Yeremya 27

¹RAB'bin Babil üzerine bildirdiği söz şudur:

²Uluslar arasında duyurun, ilan edin ve gizlemeyin; deyin ki: “Babil ele geçirildi, korkusuz Bel utandırıldı, narin olan kent Merodah'a teslim edildi.”

³Çünkü kuzeyden ona karşı bir ulus yükseldi; bu ulus onun ülkesini bir viraneye çevirecek ve orada insandan hayvana dek hiç kimse yaşamayacak.

⁴O günlerde ve o zamanda, İsrailoğulları ve Yahudaoğulları birlikte gelecekler; ağlaya ağlaya yürüyecek, Tanrıları RAB'bi arayacaklar.

⁵Siyon'a kadar yolu soracaklar, çünkü yüzlerini o yöne çevirecekler; gelecekler ve Tanrıları RAB'be sığınacaklar, çünkü sonsuz antlaşma asla unutulmayacak.

⁶Halkım kaybolmuş koyunlar oldu; çobanları onları saptırdı, dağlarda avare etti; dağdan tepeye gezip durdular, yatacakları yeri unuttular.

⁷Onları bulanların hepsi onları yiyip bitirdi; düşmanları, “Onları esirgemeyelim, çünkü atalarını bir araya getirenin doğruluk otlağı olan RAB'be karşı günah işlediler” dediler.

⁸Babil'in ortasından kaçın, Keldanilerin ülkesinden çıkın; koyunların önündeki ejderhalar gibi olun.

⁹Çünkü işte, Babil'e karşı kuzey ülkesinden büyük uluslar topluluğu uyandırıyorum; ona karşı savaş düzeni alacaklar, oradan ele geçirilecek. Onların okları, boş dönmeyen uzman bir savaşçının oku gibidir.

¹⁰Keldani ülkesi yağmalanacak; onu yağmalayanların hepsi doymuş olacak.

¹¹Çünkü mirasımı yağmalarken sevindiniz ve övündünüz; otlaktaki buzağılar gibi sıçradınız ve boğalar gibi boynuzladınız.

¹²Anneniz çok utandı, sizi doğuran rezil oldu; işte, iyilikler üzerine ulusların en sonuncusu bir çöl oldu.

¹³RAB'bin öfkesinden ötürü orada yaşanmayacak, tümüyle bir virane olacak; Babil'den her geçen kasvetli bir çehreye bürünecek, uğradığı bütün belalardan ötürü ıslık çalacak.

¹⁴Babil'e karşı çevre boyunca savaş düzeni alın, ey yay gerenlerin hepsi! Ona ok atın, oklarınızı esirgemeyin.

¹⁵Onu alt edin! Onun elleri felç oldu, siperleri düştü ve surları yıkıldı; çünkü bu Tanrı'nın öcüdür. Ondan öç alın; o nasıl yaptıysa, siz de ona öyle yapın.

¹⁶Babil'den ekin ekeni ve hasat vaktinde orak tutanı yok edin; Hellenik kılıcın korkusundan herkes kendi halkına dönecek, herkes kendi ülkesine kaçacak.

¹⁷İsrail sapan bir koyundur, aslanlar onu kovaladı; önce Asur kralı onu yedi, sonra da bu sonuncu Babil kralı onun kemiklerini kemirdi.

¹⁸Bu yüzden RAB şöyle diyor: İşte, Asur kralından öç aldığım gibi, Babil kralından ve ülkesinden de öç alacağım.

¹⁹İsrail'i kendi otlağına geri getireceğim; Karmel'de, Efrayim dağında ve Gilead'da otlayacak, canı doyacak.

²⁰O günlerde ve o zamanda, İsrail'in haksızlığı aranacak ama bulunmayacak, Yahuda'nın günahları aranacak ama bulunamayacak; çünkü yeryüzünde sağ kalanlara merhametli olacağım, diyor RAB.

²¹Ona ve üzerinde yaşayanlara karşı acı bir şekilde çık; ey kılıç, öç al ve onları tamamen yok et, diyor RAB; sana buyurduğum her şeye göre yap.

²²Keldani ülkesinde savaş sesi ve büyük bir yıkım var!

²³Bütün yeryüzünün çekici nasıl da kırıldı ve parçalandı! Babil uluslar arasında nasıl da bir viraneye döndü!

²⁴Sana tuzak kuracaklar ve sen farkına varmadan yakalanacaksın, ey Babil! Bulundun ve ele geçirildin, çünkü RAB'be karşı geldin.

²⁵RAB hazinesini açtı ve öfkesinin silahlarını çıkardı; çünkü Rab Tanrı'nın Keldani ülkesinde yapacağı bir iş var.

²⁶Çünkü onun vakti geldi; ambarlarını açın, onu bir mağara gibi kazıp araştırın ve tamamen yok edin, ondan hiçbir kalıntı kalmasın.

²⁷Onun bütün meyvelerini kurutun, boğazlanmaya gitsinler; vay başlarına! Çünkü günleri, cezalandırılma vakitleri geldi.

²⁸Babil ülkesinden kaçıp kurtulanların sesi geliyor; Tanrımız RAB'bin öcünü Siyon'da duyuruyorlar.

²⁹Babil'e karşı çoklarını, bütün yay gerenleri çağırın; çevresinde ordugah kurun, onlardan hiç kimse kaçıp kurtulamasın. Yaptıklarına göre ona karşılığını verin; yaptığı her şeyin aynısını ona yapın, çünkü o RAB'be, İsrail'in Kutsal Tanrısı'na karşı geldi.

³⁰Bu yüzden onun gençleri meydanlarında düşecek ve bütün savaşçı adamları o gün yere serilecek, diyor RAB.

³¹İşte, sana karşıyım ey kibirli kadın, diyor RAB; çünkü günün, cezalandırılma vaktin geldi.

³²Kibrin sendeleyecek ve düşecek, onu ayağa kaldıracak kimse olmayacak; ormanlarında bir ateş yakacağım, çevresindeki her şeyi yakıp yok edecek.

³³RAB şöyle diyor: İsrailoğulları da Yahudaoğulları da birlikte eziliyor; onları tutsak edenlerin hepsi onları sıkıca tutuyor, salıvermeyi reddediyorlar.

³⁴Ama onları kurtaran güçlüdür, O'nun adı Her Şeye Egemen RAB'dir; yeryüzünü kurtarmak ve Babil'de yaşayanları titretmek için onların davasını kesinlikle savunacaktır.

³⁵Keldanilere karşı, Babil'de yaşayanlara, onun önderlerine ve bilgelerine karşı kılıç!

³⁶Onun savaşçılarına karşı kılıç, dermanları tükenecek! Onların atlarına ve savaş arabalarına karşı kılıç!

³⁷Onların savaşçılarına ve aralarındaki karışık halka karşı kılıç, kadın gibi olacaklar! Onun hazinelerine karşı kılıç, yağmalanıp dağıtılacaklar!

³⁸Sularına güvenmişti ama utandırılacaklar; çünkü burası oyma putlar ülkesidir ve övündükleri adalarda rezil olacaklar.

³⁹Bu yüzden adalarda hayaletler yaşayacak, orada sirenlerin kızları barınacak; bir daha asla orada yaşanmayacak.

⁴⁰Tanrı’nın Sodom’u, Gomora’yı ve çevre kentlerini yerle bir ettiği gibi, diyor RAB, orada da hiç kimse yaşamayacak, hiçbir insan oğlu orada barınmayacak.

⁴¹İşte, kuzeyden bir halk geliyor; büyük bir ulus ve birçok kral yeryüzünün uçlarından harekete geçirilecek.

⁴²Yay ve hançer kuşanmışlar; acımasızdırlar, merhamet etmezler. Sesleri deniz gibi gürler, atlara binmişler; sana karşı savaşmak için ateş gibi hazırlandılar, ey Babil kızı!

⁴³Babil kralı onların haberini aldı, elleri felç oldu; onu sıkıntı sardı, doğum yapan kadın gibi sancı tuttu.

⁴⁴İşte, Şeria Irmağı’nın gürbüz çalılıklarından Aitham’ın yurduna çıkan bir aslan gibi, onları oradan çabucak kovalayacağım ve onun üzerine gençleri atayacağım. Çünkü benim gibi kim var? Bana kim karşı durabilir? Karşımda durabilecek o çoban kimdir?

⁴⁵Bu yüzden RAB’bin Babil’e karşı aldığı kararı, Keldani ülkesinde yaşayanlar için tasarladığı tasarıları duyun: Eğer koyunların kuzuları yok edilmezse, otlakları kesinlikle onlardan ötürü viran edilecektir.

⁴⁶Babil’in ele geçirilişinin sesinden yeryüzü sarsılacak, feryatları uluslar arasında duyulacak.

¹(Μασ. Ν΄ .) ΛΟΓΟΣ Κυρίου ὃν ἐλάλησεν ἐπὶ Βαβυλῶνα. -

²᾿Αναγγείλατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι καὶ ἀκουστὰ ποιήσατε καὶ μὴ κρύψητε, εἴπατε· ἑάλωκε Βαβυλών, κατῃσχύνθη Βῆλος ἡ ἀπτόητος, ἡ τρυφερὰ παρεδόθη Μαρωδάχ.

³ὅτι ἀνέβη ἐπ’ αὐτὴν ἔθνος ἀπὸ βορρᾶ· οὗτος θήσει τὴν γῆν αὐτῆς εἰς ἀφανισμόν, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν αὐτῇ ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἕως κτήνους.

⁴ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἥξουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραήλ, αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ιούδα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό· βαδίζοντες καὶ κλαίοντες πορεύσονται τὸν Κύριον Θεὸν αὐτῶν ζητοῦντες.

⁵ἕως Σιὼν ἐρωτήσουσι τὴν ὁδόν, ὧδε γὰρ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν δώσουσι· καὶ ἥξουσι καὶ καταφεύξονται πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεόν, διαθήκη γὰρ αἰώνιος οὐκ ἐπιλησθήσεται.

⁶πρόβατα ἀπολωλότα ἐγενήθη ὁ λαός μου, οἱ ποιμένες αὐτῶν ἔξωσαν αὐτούς, ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη ἀπεπλάνησαν αὐτούς, ἐξ ὄρους ἐπὶ βουνὸν ᾤχοντο, ἐπελάθοντο κοίτης αὐτῶν.

⁷πάντες οἱ εὑρίσκοντες αὐτοὺς ἀνήλισκον αὐτούς, οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν εἶπαν· μὴ ἀνῶμεν αὐτούς· ἀνθ’ ὧν ἥμαρτον τῷ Κυρίῳ νομὴ δικαιοσύνης τῷ συναγαγόντι τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν.

⁸ἀπαλλοτριώθητε ἐκ μέσου Βαβυλῶνος καὶ ἀπὸ γῆς Χαλδαίων καὶ ἐξέλθατε καὶ γένεσθε ὥσπερ δράκοντες κατὰ πρόσωπον προβάτων.

⁹ὅτι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐγείρω ἐπὶ Βαβυλῶνα συναγωγὰς ἐθνῶν ἐκ γῆς βορρᾶ, καὶ παρατάξονται αὐτῇ· ἐκεῖθεν ἁλώσεται, ὡς βολὶς μαχητοῦ συνετοῦ οὐκ ἐπιστρέψει κενή.

¹⁰καὶ ἔσται ἡ Χαλδαία εἰς προνομήν, πάντες οἱ προνομεύοντες αὐτὴν ἐμπλησθήσονται,

¹¹ὅτι ηὐφραίνεσθε καὶ κατεκαυχᾶσθε διαρπάζοντες τὴν κληρονομίαν μου, διότι ἐσκιρτᾶτε ὡς βοΐδια ἐν βοτάνῃ καὶ ἐκερατίζετε ὡς ταῦροι.

¹²ᾐσχύνθη ἡ μήτηρ ὑμῶν σφόδρα, ἐνετράπη ἡ τεκοῦσα ὑμᾶς μήτηρ ἐπ’ ἀγαθὰ ἐσχάτη ἐθνῶν ἔρημος.

¹³ἀπὸ ὀργῆς Κυρίου οὐ κατοικηθήσεται. καὶ ἔσται εἰς ἀφανισμὸν πᾶσα, καὶ πᾶς ὁ διοδεύων διὰ Βαβυλῶνος σκυθρωπάσει καὶ συριοῦσιν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν πληγὴν αὐτῆς.

¹⁴παρατάξασθε ἐπὶ Βαβυλῶνα κύκλῳ, πάντες τείνοντες τόξον· τοξεύσατε ἐπ’ αὐτήν, μὴ φείσησθε ἐπὶ τοῖς τοξεύμασιν ὑμῶν.

¹⁵κατακρατήσατε αὐτήν· παρελύθησαν αἱ χεῖρες αὐτῆς, ἔπεσαν αἱ ἐπάλξεις αὐτῆς καὶ κατεσκάφη τὸ τεῖχος αὐτῆς, ὅτι ἐκδίκησις παρὰ Θεοῦ ἐστιν· ἐκδικεῖτε ἐπ’ αὐτήν· καθὼς ἐποίησε, ποιήσατε αὐτῇ.

¹⁶ἐξολοθρεύσασθε σπέρμα ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος, κατέχοντα δρέπανον ἐν καιρῷ θερισμοῦ· ἀπὸ προσώπου μαχαίρας ῾Ελληνικῆς ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀποστρέψουσι καὶ ἕκαστος εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ φεύξεται.

¹⁷Πρόβατον πλανώμενον ᾿Ισραήλ, λέοντες ἔξωσαν αὐτόν· ὁ πρῶτος ἔφαγεν αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς ᾿Ασσοὺρ καὶ οὗτος ὕστερον τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτοῦ βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος.

¹⁸διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐκδικῶ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα Βαβυλῶνος καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ, καθὼς ἐξεδίκησα ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα ᾿Ασσούρ.

¹⁹καὶ ἀποκαταστήσω τὸν ᾿Ισραὴλ εἰς τὴν νομὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ νεμήσεται ἐν τῷ Καρμήλῳ καὶ ἐν ὄρει ᾿Εφραὶμ καὶ ἐν τῷ Γαλαὰδ καὶ πλησθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ.

²⁰ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ζητήσουσι τὴν ἀδικίαν ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ οὐχ ὑπάρξει, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ᾿Ιούδα, καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῶσιν, ὅτι ἵλεως ἔσομαι τοῖς ὑπολελειμμένοις ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, λέγει Κύριος. -

²¹Πικρῶς ἐπίβηθι ἐπ’ αὐτὴν καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπ’ αὐτήν· ἐκδίκησον, μάχαιρα, καὶ ἀφάνισον, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ ποίει κατὰ πάντα, ὅσα ἐντέλλομαί σοι.

²²φωνὴ πολέμου καὶ συντριβὴ μεγάλη ἐν γῇ Χαλδαίων.

²³πῶς ἐκλάσθη καὶ συνετρίβη ἡ σφῦρα πάσης τῆς γῆς; πῶς ἐγενήθη εἰς ἀφανισμὸν Βαβυλὼν ἐν ἔθνεσιν;

²⁴ἐπιθήσονταί σοι, καὶ ἁλώσῃ, ὦ Βαβυλών, καὶ οὐ γνώσῃ· εὑρέθης καὶ ἐλήφθης, ὅτι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀντέστης.

²⁵ἤνοιξε Κύριος τὸν θησαυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξήνεγκε τὰ σκεύη ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἔργον τῷ Κυρίῳ Θεῷ ἐν γῇ Χαλδαίων,

²⁶ὅτι ἐληλύθασιν οἱ καιροὶ αὐτῆς. ἀνοίξατε τὰς ἀποθήκας αὐτῆς, ἐρευνήσατε αὐτὴν ὡς σπήλαιον καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσατε αὐτήν, μὴ γενέσθω αὐτῆς κατάλειμμα.

