Jeremiah 51:56-58

New Catholic Bible

⁵⁶A destroying force is moving against Babylon;
    her warriors are captured,
    and their bows are broken.
For the Lord is a God of retribution,
    and he never fails to repay in full.
⁵⁷I will make her princes and her wise men drunk,
    as well as her governors,
    her prefects and her warriors.
They will sink into an unending sleep,
    never to awaken again,
    says the King whose name is the Lord of hosts.
⁵⁸^[a]Thus says the Lord of hosts:
The thick walls of Babylon will be leveled to the ground,
    and her lofty gates will be destroyed by fire.
Thus the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing,
    and the nations weary themselves only for the flames.

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Footnotes

Jeremiah 51:58 Although the preceding collection of oracles cannot be attributed directly to Jeremiah, there is no serious reason for not attributing to him this symbolic action which is very much in his style. The editor decided to place this story after the lengthy prophecy that precedes.

Jeremiah 51:56-58

New International Version

⁵⁶A destroyer^(A) will come against Babylon;
    her warriors will be captured,
    and their bows will be broken.^(B)
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
    he will repay^(C) in full.
⁵⁷I will make her officials^(D) and wise^(E) men drunk,^(F)
    her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep^(G) forever and not awake,”
    declares the King,^(H) whose name is the Lord Almighty.

⁵⁸This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Babylon’s thick wall^(I) will be leveled
and her high gates^(J) set on fire;
the peoples^(K) exhaust^(L) themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”^(M)

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Jeremiah 51:56-58

King James Version

⁵⁶Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the Lord God of recompences shall surely requite.

⁵⁷And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.

⁵⁸Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.

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