Jeremiah 51

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Yahweh says this: Against Babylon and the inhabitants of Leb-Kamai I shal rouse a destructive wind.	1 Thus says the LORD: See! I rouse against Babylon, and against those who live in Chaldea, a destroying wind.
2 I shal send winnowers to Babylon to winnow her and leave her country bare, for she wil bebeleaguered on all sides, on the day of disaster.	2 Against Babylon I will send winnowers to winnow her and lay waste her land; They shall besiege her from all sides on the day of affliction.
3 Let no archer bend his bow! Let no man swagger in his breastplate!-No quarter for her young men!Curse her whole army with destruction!	3 Let the bowman draw his bow, and flaunt his coat of mail; Spare not her young men, doom her entire army.
4 In the country of the Chaldaeans the slaughtered wil fall, in the streets of Babylon, those run throughby the sword.	4 The slain shall fall in the land of Chaldea, the transfixed, in her streets;
5 For Israel and Judah have not been bereft of their God, Yahweh Sabaoth, although their country wasful of sin against the Holy One of Israel.	5 For Israel and Judah are not widowed of their God, the LORD of hosts, And the Chaldean land is full of guilt to be punished by the Holy One of Israel.
6 Escape from Babylon (save your lives, each one of you); do not perish for her guilt, for now is the timefor Yahweh's vengeance: he wil pay her her reward!	6 Flee out of Babylon; let each one save his life, perish not for her guilt; This is a time of vengeance for the LORD, he pays her her due.
7 Babylon was a golden cup in Yahweh's hand, she made the whole world drunk, the nations drank herwine and then went mad.	7 Babylon was a golden cup in the hand of the LORD which made the whole earth drunk; The nations drank its wine, with this they have become mad.
8 Babylon has suddenly fal en, is broken: wail for her! Fetch balm for her wounds, perhaps she can becured!	8 Babylon suddenly falls and is crushed: howl over her! Bring balm for her wounds, in case she can be healed.
9 -'We tried to cure Babylon; she has got no better. Leave her alone and let us each go to his owncountry.' -Yes, her sentence reaches to the sky, rises to the very clouds.	9 "We have tried to heal Babylon, but she cannot be healed. Leave her, let us go, each to his own land." Her judgment reaches heaven, it touches the clouds.
10 Yahweh has shown the uprightness of our cause. Come, let us tell in Zion what Yahweh our God hasdone.	10 The LORD has brought to light our just cause; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD, our God, has done.
11 Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! Yahweh has roused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, becausehe has a plan against Babylon to destroy it; this is Yahweh's revenge, revenge for his Temple.	11 Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers; The LORD has stirred up the spirit of Media's kings; Babylon he is resolved to destroy. Yes, it is the vengeance of the LORD, vengeance for his temple.
12 Against the wal s of Babylon raise the standard! Strengthen the guard! Post the sentries! Take upconcealed positions! For Yahweh has both planned and done what he promised he would to the inhabitants ofBabylon.	12 Against the walls of Babylon raise a signal, make strong the watch; Post sentries, arrange ambushes! For the LORD has planned and he will carry out his threat against the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 Enthroned beside abundant waters, rich in treasures, you now meet your end, the finish of yourpil aging.	13 You who dwell by mighty waters, rich in treasure, Your end has come, the term at which you shall be cut off!
14 By his own self Yahweh Sabaoth has sworn: I shal fil you with men as though with grasshoppers,and over you they wil raise the triumph-shout.	14 The LORD of hosts has sworn by himself: I will fill you with men as numerous as locusts, who shall raise over you the vintage shout!
15 By his power he made the earth, by his wisdom set the world firm, by his discernment spread out theheavens.	15 He has sworn who made the earth by his power, and established the world by his wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by his skill.
16 When he thunders there is a roaring of waters in heaven; he raises clouds from the furthest limits ofthe earth, makes the lightning flash for the downpour, and brings the wind from his storehouse.	16 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar, and he brings up clouds from the end of the earth; He makes the lightning flash in the rain, and releases stormwinds from their chambers.
17 At this everyone stands stupefied, uncomprehending, every goldsmith blushes for his idols; hiscastings are but delusion, with no breath in them.	17 Every man is stupid, ignorant; every artisan is put to shame by his idol: He molded a fraud, without breath of life.
18 They are futile, a laughable production, when the time comes for them to be punished, they wilvanish.	18 Nothingness are they, a ridiculous work, that will perish in their time of punishment.
19 The Heritage of Jacob is not like these, for he is the maker of everything, and Israel is the tribe that ishis heritage; His name is Yahweh Sabaoth.	19 Not like these is the portion of Jacob, he is the creator of all things; Israel is his very own tribe, LORD of hosts is his name.
20 You were my mace, a weapon of war. With you I crushed nations, struck kingdoms down,	20 You are my hammer, my weapon for war; With you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms.
21 with you crushed horse and rider, with you crushed chariot and charioteer,	21 With you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver.
22 with you crushed man and woman, with you crushed old man and young, with you crushed youngman and girl,	22 With you I shatter man and wife, with you I shatter old and young, with you I shatter the youth and maiden.
