Jeremiah 51 – NIRV & ASCB

New International Reader’s Version

Jeremiah 51:1-64

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.

Asante Twi Contemporary Bible

Yeremia 51:1-64

1Yei ne deɛ Awurade seɛ:

“Monhwɛ, mɛkanyane ɔsɛefoɔ bi honhom

atia Babilonia ne nnipa a wɔwɔ Leb Kamai.

2Mɛsoma amanfrafoɔ akɔ Babilonia

sɛ wɔnkɔhuhu ne so na wɔnsɛe nʼasase;

wɔbɛtia no wɔ afanan nyinaa

wɔ nʼamanehunu da no.

3Mma agyantoni mpoma nʼagyan,

mma ɔnhyɛ ne nkataboɔ.

Mma ne mmeranteɛ mfa wɔn ho nni;

sɛe nʼakodɔm no pasaa.

4Wɔbɛhwehwe ase a wɔatotɔ wɔ Babilonia,

a wɔapirapira yie wɔ ne mmɔntene so.

5Na Asafo Onyankopɔn Awurade,

nnyaa Israel ne Yuda hɔ.

Ɛwom sɛ afɔdie ahyɛ wɔn asase no so ma

wɔ Israel Ɔkronkronni no anim, nanso ɔkɔ so ara yɛ wɔn Onyankopɔn.

6“Monnwane mfiri Babilonia!

Montu mmirika mpere mo nkwa!

Mommma wɔnsɛe mo ɛsiane wɔn bɔne enti.

Awurade aweretɔberɛ aso;

ɔde deɛ ɛfata no bɛtua wɔn ka.

7Na Babilonia yɛ sikakɔkɔɔ kuruwa wɔ Awurade nsam;

ɔmaa asase nyinaa boroo nsã.

Aman no nom ne nsã;

ɛno enti, afei, wɔabobɔ adam.

8Babilonia bɛhwe ase abubu mpofirim.

Montwa ne ho agyaadwoɔ!

Mompɛ ne yea no ano aduro;

ebia ne ho bɛtɔ no.

9“ ‘Anka yɛbɛsa Babilonia yadeɛ,

nanso wɔntumi nsa no yadeɛ;

momma yɛnnya no hɔ na obiara nkɔ nʼankasa asase so,

ɛfiri sɛ nʼatemmuo aduru ɔsorosoro.

Ɛforo ɔsoro te sɛ omununkum.’

10“ ‘Awurade abu yɛn bem.

Mommra, momma yɛnka wɔ Sion,

deɛ Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn ayɛ.’

11“Monse agyan no ano!

Momfa nkataboɔ no!

Awurade ahwanyane Mede ahemfo no,

ɛfiri sɛ ne botaeɛ ne sɛ ɔbɛsɛe Babilonia.

Awurade bɛtɔ were

aweretɔ ama nʼasɔrefie no.

12Mompagya frankaa bi ntia Babilonia afasuo!

Mommia banbɔ mu,

momma awɛmfoɔ no nnyinagyina.

Monsiesie ahintaeɛ!

Awurade bɛma nʼatirimpɔ aba mu,

deɛ wahyɛ atia Babilonia no.

13Mo a motete nsuwansuwa bebree ho

na akoradeɛ abu mo so,

mo awieeɛ aba,

ɛberɛ a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtwa mo twene no.

14Asafo Awurade aka ne ho ntam sɛ:

mede nnipa bɛhyɛ wo ma sɛ mmɛbɛ,

na wɔabɔ ose wɔ wo so.

15“Ɔde ne tumi bɔɔ asase;

ɔtoo ewiase fapem wɔ ne nyansa mu

na ɔde ne nhunumu trɛɛ ɔsorosoro mu.

16Sɛ ɔbobɔm a, ɔsoro nsuo woro so;

ɔma omununkum ma ne ho so firi nsase ano.

