Babylon Will Be Destroyed
1 I, the Lord, am sending
a wind to destroy
the people of Babylonia
and Babylon, its capital.
2 Foreign soldiers will come
from every direction,
and when the disaster is over,
Babylonia will be empty
and worthless.
3 I will tell these soldiers,
“Attack quickly,
before the Babylonians
can string their bows
or put on their armor.
Kill their best soldiers
and destroy their army!”
4 Their troops will fall wounded
in the streets of Babylon.
5 Everyone in Israel and Judah
is guilty.
But I, the Lord All-Powerful,
their holy God,
have not abandoned them.
6 Get out of Babylon!
Run for your lives!
If you stay, you will be killed
when I take revenge on the city
and punish it for its sins.
7 Babylon was my golden cup,
filled with the wine
of my anger.
The nations of the world
got drunk on this wine
and went insane.
8 But suddenly, Babylon will fall
and be destroyed.
I, the Lord, told the foreigners
who lived there,
“Weep for the city!
Get medicine for its wounds;
maybe they will heal.”
9 The foreigners answered,
“We have already tried
to treat Babylon's wounds,
but they would not heal.
Come on, let's all go home
to our own countries.
Nothing is left in Babylonia;
everything is destroyed.”
10 The people of Israel said,
“Tell everyone in Zion!
The Lord has taken revenge
for what Babylon did to us.”
The Lord Wants Babylon Destroyed
11 I, the Lord,
want Babylon destroyed,
because its army
destroyed my temple.
So, you kings of Media,
sharpen your arrows
and pick up your shields.
12 Raise the signal flag
and attack the city walls.
Post more guards.
Have soldiers watch the city
and set up ambushes.
I have made plans
to destroy Babylon,
and nothing will stop me.
13 People of Babylon, you live
along the Euphrates River
and are surrounded by canals.
You are rich,
but now the time has come
for you to die.
14 I, the Lord All-Powerful,
swear by my own life
that enemy soldiers
will fill your streets
like a swarm of locusts.
They will shout
and celebrate their victory.
A Hymn of Praise
(Jeremiah 10.12-16)15 God used his wisdom and power
to create the earth
and spread out the heavens.
16 The waters in the heavens roar
at his command.
He makes clouds appear;
he sends the wind
from his storehouse
and makes lightning flash
in the rain.
17 People who make idols
are stupid!
They will be disappointed,
because their false gods
cannot breathe.
18 Idols are merely a joke,
and when the time is right,
they will be destroyed.
19 But the Lord, Israel's God,
is all-powerful.
He created everything,
and he chose Israel
to be his very own.
God's Hammer
The Lord said:
20 Babylonia, you were my hammer;
I used you to pound nations
and break kingdoms,
21 to shatter cavalry and chariots,
22 as well as men and women,
young and old,
23 shepherds and their flocks,
farmers and their oxen,
and governors and leaders.
24 But now, my people will watch,
while I repay you
for what you did to Zion.
25 You destroyed the nations
and seem strong as a mountain,
but I am your enemy.
I might even grab you
and roll you off a cliff.
When I am finished,
you'll only be a pile
of scorched bricks.
26 Your stone blocks won't be reused
for cornerstones
or foundations,
and I promise that forever
you will be a desert.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Nations Will Attack Babylon
The Lord said:
27 Signal the nations
to get ready to attack.
Raise a flag and blow a trumpet.
Send for the armies of Ararat,
Minni, and Ashkenaz.
Choose a commander;
let the cavalry attack
like a swarm of locusts.
28 Tell the kings and governors,
the leaders and the people
of the kingdoms of the Medes
to prepare for war!
29 The earth twists and turns
in torment,
because I have decided
to make Babylonia a desert
where no one can live,
and I won't change my mind.
30 The Babylonian soldiers
have lost their strength
and courage.
They stay in their fortresses,
unable to fight,
while the enemy breaks through
the city gates,
then sets their homes on fire.
31 One messenger after another
announces to the king,
“Babylon has been captured!
32 The enemy now controls
the river crossings!
The marshes are on fire!
Your army has panicked!”
33 I am the Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel,
and I make this promise—
“Soon Babylon will be leveled
and packed down
like a threshing place
at harvest time.”
Babylonia Will Pay!
