50
バビロンについてのメッセージ
1次は、主が預言者エレミヤを通して、カルデヤ人の国バビロンについて語ったことばです。
2「全世界の人に、バビロンは滅びると告げなさい。
その国の神であるメロダクは恥をかく。
3北から一つの国が攻め上り、この地を二度と人が住めないほど徹底的に荒らすからだ。人も家畜も逃げる。 4その時、イスラエルとユダの民は泣きながら、彼らの神であるわたしを尋ね求める。 5シオン（エルサレム）に通じる道を尋ね、故国をめざして帰る。『二度と破られない永遠の誓いを立て、主にしっかり結びつこう』と、彼らは言う。 6わたしの民は迷った羊だ。羊飼いたちはとんでもない方向に彼らを連れて行き、山の中に置き去りにした。彼らは道に迷い、どうすれば元の場所へ帰れるかと途方にくれた。 7彼らを見つけた者は彼らをさんざん食い物にし、『彼らを好きなように料理しよう。彼らは、正義の神であり、彼らの先祖の望みであった主に罪を犯したのだから』と言った。
8しかし今度は、
カルデヤ人の国バビロンから逃げ出すのだ。
わたしの民を故国に連れ帰りなさい。
9わたしは北方の強い国々の軍隊を奮い立たせ、
バビロンに敵対させるからだ。
バビロンは滅びる。
敵の矢は的をめがけて飛んで来て、一本もはずれない。
10バビロンは丸裸になる。
11わたしの民から身ぐるみはぎ取ったカルデヤ人よ。
おまえたちは喜び、
みずみずしい草の茂る放牧地の牛のように肥え太り、
種馬のようにいなないても、
12おまえたちの母は恥をかいて顔を伏せる。
おまえたちは一番弱い国となり、
荒野となり、乾ききった砂漠となるからだ。
13わたしの怒りによって、
バビロンはさびれた荒れ地となる。
そこを通り過ぎる者は血の気を失い、
そのすべての傷を見てあざける。
14周りを囲むすべての国々よ、
バビロンと戦う準備をしなさい。
弓を引く者は、バビロンをめがけて矢を放て。
彼は神に逆らって罪を犯したのだから、矢を惜しまず、
容赦なく射かけるのだ。
15四方から、いっせいにときの声を上げなさい。
城壁はくずれ、バビロンは降伏する。
わたしはとうとう復讐した。
バビロンがしたとおりのことを、やり返しなさい。
16畑で働く外国人は、みな逃げなさい。
敵の軍勢が攻めて来るから、
自分の国に走って帰りなさい。
17イスラエル人はライオンに追われる羊のようだ。初めはアッシリヤの王がその肉を食い、次にはバビロンのネブカデネザル王が、骨まで食いつくした。」 18そこで、イスラエルの神である天の軍勢の主は、こう言います。「わたしは今度は、アッシリヤを罰したように、バビロンの王とその国に罰を加える。 19わたしはイスラエル人を故国に連れ戻す。彼らはカルメルとバシャンで草を食べ、もう一度、エフライムとギルアデの山々で幸せに暮らすようになる。 20その日には、イスラエルにもユダにも、罪は一つも見当たらなくなる。わたしは残った者たちを赦すからだ。
21わたしの勇士たちよ。
メラタイム（南部バビロニヤ）と
ペコデ（東部バビロニヤ）に攻め上りなさい。
わたしがさばこうとしている反逆の国バビロンに、
威勢よく進撃しなさい。
命令しておいたとおり、彼らを根絶やしするのだ。
22国中に戦いの雄たけび、
大きな破滅の叫びが上がるように。
23地上のすべての国々を打った強力な金槌は、
粉々になった。
バビロンは国々の中で、荒れ果てた地となった。
24バビロンよ。
わたしがおまえに罠をしかけ、おまえを捕まえた。
おまえがわたしに戦いをいどんだからだ。
25わたしは兵器庫を開き、
敵に怒りを表そうと武器を取り出した。
バビロンに降りかかった恐怖は、
天の軍勢の主であるわたしが指図したものだ。
26遠くから来てバビロンに攻めかかりなさい。
穀物倉に押し入り、城壁と家々を壊して高く積み上げ、
とことん荒らすのだ。
めぼしいものは何一つ残してはならない。
27家畜にまで、のろいが下るように。
それを一頭残らず殺すのだ。
バビロンの荒廃の時がきたのだから。
28だが、わたしの民は逃げ出す。
彼らは故国に逃れ、
彼らの神であるわたしが怒りに燃え、
神殿を壊した者たちに仕返ししたと報告する。
29弓を引く者をバビロンに呼び集めなさい。
この都を包囲し、
蟻一匹はい出るすきもないようにするのだ。
バビロンがほかの国々にしたとおりに報いなさい。
彼らはイスラエルのきよい神であるわたしに
大言壮語し、公然と反抗したからだ。
30若者は路上に倒れて死に、勇士は皆殺しになる。
31思い上がっている者たちよ。
わたしはおまえたちの敵になる。
おまえたちのさばきの日が、ついにきたのだ。
32高ぶる国よ。
おまえはつまずいて倒れるが、だれも起こしてくれない。
わたしが町々に火をつけ、何もかも灰にするからだ。」
33天の軍勢の主はこう言います。「捕虜になったイスラエルとユダの民は虐待されている。主人たちは彼らを釈放しようとしない。 34だが、彼らを救い出す者は強く、その名は天の軍勢の主だ。わたしは彼らの訴えを聞き、彼らが自由の身となり、再びイスラエルの地で平穏に暮らせるように取り計らう。だが、バビロンの住民に安息はない。
35破滅の剣がカルデヤ人に切りかかる。
その剣はバビロンの住民を、
重立った者も知恵のある者も区別なしに切りまくる。
36賢い助言者も愚かになり、
何ものをも恐れない勇士もあわてふためく。
37戦いが起こって、馬も戦車ものみ尽くす。
同盟を結んだほかの国々の者たちは、
女のように弱くなり、財宝はみな略奪される。
38そればかりか、水の補給さえなくなる。
どうして、このようになるのだろうか。
国中に神々の像が立ち、
民が熱心に偶像を慕っているからだ。
39バビロンの都は、だちょうや山犬、荒野の野獣の住みかとなり、人は二度と住みつかない。永久に荒れ果てた地となる。 40わたしは、ソドムとゴモラとその近くの町々を滅ぼしたように、バビロンを滅ぼす。これらの町々に人が住まなくなったように、バビロンにも人が寄りつかなくなる。」
41北から大軍が押し寄せて来ます。神が多くの国から呼び集めた王たちが、この軍隊を指揮しています。 42彼らは完全武装していて、残忍で容赦しません。その雄たけびは、海辺に打ち寄せる波のように響き渡ります。バビロンよ。彼らは戦いのしたくを整え、馬に乗って攻めかかります。 43バビロンの王は、敵が来たという報告を受けると、肩を落としました。産みの苦しみをしている女のように、恐怖の苦痛に取りつかれたからです。 44「ヨルダンの密林から出て、草を食べている羊に飛びかかるライオンのような侵略者が、彼らに突然襲いかかるようにする。彼らを守る者たちを追い払い、わたしの気に入った指導者を立てる。わたしのような者がいるだろうか。わたしの決めたことに反抗する支配者が、どこにいるだろうか。だれがわたしを呼びつけて、説明を求めることができようか。 45カルデヤ人の国バビロンへの、わたしの計画を聞きなさい。
