48:1 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 1 spoke about Moab. 2
“Sure to be judged is Nebo! Indeed, 3 it will be destroyed!
Kiriathaim 4 will suffer disgrace. It will be captured!
Its fortress 5 will suffer disgrace. It will be torn down! 6
48:2 People will not praise Moab any more.
The enemy will capture Heshbon 7 and plot 8 how to destroy Moab, 9
saying, ‘Come, let’s put an end to that nation!’
City of Madmen, you will also be destroyed. 10
A destructive army will march against you. 11
48:3 Cries of anguish will arise in Horonaim,
‘Oh, the ruin and great destruction!’
48:4 “Moab will be crushed.
Her children will cry out in distress. 12
48:5 Indeed they will climb the slopes of Luhith,
weeping continually as they go. 13
For on the road down to Horonaim
they will hear the cries of distress over the destruction. 14
48:6 They will hear, ‘Run! Save yourselves!
Even if you must be like a lonely shrub in the desert!’ 15
48:7 “Moab, you trust in the things you do and in your riches.
So you too will be conquered.
Your god Chemosh 16 will go into exile 17
along with his priests and his officials.
48:8 The destroyer will come against every town.
Not one town will escape.
The towns in the valley will be destroyed.
The cities on the high plain will be laid waste. 18
I, the Lord, have spoken! 19
48:9 Set up a gravestone for Moab,
for it will certainly be laid in ruins! 20
Its cities will be laid waste
and become uninhabited.”
48:10 A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!
A curse on anyone who keeps from carrying out his destruction! 21
48:11 “From its earliest days Moab has lived undisturbed.
It has never been taken into exile.
Its people are like wine allowed to settle undisturbed on its dregs,
never poured out from one jar to another.
They are like wine which tastes like it always did,
whose aroma has remained unchanged. 22
48:12 But the time is coming when I will send
men against Moab who will empty it out.
They will empty the towns of their people,
then will lay those towns in ruins. 23
I, the Lord, affirm it! 24
48:13 The people of Moab will be disappointed by their god Chemosh.
They will be as disappointed as the people of Israel were
when they put their trust in the calf god at Bethel. 25
48:14 How can you men of Moab say, ‘We are heroes,
men who are mighty in battle?’
48:15 Moab will be destroyed. Its towns will be invaded.
Its finest young men will be slaughtered. 26
I, the King, the Lord who rules over all, 27 affirm it! 28
48:16 Moab’s destruction is at hand.
Disaster will come on it quickly.
48:17 Mourn for that nation, all you nations living around it,
all of you nations that know of its fame. 29
Mourn and say, ‘Alas, its powerful influence has been broken!
Its glory and power have been done away!’ 30
48:18 Come down from your place of honor;
sit on the dry ground, 31 you who live in Dibon. 32
For the one who will destroy Moab will attack you;
he will destroy your fortifications.
48:19 You who live in Aroer, 33
stand by the road and watch.
Question the man who is fleeing and the woman who is escaping.
Ask them, ‘What has happened?’
48:20 They will answer, ‘Moab is disgraced, for it has fallen!
Wail and cry out in mourning!
Announce along the Arnon River
that Moab has been destroyed.’
48:21 “Judgment will come on the cities on the high plain: 34 on Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath, 48:22 on Dibon, Nebo, and Beth Diblathaim, 48:23 on Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul, and Beth Meon, 48:24 on Kerioth and Bozrah. It will come on all the towns of Moab, both far and near. 48:25 Moab’s might will be crushed. Its power will be broken. 35 I, the Lord, affirm it! 36
48:26 “Moab has vaunted itself against me.
So make him drunk with the wine of my wrath 37
until he splashes 38 around in his own vomit,
until others treat him as a laughingstock.
48:27 For did not you people of Moab laugh at the people of Israel?
Did you think that they were nothing but thieves, 39
that you shook your head in contempt 40
every time you talked about them? 41
48:28 Leave your towns, you inhabitants of Moab.
Go and live in the cliffs.
Be like a dove that makes its nest
high on the sides of a ravine. 42
48:29 I have heard how proud the people of Moab are,
I know how haughty they are.
I have heard how arrogant, proud, and haughty they are,
what a high opinion they have of themselves. 43
48:30 I, the Lord, affirm that 44 I know how arrogant they are.
But their pride is ill-founded.
Their boastings will prove to be false. 45
48:31 So I will weep with sorrow for Moab.
I will cry out in sadness for all of Moab.
I will moan 46 for the people of Kir Heres.
48:32 I will weep for the grapevines of Sibmah
just like the town of Jazer weeps over them. 47
Their branches once spread as far as the Dead Sea. 48
They reached as far as the town of Jazer. 49
The destroyer will ravage
her fig, date, 50 and grape crops.
48:33 Joy and gladness will disappear
from the fruitful land of Moab. 51
I will stop the flow of wine from the winepresses.
No one will stomp on the grapes there and shout for joy. 52
The shouts there will be shouts of soldiers,
not the shouts of those making wine. 53
48:34 Cries of anguish raised from Heshbon and Elealeh
will be sounded as far as Jahaz. 54
They will be sounded from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah.
For even the waters of Nimrim will be dried up.
48:35 I will put an end in Moab
to those who make offerings at her places of worship. 55
I will put an end to those who sacrifice to other gods.
I, the Lord, affirm it! 56
48:36 So my heart moans for Moab
like a flute playing a funeral song.
Yes, like a flute playing a funeral song,
my heart moans for the people of Kir Heres.
For the wealth they have gained will perish.
48:37 For all of them will shave their heads in mourning.
They will all cut off their beards to show their sorrow.
They will all make gashes in their hands.
They will all put on sackcloth. 57
48:38 On all the housetops in Moab
and in all its public squares
there will be nothing but mourning.
For I will break Moab like an unwanted jar.
I, the Lord, affirm it! 58
48:39 Oh, how shattered Moab will be!
Oh, how her people will wail!
Oh, how she will turn away 59 in shame!
Moab will become an object of ridicule,
a terrifying sight to all the nations that surround her.”
48:40 For the Lord says,
“Look! Like an eagle with outspread wings
a nation will swoop down on Moab. 60
48:41 Her towns 61 will be captured.
Her fortresses will be taken.
At that time the soldiers of Moab will be frightened
like a woman in labor. 62
48:42 Moab will be destroyed and no longer be a nation, 63
because she has vaunted herself against the Lord.
48:43 Terror, pits, and traps 64 are in store
for the people who live in Moab. 65
I, the Lord, affirm it! 66
48:44 Anyone who flees at the sound of terror
will fall into a pit.
Anyone who climbs out of the pit
will be caught in a trap. 67
For the time is coming
when I will punish the people of Moab. 68
I, the Lord, affirm it! 69
48:45 In the shadows of the walls of Heshbon
those trying to escape will stand helpless.
For a fire will burst forth from Heshbon.
Flames will shoot out from the former territory of Sihon.
