151:1 Isa 41:16; Mt 3:12; Yer 50:14; Isa 13:5-951:1 Yer 46:4; Isa 41:25; Yer 50:28, 45; Isa 13:3; Yer 50:9; Isa 21:5; 41:2Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana:
“Tazama nitaamsha roho ya mwangamizi
dhidi ya Babeli na watu wakaao Leb-Kamai.51:1 Leb-Kamai ni Ukaldayo, yaani Babeli, kwa fumbo.
2Nitawatuma wageni Babeli
kumpepeta na kuiharibu nchi yake;
watampinga kila upande
katika siku ya maafa yake.
351:3 Yer 50:29; 46:4Usimwache mpiga upinde afunge kamba upinde wake,
wala usimwache avae silaha zake.
Usiwaonee huruma vijana wake;
angamiza jeshi lake kabisa.
451:4 Isa 13:15-18; Yer 50:30Wataanguka waliouawa katika Babeli,
wakiwa na majeraha ya kutisha barabarani zake.
551:5 Law 26:44; Isa 54:6-8; Za 91:14; Hos 4:1Kwa maana Israeli na Yuda hawajaachwa
na Mungu wao, Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote,
ingawa nchi yao imejaa uovu
mbele zake yeye Aliye Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
651:6 Ufu 18:4; Isa 48:20; Yer 50:8, 15; Ay 21:19; Isa 1:24; Mao 3:64; Hes 16:26“Kimbieni kutoka Babeli!
Okoeni maisha yenu!
Msiangamizwe kwa sababu ya dhambi zake.
Ni wakati wa kisasi cha Bwana,
atamlipa kile anachostahili.
751:7 Isa 51:22; Ufu 17:4; Yer 25:15-16; 49:12; Ufu 14:8-10Babeli alikuwa kikombe cha dhahabu katika mkono wa Bwana;
aliufanya ulimwengu wote ulewe.
Mataifa walikunywa mvinyo wake;
kwa hiyo sasa wameingiwa na wazimu.
851:8 Isa 14:15; Ufu 14:8; Yer 8:22; Ufu 18:9; Yer 46:11; Isa 21:9Babeli ataanguka ghafula na kuvunjika.
Mwombolezeni!
Tafuteni zeri ya kutuliza maumivu yake,
labda anaweza kupona.
951:9 Isa 13:14; 31:9; Ufu 18:4-5; Yer 50:16“ ‘Tungemponya Babeli,
lakini hawezi kuponyeka;
tumwacheni, na kila mmoja wetu aende nchi yake mwenyewe,
kwa kuwa hukumu yake inafika angani,
inapanda juu hadi mawinguni.’
1051:10 Mik 7:8-9; Za 64:9; Yer 50:28“ ‘Bwana amethibitisha haki yetu;
njooni, tutangaze katika Sayuni
kitu ambacho Bwana Mungu wetu amefanya.’
11“Noeni mishale,
chukueni ngao!
Bwana amewaamsha wafalme wa Wamedi,
kwa sababu nia yake ni kuangamiza Babeli.
Bwana atalipiza kisasi,
kisasi kwa ajili ya Hekalu lake.
1251:12 Za 20:5; 2Sam 18:24; Eze 33:2Twekeni bendera juu ya kuta za Babeli!
Imarisheni ulinzi,
wekeni walinzi,
andaeni waviziao!
Bwana atatimiza kusudi lake,
amri yake juu ya watu wa Babeli.
1351:13 Yer 50:38; Ufu 17:15; Eze 22:27; Hab 2:9; Isa 45:3Wewe uishiye kando ya maji mengi
na uliye na wingi wa hazina,
mwisho wako umekuja,
wakati wako wa kukatiliwa mbali.
1451:14 Mwa 22:16; Amo 6:8; Nah 3:15; Yer 50:15Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote
ameapa kwa nafsi yake mwenyewe:
‘Hakika nitakujaza na watu, kama kundi la nzige,
nao watapiga kelele za ushindi juu yako.’
1551:15 Ay 9:8; Isa 40:26; Mdo 14:15; Za 104:24; 136:5“Aliiumba dunia kwa uweza wake;
akaweka misingi ya ulimwengu kwa hekima yake
na akazitandaza mbingu kwa ufahamu wake.
1651:16 Za 18:11-13; Kum 28:12; Yn 1:12; Ay 28:26; Za 135:7Atoapo sauti yake, maji yaliyo katika mbingu hunguruma,
huyafanya mawingu yainuke kutoka miisho ya dunia.