34 The people of Jerusalem say,
“King Nebuchadnezzar
made us panic.
That monster stuffed himself
with us and our treasures,
leaving us empty—
he gobbled up
what he wanted
and spit out the rest.
35 The people of Babylonia
harmed some of us
and killed others.
Now, Lord, make them pay!”
The Lord Will Take Revenge on Babylon
36 My people, I am on your side,
and I will take revenge
on Babylon.
I will cut off its water supply,
and its stream will dry up.
37 Babylon will be a pile of rubble
where only jackals live,
and everyone will be afraid
to walk among the ruins.
38 The Babylonians roar and growl
like young lions.
39 And since they are hungry,
I will give them a banquet.
They will celebrate, get drunk,
then fall asleep,
never to wake up!
40 I will lead them away to die,
like sheep, lambs, and goats
being led to the butcher.
41 All nations now praise Babylon,
but when it is captured,
those same nations
will be horrified.
42 Babylon's enemies will rise
like ocean waves
and flood the city.
43 Horrible destruction will strike
the nearby towns.
The land will become
a barren desert,
where no one can live
or even travel.
44 I will punish Marduk,
the god of Babylon,
and make him vomit out
everything he gobbled up.
Then nations will no longer
bring him gifts,
and Babylon's walls will crumble.
The Lord Offers Hope to His People
45 Get out of Babylon, my people,
and run for your lives,
before I strike the city
in my anger!
46 Don't be afraid or lose hope,
though year after year
there are rumors
of leaders fighting for control
in the city of Babylon.
47 The time will come
when I will punish
Babylon's false gods.
Everyone there will die,
and the whole nation
will be disgraced,
48 when an army attacks
from the north
and brings destruction.
Then the earth and the heavens
and everything in them
will celebrate.
49 Babylon must be overthrown,
because it slaughtered
the people of Israel
and of many other nations.
50 My people, you escaped death
when Jerusalem fell.
Now you live far from home,
but you should trust me
and think about Jerusalem.
Leave Babylon! Don't stay!
51 You feel ashamed and disgraced,
because foreigners have entered
my sacred temple.
52 Soon I will send a war
to punish Babylon's idols
and leave its wounded people
moaning everywhere.
53 Although Babylon's walls
reach to the sky,
the army I send
will destroy that city.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
Babylon Will Be Destroyed
The Lord said:
54 Listen to the cries for help
coming from Babylon.
Everywhere in the country
the sounds of destruction
can be heard.
55 The shouts of the enemy,
like crashing ocean waves,
will drown out Babylon's cries
as I level the city.
56 An enemy will attack
and destroy Babylon.
Its soldiers will be captured
and their weapons broken,
because I am a God
who takes revenge against nations
for what they do.
57 I, the Lord All-Powerful,
the true King, promise
that the officials and advisors,
the governors and leaders,
and the soldiers of Babylon
will get drunk, fall asleep,
and never wake up.
58 The thick walls of that city
will be torn down,
and its huge gates burned.
Everything that nation
worked so hard to gain
will go up in smoke.
Jeremiah Gives Seraiah a Scroll
59 During Zedekiah's fourth year as king of Judah, he went to Babylon. And Baruch's brother Seraiah went along as the officer in charge of arranging for places to stay overnight.
60 Before they left, I wrote on a scroll all the terrible things that would happen to Babylon. 61 I gave the scroll to Seraiah and said:
When you get to Babylon, read this scroll aloud, 62 then pray, “Our Lord, you promised to destroy this place and make it into a desert where no people or animals will ever live.”
63 When you finish praying, tie the scroll to a rock and throw it in the Euphrates River. Then say, 64 “This is how Babylon will sink when the Lord destroys it. Everyone in the city will die, and it won't have the strength to rise again.”
The End of Jeremiah's Writing
Jeremiah's writing ends here.
Babilon tashi ka teywa po
1 Omwene ota ti ngaha: Ame ohandi ka pendulila Babilon noonakukalamo muLeeb-Kaamai omhepo yomuhanauni. 2 Ndele handi ka tumina Babilon ovayeli tave shi yele. Noshilongo shasho otave shi pupula, osheshi tave ke shi totela noku shi dingilila keembinga adishe mefiku lomupya. 3 Omulukili wouta na lukilile outa waye omulukili, naau ta tuwalala moshikutu shaye shoshivela. Inamu xupifa ovamati vavo. Oita yavo aishe i maneni po sheke.