They will burn the foreheads of the people of Moab,
the skulls of those war-loving people. 70
48:46 Moab, you are doomed! 71
You people who worship Chemosh will be destroyed.
Your sons will be taken away captive.
Your daughters will be carried away into exile. 72
48:47 Yet in days to come
I will reverse Moab’s ill fortune.” 73
says the Lord. 74
The judgment against Moab ends here.
49:1 The Lord spoke about the Ammonites. 75
“Do you think there are not any people of the nation of Israel remaining?
Do you think there are not any of them remaining to reinherit their land?
Is that why you people who worship the god Milcom 76
have taken possession of the territory of Gad and live in his cities? 77
49:2 Because you did that,
I, the Lord, affirm that 78 a time is coming
when I will make Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon,
hear the sound of the battle cry.
It will become a mound covered with ruins. 79
Its villages will be burned to the ground. 80
Then Israel will take back its land
from those who took their land from them.
I, the Lord, affirm it! 81
49:3 Wail, you people in Heshbon, because Ai in Ammon is destroyed.
Cry out in anguish, you people in the villages surrounding 82 Rabbah.
Put on sackcloth and cry out in mourning.
Run about covered with gashes. 83
For your god Milcom will go into exile
along with his priests and officials. 84
49:4 Why do you brag about your great power?
Your power is ebbing away, 85 you rebellious people of Ammon, 86
who trust in your riches and say,
‘Who would dare to attack us?’
49:5 I will bring terror on you from every side,”
says the Lord God who rules over all. 87
“You will be scattered in every direction. 88
No one will gather the fugitives back together.
49:6 Yet in days to come
I will reverse Ammon’s ill fortune.” 89
says the Lord. 90
49:7 The Lord who rules over all 91 spoke about Edom. 92
“Is wisdom no longer to be found in Teman? 93
Can Edom’s counselors not give her any good advice? 94
Has all of their wisdom turned bad? 95
49:8 Turn and flee! Take up refuge in remote places, 96
you people who live in Dedan. 97
For I will bring disaster on the descendants of Esau.
I have decided it is time for me to punish them. 98
49:9 If grape pickers came to pick your grapes,
would they not leave a few grapes behind? 99
If robbers came at night,
would they not pillage only what they needed? 100
49:10 But I will strip everything away from Esau’s descendants.
I will uncover their hiding places so they cannot hide.
Their children, relatives, and neighbors will all be destroyed.
Not one of them will be left!
49:11 Leave your orphans behind and I will keep them alive.
Your widows too can depend on me.” 101
49:12 For the Lord says, “If even those who did not deserve to drink from the cup of my wrath must drink from it, do you think you will go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must certainly drink from the cup of my wrath. 102 49:13 For I solemnly swear,” 103 says the Lord, “that Bozrah 104 will become a pile of ruins. It will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example to be used in curses. 105 All the towns around it will lie in ruins forever.”
49:14 I said, 106 “I have heard a message from the Lord.
A messenger has been sent among the nations to say,
‘Gather your armies and march out against her!
Prepare to do battle with her!’” 107
49:15 The Lord says to Edom, 108
“I will certainly make you small among nations.
I will make you despised by all humankind.
49:16 The terror you inspire in others 109
and the arrogance of your heart have deceived you.
You may make your home in the clefts of the rocks;
you may occupy the highest places in the hills. 110
But even if you made your home where the eagles nest,
I would bring you down from there,”
says the Lord.
49:17 “Edom will become an object of horror.
All who pass by it will be filled with horror;
they will hiss out their scorn
because of all the disasters that have happened to it. 111
49:18 Edom will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah
and the towns that were around them.
No one will live there.
No human being will settle in it,”
says the Lord.
49:19 “A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordan 112
scatters the sheep in the pastureland around it. 113
So too I will chase the Edomites off their land. 114
Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose. 115
For there is no one like me, and there is no one who can call me to account. 116
There is no 117 ruler 118 who can stand up against me.
49:20 So listen to what I, the Lord, have planned against Edom,
what I intend to do to 119 the people who live in Teman. 120
Their little ones will be dragged off.
I will completely destroy their land because of what they have done. 121
49:21 The people of the earth will quake when they hear of their downfall. 122
Their cries of anguish will be heard all the way to the Gulf of Aqaba. 123
49:22 Look! Like an eagle with outspread wings,
a nation will soar up and swoop down on Bozrah.
At that time the soldiers of Edom will be as fearful
as a woman in labor.” 124
49:23 The Lord spoke 125 about Damascus. 126
“The people of Hamath and Arpad 127 will be dismayed
because they have heard bad news.
Their courage will melt away because of worry.
Their hearts will not be able to rest. 128
49:24 The people of Damascus will lose heart and turn to flee.
Panic will grip them.
Pain and anguish will seize them
like a woman in labor.
49:25 How deserted will that once-famous city 129 be,
that city that was once filled with 130 joy! 131
49:26 For her young men will fall in her city squares.
All her soldiers will be destroyed at that time,”
says the Lord who rules over all. 132
49:27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus;
it will burn up the palaces of Ben Hadad.” 133
49:28 The Lord spoke about Kedar 134 and the kingdoms of Hazor 135 that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered.
“Army of Babylon, 136 go and attack Kedar.
Lay waste those who live in the eastern desert. 137
49:29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken away.
Their tent curtains, equipment, and camels will be carried off.
People will shout 138 to them,
‘Terror is all around you!’” 139
49:30 The Lord says, 140 “Flee quickly, you who live in Hazor. 141
Take up refuge in remote places. 142
For King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has laid out plans to attack you.
He has formed his strategy on how to defeat you.” 143
49:31 The Lord says, 144 “Army of Babylon, 145 go and attack
a nation that lives in peace and security.
They have no gates or walls to protect them. 146
They live all alone.
49:32 Their camels will be taken as plunder.
Their vast herds will be taken as spoil.
I will scatter to the four winds
those desert peoples who cut their hair short at the temples. 147
I will bring disaster against them
from every direction,” says the Lord. 148
49:33 “Hazor will become a permanent wasteland,
a place where only jackals live. 149
No one will live there.
No human being will settle in it.” 150
49:34 Early in the reign 151 of King Zedekiah of Judah, the Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam. 152
49:35 The Lord who rules over all said,
“I will kill all the archers of Elam,
who are the chief source of her military might. 153
49:36 I will cause enemies to blow through Elam from every direction
like the winds blowing in from the four quarters of heaven.
I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds.
There will not be any nation where the refugees of Elam will not go. 154
49:37 I will make the people of Elam terrified of their enemies,
who are seeking to kill them.
I will vent my fierce anger
and bring disaster upon them,” 155 says the Lord. 156
“I will send armies chasing after them 157
until I have completely destroyed them.
49:38 I will establish my sovereignty over Elam. 158
I will destroy their king and their leaders,” 159 says the Lord. 160
49:39 “Yet in days to come
I will reverse Elam’s ill fortune.” 161
says the Lord. 162
50:1 The Lord spoke concerning Babylon and the land of Babylonia 163 through the prophet Jeremiah. 164
50:2 “Announce 165 the news among the nations! Proclaim it!
