Jeremiah 50 - English Standard Version (ESV)

Judgment on Babylon

50 The word that the Lord spoke concerning ^(A)Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, ^(B)by Jeremiah the prophet:

² “Declare among the nations and proclaim,
set up a banner and proclaim,
conceal it not, and say:
^(C)‘Babylon is taken,
^(D)Bel is put to shame,
Merodach is dismayed.
^(E)Her images are put to shame,
her idols are dismayed.’

³ “For ^(F)out of the north a nation has come up against her, ^(G)which shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; ^(H)both man and beast shall flee away.

^{4 (I)}“In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, ^(J)the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, ^(K)weeping as they come, and they ^(L)shall seek the Lord their God. ^{5 (M)}They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, ^(N)saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an ^(O)everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’

^{6 (P)}“My people have been lost sheep. ^(Q)Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. ⁷ All who found them have devoured them, ^(R)and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for ^(S)they have sinned against the Lord, ^(T)their habitation of righteousness, the Lord, ^(U)the hope of their fathers.’

^{8 (V)}“Flee from the midst of Babylon, ^(W)and go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock. ⁹ For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon ^(X)a gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed. ^{10 (Y)}Chaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, declares the Lord.

^{11 (Z)}“Though you rejoice, though you exult,
O plunderers of my heritage,
though you frolic like a heifer in the pasture,
and neigh like stallions,
¹² your mother shall be utterly shamed,
and she who bore you shall be disgraced.
Behold, she shall be the last of the nations,
^(AA)a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
^{13 (AB)}Because of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited
but shall be an utter desolation;
^(AC)everyone who passes by Babylon shall be appalled,
^(AD)and hiss because of all her wounds.
^{14 (AE)}Set yourselves in array against Babylon all around,
^(AF)all you who bend the bow;
shoot at her, spare no arrows,
^(AG)for she has sinned against the Lord.
^{15 (AH)}Raise a shout against her all around;
she has surrendered;
her bulwarks have fallen;
^(AI)her walls are thrown down.
For ^(AJ)this is the vengeance of the Lord:
take vengeance on her;
^(AK)do to her as she has done.
¹⁶ Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the one who handles the sickle in time of harvest;
^(AL)because of the sword of the oppressor,
^(AM)every one shall turn to his own people,
and every one shall flee to his own land.

^{17 (AN)}“Israel is a hunted sheep ^(AO)driven away by lions. ^(AP)First the king of Assyria ^(AQ)devoured him, and now at last ^(AR)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ^(AS)has gnawed his bones. ¹⁸ Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, ^(AT)I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, ^(AU)as I punished the king of Assyria. ^{19 (AV)}I will restore Israel to his pasture, and ^(AW)he shall feed on ^(AX)Carmel and in ^(AY)Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in ^(AZ)Gilead. ²⁰ In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, ^(BA)iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for ^(BB)I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

²¹ “Go up against the land of Merathaim,^[a]
and against the inhabitants of Pekod.^[b]
Kill, ^(BC)and devote them to destruction,^[c]
declares the Lord,
and do all that I have commanded you.
^{22 (BD)}The noise of battle is in the land,
and great destruction!
^{23 (BE)}How the hammer of the whole earth
is cut down and broken!
^(BF)How Babylon ^(BG)has become
a horror among the nations!
^{24 (BH)}I set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,
and ^(BI)you did not know it;
you were found and caught,
because you opposed the Lord.
²⁵ The Lord has opened his armory
and brought out ^(BJ)the weapons of his wrath,
for the Lord God of hosts has a work to do
in the land of the Chaldeans.
²⁶ Come against her from every quarter;
open her granaries;
^(BK)pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction;
let nothing be left of her.
²⁷ Kill all ^(BL)her bulls;
let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come,
^(BM)the time of their punishment.

²⁸ “A voice! They ^(BN)flee and escape from the land of Babylon, ^(BO)to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for ^(BP)his temple.

^{29 (BQ)}“Summon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. ^(BR)Encamp around her; let no one escape. ^(BS)Repay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has ^(BT)proudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. ^{30 (BU)}Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, declares the Lord.

³¹ “Behold, I am against you, O ^(BV)proud one,
declares the Lord God of hosts,
^(BW)for your day has come,
the time when I will punish you.
^{32 (BX)}The proud one shall stumble and fall,
with none to raise him up,
^(BY)and I will kindle a fire in his cities,
and it will devour all that is around him.

