Jeremiah

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

Chapter 51

1 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;

*So says the Lord: Look, I will create a destructive wind to strike down Babylon and those who support those who oppose me.

2 And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.

*God will send farmers to Babylon who will blow on her like wind, clearing her land. In times of trouble, these farmers will surround Babylon and oppose her.

3 Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.

*When someone tries to attack, the archer should aim their bow at them. Similarly, those wearing armor must also be targeted. Don't show mercy to their young soldiers, completely defeat their entire army.

4 Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.

*So, in the land of the Chaldeans, the defeated will fall, and those pierced will be found in her streets.

5 For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.

*Israel and Judah have not been abandoned by God, the powerful Lord; even though their land had a lot of wrongdoing against the holy God of Israel.

6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.

*Leave Babylon and save yourself; don't get caught up in its wrongdoing, because this is when God punishes it, and he will repay it accordingly.

7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

*Babylon was like a golden cup in God's hand, causing everyone on Earth to become confused. The countries drank from her wine, so they became crazy.

8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.

*Babylon has unexpectedly collapsed and been destroyed. Cry out for her! Get ointment for her hurt, if maybe she can recover.

9 We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

*We tried to fix Babylon, but it's not getting better. Let's leave her and go back to our own places. Her punishment is very serious, reaching up to the sky and beyond.

10 The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.

*The Lord has shown us justice. Let's go and tell everyone in Zion what our God has done.

11 Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.

*Brighten your arrows and gather your shields. God has helped the kings of the Medes to attack Babylon and destroy it. This is God's plan for revenge against Babylon, avenging his temple.

12 Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the LORD hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon.

*Put a symbol on Babylon's walls, strengthen the guard, position the watchmen, and plan surprises. God has planned and carried out what he said about Babylon's people.

13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.

*O one who lives on many waters with lots of riches, your time has ended, and the limit of your greed has arrived.

14 The LORD of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillers; and they shall lift up a shout against thee.

*The God of armies promises, by Himself, that He will fill you with many people, like how caterpillars cover something completely. These people will then celebrate against you loudly.

15 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.

*He created the Earth using his strength, set up the world with his smartness, and expanded the sky through his knowledge.

16 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

*When he speaks, many waters fill the sky and he makes steam rise from Earth's edges. He creates lightning with rain and calls forth wind from his hidden stores.

17 Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

*Every person is uncivilized because of their limited understanding. Every leader is confused by the carved statue: because their melted statue is a lie, and it has no life in it.

18 They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

*They are useless, made by mistakes: when their time comes, they will disappear.

19 The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.

*Jacob's share isn't like theirs; he's the creator of everything. Israel is his special possession. God, the powerful ruler, is his true name.

20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;

*You are my weapon for fighting, and I will use you to defeat countries and destroy kingdoms.

21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;

*I will shatter the horse and its rider, and the chariot and its rider, along with you.

22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;

*I will shatter people of all ages, both men and women, along with young couples, with you.

23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.

*I will shatter, together with you, the shepherd and his sheep, the farmer and his oxen, and the leaders and their authority.

24 And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD.

*I will punish Babylon and its people for the bad things they did in Zion, says the Lord.

25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.

*Look, I'm against you, destroying mountain, says the Lord, who destroys the whole world. I will reach out my hand to you, and push you down from the cliffs, turning you into a burned mountain.

26 And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD.

*They won't use you for important corners or strong foundations. Instead, you will always be empty, says God.

27 Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers.

*Put up a sign in the country, sound the horn among all people, get ready against her, bring together against her different countries like those from Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; choose a leader against her; make the horses come like lots of rough caterpillars.

28 Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion.

*Get the nations and their kings, especially those from the Medes, along with their leaders, to be ready against her. This includes all the lands under her control.

29 And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.

*The land will shake and be sad because everything the LORD plans against Babylon will happen. This will turn Babylon into a wasteland with no people living there.

30 The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.

*The strong warriors of Babylon didn't fight anymore, they stayed in their prisons. They lost their strength and acted like women. They set her homes on fire. Her locks were destroyed.

31 One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,

*A runner will go to meet another, and a messenger will meet another, to tell the king of Babylon that his city has been captured from one side.

