Jeremiah 50

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 The word that Yahweh spoke against Babylon, against the country of the Chaldaeans, through theprophet Jeremiah.	1 The word that the Lord hath spoken against Babylon, and against the land of the Chaldeans in the hand of Jeremias the prophet.
2 Announce it to the nations, proclaim it, hoist a signal and proclaim it, making no secret of it, say,'Babylon is captured, Bel disgraced, Marduk shattered. (Her idols are disgraced, her Obscenities shattered.)'	2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish it, lift up a standard: proclaim, and conceal it not: say: Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is overthrown, their graven things are confounded, their idols are overthrown.
3 For a nation is marching on her from the north, to turn her country into a desert: no one will live thereany more; human and animal have fled and gone.	3 For a nation is come up against her out of the north, which shall make her land desolate: and there shall be none to dwell therein, from man even to beast:: yea they are removed, and gone away.
4 In those days and at that time the people of Israel will return (they and the people of Judah); they wilcome weeping in search of Yahweh their God.	4 In those days, and at that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Juda together: going and weeping they shall make haste, and shall seek the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces towards her, 'Come, let us bind ourselves to Yahwehby an everlasting covenant never to be forgotten!'	5 They shall ask the way to Sion, their faces are hitherward. They shall come, and shall be joined to the Lord by an everlasting covenant, which shall never be forgotten.
6 Lost sheep, such were my people; their shepherds led them astray, the mountains misled them; frommountain to hil they went, forgetful of their fold.	6 My people have been a lost flock, their shepherds have caused them to go astray, and have made them wander in the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.
7 Whoever came across them devoured them, their enemies said, 'We are not to blame, since they havesinned against Yahweh, the Home of Justice, against Yahweh, the Hope of their ancestors.'	7 All that found them, have devoured them: and their enemies said: We have not sinned in so doing: because they have sinned against the Lord the beauty of justice, and against the Lord the hope of their fathers.
8 Escape from Babylon, leave the country of the Chaldaeans. Be like he-goats, leading the sheep!	8 Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans: and be ye as kids at the head of the flock.
9 For look, I shall raise a league of mighty nations to attack Babylon, from the land of the north. They wiltake up position against her; by them she wil be taken. Their arrows, like an experienced soldier's, never returnin vain.	9 For behold I raise up, and will bring against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north: and they shall be prepared against her, and from thence she shall be taken: their arrows, like those of a mighty man, a destroyer, shall not return in vain.
10 Chaldaea wil be plundered, al her plunderers wil be satisfied, Yahweh declares.	10 And Chaldea shall be made a prey: all that waste her shall be filled, saith the Lord.
11 Rejoice! Have your triumph, you plunderers of my heritage! Be playful like a heifer let out to grass!Neigh like stallions!	11 Because you rejoice, and speak great things, pillaging my inheritance: because you are spread abroad as calves upon the grass, and have bellowed as bulls.
12 But your mother is covered with shame, disgraced is the woman who bore you; she is the least ofnations now; a desert, a parched land, a wasteland.	12 Your mother is confounded exceedingly, and she that bore you is made even with the dust: behold she shall be the last among the nations, a wilderness unpassable, and dry.
13 Because of Yahweh's anger, no one wil live there any more, she wil become a total solitude. All whopass by Babylon wil be appal ed and whistle at the sight of al her wounds.	13 Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but shall be wholly desolate: every one that shall pass by Babylon, shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
14 Take position against Babylon, surround her, al you who bend the bow. Shoot at her! Do not spareyour arrows, for she has sinned against Yahweh!	14 Prepare yourselves against Babylon round about, all you that bend the bow: fight against her, spare not arrows: because she hath sinned against the Lord.
15 Raise the war cry against her from all sides. She surrenders! Her bastions fal ! Her wal s collapse!This is Yahweh's vengeance! Take revenge on her. Treat her as she has treated others.	15 Shout against her, she hath every where given her hand, her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down, for it is the vengeance of the Lord. Take vengeance upon her: as she hath done, so do to her.
