1This is what the Lord says:
“See, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai.51:1 Leb Kamai is a cryptogram for Chaldea, that is, Babylonia.
2I will send foreigners to Babylon
to winnow her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
in the day of her disaster.
3Let not the archer string his bow,
nor let him put on his armor.
Do not spare her young men;
completely destroy51:3 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them. her army.
4They will fall down slain in Babylon,51:4 Or Chaldea
fatally wounded in her streets.
5For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
by their God, the Lord Almighty,
though their land51:5 Or Almighty, / and the land of the Babylonians is full of guilt
before the Holy One of Israel.
6“Flee from Babylon!
Run for your lives!
Do not be destroyed because of her sins.
It is time for the Lord’s vengeance;
he will repay her what she deserves.
7Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand;
she made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
therefore they have now gone mad.
8Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken.
Wail over her!
Get balm for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.
9“ ‘We would have healed Babylon,
but she cannot be healed;
let us leave her and each go to our own land,
for her judgment reaches to the skies,
it rises as high as the heavens.’
10“ ‘The Lord has vindicated us;
come, let us tell in Zion
what the Lord our God has done.’
11“Sharpen the arrows,
take up the shields!
The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes,
because his purpose is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,
vengeance for his temple.
12Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon!
Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,
prepare an ambush!
The Lord will carry out his purpose,
his decree against the people of Babylon.
13You who live by many waters
and are rich in treasures,
your end has come,
the time for you to be destroyed.
14The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself:
I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,
and they will shout in triumph over you.
15“He made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
16When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
17“Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;
they have no breath in them.
18They are worthless, the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
19He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance—
the Lord Almighty is his name.
20“You are my war club,
my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter nations,
with you I destroy kingdoms,
21with you I shatter horse and rider,
with you I shatter chariot and driver,
22with you I shatter man and woman,
with you I shatter old man and youth,
with you I shatter young man and young woman,
23with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
with you I shatter governors and officials.
24“Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia51:24 Or Chaldea; also in verse 35 for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.
25“I am against you, you destroying mountain,
you who destroy the whole earth,”
declares the Lord.
“I will stretch out my hand against you,
roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.
26No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
nor any stone for a foundation,
for you will be desolate forever,”
declares the Lord.
27“Lift up a banner in the land!
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
summon against her these kingdoms:
Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz.
Appoint a commander against her;
send up horses like a swarm of locusts.
28Prepare the nations for battle against her—
the kings of the Medes,
their governors and all their officials,
and all the countries they rule.
29The land trembles and writhes,
for the Lord’s purposes against Babylon stand—
to lay waste the land of Babylon
so that no one will live there.
30Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting;
they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
they have become weaklings.
Her dwellings are set on fire;
the bars of her gates are broken.
31One courier follows another
and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
that his entire city is captured,
32the river crossings seized,
the marshes set on fire,
and the soldiers terrified.”
33This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor
at the time it is trampled;
the time to harvest her will soon come.”
34“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us,
he has thrown us into confusion,
he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
and then has spewed us out.
35May the violence done to our flesh51:35 Or done to us and to our children be on Babylon,”
say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
says Jerusalem.
36Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“See, I will defend your cause
and avenge you;
I will dry up her sea
and make her springs dry.
37Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
a haunt of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,
a place where no one lives.
38Her people all roar like young lions,
they growl like lion cubs.
39But while they are aroused,
I will set out a feast for them
and make them drunk,
so that they shout with laughter—
then sleep forever and not awake,”
declares the Lord.
40“I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats.
41“How Sheshak51:41 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon. will be captured,
the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolate Babylon will be
among the nations!
42The sea will rise over Babylon;
its roaring waves will cover her.
43Her towns will be desolate,
a dry and desert land,
a land where no one lives,
through which no one travels.
44I will punish Bel in Babylon
and make him spew out what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
And the wall of Babylon will fall.
45“Come out of her, my people!
Run for your lives!
Run from the fierce anger of the Lord.
46Do not lose heart or be afraid
when rumors are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
rumors of violence in the land
and of ruler against ruler.
47For the time will surely come
when I will punish the idols of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced
and her slain will all lie fallen within her.
48Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north
destroyers will attack her,”
declares the Lord.
49“Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain,
just as the slain in all the earth
have fallen because of Babylon.
50You who have escaped the sword,
leave and do not linger!
Remember the Lord in a distant land,
and call to mind Jerusalem.”
51“We are disgraced,
for we have been insulted
and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
the holy places of the Lord’s house.”
52“But days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will punish her idols,
and throughout her land
the wounded will groan.
53Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens
and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
I will send destroyers against her,”
declares the Lord.
54“The sound of a cry comes from Babylon,
the sound of great destruction
from the land of the Babylonians.51:54 Or Chaldeans
55The Lord will destroy Babylon;
he will silence her noisy din.