Signal for people to pay attention! 166
Declare the news! Do not hide it! Say:
‘Babylon will be captured.
Bel 167 will be put to shame.
Marduk will be dismayed.
Babylon’s idols will be put to shame.
Her disgusting images 168 will be dismayed. 169
50:3 For a nation from the north 170 will attack Babylon.
It will lay her land waste.
People and animals will flee out of it.
No one will inhabit it.’
50:4 “When that time comes,” says the Lord, 171
“the people of Israel and Judah will return to the land together.
They will come back with tears of repentance
as they seek the Lord their God. 172
50:5 They will ask the way to Zion;
they will turn their faces toward it.
They will come 173 and bind themselves to the Lord
in a lasting covenant that will never be forgotten. 174
50:6 “My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds 175 have allow them to go astray.
They have wandered around in the mountains.
They have roamed from one mountain and hill to another. 176
They have forgotten their resting place.
50:7 All who encountered them devoured them.
Their enemies who did this said, ‘We are not liable for punishment!
For those people have sinned against the Lord, their true pasture. 177
They have sinned against the Lord in whom their ancestors 178 trusted.’ 179
50:8 “People of Judah, 180 get out of Babylon quickly!
Leave the land of Babylonia! 181
Be the first to depart! 182
Be like the male goats that lead the herd.
50:9 For I will rouse into action and bring against Babylon
a host of mighty nations 183 from the land of the north.
They will set up their battle lines against her.
They will come from the north and capture her. 184
Their arrows will be like a skilled soldier 185
who does not return from the battle empty-handed. 186
50:10 Babylonia 187 will be plundered.
Those who plunder it will take all they want,”
says the Lord. 188
50:11 “People of Babylonia, 189 you plundered my people. 190
That made you happy and glad.
You frolic about like calves in a pasture. 191
Your joyous sounds are like the neighs of a stallion. 192
50:12 But Babylonia will be put to great shame.
The land where you were born 193 will be disgraced.
Indeed, 194 Babylonia will become the least important of all nations.
It will become a dry and barren desert.
50:13 After I vent my wrath on it Babylon will be uninhabited. 195
It will be totally desolate.
All who pass by will be filled with horror and will hiss out their scorn
because of all the disasters that have happened to it. 196
50:14 “Take up your battle positions all around Babylon,
all you soldiers who are armed with bows. 197
Shoot 198 all your arrows at her! Do not hold any back! 199
For she has sinned against the Lord.
50:15 Shout the battle cry from all around the city.
She will throw up her hands in surrender. 200
Her towers 201 will fall.
Her walls will be torn down.
Because I, the Lord, am wreaking revenge, 202
take out your vengeance on her!
Do to her as she has done!
50:16 Kill all the farmers who sow the seed in the land of Babylon.
Kill all those who wield the sickle at harvest time. 203
Let all the foreigners return to their own people.
Let them hurry back to their own lands
to escape destruction by that enemy army. 204
50:17 “The people of Israel are like scattered sheep
which lions have chased away.
First the king of Assyria devoured them. 205
Now last of all King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has gnawed their bones. 206
50:18 So I, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all, say: 207
‘I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
just as I punished the king of Assyria.
50:19 But I will restore the flock of Israel to their own pasture.
They will graze on Mount Carmel and the land of Bashan.
They will eat until they are full 208
on the hills of Ephraim and the land of Gilead. 209
50:20 When that time comes,
no guilt will be found in Israel.
No sin will be found in Judah. 210
For I will forgive those of them I have allowed to survive. 211
I, the Lord, affirm it!’” 212
50:21 The Lord says, 213
“Attack 214 the land of Merathaim
and the people who live in Pekod! 215
Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them! 216
Do just as I have commanded you! 217
50:22 The noise of battle can be heard in the land of Babylonia. 218
There is the sound of great destruction.
50:23 Babylon hammered the whole world to pieces.
But see how that ‘hammer’ has been broken and shattered! 219
See what an object of horror
Babylon has become among the nations!
50:24 I set a trap for you, Babylon;
you were caught before you knew it.
You fought against me.
So you were found and captured. 220
50:25 I have opened up the place where my weapons are stored. 221
I have brought out the weapons for carrying out my wrath. 222
For I, the Lord God who rules over all, 223
have work to carry out in the land of Babylonia. 224
50:26 Come from far away and attack Babylonia! 225
Open up the places where she stores her grain!
Pile her up in ruins! 226 Destroy her completely! 227
Do not leave anyone alive! 228
50:27 Kill all her soldiers! 229
Let them be slaughtered! 230
They are doomed, 231 for their day of reckoning 232 has come,
the time for them to be punished.”
50:28 Listen! Fugitives and refugees are coming from the land of Babylon.
They are coming to Zion to declare there
how the Lord our God is getting revenge,
getting revenge for what they have done to his temple. 233
50:29 “Call for archers 234 to come against Babylon!
Summon against her all who draw the bow!
Set up camp all around the city!
Do not allow anyone to escape!
Pay her back for what she has done.
Do to her what she has done to others.
For she has proudly defied me, 235
the Holy One of Israel. 236
50:30 So her young men will fall in her city squares.
All her soldiers will be destroyed at that time,”
says the Lord. 237
50:31 “Listen! I am opposed to you, you proud city,” 238
says the Lord God who rules over all. 239
“Indeed, 240 your day of reckoning 241 has come,
the time when I will punish you. 242
50:32 You will stumble and fall, you proud city;
no one will help you get up.
I will set fire to your towns;
it will burn up everything that surrounds you.” 243
50:33 The Lord who rules over all 244 says,
“The people of Israel are oppressed.
So too are the people of Judah. 245
All those who took them captive are holding them prisoners.
They refuse to set them free.
50:34 But the one who will rescue them 246 is strong.
He is known as the Lord who rules over all. 247
He will strongly 248 champion their cause.
As a result 249 he will bring peace and rest to the earth,
but trouble and turmoil 250 to the people who inhabit Babylonia. 251
50:35 “Destructive forces will come against the Babylonians,” 252 says the Lord. 253
“They will come against the people who inhabit Babylonia,
against her leaders and her men of wisdom.
50:36 Destructive forces will come against her false prophets; 254
they will be shown to be fools! 255
Destructive forces will come against her soldiers;
they will be filled with terror! 256
50:37 Destructive forces will come against her horses and her 257 chariots.
Destructive forces will come against all the foreign troops within her; 258
they will be as frightened as women! 259
Destructive forces will come against her treasures;
they will be taken away as plunder!
50:38 A drought will come upon her land;
her rivers and canals will be dried up. 260
All of this will happen because her land is filled with idols. 261
Her people act like madmen because of 262 those idols they fear. 263
50:39 Therefore desert creatures and jackals will live there.
Ostriches 264 will dwell in it too. 265
But no people will ever live there again.