Hupeleka umeme wa radi pamoja na mvua,
naye huuleta upepo kutoka ghala zake.
1751:17 Isa 44:20; Hab 2:18-19; Yer 50:2“Kila mtu ni mjinga na hana maarifa;
kila sonara ameaibishwa na sanamu zake.
Vinyago vyake ni vya udanganyifu,
havina pumzi ndani yavyo.
1851:18 Yer 18; 15; Yn 2:8Havifai kitu, ni vitu vya kufanyia mzaha,
hukumu yavyo itakapowadia, vitaangamia.
1951:19 Za 119:57; Kut 34:9Yeye Aliye Fungu la Yakobo sivyo alivyo,
kwani ndiye Muumba wa vitu vyote,
pamoja na kabila la urithi wake:
Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote ndilo jina lake.
2051:20 Isa 10:5; Zek 9:13; Mik 4:13; Ay 34:24; Isa 45:1“Wewe ndiwe rungu langu la vita,
silaha yangu ya vita:
kwa wewe navunjavunja mataifa,
kwa wewe naangamiza falme,
2151:21 Kut 15:1; Isa 43:17; Yer 50:37kwa wewe navunjavunja
farasi na mpanda farasi,
kwa wewe navunjavunja
gari la vita na mwendeshaji wake,
2251:22 2Nya 36:17; Isa 13:17-18kwa wewe napondaponda
mwanaume na mwanamke,
kwa wewe napondaponda
mzee na kijana,
kwa wewe napondaponda
kijana wa kiume na mwanamwali,
23kwa wewe nampondaponda
mchungaji na kundi,
kwa wewe nampondaponda
mkulima na maksai,
kwa wewe nawapondaponda
watawala na maafisa.
2451:24 Kum 32:41; Mao 3:64; Yer 50:15; Isa 45:1“Mbele ya macho yako nitamlipiza Babeli na wote waishio Ukaldayo kwa ajili ya makosa yote waliyofanya katika Sayuni,” asema Bwana.
2551:25 Yer 21:13; 50:23; Kut 3:20; Zek 4:7“Mimi niko kinyume nawe, ee mlima unaoharibu,
wewe uangamizaye dunia yote,”
asema Bwana.
“Nitanyoosha mkono wangu dhidi yako,
nikuvingirishe kutoka kwenye kilele cha mwamba,
na kukufanya mlima ulioteketezwa kwa moto.
2651:26 Isa 13:19-22; Yer 50:12Hakuna jiwe litakalochukuliwa kutoka kwako
kwa ajili ya kufanywa jiwe la pembeni,
wala jiwe lolote kwa ajili ya msingi,
kwa maana utakuwa ukiwa milele,”
asema Bwana.
2751:27 Isa 13:2; Za 20:5; Mwa 8:4; 10:3; Yer 25:14“Twekeni bendera katika nchi!
Pigeni tarumbeta katikati ya mataifa!
Andaeni mataifa kwa ajili ya vita dhidi yake,
iteni falme hizi dhidi yake:
Ararati, Mini na Ashkenazi.
Wekeni jemadari dhidi yake,
pelekeni farasi wengi kama kundi la nzige.
28Andaeni mataifa kwa ajili ya vita dhidi yake,
wafalme wa Wamedi,
watawala wao na maafisa wao wote,
pamoja na nchi zote wanazotawala.
2951:29 Isa 13:20; Yer 50:13; Amu 5:4; Yer 49:21; Za 33:11; Yer 48:9Nchi inatetemeka na kugaagaa,
kwa kuwa makusudi ya Bwana dhidi ya Babeli yanasimama:
yaani, kuangamiza nchi ya Babeli
ili pasiwe na yeyote atakayeishi humo.
3051:30 Yer 50:24; 2Sam 19:16; Mao 2:9; Nah 3:13; Isa 47:14; 45:2Mashujaa wa Babeli wameacha kupigana,
wamebaki katika ngome zao.
Nguvu zao zimekwisha,
wamekuwa kama wanawake.
Makazi yake yameteketezwa kwa moto,
makomeo ya malango yake yamevunjika.
3151:31 Yer 50:24; 2Sam 18:19-31; Dan 5:30Tarishi mmoja humfuata mwingine,
na mjumbe humfuata mjumbe,
kumtangazia mfalme wa Babeli
kwamba mji wake wote umetekwa,
3251:32 Isa 47:14; Yer 50:36Vivuko vya mito vimekamatwa,
mabwawa yenye mafunjo yametiwa moto,
nao askari wameingiwa na hofu kuu.”