23 with you crushed shepherd and flock, with you crushed ploughman and team, with you crushedgovernors and magistrates,	23 With you I shatter the shepherd and his flock, with you I shatter the farmer and his team, with you I shatter satraps and prefects.
24 and I shal repay Babylon and the inhabitants of Chaldaea, before your eyes, for al the wrongs theyhave done to Zion, Yahweh declares.	24 Thus will I repay Babylon, and all who live in Chaldea All the evil they did to Zion, as you shall see with your own eyes, says the LORD.
25 I am setting myself against you, mountain of destruction, Yahweh declares, destroyer of the wholeworld! I shall reach out my hand for you and send you tumbling from the crags and make you a burnt-outmountain.	25 Beware! I am against you, destroying mountain, destroyer of the entire earth, says the LORD; I will stretch forth my hand against you, roll you down over the cliffs, and make you a burnt mountain:
26 No corner-stone wil be taken from you again and no foundation-stone, for you will be a desert forever, Yahweh declares.	26 They will not take from you a cornerstone, or a foundation stone; Ruins forever shall you be, says the LORD.
27 Raise the standard throughout the world, sound the trumpet among the nations! Consecrate nationsto make war on her; summon kingdoms against her: Ararat, Minni, Ashkenaz; appoint a recruiting-officer for herenemies, bring up the cavalry, bristling like locusts.	27 Raise a signal on the earth, blow the trumpet among the nations; Dedicate peoples to war against her, summon against her the kingdoms, Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; Appoint recruiting officers against her, send up horses like bristling locusts.
28 Consecrate nations to make war on her: the kings of Media, her governors, all her magistrates andthe whole territory under their rule.	28 Dedicate peoples to war against her: the king of Media, Its governors and all its prefects, every land in his domain.
29 Then the earth trembled and writhed, for Yahweh's plan against Babylon was being executed: tochange the country of Babylon into an unpopulated desert.	29 The earth quakes and writhes, the LORD'S plan against Babylon is carried out, Turning the land of Babylon into a desert where no one lives.
30 The warriors of Babylon have done with fighting, they have stayed inside their fortresses; theircourage exhausted, they are now like women. Her houses are on fire, her gates are shattered.	30 Babylon's warriors have ceased to fight, they remain in their strongholds; Dried up is their strength, they have become women. Burned are their homes, and broken their bars.
31 Courier fol ows close on courier, messenger on messenger, to tel the king of Babylon that his city hasbeen taken from al sides,	31 One runner meets another, herald meets herald, Telling the king of Babylon that all his city is taken.
32 the fords occupied, the bastions burnt down and the fighting men seized with panic.	32 The fords have been seized, and the fortresses set on fire, while warriors are in panic.
33 For Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: the daughter of Babylon is like a threshing-floorwhen it is being trodden: a little while, and then the time for harvesting her wil come.	33 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trodden; Yet a little while, and the harvest time will come for her.
34 He devoured me, consumed me, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, left me like an empty dish, like theDragon he has swal owed me whole, filled his belly with my titbits and threw me out.	34 He has consumed me, routed me, (Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,) he has left me as an empty vessel; He has swallowed me like a dragon: filled his belly with my delights, and cast me out.
35 'On Babylon be the wounds I suffered!' the daughter of Zion wil say. 'On the inhabitants of Chaldaeabe my blood!' Jerusalem wil say.	35 My torn flesh be upon Babylon, says the city on Zion; My blood upon the people of Chaldea, says Jerusalem.
36 So, Yahweh says this: Look, I am taking up your cause to make sure you are avenged. I shal dry herriver up, make her springs run dry.	36 But now, thus says the LORD: Surely I will defend your cause, I will avenge you; I will dry up her sea, and drain her fountain.
37 Babylon wil become a heap of stones, the lair of jackals, a thing of horror and of scorn, with no oneliving in it.	37 Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals; A place of horror and ridicule, where no one lives.
38 Like lions they roar together, they growl like lions' whelps.	38 They all roar like lions, growl like lion cubs.
39 Are they feverish? I wil prepare them a drink and make them drink until they are tipsy and fal into aneverlasting sleep, never to wake again, Yahweh declares.	39 When they are parched, I will set a drink before them to make them drunk, that they may be overcome with perpetual sleep, never to awaken, says the LORD.
40 I wil drag them away to the slaughterhouse like lambs, like rams and goats.	40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams and goats.
41 What! Has Sheshak been taken, been conquered, the pride of the whole world? What a thing of horrorBabylon has become throughout the nations!	41 How has she been seized, made captive, the glory of the whole world! What a horror has Babylon become among nations:
42 The sea has risen over Babylon, she sinks beneath its boisterous waves.	42 against Babylon the sea rises, she is overwhelmed by the roaring waves!
43 Her towns have been turned into wasteland, a parched land, a desert, a country where no one livesand where nobody goes.	43 Her cities have become a desert, parched and arid land Where no man lives, and no one passes through.