Ɔsoma anyinam ka ɔsutɔ ho

na ɔma mframa bɔ firi nʼakoradan mu.

17“Onipa biara nnim nyansa, na ɔnni nimdeɛ;

sikadwumfoɔ biara anim agu ase, ɛsiane nʼahoni enti.

Ne nsɛsodeɛ yɛ atorɔ;

wɔnni ahome biara wɔ wɔn mu.

18Wɔn ho nni mfasoɔ, wɔyɛ aseredeɛ nneɛma;

sɛ wɔn atemmuo duru so a, wɔbɛyera.

19Deɛ ɔyɛ Yakob Kyɛfa no nte sɛ yeinom,

ɛfiri sɛ ɔno ne adeɛ nyinaa Yɛfoɔ

a nʼadedie abusuakuo ka ho bi.

Asafo Awurade ne ne din.

20“Woyɛ me ko asaeɛ,

mʼakodeɛ a mede kɔ ɔsa;

mede wo dwerɛ amanaman,

mede wo sɛe ahennie bebree,

21mede wo bobɔ apɔnkɔ ne wɔn sotefoɔ,

teaseɛnam ne wɔn kafoɔ,

22mede wo dwerɛ mmarima ne mmaa,

mede wo dwerɛ nkɔkoraa ne mmabunu,

mede wo dwerɛ mmeranteɛ ne mmabaawa,

23mede wo dwerɛ nnwanhwɛfoɔ ne nnwankuo,

mede wo dwerɛ akuafoɔ ne anantwie,

mede wo dwerɛ amradofoɔ ne adwumayɛfoɔ.

24“Mɛtua Babilonia ne wɔn a wɔtete Babilonia ka wɔ mfomsoɔ a wɔayɛ wɔ Sion nyinaa, wɔ wʼanim,” Awurade na ɔseɛ.

25“Ao, bepɔ sɛefoɔ me ne wo anya,

wo a wosɛe asase nyinaa no,”

Awurade na ɔseɛ.

“Mɛtene me nsa wɔ wo so

mɛpia wo afiri abotan no so,

na mayɛ wo sɛ bepɔ a ɛnka hwee.

26Wɔremfa ɔboɔ biara mfiri wo so nyɛ tweatiboɔ

anaa sɛ fapem mpo,

ɛfiri sɛ wobɛda mpan afebɔɔ,”

Awurade na ɔseɛ.

27“Mompagya frankaa wɔ asase no so!

Monhyɛn totorobɛnto no wɔ amanaman no mu!

Monsiesie amanaman no ma wɔnkɔko ntia no;

Momfrɛfrɛ saa ahennie ahodoɔ yi ntia no:

Ararat, Mini ne Askenas.

Monnyi ɔsahene ntia no;

momfa apɔnkɔdɔm te sɛ mmɛbɛ mmra.

28Monsiesie amanaman no ma wɔntu ne so sa,

mo ne Mede ahemfo,

wɔn amradofoɔ ne wɔn adwumayɛfoɔ nyinaa,

ne aman a wɔdi wɔn so nyinaa.

29Asase no woso, na ɔnukanuka ne mu,

ɛfiri sɛ Awurade atirimpɔ a ɛtia Babilonia

sɛ ɔbɛsɛe Babilonia asase a

obiara rentumi ntena so no nsesaeɛ.

30Babilonia nnɔmmarima agyae ko;

wɔhyehyɛ wɔn aban mu.

Wɔn ahoɔden asa;

wɔayɛ sɛ mmaa.

Wɔatoto nʼatenaeɛ ahodoɔ no mu ogya,

na wɔabubu nʼapono akyi adaban.

31Abɔfoɔ didi so

asomafoɔ didi so a

wɔrekɔbɔ Babiloniahene amaneɛ sɛ,

wɔafa ne kuropɔn no,

32wɔagye atwaeɛ a ɛdeda asubɔnten no so afa,

na wɔde ogya ato ɔwora no mu,

na asraafoɔ no abɔ huboa.”

33Yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn, seɛ:

“Ɔbabaa Babilonia ayɛ sɛ ayuporobea

wɔ ɛberɛ a wɔretiatia hɔ.

Aka kakraa bi, na ɛberɛ a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtwa no sɛ nnɔbaeɛ no aduru.”

34“Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar adwerɛ yɛn,

ɔde yɛn ato ɔhaw mu,

wayɛ yɛn sɛ ahina a hwee nni muo.

Wamene yɛn sɛ ɔtweaseɛ no

na ɔde yɛn nneɛma a ɛyɛ dɛ ahyɛ ne yafunu ma,

na wape yɛn afiri nʼanom agu.

35Ma ayakayakadeɛ a wɔde dii yɛn honam no mmra Babilonia so,”

nnipa a wɔtete Sion na wɔka.

“Ma yɛn mogya ngu wɔn a wɔtete Babilonia so,”

Yerusalem na ɔka.

36Enti yei ne deɛ Awurade seɛ:

“Hwɛ, mɛdi mo asɛm ama mo

na matɔ were ama mo;

Mɛma ɛpo a ɛwɔ no no awe

na mama ne asutene awewe.

37Babilonia bɛyɛ mmubuiɛ sie,

sakraman atu

ahodwiredeɛ ne fɛdideɛ,

baabi a obiara nteɛ.

38Ne nkurɔfoɔ nyinaa bobom sɛ agyata,

wɔpɔ so te sɛ agyata mma.

39Nanso ɛberɛ a wɔahwanyane wɔn ho no

mɛto ɛpono ama wɔn

na mama wɔaboboro nsã

sɛdeɛ wɔde nteateam bɛdi ahurisie,

na wɔadeda a wɔrennyane bio,”

Awurade na ɔseɛ.

40“Mede wɔn bɛba

te sɛ nnwammaa a wɔrekɔkum wɔn,

te sɛ, nnwennini ne mpapo.

41“Wɔbɛfa Sesak,

Sesak a agye asase nyinaa ayɛyie no!

Babilonia bɛyɛ ahodwiredeɛ

wɔ amanaman no mu!

42Ɛpo bɛbunkam afa Babilonia so;

na nʼasorɔkye bɛkata ne so.

43Ne nkuro bɛda mpan.

Ɛbɛyɛ anweatam a ɛso awo,

asase a obiara nte soɔ,

na obiara nntu ɛkwan mfa so.

44Mɛtwe Bel aso wɔ Babilonia

na mama wape deɛ wamene agu.

Amanaman no nnto santene nkɔ ne nkyɛn bio.

Na Babilonia ɔfasuo bɛbubu.

45“Me nkurɔfoɔ, Momfiri ne mu mfi!

Montu mmirika mpere mo nkwa!

Monnwane mfiri Awurade abufuhyeɛ ano.

46Mommma mo bo ntu na monnsuro

sɛ mote atesɛm wɔ asase no so a;

atesɛm bɛba afeɛ yi na foforɔ bɛba afedan,

basabasayɛ ho atesɛm bɛba asase no so

a ɛfa sodifoɔ a wɔsɔre tia afoforɔ ho.

47Na ampa ara ɛberɛ no bɛba

a mɛtwe Babilonia ahoni aso;

nʼasase no nyinaa anim bɛgu ase

na nʼatɔfoɔ nyinaa bɛhwehwe ase wɔ ne so.

48Ɔsoro ne asase ne deɛ ɛwo mu nyinaa

de ahosɛpɛ bɛteam agu Babilonia so,

ɛfiri sɛ ɔsɛefoɔ bɛfiri atifi fam

abɛto ahyɛ ne so,”

Awurade na ɔseɛ.

49“Ɛsɛ sɛ Babilonia hwe ase, ɛsiane Israel atɔfoɔ enti,

sɛdeɛ atɔfoɔ a wɔwɔ ewiase nyinaa ahwehwe ase

ɛsiane Babilonia enti no.

