Isa 14:4-6, Jer 25:14, Jer 50-51 | ESV | STEP | you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon : How the oppressor has ceased , the insolent fury ceased !

4 you will take up this ^ataunt against the king of Babylon:

“How the oppressor has ceased,
^bthe insolent fury ^{▼▼Dead Sea Scroll (compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain} ceased!
5 The Lord has broken the ^dstaff of the wicked,
the ^escepter of rulers,
6 ^fthat struck the peoples in wrath
with unceasing blows,
that ruled the nations in anger
with unrelenting persecution.

Jeremiah 25:14

14 ^gFor many nations ^hand great kings shall make slaves even of them, ⁱand I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

Jeremiah 50

Judgment on Babylon

1 The word that the Lord spoke concerning ^jBabylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, ^kby Jeremiah the prophet:

2 “Declare among the nations and proclaim,
set up a banner and proclaim,
conceal it not, and say:
^l‘Babylon is taken,
^mBel is put to shame,
Merodach is dismayed.
ⁿHer images are put to shame,
her idols are dismayed.’
3 “For ^oout of the north a nation has come up against her, ^pwhich shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; ^qboth man and beast shall flee away.

4 ^r“In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, ^sthe people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, ^tweeping as they come, and they ^ushall seek the Lord their God. 5 ^vThey shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, ^wsaying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an ^xeverlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’

6 ^y“My people have been lost sheep. ^zTheir shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. 7 All who found them have devoured them, ^aaand their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for ^abthey have sinned against the Lord, ^actheir habitation of righteousness, the Lord, ^adthe hope of their fathers.’

8 ^ae“Flee from the midst of Babylon, ^afand go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock. 9 For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon ^aga gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed. 10 ^ahChaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, declares the Lord.

11 ^ai“Though you rejoice, though you exult,
O plunderers of my heritage,
though you frolic like a heifer in the pasture,
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother shall be utterly shamed,
and she who bore you shall be disgraced.
Behold, she shall be the last of the nations,
^aja wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 ^akBecause of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited
but shall be an utter desolation;
^aleveryone who passes by Babylon shall be appalled,
^amand hiss because of all her wounds.
14 ^anSet yourselves in array against Babylon all around,
^aoall you who bend the bow;
shoot at her, spare no arrows,
^apfor she has sinned against the Lord.
15 ^aqRaise a shout against her all around;
she has surrendered;
her bulwarks have fallen;
^arher walls are thrown down.
For ^asthis is the vengeance of the Lord:
take vengeance on her;
^atdo to her as she has done.
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the one who handles the sickle in time of harvest;
^aubecause of the sword of the oppressor,
^avevery one shall turn to his own people,
and every one shall flee to his own land.
17 ^aw“Israel is a hunted sheep ^axdriven away by lions. ^ayFirst the king of Assyria ^azdevoured him, and now at last ^baNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ^bbhas gnawed his bones. 18 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, ^bcI am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, ^bdas I punished the king of Assyria. 19 ^beI will restore Israel to his pasture, and ^bfhe shall feed on ^bgCarmel and in ^bhBashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in ^biGilead. 20 In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, ^bjiniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for ^bkI will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

21 “Go up against the land of Merathaim, ^{▼▼ Merathaim means double rebellion}
and against the inhabitants of Pekod. ^{▼▼ Pekod means punishment}
Kill, ^bnand devote them to destruction, ^{▼▼That is, set apart ( devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)}

declares the Lord,
and do all that I have commanded you.
22 ^bpThe noise of battle is in the land,
and great destruction!
23 ^bqHow the hammer of the whole earth
is cut down and broken!
^brHow Babylon ^bshas become
a horror among the nations!
24 ^btI set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,
and ^buyou did not know it;
you were found and caught,
because you opposed the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his armory
and brought out ^bvthe weapons of his wrath,
for the Lord God of hosts has a work to do
in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from every quarter;
open her granaries;
^bwpile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction;
let nothing be left of her.
27 Kill all ^bxher bulls;
let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come,
^bythe time of their punishment.
28 “A voice! They ^bzflee and escape from the land of Babylon, ^cato declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for ^cbhis temple.

29 ^cc“Summon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. ^cdEncamp around her; let no one escape. ^ceRepay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has ^cfproudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 30 ^cgTherefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, declares the Lord.

