrew manuscripts and two ancient translations; most Hebrew manuscripts “soldiers that kill children.”
  3. 50.11 threshing grain: Hebrew; two ancient translations “in a pasture.”
  4. 50.17 king of Assyria: Either Shalmaneser V, who ruled 726–722 b.c., conquered most of the northern kingdom, and surrounded its capital city Samaria; or Sargon II, who ruled 721–705 b.c. and took thousands of prisoners back to Assyria.
  5. 50.17 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
  6. 50.21 Merathaim … Pekod: Hebrew forms of two Babylonian names that refer to the land of Babylonia. Merathaim probably referred to lagoons near the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers or to the Persian Gulf, but in Hebrew it means “Twice as Rebellious.” Pekod referred to a tribe of southeastern Babylonia, but in Hebrew it means “Punishment.”
  7. 50.39 jackals: See the note at 9.11.

A Message About Babylon(A)

50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon(B) and the land of the Babylonians[a]:

“Announce and proclaim(C) among the nations,
    lift up a banner(D) and proclaim it;
    keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;(E)
    Bel(F) will be put to shame,(G)
    Marduk(H) filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
    and her idols(I) filled with terror.’
A nation from the north(J) will attack her
    and lay waste her land.
No one will live(K) in it;
    both people and animals(L) will flee away.

“In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together(M)
    will go in tears(N) to seek(O) the Lord their God.
They will ask the way(P) to Zion
    and turn their faces toward it.
They will come(Q) and bind themselves to the Lord
    in an everlasting covenant(R)
    that will not be forgotten.

“My people have been lost sheep;(S)
    their shepherds(T) have led them astray(U)
    and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill(V)
    and forgot their own resting place.(W)
Whoever found them devoured(X) them;
    their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,(Y)
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
    the Lord, the hope(Z) of their ancestors.’

“Flee(AA) out of Babylon;(AB)
    leave the land of the Babylonians,
    and be like the goats that lead the flock.
For I will stir(AC) up and bring against Babylon
    an alliance of great nations(AD) from the land of the north.(AE)
They will take up their positions against her,
    and from the north she will be captured.(AF)
Their arrows(AG) will be like skilled warriors
    who do not return empty-handed.
10 So Babylonia[b] will be plundered;(AH)
    all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.

11 “Because you rejoice and are glad,
    you who pillage my inheritance,(AI)
because you frolic like a heifer(AJ) threshing grain
    and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother will be greatly ashamed;
    she who gave you birth will be disgraced.(AK)
She will be the least of the nations—
    a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.(AL)
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
    but will be completely desolate.(AM)
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;(AN)
    they will scoff(AO) because of all her wounds.(AP)

14 “Take up your positions around Babylon,
    all you who draw the bow.(AQ)
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,(AR)
    for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout(AS) against her on every side!
    She surrenders, her towers fall,
    her walls(AT) are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance(AU) of the Lord,
    take vengeance on her;
    do to her(AV) as she has done to others.(AW)
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
    and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword(AX) of the oppressor
    let everyone return to their own people,(AY)
    let everyone flee to their own land.(AZ)

17 “Israel is a scattered flock(BA)
    that lions(BB) have chased away.
The first to devour(BC) them
    was the king(BD) of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones(BE)
    was Nebuchadnezzar(BF) king(BG) of Babylon.”

18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
    as I punished the king(BH) of Assyria.(BI)
19 But I will bring(BJ) Israel back to their own pasture,
    and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied(BK)
    on the hills(BL) of Ephraim and Gilead.(BM)
20 In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
    but there will be none,(BN)
and for the sins(BO) of Judah,
    but none will be found,
    for I will forgive(BP) the remnant(BQ) I spare.

21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
    and those who live in Pekod.(BR)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[c] them,”
declares the Lord.
    “Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(BS) of battle is in the land,
    the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
    is the hammer(BT) of the whole earth!(BU)
How desolate(BV) is Babylon
    among the nations!
24 I set a trap(BW) for you, Babylon,
    and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(BX)
    because you opposed(BY) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
    and brought out the weapons(BZ) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
    in the land of the Babylonians.(CA)
26 Come against her from afar.(CB)
    Break open her granaries;
    pile her up like heaps of grain.(CC)
Completely destroy(CD) her
    and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(CE)
    let them go down to the slaughter!(CF)
Woe to them! For their day(CG) has come,
    the time(CH) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(CI) and refugees from Babylon
    declaring in Zion(CJ)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(CK)
    vengeance for his temple.(CL)

29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
    all those who draw the bow.(CM)
Encamp all around her;
    let no one escape.(CN)
Repay(CO) her for her deeds;(CP)
    do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(CQ) the Lord,
    the Holy One(CR) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(CS) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(CT) you, you arrogant one,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(CU) has come,
    the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(CV) one will stumble and fall(CW)
    and no one will help her up;(CX)
I will kindle a fire(CY) in her towns
    that will consume all who are around her.”

33 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“The people of Israel are oppressed,(CZ)
    and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
    refusing to let them go.(DA)
34 Yet their Redeemer(DB) is strong;
    the Lord Almighty(DC) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(DD)
    so that he may bring rest(DE) to their land,
    but unrest to those who live in Babylon.

35 “A sword(DF) against the Babylonians!”(DG)
    declares the Lord
“against those who live in Babylon
    and against her officials and wise(DH) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
    They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(DI)
    They will be filled with terror.(DJ)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(DK)
    and all the foreigners in her ranks!
    They will become weaklings.(DL)
A sword against her treasures!(DM)
    They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[d] her waters!(DN)
    They will dry(DO) up.
For it is a land of idols,(DP)
    idols that will go mad with terror.

39 “So desert creatures(DQ) and hyenas will live there,
    and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
    or lived in from generation to generation.(DR)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah(DS)
    along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
    no people will dwell in it.(DT)

41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(DU)
    a great nation and many kings
    are being stirred(DV) up from the ends of the earth.(DW)
42 They are armed with bows(DX) and spears;
    they are cruel(DY) and without mercy.(DZ)
They sound like the roaring sea(EA)
    as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(EB)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
    and his hands hang limp.(EC)
Anguish has gripped him,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(ED)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(EE)
    to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
    Who is the chosen(EF) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(EG)
    And what shepherd can stand against me?”

45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
    what he has purposed(EH) against the land of the Babylonians:(EI)
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
    their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;(EJ)
    its cry(EK) will resound among the nations.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 50:1 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 8, 25, 35 and 45
  2. Jeremiah 50:10 Or Chaldea
  3. Jeremiah 50:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
  4. Jeremiah 50:38 Or A sword against