50Mo a mo adwane afiri akofena ano,

monkɔ na monntwentwɛn mo nan ase!

Monkae Awurade wɔ akyirikyiri asase so,

na monnwene Yerusalem ho.”

51“Wɔagu yɛn anim ase,

ɛfiri sɛ wasopa yɛn

na fɛreɛ akata yɛn anim,

ɛfiri sɛ amanfrafoɔ ahyɛne

Awurade efie kronkronbea ahodoɔ hɔ.”

52“Nanso nna bi reba,” Awurade na ɔseɛ,

“a mɛtwe nʼahoni aso,

na nʼasase so nyinaa

apirafoɔ bɛsi apinie.

53Sɛ Babilonia kɔka ɔsoro mpo,

na ɔmiamia nʼaban tenten banbɔ mu a,

mɛsoma ɔsɛefoɔ abɛtia no,”

Awurade na ɔseɛ.

54“Osu nnyegyeeɛ bi firi Babilonia,

ɔsɛeɛ kɛseɛ bi nnyegyeeɛ

firi Babiloniafoɔ asase so.

55Awurade bɛsɛe Babilonia;

ɔbɛma nʼasotuatua nnyegyeeɛ no agyae.

Atamfoɔ a wɔte sɛ ahum bɛtu sɛ nsuo akɛseɛ aba ne so;

wɔn mmobom bɛgyegye.

56Ɔsɛefoɔ bi bɛba abɛtia Babilonia;

wɔbɛfa ne nnɔmmarima nnommum

na wɔbɛbubu wɔn tadua mu.

Ɛfiri sɛ Awurade yɛ Onyankopɔn a ɔhyɛ anan mu;

ɔbɛtua so ka pɛpɛɛpɛ.

57Mɛma nʼadwumayɛfoɔ ne nʼanyansafoɔ aboro nsã,

nʼamradofoɔ, ne mpanimfoɔ ne nnɔmmarima nso saa ara;

wɔbɛdeda afebɔɔ a wɔrennyane,”

sei na ɔhempɔn a ne din ne Asafo Awurade no seɛ.

58Yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ:

“Wɔbɛdwiri Babilonia afasuo a ɛtrɛ no agu fam

na wɔbɛto nʼapono a ɛwoware no mu ogya;

nnipa no ha wɔn ho kwa,

ɔman no adwumayɛ ma ogya no dɛre mmom.”

59Yei ne asɛm a Yeremia ka kyerɛɛ Neria babarima Seraia a ɔyɛ adwumayɛfoɔ panin na ɔyɛ Maseia nana no, ɛberɛ a ɔne Yudahene Sedekia kɔɔ Babilonia wɔ nʼadedie afe a ɛtɔ so ɛnan no mu. 60Na Yeremia atwerɛ amanehunu a ɛbɛba Babilonia so no nyinaa agu nwoma mmobɔeɛ so, deɛ watwerɛ a ɛfa Babilonia ho nyinaa. 61Ɔka kyerɛɛ Seraia sɛ, “Sɛ woduru Babilonia a, hwɛ sɛ wo bɛkenkan saa nsɛm yi nyinaa sɛdeɛ obiara bɛte. 62Afei, ka sɛ, ‘Ao Awurade, woaka sɛ wobɛsɛe beaeɛ yi sɛdeɛ onipa anaa aboa biara rentumi ntena so; na ɛbɛda mpan afebɔɔ.’ 63Sɛ wokenkane nwoma mmobɔeɛ yi wie a, kyekyere fam ɛboɔ ho, na to twene Asubɔnten Eufrate mu. 64Afei ka sɛ, ‘Sei na Babilonia ne ne nkurɔfoɔ bɛmem a wɔrensɔre bio, ɛsiane amanehunu a mede bɛba ne so no enti.’ ”

Yeremia nsɛm no awieeɛ nie.