Thussaiththe LORD; Behold, I will raise upagainstBabylon, and againstthem that dwellin the midstof them that rise upagainst me, a destroyingwind; And will sendunto Babylonfanners, that shall fanher, and shall emptyher land: forin the dayof troublethey shall beagainsther round about. Against him that bendethlet the archerbendhis bow, and against him that lifteth himself upin his brigandine: and spareye nother young men; destroy ye utterlyallher host. Thus the slainshall fallin the landof the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust throughin her streets. ForIsrael hath not been forsaken, nor Judahof his God, of the LORDof hosts; thoughtheir landwas filledwith sinagainst the Holy Oneof Israel. Fleeout of the midstof Babylon, and deliverevery manhis soul: be notcut offin her iniquity; forthis is the timeof the LORD's vengeance; he will renderunto her a recompense. Babylon hath been a goldencupin the LORD's hand, that made allthe earthdrunken: the nationshave drunkenof her wine; thereforethe nationsare mad. Babylonis suddenlyfallenand destroyed: howlforher; takebalmfor her pain, if so beshe may be healed. We would have healedBabylon, but she is nothealed: forsakeher, and let us goevery oneinto his own country: forher judgmentreachethuntoheaven, and is lifted up even tothe skies. The LORDhath brought forthour righteousness: come, and let us declarein Zionthe workof the LORDour God. Make brightthe arrows; gatherthe shields: the LORDhath raised upthe spiritof the kingsof the Medes: forhis device is againstBabylon, to destroyit; becauseit is the vengeanceof the LORD, the vengeanceof his temple. Set upthe standarduponthe wallsof Babylon, make the watchstrong, set upthe watchmen, preparethe ambushes: forthe LORDhath bothdevisedanddonethat whichhe spokeagainstthe inhabitantsof Babylon. O thou that dwellestuponmanywaters, abundantin treasures, thine endis come, and the measureof thy covetousness. The LORDof hostshath swornby himself, saying , SurelyI will fillthee with men, as with caterpillars; and they shall lift upa shoutagainstthee. He hath madethe earthby his power, he hath establishedthe worldby his wisdom, and hath stretched outthe heavenby his understanding. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitudeof watersin the heavens; and he causeth the vaporsto ascendfrom the endsof the earth: he makethlightningswith rain, and bringeth forththe windout of his treasures. Everymanis brutishby his knowledge; everyfounderis confoundedby the graven image: forhis molten image is falsehood, and there is nobreathin them. They are vanity, the workof errors: in the timeof their visitationthey shall perish. The portionof Jacob is notlike them; forhe is the formerof all things: and Israel is the rodof his inheritance: the LORDof hosts is his name. Thou art my battle axe and weaponsof war: for with thee will I break in piecesthe nations, and with thee will I destroykingdoms; And with thee will I break in piecesthe horseand his rider; and with thee will I break in piecesthe chariotand his rider; With thee also will I break in piecesmanand woman; and with thee will I break in piecesoldand young; and with thee will I break in piecesthe young manand the maid; I will also break in pieceswith thee the shepherdand his flock; and with thee will I break in piecesthe husbandmanand his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in piecescaptainsand rulers. And I will renderunto Babylonand to allthe inhabitantsof Chaldeaalltheir evilthatthey have donein Zionin your sight, saiththe LORD. Behold, I am againstthee, O destroyingmountain, saiththe LORD, which destroyestallthe earth: and I will stretch outmine handuponthee, and roll thee downfromthe rocks, and will makethee a burntmountain. And they shall nottakeofthee a stonefor a corner, nor a stonefor foundations; butthou shalt bedesolateforever, saiththe LORD. Set ye upa standardin the land, blowthe trumpetamong the nations, preparethe nationsagainsther, call togetheragainsther the kingdomsof Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appointa captainagainsther; cause the horsesto come upas the roughcaterpillars. Prepareagainsther the nationswith the kingsof the Medes, the captainsthereof, and allthe rulersthereof, and allthe landof his dominion. And the landshall trembleand sorrow: forevery purposeof the LORDshall be performedagainstBabylon, to makethe landof Babylona desolationwithoutan inhabitant. The mighty menof Babylonhave forborneto fight, they have remainedin their holds: their mighthath failed; they becameas women: they have burnedher dwelling places; her barsare broken. One postshall runto meetanother, and one messengerto meetanother, to showthe kingof