16 Deprive Babylon of the man who sows, of the man who wields the sickle at harvest. Away from thedevastating sword, let everyone return to his own people, let everyone flee to his own country!	16 Destroy the sower out of Babylon, and him that holdeth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the sword of the dove every man shall return to his people, and every one shall flee to his own land.
17 Israel was a straying sheep pursued by lions. First, the king of Assyria devoured him, and latterlyNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon crunched his bones.	17 Israel is a scattered flock, the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria devoured him: and last this Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
18 So Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this: Look, I shall punish the king of Babylon and his countryas I punished the king of Assyria.	18 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: Behold I will visit the king of Babylon and his land, as I have visited the king of Assyria.
19 I wil bring Israel back to his pastures to browse on Carmel and in Bashan, on the highlands ofEphraim and in Gilead, and he wil be satisfied.	19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation: and he shall feed on Carmel, and Bason, and his soul shall be satisfied in mount Ephraim, and Galaad.
20 In those days and at that time, Yahweh declares, you may look for Israel's guilt, it will not be there, forJudah's sins, you wil not find them, for I shal pardon the remnant that I leave.	20 In those days, and at that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none: and the sin of Juda, and there shall none be found: for I will be merciful to them, whom I shall leave.
21 March on the country of Merathaim, march on it and on the inhabitants of Pekod; slaughter and cursewith destruction every last one of them, Yahweh declares, carry out my orders to the letter!	21 Go up against the land of the rulers, and punish the inhabitants thereof, waste, and destroy all behind them, saith the Lord: and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
22 The din of battle fil s the country, immense destruction.	22 A noise of war in the land, and a great destruction.
23 How utterly shattered that hammer of the whole world! What a thing of horror Babylon has becomethroughout the nations!	23 How is the hammer of the whole earth broken, and destroyed! how is Babylon turned into a desert among the nations!
24 I set a snare for you, Babylon; you were caught before you knew it. You have been found andoverpowered for having defied Yahweh.	24 I have caused thee to fall into a snare, and thou art taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware of it: thou art found and caught, because thou hast provoked the Lord.
25 Yahweh has opened his armoury and taken out the weapons of his fury. For Lord Yahweh Sabaothhas work to do in the country of the Chaldaeans.	25 The Lord hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his wrath : for the Lord the God of hosts hath a work to be done in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Fal on her from every side, open her granaries, pile her in heaps, curse her with destruction, untilnothing is left of her.	26 Come ye against her from the uttermost borders: open that they may go forth that shall tread her down: take the stones out of the way, and make heaps, and destroy her: and let nothing of her be left.
27 Slaughter al her bulls, down to the slaughterhouse with them! Disaster on them, their day has come,their time for being punished.	27 Destroy all her valiant men, let them go down to the slaughter: woe to them, for their day is come, the time of their visitation.
28 Listen! Fugitives and runaways from the country of Babylon arrive in Zion and proclaim the revenge ofYahweh our God, revenge for his Temple!	28 The voice of them that flee, and of them that have escaped out of the land of Babylon: to declare in Sion the revenge of the Lord our God, the revenge of his temple.
29 Call up the archers against Babylon! Al you who bend the bow, invest her on al sides, leave her noway of escape. Repay her as her deeds deserve; treat her as she has treated others, for she was arrogant toYahweh, to the Holy One of Israel.	29 Declare to many against Babylon, to all that bend the bow: stand together against her round about, and let nose escape; pay her according to her work: according to all that she hath done, do ye to her: for she hath lifted up herself against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel.
30 And so in her squares her young men wil fall, and all her fighting men wil perish, that day, Yahwehdeclares.	30 Therefore shall her young men fall in her streets: and all her men of war shall hold their peace in that day, saith the Lord.