No one will dwell there for all time to come. 266
50:40 I will destroy Babylonia just like I did
Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns.
No one will live there. 267
No human being will settle in it,”
says the Lord. 268
50:41 “Look! An army is about to come from the north.
A mighty nation and many kings 269 are stirring into action
in faraway parts of the earth.
50:42 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride forth on their horses.
Lined up in formation like men going into battle,
they are coming against you, fair Babylon! 270
50:43 The king of Babylon will become paralyzed with fear 271
when he hears news of their coming. 272
Anguish will grip him,
agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby. 273
50:44 “A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordan
scatters the sheep in the pastureland around it.
So too I will chase the Babylonians off of their land.
Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose.
For there is no one like me.
There is no one who can call me to account.
There is no ruler that can stand up against me.
50:45 So listen to what I, the Lord, have planned against Babylon,
what I intend to do to the people who inhabit the land of Babylonia. 274
Their little ones will be dragged off.
I will completely destroy their land because of what they have done.
50:46 The people of the earth will quake when they hear Babylon has been captured.
Her cries of anguish will be heard by the other nations.” 275
51:1 The Lord says,
“I will cause a destructive wind 276 to blow
against 277 Babylon and the people who inhabit Babylonia. 278
51:2 I will send people to winnow Babylonia like a wind blowing away chaff. 279
They will winnow her and strip her land bare. 280
This will happen when 281 they come against her from every direction,
when it is time to destroy her. 282
51:3 Do not give her archers time to string their bows
or to put on their coats of armor. 283
Do not spare any of her young men.
Completely destroy 284 her whole army.
51:4 Let them fall 285 slain in the land of Babylonia, 286
mortally wounded in the streets of her cities. 287
51:5 “For Israel and Judah will not be forsaken 288
by their God, the Lord who rules over all. 289
For the land of Babylonia is 290 full of guilt
against the Holy One of Israel. 291
51:6 Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people. 292
Flee to save your lives.
Do not let yourselves be killed because of her sins.
For it is time for the Lord to wreak his revenge.
He will pay Babylonia 293 back for what she has done. 294
51:7 Babylonia had been a gold cup in the Lord’s hand.
She had made the whole world drunk.
The nations had drunk from the wine of her wrath. 295
So they have all gone mad. 296
51:8 But suddenly Babylonia will fall and be destroyed. 297
Cry out in mourning over it!
Get medicine for her wounds!
Perhaps she can be healed!
51:9 Foreigners living there will say, 298
‘We tried to heal her, but she could not be healed.
Let’s leave Babylonia 299 and each go back to his own country.
For judgment on her will be vast in its proportions.
It will be like it is piled up to heaven, stacked up into the clouds.’ 300
51:10 The exiles from Judah will say, 301
‘The Lord has brought about a great deliverance for us! 302
Come on, let’s go and proclaim in Zion
what the Lord our God has done!’
51:11 “Sharpen 303 your arrows!
Fill your quivers! 304
The Lord will arouse a spirit of hostility in 305 the kings of Media. 306
For he intends to destroy Babylonia.
For that is how the Lord will get his revenge –
how he will get his revenge for the Babylonians’ destruction of his temple. 307
51:12 Give the signal to attack Babylon’s wall! 308
Bring more guards! 309
Post them all around the city! 310
Put men in ambush! 311
For the Lord will do what he has planned.
He will do what he said he would do to the people of Babylon. 312
51:13 “You who live along the rivers of Babylon, 313
the time of your end has come.
You who are rich in plundered treasure,
it is time for your lives to be cut off. 314
51:14 The Lord who rules over all 315 has solemnly sworn, 316
‘I will fill your land with enemy soldiers.
They will swarm over it like locusts. 317
They will raise up shouts of victory over it.’
51:15 He is the one who 318 by his power made the earth.
He is the one who by his wisdom fixed the world in place,
by his understanding he spread out the heavens.
51:16 When his voice thunders, the waters in the heavens roar.
He makes the clouds rise from the far-off horizons.
He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the rain.
He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it.
51:17 All idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant.
Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.
For the image he forges is merely a sham.
There is no breath in any of those idols.
51:18 They are worthless, objects to be ridiculed.
When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
51:19 The Lord, who is the portion of the descendants of Jacob, is not like them.
For he is the one who created everything,
including the people of Israel whom he claims as his own. 319
He is known as the Lord who rules over all. 320
51:20 “Babylon, 321 you are my war club, 322
my weapon for battle.
I used you to smash nations. 323
I used you to destroy kingdoms.
51:21 I used you to smash horses and their riders. 324
I used you to smash chariots and their drivers.
51:22 I used you to smash men and women.
I used you to smash old men and young men.
I used you to smash young men and young women.
51:23 I used you to smash shepherds and their flocks.
I used you to smash farmers and their teams of oxen.
I used you to smash governors and leaders.” 325
51:24 “But I will repay Babylon
and all who live in Babylonia
for all the wicked things they did in Zion
right before the eyes of you Judeans,” 326
says the Lord. 327
51:25 The Lord says, 328 “Beware! I am opposed to you, Babylon! 329
You are like a destructive mountain that destroys all the earth.
I will unleash my power against you; 330
I will roll you off the cliffs and make you like a burned-out mountain. 331
51:26 No one will use any of your stones as a cornerstone.
No one will use any of them in the foundation of his house.
For you will lie desolate forever,” 332
says the Lord. 333
51:27 “Raise up battle flags throughout the lands.
Sound the trumpets calling the nations to do battle.
Prepare the nations to do battle against Babylonia. 334
Call for these kingdoms to attack her:
Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. 335
Appoint a commander to lead the attack. 336
Send horses 337 against her like a swarm of locusts. 338
51:28 Prepare the nations to do battle against her. 339
Prepare the kings of the Medes.
Prepare their governors and all their leaders. 340
Prepare all the countries they rule to do battle against her. 341
51:29 The earth will tremble and writhe in agony. 342
For the Lord will carry out his plan.
He plans to make the land of Babylonia 343
a wasteland where no one lives. 344
51:30 The soldiers of Babylonia will stop fighting.
They will remain in their fortified cities.
They will lose their strength to do battle. 345
They will be as frightened as women. 346
The houses in her cities will be set on fire.
The gates of her cities will be broken down. 347
51:31 One runner after another will come to the king of Babylon.
One messenger after another will come bringing news. 348
They will bring news to the king of Babylon
that his whole city has been captured. 349
51:32 They will report that the fords have been captured,
the reed marshes have been burned,
the soldiers are terrified. 350
51:33 For the Lord God of Israel who rules over all says,
‘Fair Babylon 351 will be like a threshing floor
which has been trampled flat for harvest.
The time for her to be cut down and harvested
will come very soon.’ 352
51:34 “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
devoured me and drove my people out.
Like a monster from the deep he swallowed me.
He filled his belly with my riches.
He made me an empty dish.
He completely cleaned me out.” 353
51:35 The person who lives in Zion says,
“May Babylon pay for the violence done to me and to my relatives.”