3351:33 Isa 21:10; 17:5; Hos 6:11; Mt 13:30; Isa 13:22Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, Mungu wa Israeli, asemalo:
“Binti Babeli ni kama sakafu ya kupuria
wakati inapokanyagwa;
wakati wa kumvuna utakuja upesi.”
3451:34 Yer 50:17; Nah 2:12; Hos 8:8“Nebukadneza mfalme wa Babeli ametula,
ametufanya tuchangayikiwe,
ametufanya tuwe gudulia tupu.
Kama nyoka ametumeza
na kujaza tumbo lake kwa vyakula vyetu vizuri,
kisha akatutapika.
35Jeuri iliyofanyiwa miili yetu51:35 Au: Jeuri tuliyofanyiwa sisi na watoto wetu. na iwe juu ya Babeli,”
ndivyo wasemavyo wakaao Sayuni.
“Damu yetu na iwe juu ya wale waishio Babeli,”
asema Yerusalemu.
3651:36 Za 140:12; Mao 3:58; Yer 20:12; Rum 12:19; Hos 13:15; Yer 50:34; Isa 11:15Kwa hiyo, hili ndilo Bwana asemalo:
“Tazama, nitatetea shauri lako
na kulipiza kisasi kwa ajili yako;
nitaikausha bahari yake
na kuzikausha chemchemi zake.
3751:37 Isa 13:22; Ufu 12:8; Yer 50:39; 18:16; Ufu 18:2; Nah 3:6; Mal 2:9Babeli utakuwa lundo la magofu
na makao ya mbweha,
kitu cha kutisha na kudharauliwa,
mahali asipoishi mtu.
38Watu wake wote wananguruma kama simba wadogo,
wanakoroma kama wana simba.
3951:39 Isa 21:5; Yer 50:24; Za 13:3Lakini wakati wakiwa wameamshwa,
nitawaandalia karamu
na kuwafanya walewe,
ili wapige kelele kwa kicheko,
kisha walale milele na wasiamke,”
asema Bwana.
40“Nitawateremsha kama wana-kondoo waendao machinjoni,
kama kondoo dume na mbuzi.
4151:41 Yer 25:26; Isa 13:19; Dan 4:30; Yer 50:13“Tazama jinsi Sheshaki51:41 Sheshaki ni Babeli kwa fumbo. atakamatwa,
majivuno ya dunia yote yatakavyonyakuliwa.
Babeli atakuwa mwenye hofu kiasi gani
kati ya mataifa!
4251:42 Za 18:4; Isa 8:7-8Bahari itainuka juu ya Babeli;
mawimbi yake yenye kunguruma yatamfunika.
4351:43 Isa 13:20; Yer 2:6; Isa 21:1Miji yake itakuwa ukiwa,
kame na jangwa,
nchi ambayo hakuna yeyote anayeishi ndani yake,
ambayo hakuna mtu anayepita humo.
4451:44 Isa 21:9; 2Fal 25:4; Isa 25:12; 46:1; Yer 50:15Nitamwadhibu Beli katika Babeli,
na kumfanya atapike kile alichokimeza.
Mataifa hayatamiminika tena kwake.
Nao ukuta wa Babeli utaanguka.
4551:45 Ufu 18:4; Yer 50:8; Isa 48:20; Za 76:10; 79:6“Tokeni ndani yake, enyi watu wangu!
Okoeni maisha yenu!
Ikimbieni hasira kali ya Bwana.
4651:46 Yer 46:27; 2Fal 19:7; Za 18:45Msikate tamaa wala msiogope tetesi
zitakaposikika katika nchi;
tetesi moja inasikika mwaka huu,
nyingine mwaka unaofuata;
tetesi juu ya jeuri katika nchi,
na ya mtawala dhidi ya mtawala.
4751:47 Isa 46:1-2; Yer 50:12; 27:7; 50:12Kwa kuwa hakika wakati utawadia
nitakapoziadhibu sanamu za Babeli;
nchi yake yote itatiwa aibu,
na watu wake wote waliouawa
wataangukia ndani yake.
4851:48 Isa 44:23; Ufu 18:20; Yer 25:26; Isa 41:25; Za 149:2; Ay 3:7Ndipo mbingu na dunia na vyote vilivyomo ndani yake
vitapiga kelele za shangwe juu ya Babeli,
kwa kuwa kutoka kaskazini
waharabu watamshambulia,”
asema Bwana.