4 Eendjashe tadi ka wila moshilongo shOvakaldea naava va tuwa omomapandavanda asho. 5 Osheshi Israel naJuda inava efiwa kuKalunga, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, ndelenee oshilongo shavo shi yadi omatimba koshipala shOmuyapuki waIsrael.
6 Djeni mo onhapo muBabilon! Keshe umwe na xupife omwenyo waye, muha nyonauninwe oulunde washo. Osheshi efimbo eli olo efimbo longhone yOmwene, ote shi alulile pailonga yasho. 7 Babilon osha li eholo loshingoldo meke lOmwene, olo la kolwifa edu alishe. Oiwana aishe ya nwa omaviinyu asho, onghee hano oiwana aishe ya pwiduka. 8 Ohaluka Babilon osha teka po nosha hanauka po. Shi lilileni! Ouyehame washo u kongeleni omuti womaadi abalsam. Kashiimba tashi veluka. 9 Fye otwa hetekela okuvelula Babilon, ndelenee inashi veluka. Shi efeni, tu yeni, keshe umwe koshilongo shavo. Osheshi epangulo lasho tali fiki fiyo okeulu notali hange fiyo okoilemo. 10 Ouyuki wetu Omwene e u eta poluhaela. Ileni, tu ka udifile muSion oilonga yOmwene, Kalunga ketu!
11 Upikeni oikuti! Kwateni oikelelifo! Omwene okwa pendula omhepo yeehamba domuMedia. Osheshi Ye okwa diladila a hanaune po Babilon. Osheshi eshi onghone yOmwene, e shi handukilila otembeli yaye. 12 Eehotekuma daBabilon di dikileni epandela! Hapupalifeni ovanangeli. Pamekeni ovanangeli, longekideni oikulo! Osheshi eshi Omwene e shi diladila ote shi ningi yo, ashishe osho e shi tongela oonakukala muBabilon, ote shi wanifa. 13 Woo oove, u li pomeva manene, oshipuna shomamona, exulilo loye ola fika. Okunyeka kwoye kwa xula po. 14 Omwene womatanga ovakwaita okwa ana muye mwene: Oshili, Ame onda hala oku ku yadifa ovanhu vahapu ve fike poshipaxu. Vo otave ke ku yelulila eingido lehafo.
15 Oye ou a shita edu neenghono daye nokwa pameka ounyuni nounongo waye, eulu e li valela nomayele aye. 16 Nge ta ndunduma, oshihomo shomeva otashi udika keulu, ndele Ye ota menifa oilemo yokominghulo dedu, ta shelifa omaluvadi, ndele ta eta po odula, ndele ta pepifa mo omhepo momalimba ayo. 17 Keshe omunhu a ninga elai ke neshiivo. Keshe omuhambwidi woshingoldo ta lengaifwa molwoshitelekwafano shaye. Oshitelekwafano shaye oipupulu ndele shihe nomwenyo. 18 Ovo oikalunga yongaho, oihongwanima yoiyolifa mefimbo lokuhandukilwa kwavo otai pepuka po. 19 Ndelenee oshitukulwa shaJakob inashi fa ei. Osheshi Omwene Oye Omushiti waaishe, naIsrael oye epata lefyuululifwa laye, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita olo edina laye.
20 Oove ohamala yange noshilwifo shange.
Ohandi ku nyanyaulifa oiwana,
ohandi ku tokekifa omauhamba.
21 Ndele ohandi ku nyanyaulifa eenghambe novalondi vado
ndele ohandi ku nyanyaulifa etemba loita nomushingi walo.
22 Ndele ohandi ku nyanyaulifa omulumenhu nomukainhu.
Ohandi ku nyanyaulifa omukulupe nomunyasha.
Ohandi ku nyanyaulifa omumati nokakadona.
23 Ndele ohandi ku nyanyaulifa omufita noimuna yaye.
Ohandi ku nyanyaulifa omunamapya neenani daye mbali.
Ohandi ku nyanyaulifa ovapangeli novakulunhu.
24 Ndelenee omoipafi yeni ohandi ka alulila Babilon noonakukalamo aveshe muKaldea owii oo aushe ve u longa muSion, Omwene osho ta ti.