Jerusalem says,
“May those living in Babylonia pay for the bloodshed of my people.” 354
51:36 Therefore the Lord says,
“I will stand up for your cause.
I will pay the Babylonians back for what they have done to you. 355
I will dry up their sea.
I will make their springs run dry. 356
51:37 Babylon will become a heap of ruins.
Jackals will make their home there. 357
It will become an object of horror and of hissing scorn,
a place where no one lives. 358
51:38 The Babylonians are all like lions roaring for prey.
They are like lion cubs growling for something to eat. 359
51:39 When their appetites are all stirred up, 360
I will set out a banquet for them.
I will make them drunk
so that they will pass out, 361
they will fall asleep forever,
they will never wake up,” 362
says the Lord. 363
51:40 “I will lead them off to be slaughtered
like lambs, rams, and male goats.” 364
51:41 “See how Babylon 365 has been captured!
See how the pride of the whole earth has been taken!
See what an object of horror
Babylon has become among the nations! 366
51:42 The sea has swept over Babylon.
She has been covered by a multitude 367 of its waves. 368
51:43 The towns of Babylonia have become heaps of ruins.
She has become a dry and barren desert.
No one lives in those towns any more.
No one even passes through them. 369
51:44 I will punish the god Bel in Babylon.
I will make him spit out what he has swallowed.
The nations will not come streaming to him any longer.
Indeed, the walls of Babylon will fall.” 370
51:45 “Get out of Babylon, my people!
Flee to save your lives
from the fierce anger of the Lord! 371
51:46 Do not lose your courage or become afraid
because of the reports that are heard in the land.
For a report will come in one year.
Another report will follow it in the next.
There will be violence in the land
with ruler fighting against ruler.”
51:47 “So the time will certainly come 372
when I will punish the idols of Babylon.
Her whole land will be put to shame.
All her mortally wounded will collapse in her midst. 373
51:48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will sing for joy over Babylon.
For destroyers from the north will attack it,”
says the Lord. 374
51:49 “Babylon must fall 375
because of the Israelites she has killed, 376
just as the earth’s mortally wounded fell
because of Babylon. 377
51:50 You who have escaped the sword, 378
go, do not delay. 379
Remember the Lord in a faraway land.
Think about Jerusalem. 380
51:51 ‘We 381 are ashamed because we have been insulted. 382
Our faces show our disgrace. 383
For foreigners have invaded
the holy rooms 384 in the Lord’s temple.’
51:52 Yes, but the time will certainly come,” 385 says the Lord, 386
“when I will punish her idols.
Throughout her land the mortally wounded will groan.
51:53 Even if Babylon climbs high into the sky 387
and fortifies her elevated stronghold, 388
I will send destroyers against her,” 389
says the Lord. 390
51:54 Cries of anguish will come from Babylon,
the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians.
51:55 For the Lord is ready to destroy Babylon,
and put an end to her loud noise.
Their waves 391 will roar like turbulent 392 waters.
They will make a deafening noise. 393
51:56 For a destroyer is attacking Babylon. 394
Her warriors will be captured;
their bows will be broken. 395
For the Lord is a God who punishes; 396
he pays back in full. 397
51:57 “I will make her officials and wise men drunk,
along with her governors, leaders, 398 and warriors.
They will fall asleep forever and never wake up,” 399
says the King whose name is the Lord who rules over all. 400
51:58 This is what the Lord who rules over all 401 says,
“Babylon’s thick wall 402 will be completely demolished. 403
Her high gates will be set on fire.
The peoples strive for what does not satisfy. 404
The nations grow weary trying to get what will be destroyed.” 405
51:59 This is the order Jeremiah the prophet gave to Seraiah son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went to King Zedekiah of Judah in Babylon during the fourth year of his reign. 406 (Seraiah was a quartermaster.) 407 51:60 Jeremiah recorded 408 on one scroll all the judgments 409 that would come upon Babylon – all these prophecies 410 written about Babylon. 51:61 Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon, make sure 411 you read aloud all these prophecies. 412 51:62 Then say, ‘O Lord, you have announced that you will destroy this place so that no people or animals live in it any longer. Certainly it will lie desolate forever!’ 51:63 When you finish reading this scroll aloud, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates River. 413 51:64 Then say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again because of the judgments 414 I am ready to bring upon her; they will grow faint.’”
The prophecies of Jeremiah end here. 415
25:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 25:2 “Son of man, turn toward 416 the Ammonites 417 and prophesy against them. 25:3 Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the sovereign Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: You said “Aha!” about my sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile. 25:4 So take note, 418 I am about to make you slaves of 419 the tribes 420 of the east. They will make camps among you and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. 25:5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon 421 a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 25:6 For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced with intense scorn 422 over the land of Israel, 25:7 take note, I have stretched out my hand against you, and I will hand you over as plunder 423 to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from the lands. I will destroy you; then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
25:8 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Moab 424 and Seir say, “Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations.” 25:9 So look, I am about to open up Moab’s flank, 425 eliminating the cities, 426 including its frontier cities, 427 the beauty of the land – Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim. 25:10 I will hand it over, 428 along with the Ammonites, 429 to the tribes 430 of the east, so that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations. 25:11 I will execute judgments against Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”
25:12 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Edom 431 has taken vengeance against the house of Judah; they have made themselves fully culpable 432 by taking vengeance 433 on them. 434 25:13 So this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom, and I will kill the people and animals within her, 435 and I will make her desolate; from Teman to Dedan they will die 436 by the sword. 25:14 I will exact my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel. They will carry out in Edom my anger and rage; they will experience 437 my vengeance, declares the sovereign Lord.’”
25:15 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘The Philistines 438 have exacted merciless revenge, 439 showing intense scorn 440 in their effort to destroy Judah 441 with unrelenting hostility. 442 25:16 So this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note, I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines. I will kill 443 the Cherethites 444 and destroy those who remain on the seacoast. 25:17 I will exact great vengeance upon them with angry rebukes. 445 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I exact my vengeance upon them.’”
26:1 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, 446 the word of the Lord came to me: 26:2 “Son of man, because Tyre 447 has said about Jerusalem, 448 ‘Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I will become rich, 449 now that she 450 has been destroyed,’ 26:3 therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, 451 I am against you, 452 O Tyre! I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 26:4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers. I will scrape her soil 453 from her and make her a bare rock. 26:5 She will be a place where fishing nets are spread, surrounded by the sea. For I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord. She will become plunder for the nations, 26:6 and her daughters 454 who are in the field will be slaughtered by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
26:7 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note that 455 I am about to bring King Nebuchadrezzar 456 of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre from the north, with horses, chariots, and horsemen, an army and hordes of people. 26:8 He will kill your daughters in the field with the sword. He will build a siege wall against you, erect a siege ramp against you, and raise a great shield against you. 26:9 He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his weapons. 457 26:10 He will cover you with the dust kicked up by his many horses. 458 Your walls will shake from the noise of the horsemen, wheels, and chariots when he enters your gates like those who invade through a city’s broken walls. 459 26:11 With his horses’ hoofs he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars will tumble down to the ground. 26:12 They will steal your wealth and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your luxurious 460 homes. Your stones, your trees, and your soil he will throw 461 into the water. 462 26:13 I will silence 463 the noise of your songs; the sound of your harps will be heard no more. 26:14 I will make you a bare rock; you will be a place where fishing nets are spread. You will never be built again, 464 for I, the Lord, have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.