小さな子どもたちでさえ、奴隷になって引かれて行く。
身の毛もよだつほど恐ろしいことではないか。
46バビロンの倒れる地響きで、全地は揺れ動く。
その断末魔の叫びは、世界の隅々に届く。」
A Message About Babylon
1Here is the message the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. It was about the city of Babylon and the land of Babylon. He said,
2“Announce this message among the nations.
Lift up a banner.
Let the nations hear the message.
Do not keep anything back.
Say, ‘Babylon will be captured.
The god named Bel will be put to shame.
The god named Marduk will be filled with terror.
Babylon’s gods will be put to shame.
The gods its people made will be filled with terror.’
3A nation from the north will attack it.
That nation will destroy Babylon.
No one will live there.
People and animals alike will run away.
4“The days are coming,”
announces the Lord.
“At that time the people of Israel and Judah will gather together.
They will come in tears to me.
I am the Lord their God.
5They will ask how to get to Zion.
Then they will turn their faces toward it.
They will come and join themselves to me.
They will enter into the covenant I make with them.
It will last forever.
It will never be forgotten.
6“My people have been like lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray.
They have caused them to wander in the mountains.
They have wandered over mountains and hills.
They have forgotten that I am their true resting place.
7Everyone who found them destroyed them.
Their enemies said, ‘We aren’t guilty.
They sinned against the Lord.
He gave them everything they needed.
He has always been Israel’s hope.’
8“People of Judah, run away from Babylon.
Leave the land of Babylon.
Be like the goats that lead the flock.
9I will stir up great nations
that will join forces against Babylon.
I will bring them from the land of the north.
They will take up their battle positions against Babylon.
They will come from the north and capture it.
Their arrows will be like skilled soldiers.
They will not miss their mark.
10So the riches of Babylon will be taken away.
All those who steal from it will have more than enough,”
announces the Lord.
11“People of Babylon, you have stolen what belongs to me.
That has made you glad and full of joy.
You dance around like a young cow on a threshing floor.
You neigh like stallions.
12Because of that, you will bring great shame on your land.
Your whole nation will be dishonored.
It will become the least important of the nations.
It will become a dry and empty desert.
13Because I am angry with it, no one will live there.
It will be completely deserted.
All those who pass by Babylon will be shocked.
They will make fun of it because of all its wounds.
14“All you who shoot arrows,
take up your battle positions around Babylon.