25 Tala, Ame ohandi ku totele, oove omhunda ohanauni, Omwene osho ta ti, ove ou ho hanauna edu alishe. Ndele Ame ohandi ke ku yelulila eke lange, ndele handi ku undula ko komhunda, ndele handi ku ningi omhunda ya lungwina po. 26 Ndele mwoove itamu ka kufwa nande emanya lomutwe wokolonela ile emanya lekanghameno. Osheshi ove oto ka kala ofuka fiyo alushe, Omwene osho ta ti. 27 Yeluleni epandela medu! Shikeni enghuma mokati koiwana! Oiwana nai yapulwe oku shi kondjifa. Ifaneni omauhamba aArarat naMinni naAskenas. Hoololeni ondjai oku shi kondjifa. Eenghambe nadi fikame ngaashi oshipaxu shomalududi! 28 Shiveni oiwana, eehamba domuMedia, omalenga novakulunhu aveshe vomusho, nedu alishe li nepangelo alishe noku shi kondjifa. 29 Opo nee edu otali ka kakama ndele tali linyenge kouyehame, osheshi omadiladilo Omwene, e a diladilila Babilon taa wanifwa, Babilon opo te shi ningi ofuka, shihe novanhu. 30 Ovaladi vaBabilon ova efa okulwa va fyaala meehotemanya. Eenghono davo da pwa po, va ninga ovakainhu. Eengulu dasho ve di xwika po noiyedelifo yasho ya teywa po. 31 Omutondoki ota shakeneke omutondoki mukwao. Omutumwa ota shakeneke omutumwa mukwao. Vo va ka shiivifile ohamba yaBabilon, oshilando shaye ashishe sha teywa po keembinga adishe. 32 Oiyau ya nangalwa, omadiva a xwikwa po, ovakwaita va haluka ashike.
33 Osheshi Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, Kalunga kaIsrael ta ti: Omona okakadona Babilon okwa foshipale mefiku olo tashi palwa. Okafimbo kongaho natango, efimbo leteyo laye otali fiki kuye. 34 Oonakukala muSion osho nava tye: “Nebukadnesar, ohamba yaBabilon, okwa lya nge po, okwa hanauna nge po, okwa efa nge ngaashi oshiyuma shihe nasha. Ye okwa pona nge ngaashi ongadu, nokwa kutifa edimo laye neendja dange dinyenye nokwa kandula nge po. 35 Okuhepekwa kwange nonhumba yange ya tosholwa, nai kale kombada yaBabilon.” Jerusalem ta ti: “Nohonde yange nai uye kombada yaava ve li muKaldea.”
36 Onghee nee Omwene ta popi ngaha: Tala, Ame ohandi ku yukifile eendjovo doye, ndele handi va handukile ponhele yoye. Omulonga waye ohandi u pwininike nofifiya yaye ohandi i kukutike. 37 Ndele Babilon otashi ka ninga onduba yomamanya, onhele youvandje noshinima shoixuna yongaho noshodino shihe noonakukalamo.