³³ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(BZ)The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; ^(CA)they refuse to let them go. ^{34 (CB)}Their Redeemer is strong; ^(CC)the Lord of hosts is his name. ^(CD)He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

³⁵ “A sword against the Chaldeans, declares the Lord,
and against the inhabitants of Babylon,
and against ^(CE)her officials and her ^(CF)wise men!
³⁶ A sword against the diviners,
that they may become fools!
A sword against her ^(CG)warriors,
that they may be destroyed!
³⁷ A sword against her horses and against her chariots,
and against all ^(CH)the foreign troops in her midst,
that ^(CI)they may become women!
^(CJ)A sword against all her treasures,
that they may be plundered!
^{38 (CK)}A drought against her waters,
that they may be dried up!
^(CL)For it is a land of images,
and they are mad over idols.

^{39 (CM)}“Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon,^[d] and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations. ^{40 (CN)}As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the Lord, ^(CO)so no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.

^{41 (CP)}“Behold, a people comes from the north;
a mighty nation and many kings
are stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
⁴² They lay hold of bow and spear;
they are cruel and have no mercy.
The sound of them is like the roaring of the sea;
they ride on horses,
arrayed as a man for battle
against you, O daughter of Babylon!

⁴³ “The king of Babylon heard the report of them,
and his hands fell helpless;
anguish seized him,
pain as of a woman in labor.

^{44 (CQ)}“Behold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd ^(CR)can stand before me? ⁴⁵ Therefore hear ^(CS)the plan that the Lord has made against Babylon, ^(CT)and the purposes that he has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: ^(CU)Surely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. ^{46 (CV)}At the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.”

Footnotes

1. Jeremiah 50:21 Merathaim means double rebellion
2. Jeremiah 50:21 Pekod means punishment
3. Jeremiah 50:21 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
4. Jeremiah 50:39 Hebrew lacks in Babylon