44 I shal punish Bel in Babylon and make him disgorge what he has swal owed. In future the nations wilstream to him no more. The very walls of Babylon wil fal .	44 I will punish Bel in Babylon, and make him disgorge what he swallowed; peoples shall stream to him no more. The wall of Babylon falls!
45 Get out of her, my people; save your lives, each one of you, from Yahweh's furious anger.	45 Leave her, my people, let each one save himself from the burning wrath of the LORD.
46 But do not be faint-hearted! Do not take fright at rumours hawked round the country: one rumourspreads one year, next year another fol ows; violence rules on earth and one tyrant succeeds another.	46 Be not discouraged for fear of rumors spread in the land; this year the rumor comes, then violence in the land, tyrant against tyrant.
47 So look, the days are coming when I shal punish the idols of Babylon. Her entire country wil behumbled, with all her slaughtered lying on home-soil.	47 But behold, the days are coming when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land shall be put to shame, and all her slain shall lie fallen within her.
48 The heaven and earth and all within them wil shout for joy over Babylon, for the destroyers from thenorth are coming to her, Yahweh declares.	48 Then heaven, and earth, and everything in them shall shout over Babylon with joy, when the destroyers come against her from the north, says the LORD.
49 Babylon in her turn must fal , you slaughtered ones of Israel, just as through Babylon there fel menslaughtered al over the world.	49 Babylon, too, must fall, O slain of Israel, as at the hands of Babylon have fallen the slain of all the earth.
50 You who have escaped her sword, leave her, do not wait! Remember Yahweh from afar, letJerusalem come into your mind.	50 You who have escaped the sword, go on, stand not still; Remember the LORD from afar, let Jerusalem come to your minds.
51 -'We were ashamed when we heard of the outrage, we were covered in confusion because foreignershad entered the Temple of Yahweh's holy places.'	51 We are ashamed because we have heard taunts, confusion covers our faces; strangers have entered the holy places of the house of the LORD.
52 -So look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shall punish her idols, and the wounded willgroan throughout her country.	52 But behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will punish her idols, and in her whole land the wounded will groan.
53 Were Babylon to scale the heavens or reinforce her towering citadel, destroyers would stil come to her on my orders, Yahweh declares.	53 Though Babylon scale the heavens, and make her strong heights inaccessible, destroyers from me shall reach her, says the LORD.
54 The din of shouting from Babylon, of immense destruction, from the country of the Chaldaeans!	54 Hear! loud cries from Babylon, dire destruction from the land of the Chaldeans;
55 Yes, Yahweh is laying Babylon waste and silencing her monstrous din, whose waves used to roar likethe ocean and their tumultuous voices rang out.	55 For the LORD lays Babylon waste, stills her loud cry, Though her waves were roaring like mighty waters, and their clamor was heard afar.
56 For the destroyer has fal en on Babylon, her warriors are captured, their bows are broken. Yes,Yahweh is a God of retribution, he never fails to repay.	56 For the destroyer comes upon her, (Babylon,) her heroes are captured, their bows broken; The LORD is a God who requites, he will surely repay.
57 I shal make her princes and her sages drink, her governors, her magistrates, her warriors; they wilfal into an everlasting sleep, never to wake again, declares the King, whose name is Yahweh Sabaoth.	57 I will make her princes and her wise men drunk, her governors, her prefects, and her warriors, so that they sleep an eternal sleep, never to awaken, says the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
58 Yahweh Sabaoth says this: The wal s of Babylon the Great wil be rased to the ground, and her loftygates wil be burnt down. Thus peoples toil for nothing and nations wear themselves out, for the flames.	58 Thus says the LORD of hosts: The walls of spacious Babylon shall be leveled utterly; her lofty gates shall be destroyed by fire. The toil of the nations is for nothing; for the flames the peoples weary themselves.
59 This is the order that the prophet Jeremiah gave to Seraiah son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah whenSeraiah left for Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was lordchamberlain.	59 This was the errand given by the prophet Jeremiah to Seraiah, son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon for the king in the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah; Seraiah was chief quartermaster.
60 Now, on one sheet, Jeremiah had written down the entire disaster that was to befal Babylon, that is,al these words recorded here against Babylon.	60 Jeremiah had written all the misfortune that was to befall Babylon in a single book: all these words that were written against Babylon.
61 Jeremiah then said to Seraiah, 'When you reach Babylon, see to it that you read al these wordsaloud.	61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: When you reach Babylon, see that you read aloud all these words,
62 Then say, "You, Yahweh, have promised to destroy this place, so that no one will live here ever again,neither human nor animal, and it wil be desolate for ever."	62 and then say: O LORD, you yourself threatened to destroy this place, so that neither man nor beast should dwell in it, since it would remain an everlasting desert.
63 Then, when you have finished reading this sheet, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of theEuphrates,	63 When you have finished reading this book, tie a stone to it and throw it in the Euphrates,
64 with the words, "So shal Babylon sink, never to rise again from the disaster which I am going to bringon her." ' Thus far the words of Jeremiah.	64 and say: Thus shall Babylon sink. Never shall she rise, because of the evil I am bringing upon her. (To "weary themselves" are the words of Jeremiah.)