32 And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.

*When the paths are blocked, and they set the reeds on fire, and the fighters get scared.

33 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.

*So says the Lord, God of Israel, "The daughter of Babylon acts like a threshing floor, it's time to separate her grain from the chaff. Soon, her harvest time will arrive."

34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.

*King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has defeated me, he has broken me, he has made me empty, like a monster swallowing me whole, he has eaten my treasures and thrown me away.

35 The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.

*Babylon hurt me and my body, says Zion's people. My blood is on Chaldea's people, says Jerusalem.

36 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.

*So, God says, "I will fight for you and get revenge for you. I will make her sea disappear and stop her water sources."

37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.

*Babylon will turn into ruins, a home for dragons, a shock and a scornful place, with no one living there.

38 They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lions’ whelps.

*They will growl powerfully together, like lions: they will shout as lion cubs do.

39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD.

*I will create feasts for them when it's hot, and make them very drunk. This way, they'll be happy and fall into a deep, never-ending sleep, never to wake up again, says the Lord.

40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.

*I will make them fall like lambs to be killed, just like strong rams with ordinary goats.

41 How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!

*How was the city of Sheshach captured, leaving the entire world's praise shocked? Now, Babylon is a surprise to all nations.

42 The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.

*The ocean has reached Babylon, covering it with many waves.

43 Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.

*Her cities are empty, like a dry desert, where no one lives, and nobody travels through.

44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.

*I will punish the god Bel in Babylon and make him give back what he has taken. No more nations will come to him, and the walls of Babylon will fall down.

45 My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.

*My people, leave that place and save yourselves from God's intense wrath.

46 And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard in the land; a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.

*So you don't get scared by rumors you hear in the land, one rumor will happen in a year, then another rumor and trouble between leaders in the next year.

47 Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.

*So, a time will come when I will judge the statues of Babylon. Then, her entire land will be confused, and all those who are killed will fall right where she is.

48 Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the LORD.

*Then the sky and the land, with everything in them, will celebrate for Babylon. This is because enemies will come from the north to destroy her, says God.

49 As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.

*Just like Babylon made Israel's dead fall, it will also make the dead from around the world fall there.

50 Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.

*If you survived the sword, leave and don't stay put; remember God from a distance and think about Jerusalem.

51 We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD’s house.

*We're confused and embarrassed because we've heard bad things about ourselves. Our faces are covered in shame. This happened because outsiders came into God's special place.

52 Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.

*So, the time will come, says the Lord, when I will judge her statues. Throughout her land, the hurt people will cry out in pain.

53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

*Even if Babylon tries to rise high and strengthen itself, those who will destroy it will come from me, says the Lord.

54 A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans:

*A loud wail is heard from Babylon, bringing great damage to the land of the Chaldeans.

55 Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:

*Because the LORD has defeated Babylon and taken away its powerful voice; when its waves crash like big waves, people can hear the sound.

56 Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of recompences shall surely requite.

*Because a disaster has happened to her, specifically to Babylon, and her strong warriors have been captured. All their bows are broken because the Lord, who pays back people for what they do, will definitely repay them.

57 And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

*I will cause the leaders of this place to become drunk, including their smart people, their commanders, and those in charge. They will sleep forever and never wake up, says the King, whose title is the Lord of all powerful forces.

58 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.

*So says the Lord of armies: Babylon's big walls will be completely destroyed, and its tall gates will be set on fire; the people will work hard for nothing, and the people in the fire will be tired.

59 The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince.

*Jeremiah told Seraiah, son of Neriah and Maaseiah, to do something when he went with King Zedekiah to Babylon in the fourth year of his rule. Seraiah was a calm and peaceful leader.

60 So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon.

*Jeremiah recorded in a book all the bad things that would happen to Babylon, including all the words written to criticize Babylon.

61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words;

*Jeremiah told Seraiah, "When you go to Babylon and see everything, read all these words."

62 Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.

*Then you will say, "Lord, you have said that you will destroy this place so nothing remains here - not people or animals. It will be empty and abandoned forever."

63 And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:

*Once you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates River.

64 And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

*And you will say, Babylon will sink and won't rise again from the bad things I will do to her, and people will be tired. This is what Jeremiah said.

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