Cross references

1. Jeremiah 50:1 : See Isa. 13:1–14:27; 21:1-10
2. Jeremiah 50:1 : [ch. 51:59, 60]
3. Jeremiah 50:2 : Isa. 21:9
4. Jeremiah 50:2 : See Isa. 46:1
5. Jeremiah 50:2 : Isa. 21:9
6. Jeremiah 50:3 : See ch. 1:14
7. Jeremiah 50:3 : ver. 13, 23; ch. 51:29
8. Jeremiah 50:3 : ch. 51:62; [Ps. 135:8]
9. Jeremiah 50:4 : See ch. 3:18
10. Jeremiah 50:4 : See ch. 3:18
11. Jeremiah 50:4 : ch. 31:9, 18; Ezra 8:21; Ps. 126:6
12. Jeremiah 50:4 : Hos. 3:5
13. Jeremiah 50:5 : [ch. 31:21]
14. Jeremiah 50:5 : [Isa. 2:3]
15. Jeremiah 50:5 : See ch. 32:40
16. Jeremiah 50:6 : ver. 17; Isa. 53:6; [Matt. 18:12; Luke 15:4]
17. Jeremiah 50:6 : Zech. 10:2; See Ezek. 34:1-6
18. Jeremiah 50:7 : [ch. 40:2, 3]
19. Jeremiah 50:7 : [ver. 14]
20. Jeremiah 50:7 : ch. 31:23
21. Jeremiah 50:7 : See ch. 14:8
22. Jeremiah 50:8 : ch. 51:6, 45; See Isa. 48:20
23. Jeremiah 50:8 : ch. 51:6, 45; See Isa. 48:20
24. Jeremiah 50:9 : See ch. 25:14
25. Jeremiah 50:10 : [ch. 25:12]
26. Jeremiah 50:11 : [Lam. 4:21]
27. Jeremiah 50:12 : ch. 51:43
28. Jeremiah 50:13 : ver. 39
29. Jeremiah 50:13 : See ch. 18:16
30. Jeremiah 50:13 : See ch. 18:16
31. Jeremiah 50:14 : ver. 9; ch. 51:11; Isa. 21:2
32. Jeremiah 50:14 : ver. 29; [ch. 51:3]
33. Jeremiah 50:14 : [ver. 7]
34. Jeremiah 50:15 : [Josh. 6:16]
35. Jeremiah 50:15 : ch. 51:58
36. Jeremiah 50:15 : ch. 46:10; 51:6, 11
37. Jeremiah 50:15 : ver. 29; ch. 51:56
38. Jeremiah 50:16 : ch. 46:16
39. Jeremiah 50:16 : [ch. 51:9]; See Isa. 13:14
40. Jeremiah 50:17 : See ver. 6
41. Jeremiah 50:17 : ch. 2:15; 4:7; Isa. 5:29
42. Jeremiah 50:17 : 2 Kgs. 17:6; 18:13
43. Jeremiah 50:17 : ch. 51:34
44. Jeremiah 50:17 : 2 Kgs. 24:10, 14; See 2 Kgs. 25:1-11
45. Jeremiah 50:17 : [ch. 51:34]
46. Jeremiah 50:18 : Isa. 10:12; 24:21; [Ps. 76:12]
47. Jeremiah 50:18 : Isa. 14:24, 25
48. Jeremiah 50:19 : Ezek. 34:13, 14
49. Jeremiah 50:19 : Ezek. 34:13, 14
50. Jeremiah 50:19 : Mic. 7:14
51. Jeremiah 50:19 : Mic. 7:14
52. Jeremiah 50:19 : Mic. 7:14
53. Jeremiah 50:20 : [Isa. 40:2]
54. Jeremiah 50:20 : Isa. 33:24; See ch. 31:34
55. Jeremiah 50:21 : ver. 26; [ch. 51:3]
56. Jeremiah 50:22 : ch. 51:54
57. Jeremiah 50:23 : Isa. 14:6
58. Jeremiah 50:23 : [Rev. 18:19, 21]
59. Jeremiah 50:23 : ver. 3, 13
60. Jeremiah 50:24 : [Ps. 141:9]
61. Jeremiah 50:24 : [ch. 51:31; Dan. 5:30]
62. Jeremiah 50:25 : Isa. 13:5
63. Jeremiah 50:26 : [Neh. 4:2]
64. Jeremiah 50:27 : [Ps. 22:12; Isa. 34:7, 8]
65. Jeremiah 50:27 : ch. 46:21
66. Jeremiah 50:28 : [ver. 8]
67. Jeremiah 50:28 : ch. 51:10; Ps. 64:9
68. Jeremiah 50:28 : [ch. 51:11; 52:13; Dan. 5:3, 23]
69. Jeremiah 50:29 : [ver. 14; Job 16:13]
70. Jeremiah 50:29 : [ver. 14; Job 16:13]
71. Jeremiah 50:29 : ch. 25:14
72. Jeremiah 50:29 : Isa. 47:10
73. Jeremiah 50:30 : ch. 49:26
74. Jeremiah 50:31 : [See ver. 29 above]; Isa. 47:10
75. Jeremiah 50:31 : ver. 27; ch. 49:8
76. Jeremiah 50:32 : [See ver. 29 above]; Isa. 47:10
77. Jeremiah 50:32 : See ch. 17:27
78. Jeremiah 50:33 : [ver. 17]
79. Jeremiah 50:33 : [Isa. 14:17]
80. Jeremiah 50:34 : See Isa. 43:14
81. Jeremiah 50:34 : See ch. 10:16
82. Jeremiah 50:34 : ch. 51:36; Isa. 51:22
83. Jeremiah 50:35 : ch. 51:57; Dan. 5:30
84. Jeremiah 50:35 : Dan. 4:6
85. Jeremiah 50:36 : ch. 51:57
86. Jeremiah 50:37 : See ch. 25:20
87. Jeremiah 50:37 : ch. 51:30
88. Jeremiah 50:37 : [Isa. 45:3]
89. Jeremiah 50:38 : Isa. 44:27; [ch. 51:36]
90. Jeremiah 50:38 : ver. 2; ch. 51:47, 52
91. Jeremiah 50:39 : Isa. 13:21, 22
92. Jeremiah 50:40 : Gen. 19:25; See Isa. 13:19
93. Jeremiah 50:40 : ch. 51:43
94. Jeremiah 50:41 : For ver. 41-43, see ch. 6:22-24
95. Jeremiah 50:44 : For ver. 44-46, see ch. 49:19-21
96. Jeremiah 50:44 : Job 41:10
97. Jeremiah 50:45 : ch. 51:11, 12, 29; Isa. 14:24
98. Jeremiah 50:45 : ch. 51:11, 12, 29; Isa. 14:24
99. Jeremiah 50:45 : ch. 49:20
100. Jeremiah 50:46 : See ch. 49:21