26:15 “This is what the sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Oh, how the coastlands will shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, at the massive slaughter in your midst! 26:16 All the princes of the sea will vacate 465 their thrones. They will remove their robes and strip off their embroidered clothes; they will clothe themselves with trembling. They will sit on the ground; they will tremble continually and be shocked at what has happened to you. 466 26:17 They will sing this lament over you: 467
“‘How you have perished – you have vanished 468 from the seas,
O renowned city, once mighty in the sea,
she and her inhabitants, who spread their terror! 469
26:18 Now the coastlands will tremble on the day of your fall;
the coastlands by the sea will be terrified by your passing.’ 470
26:19 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: When I make you desolate like the uninhabited cities, when I bring up the deep over you and the surging 471 waters overwhelm you, 26:20 then I will bring you down to bygone people, 472 to be with those who descend to the pit. I will make you live in the lower parts of the earth, among 473 the primeval ruins, with those who descend to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited or stand 474 in the land of the living. 26:21 I will bring terrors on you, and you will be no more! Though you are sought after, you will never be found again, declares the sovereign Lord.”
27:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 27:2 “You, son of man, sing a lament for Tyre. 475 27:3 Say to Tyre, who sits at the entrance 476 of the sea, 477 merchant to the peoples on many coasts, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘O Tyre, you have said, “I am perfectly beautiful.”
27:4 478 Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
your builders have perfected your beauty.
27:5 They crafted 479 all your planks out of fir trees from Senir; 480
they took a cedar from Lebanon to make your mast.
27:6 They made your oars from oaks of Bashan;
they made your deck 481 with cypresses 482 from the Kittean isles. 483
27:7 Fine linen from Egypt, woven with patterns, was used for your sail
to serve as your banner;
blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah 484 was used for your deck’s awning.
27:8 The leaders 485 of Sidon 486 and Arvad 487 were your rowers;
your skilled 488 men, O Tyre, were your captains.
27:9 The elders of Gebal 489 and her skilled men were within you, mending cracks; 490
all the ships of the sea and their mariners were within you to trade for your merchandise. 491
27:10 Men of Persia, Lud, 492 and Put were in your army, men of war.
They hung shield and helmet on you; they gave you your splendor.
27:11 The Arvadites 493 joined your army on your walls all around,
and the Gammadites 494 were in your towers.
They hung their quivers 495 on your walls all around;
they perfected your beauty.
27:12 “‘Tarshish 496 was your trade partner because of your abundant wealth; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products. 27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your clients; they exchanged slaves and bronze items for your merchandise. 27:14 Beth Togarmah exchanged horses, chargers, 497 and mules for your products. 27:15 The Dedanites 498 were your clients. Many coastlands were your customers; they paid 499 you with ivory tusks and ebony. 27:16 Edom 500 was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your products. 27:17 Judah and the land of Israel were your clients; they traded wheat from Minnith, 501 millet, honey, olive oil, and balm for your merchandise. 27:18 Damascus was your trade partner because of the abundance of your goods and of all your wealth: wine from Helbon, white wool from Zahar, 27:19 and casks of wine 502 from Izal 503 they exchanged for your products. Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were among your merchandise. 27:20 Dedan was your client in saddlecloths for riding. 27:21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your trade partners; for lambs, rams, and goats they traded with you. 27:22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah engaged in trade with you; they traded the best kinds of spices along with precious stones and gold for your products. 27:23 Haran, Kanneh, Eden, merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad were your clients. 27:24 They traded with you choice garments, purple clothes and embroidered work, and multicolored carpets, bound and reinforced with cords; these were among your merchandise. 27:25 The ships of Tarshish 504 were the transports for your merchandise.
“‘So you were filled and weighed down in the heart of the seas.
27:26 Your rowers have brought you into surging waters.
The east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.
27:27 Your wealth, products, and merchandise, your sailors and captains,
your ship’s carpenters, 505 your merchants,
and all your fighting men within you,
along with all your crew who are in you,
will fall into the heart of the seas on the day of your downfall.
27:28 At the sound of your captains’ cry the waves will surge; 506
27:29 They will descend from their ships – all who handle the oar,
the sailors and all the sea captains – they will stand on the land.
27:30 They will lament loudly 507 over you and cry bitterly.
They will throw dust on their heads and roll in the ashes; 508
27:31 they will tear out their hair because of you and put on sackcloth,
and they will weep bitterly over you with intense mourning. 509
27:32 As they wail they will lament over you, chanting:
“Who was like Tyre, like a tower 510 in the midst of the sea?”
27:33 When your products went out from the seas,
you satisfied many peoples;
with the abundance of your wealth and merchandise
you enriched the kings of the earth.
27:34 Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters;
your merchandise and all your company have sunk 511 along with you. 512
27:35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you,
and their kings are horribly afraid – their faces are troubled.
27:36 The traders among the peoples hiss at you;
you have become a horror, and will be no more.’”
28:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 28:2 “Son of man, say to the prince 513 of Tyre, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Your heart is proud 514 and you said, “I am a god; 515
I sit in the seat of gods, in the heart of the seas” –
yet you are a man and not a god,
though you think you are godlike. 516
28:3 Look, you are wiser than Daniel; 517
no secret is hidden from you. 518
28:4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself;
you have amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.
28:5 By your great skill 519 in trade you have increased your wealth,
and your heart is proud because of your wealth.
28:6 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says:
Because you think you are godlike, 520
28:7 I am about to bring foreigners 521 against you, the most terrifying of nations.
They will draw their swords against the grandeur made by your wisdom, 522
and they will defile your splendor.
28:8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die violently 523 in the heart of the seas.
28:9 Will you still say, “I am a god,” before the one who kills you –
though you are a man and not a god –
when you are in the power of those who wound you?
28:10 You will die the death of the uncircumcised 524 by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.’”
28:11 The word of the Lord came to me: 28:12 “Son of man, sing 525 a lament for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘You were the sealer 526 of perfection,
full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. 527
Every precious stone was your covering,
the ruby, topaz, and emerald,
the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper,
the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; 528
your settings and mounts were made of gold.
On the day you were created they were prepared.
28:14 I placed you there with an anointed 529 guardian 530 cherub; 531
you were on the holy mountain of God;
you walked about amidst fiery stones.
28:15 You were blameless in your behavior 532 from the day you were created,
until sin was discovered in you.
28:16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence, 533 and you sinned;
so I defiled you and banished you 534 from the mountain of God –
the guardian cherub expelled you 535 from the midst of the stones of fire.