38 Aveshe kumwe ohava kumbu ngaashi onghoshi yonyasha, tava ono ngaashi eenghoshona. 39 Eshi va duka molwisho lwavo, ohandi va telekele oitendele nohandi va kolwifa, opo va hafe ndele tava ka kofelela, itava penduka vali fiyofiyo, Omwene osho ta ti. 40 Ame ohandi ke va undulila koshidipaelo ngaashi eedjona, ngaashi eedi pamwe noikombo. 41 Sesak, oshifimanekwa shounyuni aushe osha teywa ngahelipi! Babilon osha ninga ngahelipi oshinima oshikumwifa mokati koiwana aishe! 42 Efuta le litumba kombada yaBabilon, omakufikufi alo e shi tuvika. 43 Oilando yasho ya ninga ofuka, ya ninga edu la kukuta, ya ninga omuulu, edu omu muhe novanhu, ndele itapa endwa komona womunhu nande umwe. 44 Bel yomuBabilon ohandi mu handukile ndele handi ka shila mokanya kaye osho e shi pona, ndele oiwana itai ka tondokela vali kuye. Neehotekuma daBabilon tadi ngumauka po yo. 45 Djeni mo musho, onye ovanhu vange! Keshe umwe na xupife omwenyo waye kehanyo lehandu lOmwene. 46 Ndelenee omitima deni inadi kala da tyololoka, nye muha tilifwe komutoto tau ka udika moshilongo, eshi momudo umwe omutoto ou tau uya, ndele momudo mukwao taku uya vali umwe, ndele oukolokoshi u li moshilongo, nondubo pokati kovapangeli. 47 Onghee hano tala, omafiku otae uya, eshi ohandi ka handukila oihongwafano yomuBabilon nedu lasho alishe tali ka fifwa ohoni novadipawa valo tava ka wila mokati kalo. 48 Opo nee eulu nedu naashishe eshi shi li mo otashi ka hafela osho tashi hange Babilon, osheshi koumbangalanhu taku di ovanyonauni vasho, Omwene osho ta ti. 49 Ndele Babilon yo oshi nokuteka po, onye ovadipawa vaIsrael, ngaashi ovo va dipawa omolwaBabilon va wila nedu alishe. 50 Onye ava mwa xupa keongamukonda, djeni po, inamu kanghama! Dimbulukweni Omwene medu lokokule! Kaleni nokudiladila Jerusalem momitima deni. 51 Fye otwa fifwa shili ohoni, osheshi otwa li tu nokupwilikina omasheko; ohoni ya tuvika oshipala shetu, osheshi ovanailongo ova nangala eenhele diyapuki dongulu yOmwene.
52 Onghee hano, omafiku tae uya, Omwene osho ta ti, oihongwafano yasho ohandi ke i handukila. Ndele oshilongo shasho tashi ka yada okukema kweendjashe. 53 Babilon nande na londe keulu, nonande na lepeke nokupameka ohotengulu yaye, mwaame otamu di ovahanauni vasho, Omwene osho ta ti. 54 Pwilikina, onghuwo tai kuu muBabilon! Eweelelo linene lomahanauno moshilongo shOvakaldea! 55 Osheshi Omwene ota hanauna po Babilon, ndele ta pupula mo eweelelo linene. Omakufikufi avo taa ngungumana ngaashi omeva manene, oshihomo sheendaka davo oshinene unene. 56 Osheshi omuhanauni ote shi totele, ota totele Babilon. Novaladi vasho otava ningi eenghwate, omauta avo otaa teyaulwa po, osheshi Omwene Oye Kalunga kehandu. Heeno oshili, Oye ota ka handuka nokuhandukilila. 57 Ndele omalenga novanongo novapangeli novakulunhu novakwanyati vasho ohandi ke va kolwifa, ndele otava ka kofelela fiyofiyo, itava penduka vali, ohamba osho tai ti, edina layo Omwene womatanga ovakwaita.
58 Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ota ti ngaha: Ohotekuma inene yaBabilon otai ngumunwa po fiyo okomakanghameno, omivelo dasho dile otadi ka xwikwa po nomundilo. Osho ovanhu tava longo oshimha noiwana tai longele omundilo, ndele tai lilolola.
59 Ondjovo oyo tuu ei omuxunganeki Jeremia e i lombwela Seraja yaNeria yaMaasea, ou a dja po pamwe naSedekia, ohamba yaJuda, momudo omutine wepangelo laye a ya kuBabilon. Seraja okwa li omwene weenhanda. 60 Ndele Jeremia okwa shanga momushangwatonywa oiponga aishe tai ka hanga Babilon, eendjovo adishe odo da shangelwa Babilon. 61 Ndele Jeremia okwa lombwela Seraja ndele ta ti: “Ove ngeenge to fiki kuBabilon, kala u shi shii kutya, eendjovo odo adishe ou noku di lesha, 62 ove u tye: ‘Omwene, Ove wa popya onhele ei, u i nyone po, muha kale nande onakukalamo, omunhu ile oshimuna, ndelenee shi nokukala ombuwa yongaho fiyo alushe.’ 63 Ndele eshi wa mana okulesha omushangwatonywa ou, u mangela emanya ndele to u ekele momulonga waEufrat, 64 ove u tye: ‘Osho ngaha naBabilon yo tashi ka ningina mo, ndele itashi ka djuuka mo vali moshiponga omo Ame ohandi ke shi undulila.’ ”
Eendjovo daJeremia opo da xulila opo.
