Jeremiah 51:1-26

Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I am going to stir up and put into action [a fury] against Babylon And against the [rebellious] people of Leb-kamai (Chaldea) A destroying wind and hostile spirit; And I will send foreigners to Babylon that they may winnow her And may devastate and empty her land; For in the day of destruction They will be against her on every side. “Do not let him (the Chaldean defender) who bends his bow bend it, Nor let him rise up in his coat of armor. So do not spare her young men; Devote her entire army to destruction. “They shall fall down dead in the land of the Chaldeans, And wounded in her streets.” ¶For neither Israel nor Judah has been abandoned By his God, the LORD of hosts, Though their land is full of sin and guilt Before the Holy One of Israel. Flee out of Babylon, Let every one of you save his life! Do not be destroyed in her punishment, For this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; He is going to pay her what she has earned. [Jer 50:28; 2 Cor 6:17; Rev 18:4] Babylon has been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations have gone mad. [Rev 14:8; 17:4] Babylon has suddenly fallen and is shattered! Wail for her [if you care to]! Get balm for her [incurable] pain; Perhaps she may be healed. [Jer 25:15; Rev 14:8-10; 16:19; 18:2, 3] We would have healed Babylon, but she was not to be healed. Abandon her and let each [captive] return to his own country, For her guilt and judgment have reached to heaven And are lifted up to the very skies. [Gen 18:20, 21] The LORD has brought about our vindication and has revealed the righteousness of our cause; Come and let us proclaim in Zion The work of the LORD our God! ¶Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields [and cover yourselves]! The LORD has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, Because His purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it; For that is the vengeance of the LORD, vengeance [on Babylon] for [plundering and destroying] His temple. Set up a signal on the walls of Babylon [to spread the news]; Post a strong blockade, Station the guards, Prepare the men for ambush! For the LORD has both purposed and done That which He spoke against the people of Babylon. [O Babylon] you who live by many waters, Rich in treasures, Your end has come, And the line measuring your life is cut. [Rev 17:1-6] The LORD of hosts has sworn [an oath] by Himself, saying, “Surely I will fill you with men, as with [a swarm of] locusts [who strip the land clean], And they will lift up a song and shout of victory over you.” ¶He made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom And stretched out the heavens by His understanding. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings for the rain And brings out the wind from His storehouses. Every man has become stupid and brutelike, without knowledge [of God]; Every goldsmith is shamed by the cast images he has made; For his molten idols are a lie, And there is no breath [of life] or spirit in them. They are worthless (empty, false, futile), a work of delusion and worthy of derision; In the time of their inspection and punishment they will perish. The Portion of Jacob [the true God of Israel] is not like these [handmade gods]; For He is the Maker of all and the One who formed and fashioned all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance— The LORD of hosts is His name. [Jer 10:12-16] “You [Cyrus of Persia, soon to conquer Babylon] are My battle-axe and weapon of war— For with you I shatter nations, With you I destroy kingdoms. “With you I shatter the horse and his rider, With you I shatter the chariot and its driver, With you I shatter man and woman, With you I shatter old man and youth, With you I shatter young man and virgin, With you I shatter the shepherd and his flock, With you I shatter the farmer and his yoke of oxen, And with you I shatter governors and commanders. “And I will [completely] repay Babylon and all the people of Chaldea for all the evil that they have done in Zion—before your very eyes [I will do it],” says the LORD. “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain [conqueror of nations], Who destroys the whole earth,” declares the LORD, “I will stretch out My hand against you, And roll you down from the [rugged] cliffs, And will make you a burnt mountain (extinct volcano). “They will not take from you [even] a stone for a cornerstone Nor any rock for a foundation, But you will be desolate forever,” says the LORD.