Jeremiah

Warnings about Jerusalem's destruction due to unfaithfulness, with promises of a new covenant.

Chapter 50

1 The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.

*The message from God about Babylon and the Chaldean land through the prophet Jeremiah.

2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

*Tell people around the world about it and don't hide it: Babylon has been captured, Bel is confused, Merodach is broken into pieces; her gods are confused, her statues are broken into pieces.

3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.

*From the north, a country will come that will empty her land, and no one will live there. People and animals will leave.

4 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.

*In that period, says the LORD, the kids of Israel and Judah will unite, sad and weeping. They'll go to find their God, the LORD.

5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

*People will look toward Zion and say, "Let's join together with God in an eternal agreement that we won't forget."

6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

*My people acted like lost sheep. Their leaders made them go astray and wandered them in the mountains. They moved from one hill to another and forgot where they used to rest.

7 All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.

*Anyone who found them ate them. Their enemies said, "We're not doing anything wrong because they sinned against the Lord, the place of fairness, and the Lord, the hope of their ancestors."

8 Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.

*Leave Babylon and its surroundings, and depart from the land of the Chaldeans. Be like young male goats leading the way for the herd.

9 For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.

*"See, I will gather powerful nations from the north to attack Babylon. They'll position themselves against her, and she will be captured. Their arrows will be like those of an experienced skilled archer; no attack will fail."

10 And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the LORD.

*And Babylon will be destroyed: everyone who destroys it will be filled, says the Lord.

11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;

*You were happy and celebrated, destroyers of my inheritance. You've become fat like cows grazing on grass, and roar like bulls.

12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

*Your mom will be very confused and embarrassed; the person who gave birth to you will feel ashamed. The last part of the countries will become a barren wasteland with no water or plants.

13 Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.

*Due to God's anger, no one will live there; it will be completely empty. Anyone passing by will be shocked and jeer at all the bad things happening to Babylon.

14 Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the LORD.

*Arrange yourselves around Babylon and prepare to attack. Archers, shoot your arrows at her without holding back, because she has done wrong against the Lord.

15 Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.

*Cry out against her everywhere! She has betrayed help to others. Her support has collapsed, and her walls have crumbled. This is the Lord's revenge. Punish her for her actions.

16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

*Remove those who plant seeds in Babylon and those who use sickles during harvest. This is because, due to the threat of the oppressive sword, everyone will return to their own people and run to their own land.

17 Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.

*Israel is like a scattered sheep, attacked by lions. First, the king of Assyria ate him up. Then, the last attacker was Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who broke his bones.

18 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.

*So, the Lord says this: I will punish the king of Babylon and his country just like how I punished the king of Assyria.

19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.

*I will return Israel to their home, where they'll eat in Carmel and Bashan. Their souls will be filled in mount Ephraim and Gilead.

20 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.

*In that period, says the Lord, the wrongdoing of Israel will be searched for but won't be found. And the sins of Judah will also be untraceable because I will forgive those I choose to spare.

21 Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

*Go to the land of Merathaim and the people of Pekod. Destroy them completely, as the Lord commands, following all my instructions.

22 A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.

*A war noise is in the country, with huge damage.

23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!

*How does the world's hammer split apart, and break? Why is Babylon now an empty place among other countries?

24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD.

*I set a trap for you, and you've been caught, Babylon. You didn't know it was happening. They found you, and now you're trapped because you fought against God.

25 The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.

*The Lord has opened His storage of weapons and taken out tools of anger: this is what the God of all powerful armies is doing in the land of the Chaldeans.

26 Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.

*Attack her from far away, open her storage places: pile her up like rubble, and completely destroy her: leave nothing of her at all.

27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.

*Kill all her cows; make them go to death: oh, how sad! because their time has arrived, when they will face judgment.

28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.

*The voices of those who run away from Babylon will shout in Zion about the Lord's revenge, the revenge for His sacred place.

29 Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel.

*Gather all the archers to attack Babylon. Surround the city with your arrows and don't let anyone escape. Pay back Babylon for its actions; do to it what it has done, because it has been proud against the LORD and the Holy One of Israel.

30 Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD.

*So, the young men will fall on the streets, and all the warriors will be eliminated that day, says the Lord.

31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

*Look, I am coming to oppose you, proud one, says the Lord God of armies: your time has arrived, when I will punish you.

32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.

*The very proud will trip and fall, and no one will help them up. I will start a fire in their cities, and it will destroy everything around them.

33 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.

*So says the Lord, the God with armies: The children of Israel and the children of Judah were both mistreated. Everyone who captured them wouldn't let them go free. They insisted on keeping them.

34 Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

*Their Savior is powerful; God of many armies is His name: He will strongly defend them so the land can have peace, and make the people in Babylon uneasy.

35 A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.

*The LORD says a sword will come for the Chaldeans and the people of Babylon, including their leaders and smart people.

36 A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.

*A sword is for people who lie; they will go crazy. A sword is for her strong people; they will be scared.

37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.

*Swords are on the horses, chariots, and mixed groups in this city. People there will act like women. Swords also target the city's treasures, causing them to be stolen.

38 A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.

*There is a dry spell on the land's water, and it will wither. It's a place of statue worship, where people go crazy for their statues.

39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.

*So, desert animals and island animals will live there, along with owls. That place won't be lived in anymore forever, nor will people live there over time from one generation to another.

40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.

*Just like God destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah, and nearby cities, says the Lord; no one will stay there, and no human being will live there.

41 Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

*Look, a group will arrive from the north - a big nation with lots of kings coming from Earth's shores.

42 They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

*They will wield bows and spears. They are harsh and show no mercy. Their voices will be loud like the ocean. They will ride on horses, all dressed for war, like someone ready for a fight, coming against you, daughter of Babylon.

43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.

*The king of Babylon heard about them and became weak; he was filled with distress and pain, like a woman giving birth.

44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

*Look, he will come like a powerful lion from the big Jordan River to the home of the strong people. But I will make them suddenly run away. Who is a special person I can put in charge? Because no one is like me and who can I let decide when it happens? Who is the shepherd that can stand up to me?

45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.

*So listen to what God has planned against Babylon and his intentions for the land of the Chaldeans. Even the smallest one will cause their downfall, and God will make their home empty and abandoned.

46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.

*When Babylon is taken, the earth shakes from the noise, and people everywhere hear the crying.

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