28:17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom on account of your splendor.
I threw you down to the ground;
I placed you before kings, that they might see you.
28:18 By the multitude of your iniquities, through the sinfulness of your trade,
you desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I drew fire out from within you;
it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
before the eyes of all who saw you.
28:19 All who know you among the peoples are shocked at you;
you have become terrified and will be no more.’”
28:20 The word of the Lord came to me: 28:21 “Son of man, turn toward 536 Sidon 537 and prophesy against it. 28:22 Say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Look, I am against you, 538 Sidon,
and I will magnify myself in your midst.
Then they will know that I am the Lord
when I execute judgments on her
and reveal my sovereign power 539 in her.
28:23 I will send a plague into the city 540 and bloodshed into its streets;
the slain will fall within it, by the sword that attacks it 541 from every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
28:24 “‘No longer will Israel suffer from the sharp briers 542 or painful thorns of all who surround and scorn them. 543 Then they will know that I am the sovereign Lord.
28:25 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: When I regather the house of Israel from the peoples where they are dispersed, I will reveal my sovereign power 544 over them in the sight of the nations, and they will live in their land that I gave to my servant Jacob. 28:26 They will live securely in it; they will build houses and plant vineyards. They will live securely 545 when I execute my judgments on all those who scorn them and surround them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”
29:1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, 546 the word of the Lord came to me: 29:2 “Son of man, turn toward 547 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 29:3 Tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Look, I am against 548 you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great monster 549 lying in the midst of its waterways,
who has said, “My Nile is my own, I made it for myself.” 550
29:4 I will put hooks in your jaws
and stick the fish of your waterways to your scales.
I will haul you up from the midst of your waterways,
and all the fish of your waterways will stick to your scales.
29:5 I will leave you in the wilderness,
you and all the fish of your waterways;
you will fall in the open field and will not be gathered up or collected. 551
I have given you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the skies.
29:6 Then all those living in Egypt will know that I am the Lord
because they were a reed staff 552 for the house of Israel;
29:7 when they grasped you with their hand, 553 you broke and tore 554 their shoulders,
and when they leaned on you, you splintered and caused their legs to be unsteady. 555
29:8 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will kill 556 every person and every animal. 29:9 The land of Egypt will become a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
Because he said, “The Nile is mine and I made it,” 29:10 I am against 557 you and your waterways. I will turn the land of Egypt into an utter desolate ruin from Migdol 558 to Syene, 559 as far as the border with Ethiopia. 29:11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal’s foot will pass through it; it will be uninhabited for forty years. 29:12 I will turn the land of Egypt into a desolation in the midst of desolate lands; for forty years her cities will lie desolate in the midst of ruined cities. I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among foreign countries.
29:13 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years 560 I will gather Egypt from the peoples where they were scattered. 29:14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt, and will bring them back 561 to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin; there they will be an insignificant kingdom. 29:15 It will be the most insignificant of the kingdoms; it will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations. 29:16 It will never again be Israel’s source of confidence, but a reminder of how they sinned by turning to Egypt for help. 562 Then they will know that I am the sovereign Lord.’”
29:17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, 563 the word of the Lord came to me: 29:18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadrezzar 564 of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. 565 Every head was rubbed bald and every shoulder rubbed bare; yet he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the work he carried out against it. 29:19 Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. He will carry off her wealth, capture her loot, and seize her plunder; it will be his army’s wages. 29:20 I have given him the land of Egypt as his compensation for attacking Tyre 566 , because they did it for me, declares the sovereign Lord. 29:21 On that day I will make Israel powerful, 567 and I will give you the right to be heard 568 among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
30:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 30:2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Wail, “Alas, the day is here!” 569
30:3 For the day is near,
the day of the Lord is near;
it will be a day of storm clouds, 570
it will be a time of judgment 571 for the nations.
30:4 A sword will come against Egypt
and panic will overtake Ethiopia
when the slain fall in Egypt
and they carry away her wealth
and dismantle her foundations.
30:5 Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the foreigners, 572 Libya, and the people 573 of the covenant land 574 will die by the sword along with them.
30:6 “‘This is what the Lord says:
Egypt’s supporters will fall;
her confident pride will crumble. 575
From Migdol to Syene 576 they will die by the sword within her,
declares the sovereign Lord.
30:7 They will be desolate among desolate lands,
and their cities will be among ruined cities.
30:8 They will know that I am the Lord
when I ignite a fire in Egypt
and all her allies are defeated. 577
30:9 On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten overly confident Ethiopia; panic will overtake them on the day of Egypt’s doom; 578 for beware – it is coming!
30:10 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt,
by the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar 579 of Babylon.
30:11 He and his people with him,
the most terrifying of the nations, 580
will be brought there to destroy the land.
They will draw their swords against Egypt,
and fill the land with corpses.
30:12 I will dry up the waterways
and hand the land over to 581 evil men.
I will make the land and everything in it desolate by the hand of foreigners.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
30:13 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
I will destroy the idols,
and put an end to the gods of Memphis.
There will no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt;
so I will make the land of Egypt fearful. 582
30:14 I will desolate Pathros,
I will ignite a fire in Zoan,
and I will execute judgments on Thebes.
30:15 I will pour out my anger upon Pelusium, 583
the stronghold of Egypt;
I will cut off 584 the hordes of Thebes.
30:16 I will ignite a fire in Egypt;
Syene 585 will writhe in agony,
Thebes will be broken down,
and Memphis will face enemies every day.
30:17 The young men of On and of Pi-beseth 586 will die by the sword;
and the cities will go 587 into captivity.
30:18 In Tahpanhes the day will be dark 588
when I break the yoke of Egypt there.
Her confident pride will cease within her;
a cloud will cover her, and her daughters will go into captivity.
30:19 I will execute judgments on Egypt.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”
30:20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, 589 the word of the Lord came to me: 30:21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm 590 of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 591 Look, it has not been bandaged for healing or set with a dressing so that it might become strong enough to grasp a sword. 30:22 Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, 592 I am against 593 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, the strong arm and the broken one, and I will make the sword drop from his hand. 30:23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among foreign countries. 30:24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will place my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan like the fatally wounded before the king of Babylon. 594 30:25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the Lord when I place my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon and he extends it against the land of Egypt. 30:26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among foreign countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
31:1 In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, 595 the word of the Lord came to me: 31:2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his hordes:
“‘Who are you like in your greatness?
31:3 Consider Assyria, 596 a cedar in Lebanon, 597
with beautiful branches, like a forest giving shade,
and extremely tall;
its top reached into the clouds.
31:4 The water made it grow;
underground springs made it grow tall.
Rivers flowed all around the place it was planted,
while smaller channels watered all the trees of the field. 598
31:5 Therefore it grew taller than all the trees of the field;
its boughs grew large and its branches grew long,
because of the plentiful water in its shoots. 599
31:6 All the birds of the sky nested in its boughs;
under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth,
in its shade all the great 600 nations lived.
