ǃAruǀî hâ ǀgoraǃgâs Babilons ǂama
1 Nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî: “Tita ge ǁkhō ǂoa-e Babilons ǃoagu nî khâi kai, Xaldeaǃhūb ǁanǂgāsaben ǃoagu. 2 Tita ge Babilonsa nî sapiǂuiǃnâ khoena ǁîs ǃoagu nî sî. ǁÎn ge ǁîsa ǁgaraǂuiǃnâ tsî ǃhūb âsa nî ǀkhaiǀkhaiǃnâ, hoa ǀkhāga xun ga ǁîsa ǂōǂōsib tsēs ai hāǂam ǃnubai. 3 Tā khāǁkhâu-aoga khāsa gu nî ǂgaeǃnâ soa-e mā tamas ka io ǁâtanin âga gu nî ǂgaeǂgāsa. Tā ǁîs di ǂkham khoega ǀkhom, î hoaraga toroǂnubis âsa hîkākā. 4 ǁÎgu ge nî ǃgamhe Xaldeaǃhūb ǃnâ tsî ǁō hâgu di sorodi ge ǁîs ǃgangu ǃnâ nî ǁgoe. 5 Israeli tsî Judab tsîkha ge ǁîkha Elob, ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab xa ǁnāxūhe tama hâ, ǁîkha ǃhūb ga ǁoreb xa ǀoa, Israeli di ǃAnub aiǃâ xawe. 6 ǁHâǂoa Babilonsa xu, ǁî-aitsama huiǂuisen, î du tā ǁîs di ǁoreb ǃaroma hîkākāhe. Nēb ge ǃKhūb ǀkhaob di ǁaeba, ǃoaǂuis hâ-es ǁîsa ra ǃkhōǃoaba. 7 Babilons ge ǃhuniǀuri ǀgabi ge isa ǃKhūb ǃomǁae, hoaraga ǃhūbaiba gere ǀhoro kaisa. ǃHaodi ge ǁîs ǂauxûib xa ge ā tsî ǁnā-amaga ge ǃkhau. 8 Babilons ge ǃnapetamase ǁnā tsî ge ǂkhū. ǁÎsa āba re. Balsam-e ǁîs ǀhapide ūba re, ǀnîsis nî ǂgau xuige. 9 ‘Sida ge Babilonsa ge ǂgauǂgau, xawes ge ǂgau tama ge i. ǁÎsa xu ǂoa, a i mâ-i hoa-e ǁî-i ǃhūb ǃoa ǃgû, ǁîs di ǀgoraǃgâs ǀhommi kōse ra sī tsî ǃâudi kōse ra khâi xuige.’ ”
10 “ǃKhūb ge ǂhanu-ai da a ǃkhaisa ge ǂhai kai. ‘Hā, î da Sions ǃnâ ǃKhūb sada Elob di sîsenna ǂhôa re.’ ”
11 ǂĀga ǀāǀā, î ǁkhaukhōde ūkhâi. ǃKhūb ge Mediab gao-aoga go khâikhâiǃnâ, Babilonsa hîkākāsab ǂâibasen hâ amaga. Nēb ge ǃKhūb di ǀkhaoba, ǁîb di Tempeli ǃaroma. 12 Babilons di ǂnubiǂgoagu ai ǃkhauba ǃkhā. ǃÛisa ǀgaiǀgai, ǃûi-aoga mâi, ǂapoǃkhaide ǂhomi. ǃKhūb ge mîb ge khami Babilons ǁanǂgāsaben ǀkha nî dī. 13 Sas ǂgui ǃāgu tawa ǁan hâs, kai ǁuiba ūhâse, sa ǀams ge go hā. Sa ûib di ǁapab ge go ǃkhaiǃgaohe. 14 ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab ge ǁîb ǂûb tawa ge nū: Amase ta ge sasa ǂhomn kōse ǂgui ