¶ The word that the LORD spake against Babylon¹ and against the land² of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah³ the prophet.

Declare⁴ ye among the nations, and publish, and set up⁵ a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon⁶ is taken, Bel⁷ is confounded, Merodach⁸ is broken in pieces; her idols⁹ are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

For out of the¹⁰ north there cometh up a nation against her, which¹¹ shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both¹² man and beast.

In those¹³ days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel¹⁴ shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going¹⁵ and weeping: they shall go, and seek the¹⁶ LORD their God.

They shall ask¹⁷ the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come¹⁸, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a¹⁹ perpetual covenant that shall²⁰ not be forgotten.

My people²¹ hath been lost sheep: their shepherds²² have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the²³ mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten²⁴ their restingplace.

All that found them have devoured²⁶ them: and their adversaries said, We offend²⁷ not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation²⁸ of justice, even the LORD, the hope²⁹ of their fathers.

Remove out of the midst³⁰ of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats³¹ before the flocks.

¶ For, lo, I will raise³² and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly³³ of great nations from the north country: and they shall³⁴ set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man³⁵; none shall return in vain.

¶ And Chaldea³⁶ shall be a spoil: all that³⁷ spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the LORD.

Because ye were³⁸ glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers³⁹ of mine heritage, because ye are⁴⁰ grown fat⁴¹ as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls⁴²;

Your mother⁴³ shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost⁴⁴ of the nations shall be a wilderness⁴⁵, a dry land, and a desert.

Because⁴⁶ of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every⁴⁷ one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.

Put yourselves in array⁴⁸ against Babylon round about: all ye that bend⁴⁹ the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she⁵⁰ hath sinned against the LORD.

Shout⁵¹ against her round about: she hath⁵² given her hand: her foundations⁵³ are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it⁵⁴ is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she⁵⁵ hath done, do unto her.

Cut off the sower⁵⁶ from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle⁵⁷ 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.

Israel is a scattered⁵⁸ sheep; the lions⁵⁹ have driven him away: first⁶⁰ the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this⁶¹ Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I⁶² have punished the king of Assyria.

And I will bring⁶³ Israel again to his habitation, and he shall⁶⁴ feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul⁶⁵ shall be satisfied upon mount⁶⁶ Ephraim and Gilead⁶⁷.

¶ In those⁶⁸ days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity⁶⁹ of Israel shall be sought for, and there⁷⁰ shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon⁷¹ them whom I reserve.

¶ Go up⁷² against the land of Merathaim⁷³, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do⁷⁴ according to all that I have commanded thee.

⁷⁵A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.

⁷⁶How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!

I have laid a snare⁷⁷ for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast⁷⁸ not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because⁷⁹ thou hast striven against the LORD.

The LORD hath opened⁸⁰ his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this⁸¹ is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.

Come against⁸² her from the utmost⁸³ border, open her storehouses: cast her up⁸⁴ as heaps, and destroy⁸⁵ her utterly: let nothing of her be left.

Slay all her bullocks⁸⁶; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day⁸⁷ is come, the time of their visitation.

The voice⁸⁸ of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare⁸⁹ in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his⁹⁰ temple.

Call together the archers⁹¹ against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense⁹² her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath⁹³ been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel.

¶ Therefore⁹⁴ shall her young⁹⁵ men fall in the streets, and all her⁹⁶ men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD.

Behold, I am⁹⁷ against thee, O thou⁹⁸ most proud⁹⁹, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

And the most proud¹⁰⁰ shall stumble and fall, and none¹⁰¹ shall raise him up: and I will kindle¹⁰² a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.

¶ Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all¹⁰³ that took them captives held them fast; they refused¹⁰⁴ to let them go.

Their Redeemer¹⁰⁵ is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead¹⁰⁶ their cause, that he¹⁰⁷ may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

A sword¹⁰⁸ is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes¹⁰⁹, and upon her wise men¹¹⁰.

A sword is upon the liars¹¹¹; and they shall dote¹¹²: a sword is upon her mighty¹¹³ men; and they shall be dismayed.

A sword is upon their horses¹¹⁴, and upon their chariots, and upon all the¹¹⁵ mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women¹¹⁶: a sword is upon her treasures¹¹⁷; and they shall be robbed.

A drought¹¹⁸ is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land¹¹⁹ of graven images, and they are mad¹²⁰ upon their idols.

¹²¹Therefore 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.

¶¹²²As 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.

¹²³Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

They shall hold¹²⁴ the bow and the lance: they are cruel¹²⁵, and will not shew mercy: their voice¹²⁶ shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride¹²⁷ upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

The king¹²⁸ of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs¹²⁹ as of a woman in travail.

Behold, he shall come up like a lion¹³⁰ from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a¹³¹ chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who¹³² is like me? and who will appoint me the time¹³³? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

Therefore hear¹³⁴ 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 least¹³⁵ of the flock shall draw them out: surely he¹³⁶ shall make their habitation desolate with them.

¹³⁷At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.