²⁷ἀναξηράνατε αὐτῆς πάντας τοὺς καρπούς, καὶ καταβήτωσαν εἰς σφαγήν· οὐαὶ αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ἥκει ἡ ἡμέρα αὐτῶν καὶ καιρὸς ἐκδικήσεως αὐτῶν.

²⁸φωνὴ φευγόντων καὶ ἀνασῳζομένων ἐκ γῆς Βαβυλῶνος τοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαι εἰς Σιὼν τὴν ἐκδίκησιν παρὰ Κυρίου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν.

²⁹παραγγείλατε ἐπὶ Βαβυλῶνα πολλοῖς, παντὶ ἐντείνοντι τόξον· παρεμβάλλετε ἐπ’ αὐτὴν κυκλόθεν, μὴ ἔστω αὐτοῖς ἀνασῳζόμενος· ἀνταπόδοτε αὐτῇ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῆς, κατὰ πάντα, ὅσα ἐποίησε, ποιήσατε αὐτῇ, ὅτι πρὸς Κύριον ἀντέστη Θεὸν ἅγιον τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ.

³⁰διὰ τοῦτο πεσοῦνται οἱ νεανίσκοι αὐτῆς ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις αὐτῆς, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ πολεμισταὶ αὐτῆς ῥιφήσονται, εἶπε Κύριος.

³¹ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σὲ τὴν ὑβρίστριαν, λέγει Κύριος, ὅτι ἥκει ἡ ἡμέρα σου καὶ ὁ καιρὸς ἐκδικήσεώς σου·

³²καὶ ἀσθενήσει ἡ ὕβρις σου καὶ πεσεῖται, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἔσται ὁ ἀνιστῶν αὐτήν· καὶ ἀνάψω πῦρ ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ αὐτῆς, καὶ καταφάγεται πάντα τὰ κύκλῳ αὐτῆς.

³³Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· καταδεδυνάστευνται οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ιούδα ἅμα, πάντες οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύσαντες αὐτοὺς κατεδυνάστευσαν αὐτούς, ὅτι οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ἐξαποστεῖλαι αὐτούς.

³⁴καὶ ὁ λυτρούμενος αὐτοὺς ἰσχυρός, Κύριος παντοκράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτῷ· κρίσιν κρινεῖ πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιδίκους αὐτοῦ, ὅπως ἐξάρῃ τὴν γῆν, καὶ παροξυνεῖ τοῖς κατοικοῦσι Βαβυλῶνα.

³⁵μάχαιραν ἐπὶ τοὺς Χαλδαίους καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Βαβυλῶνα καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μεγιστᾶνας αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς συνετοὺς αὐτῆς·

³⁶μάχαιραν ἐπὶ τοὺς μαχητὰς αὐτῆς, καὶ παραλυθήσονται· μάχαιραν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἅρματα αὐτῶν·

³⁷μάχαιραν ἐπὶ τοὺς μαχητὰς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν σύμμεικτον τὸν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔσονται ὡσεὶ γυναῖκες· μάχαιραν ἐπὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτῆς, καὶ διασκορπισθήσονται.

³⁸ἐπὶ τῷ ὕδατι αὐτῆς ἐπεποίθει καὶ καταισχυνθήσονται, ὅτι γῆ τῶν γλυπτῶν ἐστι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς νήσοις, οὗ κατεκαυχῶντο.

³⁹διὰ τοῦτο κατοικήσουσιν ἰνδάλματα ἐν ταῖς νήσοις, καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐν αὐτῇ θυγατέρες σειρήνων· οὐ μὴ κατοικηθῇ οὐκέτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

⁴⁰καθὼς κατέστρεψεν ὁ Θεὸς Σόδομα καὶ Γόμορρα καὶ τὰς ὁμορούσας αὐταῖς, εἶπε Κύριος, οὐ μὴ κατοικήσει ἐκεῖ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ οὐ μὴ παροικήσει ἐκεῖ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου.