Shoot at it! Do not spare any arrows!
Its people have sinned against me.
15Shout against them on every side!
They are giving up.
The towers of the city are falling.
Its walls are being pulled down.
The Lord is paying back its people.
So pay them back yourselves.
Do to them what they have done to others.
16Do not leave anyone in Babylon to plant the fields.
Do not leave anyone to harvest the grain.
Let each of them return to their own people.
Let them run away to their own land.
If they don’t, their enemy’s sword will bring them great harm.
17“Israel is like a scattered flock
that lions have chased away.
The first lion that ate them up
was the king of Assyria.
The last one that broke their bones
was Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.”
18The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,
“I punished the king of Assyria.
In the same way, I will punish
the king of Babylon and his land.
19But I will bring Israel back to their own grasslands.
I will feed them on Mount Carmel and in Bashan.
I will satisfy their hunger
on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.
20The days are coming,”
announces the Lord.
“At that time people will search for Israel’s guilt.
But they will not find any.
They will search for Judah’s sins.
But they will not find any.
That is because I will forgive the people I have spared.
21“Enemies of Babylon, attack their land of Merathaim.
Make war against those who live in Pekod.
Chase them and kill them. Destroy them completely,”
announces the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you to do.
22The noise of battle is heard in the land.
It is the noise of a great city being destroyed!
23It has been broken to pieces.
It was the hammer that broke the whole earth.
How empty Babylon is among the nations!
24Babylon, I set a trap for you.
And you were caught before you knew it.
You were found and captured.
That is because you opposed me.
25I have opened up my storeroom.
I have brought out the weapons I use when I am angry.
I am the Lord and King who rules over all.
I have work to do in the land of the Babylonians.
26So come against it from far away.
Open up its storerooms.
Stack everything up like piles of grain.
Completely destroy that country.
Do not leave anyone alive there.
27Kill all Babylon’s strongest warriors.
Let them die in battle.
How terrible it will be for them!
Their time to be judged has come.
Now they will be punished.
28Listen to those who have escaped.
Listen to those who have returned from Babylon.
They are announcing in Zion
how I have paid Babylon back.
I have paid it back for destroying my temple.
29“Send for men armed with bows and arrows.
Send them against Babylon.
Set up camp all around it.
Do not let anyone escape.
Pay it back for what its people have done.
Do to them what they have done to others.
They have dared to disobey me.
I am the Holy One of Israel.
30You can be sure its young men will fall dead in the streets.
All its soldiers will be put to death at that time,”
announces the Lord.
31“Proud Babylonians, I am against you,”
announces the Lord.
The Lord who rules over all says,
“Your day to be judged has come.
It is time for you to be punished.
32You proud people will trip and fall.
No one will help you up.
I will start a fire in your towns.
It will burn up everyone around you.”
33The Lord who rules over all says,
“The people of Israel are being treated badly.
So are the people of Judah.
Those who have captured them are holding them.
They refuse to let them go.
34But I am strong and will save them.
My name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.
I will stand up for them.
I will bring peace and rest to their land.
But I will bring trouble to those who live in Babylon.
35“A sword is coming against the Babylonians!”
announces the Lord.
“It is coming against those who live in Babylon.
It is coming against their officials and wise men.
36A sword is coming against their prophets.
But they are not really prophets at all!
So they will look foolish.
A sword is coming against their soldiers!
They will be filled with terror.
37A sword is coming against their horses and chariots!
It is coming against all the hired soldiers in their armies.
They will become weak.
A sword is coming against their treasures!
They will be stolen.
38There will not be any rain for their rivers.
So they will dry up.
Those things will happen because their land is full of statues of gods.
Those gods will go crazy with terror.
39“Desert creatures and hyenas will live in Babylon.
And so will owls.
People will never live there again.
It will not be lived in for all time to come.
40I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
I also destroyed the towns that were near them,”
announces the Lord.
“Babylon will be just like them.
No one will live there.
No human beings will stay there.
41“Look! An army is coming from the north.
I am stirring up a great nation and many kings.
They are coming from a land that is very far away.
42Their soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
They are mean.
They do not show any mercy at all.
They come riding in on their horses.
They sound like the roaring ocean.
They are lined up for battle.
They are coming to attack you, city of Babylon.
43The king of Babylon has heard reports about them.
His hands can’t help him.
He is in great pain.
It is like the pain of a woman having a baby.
44I will be like a lion coming up from the bushes by the Jordan River.
I will hunt in rich grasslands.
I will chase the people of Babylon from their land in an instant.
What nation will I choose to do this?
Which one will I appoint?
Is anyone like me? Who would dare to argue with me?
What leader can stand against me?”
45So listen to what the Lord has planned against Babylon.
Hear what he has planned against the land of the Babylonians.
Their young people will be dragged away.
Their grasslands will be shocked at their fate.
46At the news of Babylon’s capture,
the earth will shake.
The people’s cries will be heard among the nations.