Waves of enemies will rage like great waters;
the roar of their voices will resound.
56A destroyer will come against Babylon;
her warriors will be captured,
and their bows will be broken.
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
he will repay in full.
57I will make her officials and wise men drunk,
her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep forever and not awake,”
declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
58This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Babylon’s thick wall will be leveled
and her high gates set on fire;
the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”
59This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign. 60Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. 61He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.’ 63When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. 64Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people will fall.’ ”
The words of Jeremiah end here.
1耶和華說：
「看啊，我要使毀滅的暴風襲擊巴比倫和住在立加米的人。
2毀滅巴比倫人的日子一到，
我要差遣外族人從四面八方攻擊他們，
從地上消滅他們，如同狂風捲走碎稭。
3不要讓他們的弓箭手有機會射箭，
不要讓他們的戰士有機會穿鎧甲，
不要放過他們的青年，
要使他們全軍覆沒。
4他們將被殺死在自己的土地上，
橫屍街頭。
5雖然以色列和猶大在他們的聖者面前充滿罪惡，
但他們的上帝——萬軍之耶和華卻沒有撇棄他們。
6「離開巴比倫，各自逃命吧！
不要讓她的罪惡連累你們，
以致你們滅亡，
因為這是耶和華報應她的時候，
耶和華要懲罰她。
7巴比倫在耶和華手中曾是灌醉天下的金杯，
列國喝了她的酒，都變得癲狂。
8轉瞬之間，巴比倫必崩潰毀滅。
你們要為她哀悼，
拿藥為她止痛，
或許可以治好她。
9寄居在巴比倫的人說，
『我們試過了，卻沒有治好。
我們離開她，各自返回故鄉吧！
因為她罪惡滔天，必受至高的審判。
10耶和華已為我們伸冤。
來吧！我們要在錫安述說我們上帝耶和華的作為。』
11「要磨尖箭頭，拿起盾牌！
耶和華已激起瑪代諸王的敵意，
因為祂決意要毀滅巴比倫，
祂要報仇，為祂的聖殿被毀報仇。
12要豎起旗幟，
攻打巴比倫的城牆；
要加強防衛，
派人巡邏，設下埋伏。
因為耶和華言出必行，
祂必按計劃懲罰巴比倫人。
13住在河邊、擁有許多財寶的巴比倫人啊，
你們的結局到了，
你們的末日來了。」
14萬軍之耶和華憑自己起誓說：
「我要使敵人如蝗蟲一樣鋪天蓋地而來，
佔據你們的家園，
向你發出勝利的吶喊。」
15耶和華以大能創造大地，
以智慧建立世界，
以聰明鋪展諸天。
16祂一聲令下，天上便大水澎湃；
祂使雲從地極升起，
使閃電在雨中劃過，
使風從祂的倉庫吹出。
17世人都愚昧無知，
金匠都因所造的偶像而羞愧，
因為神像是騙人的，
它們沒有生命氣息。
18它們毫無價值，荒唐可笑，
刑罰一到，必被毀滅。
19但雅各的上帝51·19 「雅各的上帝」希伯來文是「雅各的產業」。截然不同，
因為祂是萬物的創造者，
以色列子民是祂的產業，
萬軍之耶和華是祂的名字。
20「巴比倫啊！你是我的錘子，
我作戰的兵器，
我要用你打碎列國，
毀滅列邦。
21我要用你打碎戰馬和騎士，
打碎戰車和車夫，
22打碎男人和婦女，
打碎老人和小孩，
打碎少男和少女，
23打碎牧人和牲畜，