⁴¹ἰδοὺ λαὸς ἔρχεται ἀπὸ βορρᾶ, καὶ ἔθνος μέγα καὶ βασιλεῖς πολλοὶ ἐξεγερθήσονται ἀπ’ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς,

⁴²τόξον καὶ ἐγχειρίδιον ἔχοντες· ἰταμός ἐστι καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐλεήσῃ· ἡ φωνὴ αὐτῶν ὡς θάλασσα ἠχήσει, ἐφ’ ἵπποις ἱππάσονται παρεσκευασμένοι, ὥσπερ πῦρ, εἰς πόλεμον πρὸς σέ, θύγατερ Βαβυλῶνος.

⁴³ἤκουσε βασιλεὺς Βαβυλῶνος τὴν ἀκοὴν αὐτῶν, καὶ παρελύθησαν αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ· θλῖψις κατεκράτησεν αὐτοῦ, ὠδῖνες ὡς τικτούσης.

⁴⁴ἰδοὺ ὥσπερ λέων ἀναβήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ ᾿Ιορδάνου εἰς τόπον Αἰθάμ, ὅτι ταχέως ἐκδιώξω αὐτοὺς ἀπ’ αὐτῆς καὶ πάντα νεανίσκον ἐπ’ αὐτὴν ἐπιστήσω. ὅτι τίς ὥσπερ ἐγώ; καὶ τίς ἀντιστήσεταί μοι; καὶ τίς οὗτος ποιμήν, ὃς στήσεται κατὰ πρόσωπόν μου;

⁴⁵διὰ τοῦτο ἀκούσατε τὴν βουλὴν Κυρίου, ἣν βεβούλευται ἐπὶ Βαβυλῶνα, καὶ λογισμοὺς αὐτοῦ, οὓς ἐλογίσατο ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Χαλδαίους· ἐὰν μὴ διαφθαρῇ τὰ ἀρνία τῶν προβάτων αὐτῶν, ἐὰν μὴ ἀφανισθῇ νομὴ ἀπ’ αὐτῶν.

⁴⁶ὅτι ἀπὸ φωνῆς ἁλώσεως Βαβυλῶνος σεισθήσεται ἡ γῆ, καὶ κραυγὴ ἐν ἔθνεσιν ἀκουσθήσεται. * Gr. daughters of Sirens. See Job 30: 20. Esai. 13: 21, etc. [Brenton]

¹THE WORD OF THE LORD WHICH HE SPOKE AGAINST BABYLON.

²Proclaim ye among the Gentiles, and cause the tidings to be heard, and suppress them not: say ye, Babylon is taken, Belus is confounded; the fearless, the luxurious Maerodach is delivered up.

³For a nation has come up against her from the north, he shall utterly ravage her land, and there shall be none to dwell in it, neither man nor beast.

⁴In those days, and at that time, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Juda together; they shall proceed, weeping as they go, seeking the Lord their God.

⁵They shall ask the way till they come to Sion, for that way shall they set their face; and they shall come and flee for refuge to the Lord their God; for the everlasting covenant shall not be forgotten.

⁶My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds thrust them out, they caused them to wander on the mountains: they went from mountain to hill, they forgot their resting-place.

⁷All that found them consumed them: their enemies said, Let us not leave them alone, because they have sinned against the Lord: he that gathered their fathers had a pasture of righteousness.

⁸Flee ye out of the midst of Babylon, and from the land of the Chaldeans, and go forth, and be as serpents before sheep.

⁹For, behold, I stir up against Babylon the gatherings of nations out of the land of the north; and they shall set themselves in array against her: thence shall she be taken, as the dart of an expert warrior shall not return empty.

¹⁰And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied.

¹¹Because ye rejoiced, and boasted, while plundering mine heritage; because ye exulted as calves in the grass, and pushed with the horn as bulls.

¹²Your mother is greatly ashamed; your mother that bore you for prosperity is confounded: she is the last of the nations, desolate,

¹³by reason of the Lord’s anger: it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be all a desolation; and every one that passes through Babylon shall scowl, and they shall hiss at all her plague.

