Jeremiah 50

The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.

1This is the message the LORD gave to Jeremiah, a prophet, someone who told people what God said. The message was about Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans, the people who lived there.

2Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

2Tell the nations. Say it out loud. Lift up a flag so everyone can see. Do not keep any of it back. Say: Babylon is captured. Her god Bel is shamed. Her god Marduk is smashed. All her statues of gods are shamed and broken to pieces.

NoteBel and Marduk were the names of gods that the people of Babylon worshipped.

3For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.

3A nation from the north is coming to fight her. It will leave her land empty. No one will live there. People and animals will all run away.

4In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.

4The LORD says: In those days, at that time, the people of Israel and the people of Judah will come back together. They will come crying. They will look for the LORD their God.

5They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

5They will ask which way leads to Zion, the hill where God's city stands. They will turn their faces that way. They will say, "Come, let us join ourselves to the LORD. Let us make a promise with him that lasts forever and is never forgotten."

6My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

6My people have been like lost sheep. Their shepherds, the leaders who should have cared for them, led them the wrong way. They let them wander over the mountains. They went from hill to hill. They forgot the safe place where they could rest.

7All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.

7Everyone who found them ate them up. Their enemies said, "We have done nothing wrong. These people sinned against the LORD. He was their true home, where things are done right. He was the hope of their fathers long ago."

8Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.

8Get out of Babylon. Leave the land of the Chaldeans. Go first, like the male goats that walk ahead of the flock.

9For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.

9Look, I am waking up many great nations in the north and bringing them against Babylon. They will line up to fight her, and she will be taken. Their arrows fly like the arrows of skilled soldiers. Not one arrow comes back without hitting something.

10And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the LORD.

10The land of the Chaldeans will be robbed of everything. Everyone who robs her will take all they want, says the LORD.

11Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;

11You were happy. You cheered. You are the ones who took what belonged to my people. You jumped about like a young cow in the grass. You made loud noises like strong horses.

12Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

12Now your mother, the city you came from, will be deeply ashamed. She will be put to shame. Babylon will become the smallest of the nations. She will be a dry, empty desert.

13Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.

13The LORD is angry, so no one will live there. It will be completely empty. Everyone who walks past Babylon will be shocked. They will gasp at how badly she was hurt.

14Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the LORD.

14Line up all around Babylon to fight. All of you with bows, shoot at her. Do not save your arrows. She has sinned against the LORD.

15Shout against her round about: she hath 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, do unto her.

15Shout the war cry against her from every side. She has put her hands up and given in. Her towers have fallen. Her walls are pulled down. The LORD is paying her back. So pay her back too. Do to her what she did to others.

16Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

16Take away the farmer who plants seed in Babylon. Take away the worker who cuts the grain at harvest time. The enemy sword is coming, and everyone is afraid. Each person will go back to his own people and run home to his own land.

17Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.

17Israel is like a flock of sheep chased and scattered by lions. The king of Assyria ate him up first. Then Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, broke his bones.

18Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.

18So the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says this: I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria.

19And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.

19I will bring Israel back to his own grass land. He will eat on Carmel and in Bashan. He will have all he needs on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead.

20In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.

20The LORD says: In those days, at that time, people will look for the wrong things Israel did, and there will be none. They will look for Judah's sins, and none will be found. I will forgive the ones I have kept safe.

21Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

21Go up and fight the land of Merathaim and the people of Pekod. Kill them and destroy everything, says the LORD. Do all that I have told you to do.

22A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.

22The noise of battle is in the land. It is the noise of great destroying.

23How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!

23The hammer that pounded the whole earth is now broken in two! Babylon has become an empty ruin, and the nations stare at her.

24I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD.

24I set a trap for you, Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it. You were found and taken, because you fought against the LORD.

25The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.

25The LORD has opened the room where he keeps his weapons. He has brought out the weapons of his anger. The Lord GOD of Hosts has work to do in the land of the Chaldeans.

26Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.

26Come against her from the farthest border. Break open the buildings where she keeps her grain. Pile her up like heaps of grain. Destroy her completely. Leave nothing at all.

27Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.

27Kill all her young bulls. Send them down to be killed. It is a sad day for them. Their day has come. It is time for them to be punished.

28The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.

28Listen to the people running away from Babylon. They will tell in Zion how the LORD our God paid Babylon back. He paid her back for what she did to his temple, the house where people worshipped him.

29Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel.

29Call the archers to come against Babylon. All you who use a bow, set up camp all around her. Do not let anyone get away. Pay her back for what she did. She was proud and stood up against the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

30Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD.

30So her young men will fall down in the streets. All her soldiers will be silenced on that day, says the LORD.

31Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

31The Lord GOD of Hosts says: Look, I am against you, proud city. Your day has come. It is time for me to punish you.

32And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.

32The proud one will trip and fall, and no one will help him up. I will start a fire in his towns. It will burn up everything around him.

33Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.

33The LORD of Hosts says this: The people of Israel are being treated badly, and the people of Judah too. The ones who took them hold them tightly. They will not let them go.

34Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

34But the One who saves them is strong. His name is the LORD of Hosts. He will fight hard for them in court. He will bring rest to the land and trouble to the people of Babylon.

35A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.

35A sword is coming against the Chaldeans, says the LORD. It is coming against the people of Babylon, her leaders, and her wise men.

36A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.

36A sword is coming against her false prophets, and they will be shown to be fools. A sword is coming against her strong soldiers, and they will be full of fear.

37A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.

37A sword is coming against her horses and her chariots. It is coming against all the foreigners living among her, and they will become like women. A sword is coming against her treasure rooms, and everything will be taken.

Note"They will become like women" was an old way of saying that the soldiers would be afraid and lose their strength.

38A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.

38Her waters will dry up in a drought. Her land is full of statues of gods. The people there act foolish over their idols.

39Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.

39So wild desert animals and hyenas will live there. Ostriches will make their homes there. No one will ever live in Babylon again. It will be empty for all time.

40As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.

40The LORD says: God turned Sodom and Gomorrah upside down, and the towns beside them too. Babylon will be like that. No one will stay there. No person will live there.

41Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

41Look, an army is coming from the north. A great nation is coming. Many kings are getting ready in far away places.

42They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

42They carry bows and spears. They are hard men who show no kindness. Their voices roar like the sea. They ride on horses. They line up like soldiers ready to fight you, city of Babylon.

43The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.

43The king of Babylon heard the news about them. His hands went weak. He hurt inside, like a woman having a baby.

44Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

44Look, someone will come up like a lion out of the thick bushes by the Jordan River. He will come to the good grass land. In a moment I will chase Babylon away from her land. Who is the one I will choose to do this? Who is like me? Who can question me? What shepherd can stand up to me?

45Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.

45So listen to what the LORD has planned against Babylon. Listen to what he has decided about the land of the Chaldeans. Even the smallest of the flock will be dragged away. Their grass land will be left empty because of them.

46At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.

46When people hear that Babylon has been taken, the earth will shake. A cry will be heard among the nations.