31:7 It was beautiful in its loftiness, in the length of its branches;
for its roots went down deep to plentiful waters.
31:8 The cedars in the garden of God could not eclipse it,
nor could the fir trees 601 match its boughs;
the plane trees were as nothing compared to its branches;
no tree in the garden of God could rival its beauty.
31:9 I made it beautiful with its many branches;
all the trees of Eden, in the garden of God, envied it.
31:10 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because it was tall in stature, and its top reached into the clouds, and it was proud of its height, 31:11 I gave it over to the leader of the nations. He has judged it thoroughly, 602 as its sinfulness deserves. I have thrown it out. 31:12 Foreigners from the most terrifying nations have cut it down and left it to lie there on the mountains. In all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in the ravines of the land. All the peoples of the land 603 have departed 604 from its shade and left it. 31:13 On its ruins all the birds of the sky will live, and all the wild animals 605 will walk 606 on its branches. 31:14 For this reason no watered trees will grow so tall; their tops will not reach into the clouds, nor will the well-watered ones grow that high. 607 For all of them have been appointed to die in the lower parts of the earth; 608 they will be among mere mortals, 609 with those who descend to the pit.
31:15 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day it 610 went down to Sheol I caused observers to lament. 611 I covered it with the deep and held back its rivers; its plentiful water was restrained. I clothed Lebanon in black for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. 31:16 I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I threw it down to Sheol, along with those who descend to the pit. 612 Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of Lebanon, all that were well-watered, were comforted in the earth below. 31:17 Those who lived in its shade, its allies 613 among the nations, also went down with it to Sheol, to those killed by the sword. 31:18 Which of the trees of Eden was like you in majesty and loftiness? You will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword! This is what will happen to Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the sovereign Lord.’”
32:1 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, 614 the word of the Lord came to me: 32:2 “Son of man, sing a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:
“‘You were like a lion 615 among the nations,
but you are a monster in the seas;
you thrash about in your streams,
stir up the water with your feet,
and muddy your 616 streams.
32:3 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘I will throw my net over you 617 in the assembly of many peoples;
and they will haul you up in my dragnet.
32:4 I will leave you on the ground,
I will fling you on the open field,
I will allow 618 all the birds of the sky to settle 619 on you,
and I will permit 620 all the wild animals 621 to gorge themselves on you.
32:5 I will put your flesh on the mountains,
and fill the valleys with your maggot-infested carcass. 622
32:6 I will drench the land with the flow
of your blood up to the mountains,
and the ravines will be full of your blood. 623
32:7 When I extinguish you, I will cover the sky;
I will darken its stars.
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not shine. 624
32:8 I will darken all the lights in the sky over you,
and I will darken your land,
declares the sovereign Lord.
32:9 I will disturb 625 many peoples,
when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
among countries you do not know.
32:10 I will shock many peoples with you,
and their kings will shiver with horror because of you.
When I brandish my sword before them,
every moment each one will tremble for his life, on the day of your fall.
32:11 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘The sword of the king of Babylon 626 will attack 627 you.
32:12 By the swords of the mighty warriors I will cause your hordes to fall –
all of them are the most terrifying among the nations.
They will devastate the pride of Egypt,
and all its hordes will be destroyed.
32:13 I will destroy all its cattle beside the plentiful waters;
and no human foot will disturb 628 the waters 629 again,
nor will the hooves of cattle disturb them.
32:14 Then I will make their waters calm, 630
and will make their streams flow like olive oil, declares the sovereign Lord.
32:15 When I turn the land of Egypt into desolation
and the land is destitute of everything that fills it,
when I strike all those who live in it,
then they will know that I am the Lord.’
32:16 This is a lament; they will chant it.
The daughters of the nations will chant it.
They will chant it over Egypt and over all her hordes,
declares the sovereign Lord.”
32:17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, 631 the word of the Lord came to me: 32:18 “Son of man, wail 632 over the horde of Egypt. Bring it down; 633 bring 634 her 635 and the daughters of powerful nations down to the lower parts of the earth, along with those who descend to the pit. 32:19 Say to them, 636 ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty? 637 Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised!’ 32:20 They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; they carry her and all her hordes away. 32:21 The bravest of the warriors will speak to him from the midst of Sheol along with his allies, saying: ‘The uncircumcised have come down; they lie still, killed by the sword.’
32:22 “Assyria is there with all her assembly around her grave, 638 all of them struck down by the sword. 639 32:23 Their 640 graves are located in the remote slopes of the pit. 641 Her assembly is around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword, those who spread terror in the land of the living.
32:24 “Elam is there with all her hordes around her grave; all of them struck down by the sword. They went down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, those who spread terror in the land of the living. Now they will bear their shame with those who descend to the pit. 32:25 Among the dead they have made a bed for her, along with all her hordes around her grave. 642 All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for their terror had spread in the land of the living. They bear their shame along with those who descend to the pit; they are placed among the dead.
32:26 “Meshech-Tubal is there, along with all her hordes around her grave. 643 All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for they spread their terror in the land of the living. 32:27 They do not lie with the fallen warriors of ancient times, 644 who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, having their swords placed under their heads and their shields on their bones, 645 when the terror of these warriors was in the land of the living.
32:28 “But as for you, in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken, and you will lie with those killed by the sword.
32:29 “Edom is there with her kings and all her princes. Despite their might they are laid with those killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised and those who descend to the pit.
32:30 “All the leaders of the north are there, along with all the Sidonians; despite their might they have gone down in shameful terror with the dead. They lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, and bear their shame with those who descend to the pit.
32:31 “Pharaoh will see them and be consoled over all his hordes who were killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army, declares the sovereign Lord. 32:32 Indeed, I terrified him in the land of the living, yet he will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the sovereign Lord.”
35:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 35:2 “Son of man, turn toward 646 Mount Seir, 647 and prophesy against it. 35:3 Say to it, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Look, I am against you, Mount Seir;
I will stretch out my hand against you
and turn you into a desolate ruin.
35:4 I will lay waste your cities;
and you will become desolate.
Then you will know that I am the Lord!
35:5 “‘You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel onto the blades of a sword 648 at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment. 35:6 Therefore, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will subject you to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 35:7 I will turn Mount Seir into a desolate ruin; 649 I will cut off 650 from it the one who passes through or returns. 35:8 I will fill its mountains with its dead; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines, those killed by the sword will fall. 35:9 I will turn you into a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
35:10 “‘You said, “These two nations, these two lands 651 will be mine, and we will possess them,” 652 – although the Lord was there – 35:11 therefore, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will deal with you according to your anger, and according to your envy, by which you acted spitefully against them. I will reveal myself to them when I judge you. 35:12 Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard all the insults you spoke against the mountains of Israel, saying, “They are desolate, they have been given to us for food.” 35:13 You exalted yourselves against me with your speech 653 and hurled many insults against me 654 – I have heard them all! 35:14 This is what the sovereign Lord says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will turn you into a desolation. 35:15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I deal with you – you will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all of Edom – all of it! Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”