4951:49 Za 137:8; Yer 50:29“Babeli ni lazima aanguke kwa sababu ya kuwaua Waisraeli,
kama vile waliouawa duniani kote
walivyoanguka kwa sababu ya Babeli.
50Wewe uliyepona upanga,
ondoka wala usikawie!
Mkumbuke Bwana ukiwa katika nchi ya mbali,
na utafakari juu ya Yerusalemu.”
5151:51 Za 44:13-16; 79:4; Mao 1:10“Tumetahayari, kwa maana tumetukanwa
na aibu imefunika nyuso zetu,
kwa sababu wageni wameingia
mahali patakatifu pa nyumba ya Bwana.”
5251:52 Ay 24:12“Lakini siku zinakuja,” asema Bwana,
“nitakapoadhibu sanamu zake,
na katika nchi yake yote
waliojeruhiwa watalia kwa maumivu makali.
5351:53 Mwa 11:4; Isa 14:13-14; Ay 15:21; Yer 49:16Hata kama Babeli ikifika angani
na kuziimarisha ngome zake ndefu,
nitatuma waharabu dhidi yake,”
asema Bwana.
54“Sauti ya kilio inasikika kutoka Babeli,
sauti ya uharibifu mkuu
kutoka nchi ya Wakaldayo.
5551:55 Za 18:4; Isa 25:5Bwana ataiangamiza Babeli,
atanyamazisha makelele ya kishindo chake.
Mawimbi ya adui yatanguruma kama maji makuu,
ngurumo ya sauti zao itavuma.
5651:56 Ay 15:21; Mwa 4:24; Za 46:9; Hab 2:8; Za 94:1-2Mharabu atakuja dhidi ya Babeli,
mashujaa wake watakamatwa,
nazo pinde zao zitavunjwa.
Kwa kuwa Bwana ni Mungu wa kisasi,
yeye atalipiza kikamilifu.
5751:57 Za 76:5; Yer 25:27; Isa 6:5; Yer 46:18; Ay 5:13; Isa 21:7Nitawafanya maafisa wake na wenye busara walewe,
watawala wao, maafisa, pamoja na wapiganaji wao;
watalala milele na hawataamka,”
asema Mfalme, ambaye jina lake ni Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote.
5851:58 2Fal 25:4; Isa 15:4; 47:14; Hab 2:13; Isa 13:2Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote asemalo:
“Ukuta mnene wa Babeli utasawazishwa,
na malango yaliyoinuka yatateketezwa kwa moto;
mataifa yanajichosha bure,
taabu ya mataifa ni nishati tu ya miali ya moto.”
5951:59 Yer 36:4; 52:1; 28:1Huu ndio ujumbe Yeremia aliompa afisa Seraya mwana wa Neria mwana wa Maaseya, alipokwenda Babeli pamoja na Sedekia mfalme wa Yuda, katika mwaka wa nne wa utawala wake. 6051:60 Kut 17:14; Yer 30:2; 36:2Yeremia alikuwa ameandika ndani ya kitabu kuhusu maafa yote yatakayoipata Babeli, yaani yote yaliyokuwa yameandikwa kuhusu Babeli. 61Yeremia akamwambia Seraya, “Utakapofika Babeli, hakikisha kwamba umesoma maneno haya yote kwa sauti kubwa. 6251:62 Isa 13:20; Yer 9:11; 50:13Kisha sema, ‘Ee Bwana, umesema utaangamiza mahali hapa ili mtu wala mnyama asiishi ndani yake, napo patakuwa ukiwa milele.’ 6351:63 Mwa 2:14Utakapomaliza kusoma hiki kitabu, kifungie jiwe kisha ukitupe ndani ya Mto Frati. 6451:64 Ay 31:40; Za 18:21; Eze 26:21; 28:19Kisha sema, ‘Hivi ndivyo Babeli utakavyozama na usiinuke tena, kwa sababu ya maafa nitakayoleta juu yake. Nao watu wake wataanguka.’ ”
Maneno ya Yeremia yanaishia hapa.
1The Lord says,
“I will stir up the spirits of destroyers.
They will march out against Babylon and its people.
2I will send other nations against it
to separate the straw from the grain.
I will send them to destroy Babylon completely.
They will oppose it on every side.
At that time it will be destroyed.
3Do not let its soldiers get their bows ready to use.
Do not let them put on their armor.