Babylonthathis cityis takenat one end, And that the passagesare stopped, and the reedsthey have burnedwith fire, and the menof warare frightened. Forthussaiththe LORDof hosts, the Godof Israel; The daughterof Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is timeto threshher: yeta little while, and the timeof her harvestshall come. Nebuchadnezzarthe kingof Babylonhath devouredme, he hath crushedme, he hath mademe an emptyvessel, he hath swallowed me uplike a dragon, he hath filledhis bellywith my delicacies, he hath cast me out. The violencedone to me and to my flesh be uponBabylon, shall the inhabitantof Zionsay; and my blooduponthe inhabitantsof Chaldea, shall Jerusalemsay. Thereforethussaiththe LORD; Behold, I will pleadthy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry upher sea, and make her springsdry. And Babylonshall becomeheaps, a dwelling placefor dragons, an astonishment, and a hissing, withoutan inhabitant. They shall roartogetherlike lions: they shall yellas lions' whelps. In their heatI will maketheir feasts, and I will make them drunken, thatthey may rejoice, and sleepa perpetualsleep, and notwake, saiththe LORD. I will bring them downlike lambsto the slaughter, like ramswithhe goats. Howis Sheshachtaken! and how is the praiseof the wholeearthsurprised! howis Babylonbecomean astonishmentamong the nations! The seais come upuponBabylon: she is coveredwith the multitudeof the wavesthereof. Her citiesarea desolation, a dryland, and a wilderness, a landwhereinnomandwelleth, neitherdoth any sonof manpassthereby. And I will punishBelin Babylon, and I will bring forthout of his mouththat which he hath swallowed up: and the nationsshall notflow togetherany moreuntohim: yea, the wallof Babylonshall fall. My people, goye out of the midstof her, and deliverye every manhis soulfrom the fierceangerof the LORD. And lestyour heartfaint, and ye fearfor the rumorthat shall be heardin the land; a rumorshall both come one year, and afterthat in another year shall come a rumor, and violencein the land, ruleragainstruler. Therefore, behold, the dayscome, that I will do judgmentuponthe graven imagesof Babylon: and her wholelandshall be confounded, and allher slainshall fallin the midstof her. Then the heavenand the earth, and allthat is therein, shall singforBabylon: forthe spoilersshall comeunto her from the north, saiththe LORD. AsBabylon hath caused the slainof Israelto fall, soat Babylonshall fallthe slainof allthe earth. Ye that have escapedthe sword, go away, stand not still: rememberthe LORDafar off, and let Jerusalemcomeintoyour mind. We are confounded, becausewe have heardreproach: shamehath coveredour faces: forstrangersare comeintothe sanctuariesof the LORD's house. Wherefore, behold, the dayscome, saiththe LORD, that I will do judgmentuponher graven images: and through allher landthe woundedshall groan. ThoughBabylonshould mount upto heaven, and thoughshe should fortifythe heightof her strength, yet fromme shall spoilerscomeunto her, saiththe LORD. A soundof a cry cometh from Babylon, and greatdestructionfrom the landof the Chaldeans: Becausethe LORDhath spoiledBabylon, and destroyedout ofher the greatvoice; when her wavesdo roarlike greatwaters, a noiseof their voiceis uttered: Becausethe spoileris comeuponher, even uponBabylon, and her mighty menare taken, every one of their bowsis broken: forthe LORDGodof recompensesshall surely requite. And I will make drunkher princes, and her wise men , her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleepa perpetualsleep, and notwake, saiththe King, whose name is the LORDof hosts. Thussaiththe LORDof hosts; The broadwallsof Babylonshall be utterly broken, and her highgatesshall be burnedwith fire; and the peopleshall laborin vain, and the folkin the fire, and they shall be weary. The wordwhichJeremiahthe prophetcommandedSeraiahthe sonof Neriah, the sonof Maaseiah, when he wentwithZedekiahthe kingof Judahinto Babylonin the fourthyearof his reign. And this Seraiah was a quietprince. So Jeremiahwroteinabookallthe evilthatshould comeuponBabylon, even allthesewordsthat are writtenagainstBabylon. And JeremiahsaidtoSeraiah, When thou comestto Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt readallthesewords; Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thouhast spokenagainstthisplace, to cut it off, that noneshallremainin it, neither mannorbeast, butthat it shall bedesolateforever. And it shall be, when thou hast made an endof readingthisbook, that thou shalt binda stonetoit, and castit intothe midstof Euphrates: And thou shalt say, Thusshall Babylonsink, and shall notrisefromthe evilthatIwill bringuponher: and they shall be weary. Thusfar are the wordsof Jeremiah.