¹⁴Set yourselves in array against Babylon round about, all ye that bend the bow; shoot at her, spare not your arrows,

¹⁵and prevail against her: her hands are weakened, her bulwarks are fallen, and her wall is broken down: for it is vengeance from God: take vengeance upon her; as she has done, do to her.

¹⁶Utterly destroy seed out of Babylon, and him that holds a sickle in time of harvest: for fear of the Grecian sword, they shall return every one to his people, and every one shall flee to his own land.

¹⁷Israel is a wandering sheep; the lions have driven him out: the king of Assyria first devoured him, and afterward this king of Babylon has gnawed his bones.

¹⁸Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will take vengeance on the king of Babylon, and upon his land, as I took vengeance on the king of Assyria.

¹⁹And I will restore Israel to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and on mount Ephraim and in Galaad, and his soul shall be satisfied.

²⁰In those days, and at that time, they shall seek for the iniquity of Israel, and there shall be none; and for the sins of Juda, and they shall not be found: for I will be merciful to them that are left on the land, saith the Lord.

²¹Go up against it roughly, and against them that dwell on it: avenge, O sword, and destroy utterly, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I command thee.

²²A sound of war, and great destruction in the land of the Chaldeans!

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

²⁴They shall come upon thee, and thou shalt not know it, Babylon, that thou wilt even be taken captive: thou art found and taken, because thou didst resist the Lord.

²⁵The Lord has opened his treasury, and brought forth the weapons of his anger: for the Lord God has a work in the land of the Chaldeans.

²⁶For her times are come: open ye her storehouses: search her as a cave, and utterly destroy her: let there be no remnant of her.

²⁷Dry ye up all her fruits, and let them go down to the slaughter: woe to them! for their day is come, and the time of their retribution.

²⁸A voice of men fleeing and escaping from the land of Babylon, to declare to Sion the vengeance that comes from the Lord our God.

²⁹Summon many against Babylon, even every one that bends the bow: camp against her round about; let no one of her people escape: render to her according to her works; according to all that she has done, do to her: for she has resisted the Lord, the Holy God of Israel.

³⁰Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her warriors shall be cast down, saith the Lord.

³¹Behold, I am against thee the haughty one, saith the Lord: for thy day is come, and the time of thy retribution.

³²And thy pride shall fail, and fall, and there shall be no one to set it up again: and I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all things round about her.

³³Thus saith the Lord; The children of Israel and the children of Juda have been oppressed: all they that have taken them captive have oppressed them together; for they would not let them go.

³⁴But their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name: he will enter into judgment with his adversaries, that he may destroy the earth;

³⁵and he will sharpen a sword against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her nobles and upon her wise men;

³⁶a sword upon her warriors, and they shall be weakened: a sword upon their horses, and upon their chariots:

³⁷a sword upon their warriors and upon the mixed people in the midst of her; and they shall be as women: a sword upon the treasures, and they shall be scattered

³⁸upon her water, and they shall be ashamed: for it is a land of graven images; and in the islands, where they boasted.

³⁹Therefore shall idols dwell in the islands, and the young of monsters [*] shall dwell in it: it shall not be inhabited any more for ever.

⁴⁰As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities bordering upon them, saith the Lord: no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn there.

⁴¹Behold, a people comes from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be stirred up from the end of the earth;

⁴²holding bow and dagger: the people is fierce, and will have no mercy: their voices shall sound as the sea, they shall ride upon horses, prepared for war, like fire, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

⁴³The king of Babylon heard the sound of them, and his hands were enfeebled: anguish overcame him, pangs as of a woman in travail.

⁴⁴Behold, he shall come up as a lion from Jordan to Gaethan; for I will speedily drive them from her, and I will set all the youths against her: for who is like me? and who will resist me? and who is this shepherd who will stand before me?

⁴⁵Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, which he has taken against Babylon; and his devices, which he has devised upon the Chaldeans inhabiting it: surely lambs of their flock shall be destroyed: surely pasture shall be cut off from them.

⁴⁶For at the sound of the taking of Babylon the earth shall quake, and a cry shall be heard among the nations.