31 My quarrel is with you, 'Arrogance!' Lord Yahweh Sabaoth declares, your day has come, the time forme to punish you.	31 Behold I come against thee, O proud one, saith the Lord the God of hosts: for thy day is come, the time of thy visitation.
32 'Arrogance' wil stumble, she will fal , no one wil lift her up: I shal set fire to her towns and it wildevour all around it.	32 And the proud one shall fall, he shall fall down, and there shall be none to lift him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.
33 Yahweh Sabaoth says this: The people of Israel are oppressed (and the people of Judah too), al theircaptors hold them fast, they will not let them go.	33 Thus saith the Lord of hosts: The children of Israel, and the children of Juda are oppressed together: all that have taken them captives, hold them fast, they will not let them go.
34 But their redeemer is strong: Yahweh Sabaoth is his name. He wil take up their cause, to give ourcountry rest but make the inhabitants of Babylon tremble.	34 Their redeemer is strong, the Lord of hosts is his name : he will defend their cause in judgment, to terrify the land, and to disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 A sword against the Chaldaeans, Yahweh declares, against the inhabitants of Babylon, against herprinces and her sages!	35 A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.
36 A sword against her diviners: may they lose their wits! A sword against her warriors: may they panic!	36 A sword upon her diviners, and they shall be foolish: a sword upon her valiant ones, and they shall be dismayed.
37 A sword against her horses, her chariots and the conglomeration of people inside her: may they belike women! A sword against her treasures: may they be plundered!	37 A sword upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the people that are in the midst of her: and they shall become as women: a sword upon her treasures, and they shall be made a spoil.
38 Drought on her waters: may they dry up! For it is a country of idols, and they are mad about those bogeys of theirs!	38 A drought upon her waters, and they shall be dried up: because it is a land of idols, and they glory in monstrous things.
39 Hence wild cats and jackals wil live there, and ostriches make their home there. She will never againbe inhabited, for ever, but remain uninhabited age after age.	39 Therefore shall dragons dwell there with the fig fauns: and ostriches shall dwell therein, and it shall be no more inhabited for ever, neither shall it be built up from generation to generation.
40 As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and their neighbouring towns, Yahweh declares, noone will live there any more, no human being settle there again.	40 As the Lord overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha, and their neighbour cities, saith the Lord: no man shall dwell there, neither shall the son of man inhabit it.
41 Look, a people is coming from the north, a mighty nation; from the far ends of the earth many kingsare stirring.	41 Behold a people cometh from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall rise from the ends of the earth.
42 They are armed with bow and spear, they are cruel and pitiless; their noise is like the roaring of thesea; they ride horses, ready as one man to fight you, daughter of Babylon!	42 They shall take the bow and the shield: they are cruel and unmerciful: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses: like a man prepared for battle against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon has heard the news, his hands fal limp, anguish has seized him, pain like that ofa woman in labour.	43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands are grown feeble: anguish hath taken hold of him, pangs as a, woman in labour.
44 Look, like a lion he climbs the thickets of the Jordan to the perennial pasture! In a flash I shal makethem run away and there appoint someone I shal choose. For who is there like me? Who can hale me intocourt? Name me the shepherd who can stand up to me.	44 Behold he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of the Jordan to the strong and beautiful: for I will make him run suddenly upon her: and who shall be the chosen one whom I may appoint over her? for who is like to me? and who shall bear up against me? and who is that shepherd that can withstand my countenance?
45 So now hear the plan that Yahweh has laid against Babylon, the schemes he has in mind against thecountry of the Chaldaeans: they wil certainly be dragged away like the smallest in the flock! Their pastures willcertainly be sacked before their eyes!	45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, which he hath taken against Babylon: and his thoughts which he hath thought against the land of the Chaldeans: surely the little ones of the flocks shall pull them down, of a truth their habitation shall be destroyed with them.
46 The earth quakes at the sound of Babylon's capture, and the shouting echoes through the nations.	46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard amongst the nations.