打碎農夫和耕牛，
打碎省長和總督。」
24耶和華說：「我要當著我子民的面報應巴比倫人51·24 「巴比倫人」希伯來文是「巴比倫和迦勒底人」。，因為他們在錫安犯罪作惡。
25「毀滅整個大地的山岳——巴比倫啊，
我與你為敵，
我要伸手攻擊你，
把你從懸崖上滾下去，
使你化為灰燼。
這是耶和華說的。
26再無人用你的石頭做房角石或基石，
你要永遠荒涼。
這是耶和華說的。
27「要在大地上豎起旌旗，
在列國吹響號角，
讓他們預備攻打巴比倫。
要召集亞拉臘、米尼、
亞實基拿各國攻打她，
要派遣將領率多如蝗蟲的騎兵攻打她。
28要讓列國預備攻打巴比倫，
要讓瑪代的諸王及其省長、總督和所統治的人預備攻打她。
29大地要顫抖，痛苦地扭動，
因為耶和華決意要攻擊巴比倫，
使她荒無人煙。
30巴比倫的勇士不再作戰，
躲在堡壘裡，
士氣消沉，像婦女一樣無力；
巴比倫的房屋被火焚燒，
城門被攻破。
31報信的人接踵而來，
向巴比倫王稟告，
『整座城已失守，
32渡口被佔，
沼澤地被燒，
戰士驚慌失措。』」
33以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華說：
「巴比倫城要像麥場一樣被踏為平地，
收割她的時節很快就要到了。」
34以色列人說：
「巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒吞噬我們、擊垮我們，
把我們洗劫一空。
他像海怪一樣吞吃我們，
飽餐我們的美物，
然後把我們趕走。」
35錫安的居民說：
「巴比倫人殘暴地對待我們和我們的親人，
願他們受報應。」
耶路撒冷人說：
「願迦勒底人償還我們的血債。」
36因此，耶和華說：
「看啊，我要為你們伸冤，
替你們報仇；
我要使巴比倫的江河枯竭，
泉源乾涸。
37巴比倫必淪為廢墟，杳無人跡，
淪為豺狼出沒的地方，
令人驚駭和嗤笑。
38迦勒底人像群獅一樣怒吼，
又像幼獅一樣咆哮。
39他們食慾大振時，
我要為他們設盛宴，
使他們酩酊大醉，狂歡亂叫，
長眠不醒。
這是耶和華說的。
40我要把他們像羊羔、
公綿羊和公山羊一樣帶往宰殺之地。
41巴比倫51·41 「巴比倫」希伯來文是「示沙克」，巴比倫的別名。怎麼淪陷了！
天下引以為傲的怎麼被攻佔了！
巴比倫的下場讓列國恐懼！
42海水漲溢，漫過巴比倫，
洶湧的波濤淹沒了她。
43她的城邑淪為廢墟，
變成乾旱的沙漠，
荒無人煙，杳無人跡。
44我要懲罰巴比倫的神明彼勒，
使它吐出所吞噬的。
萬國必不再湧向它，
巴比倫的城牆必倒塌。
45「我的子民啊，你們要離開巴比倫，
各自逃命，躲避耶和華的烈怒。
46境內謠言四起時，
你們不要驚慌害怕，
因為今年傳這風聲，
明年卻傳那風聲，
說境內必有暴亂，
官長要互相殘殺。
47「看啊，時候將到，我必懲罰巴比倫的神像，
使巴比倫全國蒙羞，
屍橫遍野。
48毀滅者要從北方前來攻擊巴比倫，
那時天地萬物都要因巴比倫的滅亡而歡呼。
這是耶和華說的。
49巴比倫必因屠殺以色列人而倒斃，
正如各地因巴比倫屠殺而倒斃的人一樣。
50「刀下逃生的人啊，
你們快走吧！
不要停留！
在遠方要記住耶和華，
要追想耶路撒冷。
51你們說外國人闖入耶和華殿的聖所，
使你們蒙羞受辱，滿臉盡是恥辱。
52「看啊，時候將到，我要懲罰巴比倫的神像，
使巴比倫到處都是受傷者的呻吟。
這是耶和華說的。
53即使巴比倫城高聳入雲，
堡壘堅不可摧，
我仍要差遣毀滅者攻擊她。
這是耶和華說的。
54「巴比倫傳出哭喊聲，
迦勒底人之地響起大毀滅的聲音，
55因為耶和華正在毀滅巴比倫，
要使城中的喧囂變成一片死寂。
毀滅者如怒海狂濤一樣湧來，
不斷高聲吶喊。
56毀滅者正前來攻打巴比倫，
擒拿她的勇士，
折斷他們的弓弩。
因為耶和華是追討罪惡、
報應惡人的上帝。
57我要使她的首領、謀士、省長、
總督和勇士都酩酊大醉，
長眠不醒。」
這是名為萬軍之耶和華的君王說的。
58萬軍之耶和華說：
「巴比倫寬闊的城牆要被夷為平地，
高大的城門要被付之一炬，
列邦一切的辛勞都是徒然，
列國勞碌的成果都化為灰燼。」
59-60耶利米先知把所有將要發生在巴比倫的災禍，就是有關巴比倫的事都寫在卷軸上。猶大王西底迦執政第四年，瑪西雅的孫子、尼利亞的兒子、宮廷總管西萊雅和猶大王一同前往巴比倫的時候， 61耶利米對西萊雅說：「你到巴比倫後務要大聲宣讀這卷軸上的一切話， 62並且要說，『耶和華啊！你曾說要毀滅這地方，使這裡人畜絕跡、永遠荒涼。』 63讀完後，你要把卷軸綁在一塊石頭上，扔進幼發拉底河， 64然後說，『耶和華降的災禍必使巴比倫像這卷軸一樣沉沒、永不復興，巴比倫人必滅亡。』」
耶利米的話到此為止。