31 “Behold, I am against you, O ^chproud one,
declares the Lord God of hosts,
^cifor your day has come,
the time when I will punish you.
32 ^cjThe proud one shall stumble and fall,
with none to raise him up,
^ckand I will kindle a fire in his cities,
and it will devour all that is around him.
33 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^clThe people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; ^cmthey refuse to let them go. 34 ^cnTheir Redeemer is strong; ^cothe Lord of hosts is his name. ^cpHe will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

35 “A sword against the Chaldeans, declares the Lord,
and against the inhabitants of Babylon,
and against ^cqher officials and her ^crwise men!
36 A sword against the diviners,
that they may become fools!
A sword against her ^cswarriors,
that they may be destroyed!
37 A sword against her horses and against her chariots,
and against all ^ctthe foreign troops in her midst,
that ^cuthey may become women!
^cvA sword against all her treasures,
that they may be plundered!
38 ^cwA drought against her waters,
that they may be dried up!
^cxFor it is a land of images,
and they are mad over idols.
39 ^cy“Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon, and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations. 40 ^czAs when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the Lord, ^daso no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.

41 ^db“Behold, a people comes from the north;
a mighty nation and many kings
are stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
42 They lay hold of bow and spear;
they are cruel and have no mercy.
The sound of them is like the roaring of the sea;
they ride on horses,
arrayed as a man for battle
against you, O daughter of Babylon!
43 “The king of Babylon heard the report of them,
and his hands fell helpless;
anguish seized him,
pain as of a woman in labor.
44 ^dc“Behold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd ^ddcan stand before me? 45 Therefore hear ^dethe plan that the Lord has made against Babylon, ^dfand the purposes that he has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: ^dgSurely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 46 ^dhAt the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.”

Jeremiah 51

The Utter Destruction of Babylon

1 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will stir up ^dithe spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon,
against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai, ^{▼▼A code name for Chaldea}
2 and I will send to Babylon winnowers,
and ^dkthey shall winnow her,
and they shall empty her land,
when they come against her from every side
^dlon the day of trouble.
3 ^dmLet not the archer bend his bow,
and let him not stand up in his armor.
Spare not her young men;
^dndevote to destruction ^{▼▼That is, set apart ( devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)} all her army.
4 They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans,
^dpand wounded in her streets.
5 ^dqFor Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
by their God, the Lord of hosts,
but the land of the Chaldeans ^{▼▼Hebrew their land} is full of guilt
against the Holy One of Israel.
6 ^ds“Flee from the midst of Babylon;
let every one save his life!
^dtBe not cut off in her punishment,
^dufor this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance,
the repayment he is rendering her.
7 Babylon was ^dva golden cup in the Lord’s hand,
^dwmaking all the earth drunken;
^dxthe nations drank of her wine;
therefore the nations went mad.
8 ^dySuddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;
^dzwail for her!
^eaTake balm for her pain;
perhaps she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon,
but she was not healed.
^ebForsake her, and ^eclet us go
each to his own country,
for ^edher judgment has reached up to heaven
and has been lifted up even to the skies.
10 ^eeThe Lord has brought about our vindication;
^efcome, let us declare in Zion
the work of the Lord our God.
11 ^eg“Sharpen the arrows!
Take up the shields!
^ehThe Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of ^eithe Medes, because ^ejhis purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, ^ekfor that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for ^elhis temple.

12 ^em“Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon;
^enmake the watch strong;
set up watchmen;
prepare the ambushes;
^eofor the Lord has both planned and done
what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 ^epO you who dwell by many waters,
rich in treasures,
your end has come;
the thread of your life is cut.
14 ^eqThe Lord of hosts has sworn by himself:
Surely I will fill you with men, ^eras many as locusts,
^esand they shall raise the shout of victory over you.
15 ^et“It is he who made the earth by his power,
who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
16 When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
17 Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
and there is no breath in them.
18 They are worthless, a work of delusion;
at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
19 Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,
for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
the Lord of hosts is his name.
20 “You are my hammer and weapon of war:
with you I ^eubreak nations in pieces;
with you I destroy kingdoms;
21 with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider;
with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer;
22 with you I break in pieces man and woman;
with you I break in pieces ^evthe old man and the youth;
with you I break in pieces ^ewthe young man and the young woman;
23 with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team;
with you I break in pieces ^exgovernors and commanders.
24 ^ey“I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the Lord.

25 “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain,

declares the Lord,
which destroys the whole earth;
I will stretch out my hand against you,
and roll you down from the crags,
^ezand make you a burnt mountain.
26 No ^fastone shall be taken from you for a corner
and no stone for a foundation,
but you shall be ^fba perpetual waste,
declares the Lord.
27 ^fc“Set up a standard on the earth;
^fdblow the trumpet among the nations;
^feprepare ^ffthe nations for war against her;
summon against her ^fgthe kingdoms,
^fhArarat, Minni, and ^fiAshkenaz;
appoint a ^fjmarshal against her;
^fkbring up horses like bristling locusts.
28 ^flPrepare ^fmthe nations for war against her,
the kings of ^fnthe Medes, ^fowith their governors ^fpand deputies,
and every ^fqland under their dominion.
29 ^frThe land trembles and writhes in pain,
^fsfor the Lord’s purposes against Babylon stand,
to make the land of Babylon a desolation,
without inhabitant.
30 The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting;
they remain in their strongholds;
their strength has failed;
^ftthey have become women;
^fuher dwellings are on fire;
^fvher bars are broken.
31 One ^fwrunner runs to meet another,
and one messenger to meet another,
to tell the king of Babylon
that his city is taken on every side;
32 the fords have been ^fxseized,
the marshes are burned with fire,
and the soldiers are in panic.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
^fyThe daughter of Babylon is like ^fza threshing floor
at the time when it is trodden;
yet a little while
and ^gathe time of her harvest will come.”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon ^gbhas devoured me;
he has crushed me;
he has made me an empty vessel;
^gche has swallowed me like ^gda monster;
he has filled his stomach with my delicacies;
he has rinsed me out. ^{▼▼Or he has expelled me}
35 The violence done to me and to my kinsmen be upon Babylon,”
let the inhabitant of Zion say.
“My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
let Jerusalem say.
36 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“Behold, ^gfI will plead your cause
and take vengeance for you.
^ggI will dry up her sea
and ^ghmake her fountain dry,
37 and Babylon shall become ^gia heap of ruins,
^gjthe haunt of jackals,
^gka horror ^gland a hissing,
without inhabitant.
38 ^gm“They shall roar together ^gnlike lions;
they shall growl like lions’ cubs.
39 ^goWhile they are inflamed ^gpI will prepare them a feast
and ^gqmake them drunk, that they may become merry,
^grthen sleep a perpetual sleep
and not wake, declares the Lord.
40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and male goats.
41 “How ^gsBabylon ^{▼▼Hebrew Sheshach, a code name for Babylon} is taken,
^guthe praise of the whole earth ^gvseized!
How Babylon has become
a horror among the nations!
42 ^gwThe sea has come up on Babylon;
she is covered with its tumultuous waves.
43 Her cities have become a horror,
^gxa land of drought and a desert,
^gya land in which no one dwells,
and through which no son of man passes.
44 And I will punish ^gzBel in Babylon,
and ^hatake out of his mouth ^hbwhat he has swallowed.
^hcThe nations shall no longer flow to him;
^hdthe wall of Babylon has fallen.
45 “Go out of the midst of her, ^hemy people!
Let every one save his life
from ^hfthe fierce anger of the Lord!
46 Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful
^hgat the report heard in the land,
^hhwhen a report comes in one year
and afterward a report in another year,
and violence is in the land,
^hiand ruler is against ruler.
47 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming
when ^hjI will punish the images of Babylon;
^hkher whole land shall be put to shame,
and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.
48 ^hlThen the heavens and the earth,
and all that is in them,
shall sing for joy over Babylon,
^hmfor the destroyers shall come against them out of the north,

declares the Lord.
49 Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel,
^hnjust as for Babylon have fallen the slain of all the earth.
50 ^ho“You who have escaped from the sword,
go, do not stand still!
Remember the Lord from far away,
and let Jerusalem come into your mind:
51 ^hp‘We are put to shame, for we have heard reproach;
^hqdishonor has covered our face,
^hrfor foreigners have come
into the holy places of the Lord’s house.’
52 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when ^hsI will execute judgment upon her images,
^htand through all her land
the wounded shall groan.
53 Though Babylon should ^humount up to heaven,
and though she should ^hvfortify her strong height,
yet destroyers would come from me against her,
declares the Lord.
54 ^hw“A voice! A cry from Babylon!
The noise of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55 For the Lord is laying Babylon waste
and stilling her mighty voice.
^hxTheir waves roar like many waters;
the noise of their voice is raised,
56 for a destroyer has come upon her,
upon Babylon;
her warriors are taken;
their bows are broken in pieces,
^hyfor the Lord is a God of recompense;
he will surely repay.
57 ^hzI will make drunk her officials and her wise men,
^iaher governors, her commanders, and her warriors;
they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake,
declares ^ibthe King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
58 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
The broad ^icwall of Babylon
shall be leveled to the ground,
^idand her high gates
shall be burned with fire.
^ieThe peoples labor for nothing,
and ^ifthe nations weary themselves only for fire.”
59 The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah ^igthe son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, ^ihin the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 ⁱⁱJeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, ^ijall these words that are written concerning Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, 62 and say, ‘O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so ^ikthat nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be ^ildesolate forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this book, ^im, ⁱⁿtie a stone to it ^ioand cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ^ip‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, ^iqand they shall become exhausted.’”

Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.