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.
Epangulo lyaBabilonia
1 Omuwa ota ti: “Otandi ka tukulutha ombepo yehanagulo, yi kondjithe Babilonia naLeb-Kamai. 2 Otandi ka tuma aakwiilongo ya hanagule po Babilonia ya fa ombepo tayi pepe po etutu. Esiku ndyoka lyehanagulo uuna nali thiki, otaye ke shi homona taa ziilile koombinga adhihe notaa mbugaleke oshilongo. 3 Inamu pa oondjumbeta dhasho ompito okulukila omatati gadho nenge dhi homate omahwahwa gadho. Inamu hupitha ko aagundjuka. Etangakwiita alihe okomupeshe! 4 Otaa ka ninga oomwahe nokusila momapandaanda giilando yawo. 5 Ngame, Omuwa, Kalunga Omunankondoawike, inandi etha Israel naJuda, nando oya yono kungame, Omuyapuki gwaIsrael. 6 Tembukii mo muBabilonia! Ka holekeni okafudho keni! Inamu dhipagelwa uulunde wAababilonia! Ongame mwene tandi ikwatele ko noku shi geela ngaashi shi ilongele. 7 Babilonia osha li sha fa oshitenga shoshingoli miikaha yandje; osha kolitha uuyuni auhe. Iigwana oya kolwa komaviinu gasho noya pwidhuka moondunge dhayo. 8 Babilonia osha teka po ohaluka nosha hanagulwa po. Shi lileni! Shi gwayekeni omuti piilalo yasho, pamwe tashi vulu okwaaludhwa. 9 Aakwiilongo mboka ya kala mo, oya ti: ‘Otwa kambadhala okukwatha Babilonia, ihe ethimbo olya pu po. Tu tembukii mo, tu shune kaandjetu. Kalunga okwa geela Babilonia noonkondo dhe adhihe nokwe shi hanagula po thiluthilu.’ ”
10 Omuwa ota ti: “Aantu yandje taa kugu taa ti: ‘Omuwa okwa holola kutya otu li mondjila. Tu yeni tu ka lombwele aantu muJerusalem shoka Omuwa Kalunga ketu a ningi.’ ”
11 Omuwa okwa sikumudha aakwaniilwa yaMedia, oshoka okwa dhiladhila a hanagule po Babilonia. Ota ka polithila ondjahi ye musho omolwehanagulo lyotempeli ye.
Oondjayi dhiita otadhi igidha: “Upikeni iikuti yeni, kutheni omahuuyanza! 12 Yelutheni epandela lyokuponokela omadhingililokuma gaBabilon! Indjipalekeni aatonateli! Langekeni aapekapeki! Tuleni aantu miilangela!”
Omuwa ota gwanitha shoka a tile, ote shi ningile Aababilonia. 13 Oshilongo shoka oshi na omilonga odhindji nomaliko ogendji, ihe ethimbo lyasho lya pu po, nongodhi yasho yomwenyo ya tokoka. 14 Omuwa Omunankondoawike okwa gana momwenyo gwe kutya ote eta aantu oyendji, ya ponokele Babilonia ya fa oshiluku shoombahu, oyo notaa kugilile kenyanyu lyekandanga.
Ondjimbo yokuhambelela
15 Omuwa okwa shiti evi koonkondo dhe;
nokuunongo we okwa umbu uuyuni nokwa alele omagulu.
16 Okoohapu dhe omeya gomeyalelo taga ndunduma;
ote eta iikogo okuza kooha dhevi.
Ota shelitha oombadhi miikogo,
nota tumu ombepo tayi zi moompungulo dhe.
17 Omuntu kehe omugoya noke na ontseyo;
mboka haa hongo iimenka, oya thethelekwa,
oshoka iimenka mbyoka ya hambula,
oyiifundja nokayi na omwenyo.
18 Oyo iinima yowala noyi na okudhinika;
otayi ka hanagulwa po,
Omuwa ngele te ya e yi pangule.
19 Kalunga kaJakob ine yi fa;
oye ngoka a shiti ayihe,
nokwa hogolola Israel a ninge oshigwana she mwene.
Omuwa Omunankondoawike olyo edhina lye.
Osilwa yOmuwa
20 Omuwa ota ti:
“Babilonia, ngoye osilwa yandje,
omatati gandje miita.
Onde ku teyitha po iigwana niilongo,
21 u tunte uukambe naakayili yawo,
u tunte omatembakwiita naahingi yago,
22 u dhipage aasamane naakulukadhi,
u tsele aakuluntu naanona,
u kombe po aamati naakadhona,
23 u kutule aasita niimuna yawo ominino,
u ndande aapululi noonani dhawo,
u mbandule omalenga naambala.”
Babilonia tashi geelwa
24 Omuwa ota ti: “Otamu ka mona ndje tandi galulile Babilonia naantu yasho uuwinayi mboka ye u ningile Jerusalem. 25 Babilonia, owa fa ondundu tayi hanagula po uuyuni auhe, ihe ngame, Omuwa, ongame omutondi gwoye. Otandi ke ku kwata, noku ku yelekanitha nevi e tandi ku thigi momutoko. 26 Mungoye itamu kuthwa we emanya tali longithwa metungo. Oto ka mbugala sigo aluhe. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.
27 “Yelutheni epandela, mu homone! Hikeni enkuma, opo iigwana yi uve ko! Dheulileni iigwana iita yokukondjitha Babilonia! Lombweleni aakwaniilwa yaArarat, Minni naAshkenas, ya homone. Langekeni ondjayi yokuwilika eponokelo. Eteni po uukambe wa fa oshiluku shoombahu. 28 Dheulileni iigwana iita yokukondjitha Babilonia. Tumeni mu hiye aakwaniilwa yaMedia, aawiliki nomalenga gawo nomatangakwiita giilongo ayihe mbyoka taye yi pangele. 29 Evi otali kakama notali imanana, oshoka Omuwa ota gwanitha omadhiladhilo ge, a mbugaleke Babilonia, kaamu kale we nando omuntu. 30 Aakwiita Aababilonia oye etha okukondja, otaa kala momapopilongulu gawo. Oya kanitha omukumo; oya fa aakulukadhi. Omiyelo dhoshilando odha teywa po, nomagumbo ga tomekwa omulilo. 31 Aatumwa ya tsatsakana otaa matukile komukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia, ye mu lombwele kutya omiyelo dhoshilando odha teywa po koombinga adhihe. 32 Aatondi oya kwata po onkondo yomulonga noya tomeke omapopilongulu omulilo. Aakwiita Aababilonia oya haluka. 33 Ohaluka aatondi taye ya hata pevi e taye ya lyatagula ya fa iilya polupale. Ongame, Omuwa Omunankondoawike, Kalunga kaIsrael, nda popi.”
34 Omukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia okwa keke po Jerusalem
e te shi li po.
Okwa koona oshilando sha fa ombiga;
okwe shi ndhilagula po a fa evukule.
Okwa yugu po shoka a hala
e te ekelehi iihupe.
35 Aasioni naa tye:
“Babilonia nashi geelwe
molwiikolokosha she yi tu ningile.”
Aajerusalem naa tye:
“Babilonia nashi geelwe
molwashoka she tu hepeke.”
Omuwa ota kwatha Israel
36 Omuwa okwa lombwele Aajerusalem ta ti: “Otandi ke mu popila moontamanana dheni e tandi ka galulila aatondi yeni shoka ye mu ningile. Otandi ka pwinika oonza dhomeya gaBabilonia, omilonga dhasho otadhi ka kukuta. 37 Oshilongo shoka otashi ka ninga ondumba yomakulukuma, moka tamu kala iithitukuti. Otashi ka ninga ehaluthitho; kamu na omuntu ta ka kala mo, noshaa ngoka te shi mono, ota ka haluka. 38 Aababilonia ayehe otaa ndunduma ya fa oonime notaa gono ya fa uunkoshigona. 39 Aafukedhi ano? Otandi ke ya hangela oshituthi e tandi ya kolitha ya nyanyukwe. Otaa ka kotha e taa kothelele. 40 Otandi ke ya fala koshidhipagelo, ya ka kutulwe ominino ya fa oonzigona, iikombo noonzi. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.”
Oshiponga shaBabilon
41 Omuwa ota popi Babilon ta ti: “Oshilando shoka sha li hashi tangwa kuuyuni, otashi kwatwa po! Babilon otashi ningi emoniko lyehalutho momeho giigwana. 42 Efuta otali kungulukile Babilon e tali shi siikile nomakuthikuthi taga pupu. 43 Iilando otayi ningi ontale, ombuga ya kalanda yaa na omeya. Kaku na we aantu taa kala mo nenge taa pitile mo. 44 Otandi ka pangula Bel muBabilonia noku mu ethitha iinima e yi yugu po; iigwana itayi ke mu longela we.
“Omadhingililokuma gaBabilon oga kumuka po. 45 Aaisraeli, zii mo musho. Fadhukii po, mu ka holeke oomwenyo dheni kuupyundjahi wandje. 46 Inamu tyololoka nenge mu tile molwomitoto ndhoka tamu kundana. Omumvo kehe omutoto ogwi ili tagu taandelithwa — omitoto dhiikolokosha moshilongo, aakwaniilwa sho taa kondjithathana. 47 Onkee ano tandi ti, ethimbo otali ya, uuna tandi ka geela iimenka yaBabilonia. Oshilongo ashihe otashi ka sithwa ohoni, naantu yasho ayehe otaa ka dhipagwa. 48 Shaa shoka kombanda yevi nomegulu otashi ka ligola, uuna Babilonia tashi hanagulwa po kaantu mboka taa ziilile kuumbangalantu. 49 Babilonia osha dhipagitha aantu akuhe muuyuni. Ngashingeyi Babilonia otashi teka po, oshoka osha dhipagitha Aaisraeli oyendji. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.”
Elaka lyOmuwa kAaisraeli muBabilonia
50 Omuwa ota lombwele aantu ye muBabilonia ta ti: “Omwa hunuka meso! Indeni! Inamu dhikala! Nando omu li kokule negumbo, dhimbulukwii ndje, Omuwa gweni, ne mu tedhe Jerusalem. 51 Otamu ti: ‘Otwa sithwa ohoni notwa gugwa; otu uvite twaa na omwago, oshoka aakwiilongo oya kwata po omahala omayapuki motempeli.’ 52 Onkee ano tandi ti, ethimbo otali ya, uuna tandi ka geela iimenka yaBabilon, noomwahe otadhi ka tongagana noshilongo ashihe. 53 Babilon nando oshi vule okulonda kegulu e tashi itungile ko epopilongulu, otandi ka tuma ko aantu ye shi hanagule po. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.”
Babilon ta yonwa po
54 Omuwa ota ti:
“Pulakena, oku na onkugo tayi zi muBabilon,
elilagano omolwehanagulo moshilongo.
55 Otandi hanagula po Babilon,
otandi shi mweneke thiluthilu.
Omatangakwiita otage shi ulumine
ga fa omakuthikuthi taga pupu,
notage shi nukile noshihomo sheigidho.
56 Oye ya okuhanagula po Babilon;
aakwiita yasho otaa kwatwa po,
nomatati gawo taga teywa po.
Ongame Kalunga tandi geele uuwinayi,
notandi ningi Babilon, ngaashi shi ilongele.
57 Aaleli yasho otandi ya kolitha —
aanongo, aawiliki naakwiita.
Otaa ka kotha e taa kothelele.
Ngame, omukwaniilwa, nde shi popi,
ongame Omuwa Omunankondoawike.
58 Omadhingililokuma gaBabilon oshinankondo otaga ka kumunwa po,
nomiyelo dhasho dhoondungululu tadhi ka fikwa po.
Iigwana otayi ivulitha miilonga yaa na omupondo;
oonkambadhala dhayo otadhi yi momulilo.
Ongame, Omuwa, Omunankondoawike, nda popi.”
Elaka lyaJeremia tali tumwa kuBabilon
59 Seraia yaNerija, omutekulu gwaMakseja, okwa li elenga lyomekolo lyomukwaniilwa Sedekia. Momumvo omutine Sedekia sho a li omukwaniilwa gwaJuda, Seraia okwa yi kuBabilonia pamwe naye, nonde mu pe omakumagidho gamwe. 60 Onda nyolele membo ehokololo alihe tali ka adha Babilonia naayihe ya pamba Babilonia. 61 Onda lombwele Seraia nda ti: “Nge wa thiki kuBabilon, dhimbulukwa okuleshela aantu mokule ashihe nde shi nyola. 62 Galikana ihe u tye: ‘Omuwa, owa ti, oto yono po ehala ndika, opo mulyo mwaa kale nando oshishitwa, omuntu nenge oshinamwenyo, notali ningi ombuga sigo aluhe.’ 63 Seraia, nge wa hulitha okuleshela aantu embo ndika, li mangela kemanya e to li umbile momulonga Eufrat 64 e to ti: ‘Babilonia osho tashi ka ningwa ngeyi — otashi ka kopita noitashi anduka ko we, omolwehanagulo ndyoka Omuwa te li shi undulile.’ ”
Oohapu dhaJeremia odha hulile mpaka ihe.