Do not spare their young men.
Destroy their armies completely.
4They will fall down dead in Babylon.
They will receive deadly wounds in its streets.
5The land of Israel and Judah is full of guilt.
Its people have sinned against me.
But I have not deserted them. I am their God.
I am the Lord who rules over all.
I am the Holy One of Israel.
6“People of Judah, run away from Babylon!
Run for your lives!
Do not be destroyed because of the sins of its people.
It is time for me to pay them back.
I will punish them for what they have done.
7Babylon was like a gold cup in my hand.
That city made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank its wine.
So now they have gone crazy.
8Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken.
Weep for it!
Get healing lotion for its pain.
Perhaps it can be healed.
9“The nations say, ‘We would have healed Babylon.
But it can’t be healed.
So let’s leave it. Let’s each go to our own land.
Babylon’s sins reach all the way to the skies.
They rise up as high as the heavens.’
10“The people of Judah say,
‘The Lord has made things right for us again.
So come. Let’s tell in Zion
what the Lord our God has done.’
11“I have stirred up you kings of the Medes.
So sharpen your arrows!
Get your shields!
I plan to destroy Babylon.
I will pay the Babylonians back.
They have destroyed my temple.
12Lift up a banner! Attack Babylon’s walls!
Put more guards on duty!
Station more of them to watch over you!
Hide and wait to attack them!
I will do what I have planned.
I will do what I have decided to do
against the people of Babylon.
13You who live by the rivers of Babylon,
your end has come.
You who are rich in treasures,
it is time for you to be destroyed.
14I am the Lord who rules over all.
I have made a promise in my own name.
I have said, ‘I will certainly fill your land with soldiers.
They will be as many as a huge number of locusts.
They will win the battle over you.
They will shout for joy.’
15“I used my power to make the earth.
I used my wisdom to set the world in place.
I used my understanding to spread out the heavens.
16When I thunder, the waters in the heavens roar.
I make clouds rise from one end of the earth to the other.
I send lightning with the rain.
I bring out the wind from my storerooms.
17“No one has any sense.
No one knows anything.
Everyone who works with gold is put to shame
by his wooden gods.
His metal gods are fakes.
They can’t even breathe.
18They are worthless, and people make fun of them.
When I judge them, they will be destroyed.
19But I, the God of Jacob, am not like them.
I give my people everything they need.
I can do this because I made everything, including Israel.
They are the people who belong to me.
My name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.
20“Babylon, you are my war club.
You are my weapon for battle.
I use you to destroy nations.
I use you to wipe out kingdoms.
21I use you to destroy horses and their riders.
I use you to destroy chariots and their drivers.
22I use you to destroy men and women.
I use you to destroy old people and young people.
I use you to destroy young men and young women.
23I use you to destroy shepherds and their flocks.
I use you to destroy farmers and their oxen.
I use you to destroy governors and officials.
24“Judah, I will pay Babylon back. You will see it with your own eyes. I will pay back all those who live in Babylon. I will pay them back for all the wrong things they have done in Zion,” announces the Lord.
25“Babylon, I am against you.
Your kingdom is like a destroying mountain.
You have destroyed the whole earth,”
announces the Lord.
“I will reach out my hand against you.
I will roll you off the cliffs.
I will make you like a mountain that has been burned up.
26No rock will be taken from you to be used
as the most important stone for a building.
No stones will be taken from you
to be used for a foundation.
Your land will be empty forever,”
announces the Lord.
27“Nations, lift up a banner in the land of Babylon!
Blow a trumpet among yourselves!
Prepare yourselves for battle against Babylon.
Send the kingdoms
of Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz against it.
Appoint a commander against it.
Send many horses against it.
Let them be as many as a huge number of locusts.
28Prepare yourselves for battle against Babylon.
Prepare the kings of the Medes.
Prepare their governors and all their officials.
Prepare all the countries they rule over.
29The Babylonians tremble and shake with fear.
My plans against them stand firm.
I plan to destroy their land completely.
Then no one will live there.
30Babylon’s soldiers have stopped fighting.
They remain in their forts.
Their strength is all gone.
They have become weak.
Their buildings are set on fire.
The metal bars that lock their gates are broken.
31One messenger after another
comes to the king of Babylon.
All of them announce that
his entire city is captured.
32The places where people go across the Euphrates River have been captured.
The swamps have been set on fire.
And the soldiers are terrified.”
33The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,
“The city of Babylon is like a threshing floor
when cattle are walking on it.
The time to destroy it will soon come.”
34The people of Jerusalem say,
“Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has destroyed us.
He has thrown us into a panic.
He has emptied us out like a jar.
Like a snake he has swallowed us up.
He has filled his stomach with our rich food.
Then he has spit us out of his mouth.”
35The people continue, “May the people of Babylon
pay for the harmful things they have done to us.
May those who live in Babylon
pay for spilling the blood of our people.”
That’s what the people who live in Zion say.
36So the Lord says,
“I will stand up for you.
I will pay the Babylonians back for what they did to you.
I will dry up their water supply.
I will make their springs run dry.
37Babylon will have all its buildings knocked down.
It will be a home for wild dogs.
No one will live there.
People will be shocked at it.
They will make fun of it.
38All its people roar like young lions.
They growl like lion cubs.
39They are stirred up.
So I will set a feast in front of them.
I will make them drunk.
And they will shout and laugh.
But then they will lie down and die.
They will never wake up,”
announces the Lord.
40“I will lead them down like lambs to be put to death.
They will be like rams and goats that have been killed.
41“Babylon will be captured!
The whole earth was very proud of it.
But it will be taken over by others!
It will be a deserted place among the nations.
42Babylon’s enemies will sweep over it like an ocean.
Like roaring waves they will cover it.
43The towns of Babylon will be empty.
It will become a dry and desert land.
No one will live there.
No one will even travel through it.
44I will punish the god named Bel in Babylon.
I will make Bel spit out what he has swallowed.
The nations will not come and worship him anymore.
And Babylon’s walls will fall down.
45“Come out of there, my people!
Run for your lives!
Run away from my great anger.
46You will hear about terrible things
that are happening in Babylon.
But do not lose hope. Do not be afraid.
You will hear one thing this year.
And you will hear something else next year.
You will hear about awful things in the land.
You will hear about one ruler fighting against another.
47I will punish the gods of Babylon.
That time will certainly come.
Then the whole land will be full of shame.
Its people will lie down and die there.
48So heaven and earth and everything in them will shout for joy.
They will be glad because of what will happen to Babylon.
Armies will attack it from the north.
And they will destroy it,”
announces the Lord.
49“Babylon’s people have killed my people Israel.
They have also killed people all over the earth.
So now Babylon itself must fall.
50You who have not been killed in the war against Babylon,
leave! Do not wait!
In a land far away remember me.
And think about Jerusalem.”
51The people of Judah reply, “No one honors us anymore.
People make fun of us.
Our faces are covered with shame.
People from other lands have entered
the holy places of the Lord’s house.”
52“But the days are coming,” announces the Lord.
“At that time I will punish the gods of Babylon.
And all through its land
wounded people will groan.
53What if Babylon reached all the way to the heavens?
What if it made its high walls even stronger?
I would still send destroyers against it,”
announces the Lord.
54“The noise of people screaming comes from Babylon.
A terrible sound comes from its land.
It is the sound of a mighty city being destroyed.
55I will destroy Babylon.
I will put an end to all its noise.
Waves of enemies will sweep through it like great waters.
The roar of their voices will fill the air.
56A destroying army will come against Babylon.
The soldiers in the city will be captured.
Their bows will be broken.
I am the Lord God who pays people back.
I will pay them back in full.
57I will make Babylon’s officials and wise men drunk.
I will do the same thing to its governors, officers and soldiers.
They will lie down and die. They will never wake up,”
announces the King. His name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.
58The Lord who rules over all says,
“Babylon’s thick walls will fall down flat.
Its high gates will be set on fire.
The nations wear themselves out for no reason at all.
Their hard work will only be burned up in the flames.”
59Jeremiah the prophet gave a message to the staff officer Seraiah, the son of Neriah. Neriah was the son of Mahseiah. Jeremiah told Seraiah to take the message with him to Babylon. Seraiah went there with Zedekiah, the king of Judah. He left in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s rule. 60Jeremiah had written about all the trouble that would come on Babylon. He had written it down on a scroll. It included everything that had been recorded about Babylon. 61Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, here’s what I want you to do. Make sure that you read all these words out loud. 62Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place. You have said that no people or animals will live here. It will be empty forever.’ 63Finish reading the scroll. Tie a stone to it. Throw it into the Euphrates River. 64Then say, ‘In the same way, Babylon will sink down. It will never rise again. That is because I will bring such horrible trouble on it. And its people will fall along with it.’ ”
The words of Jeremiah end here.
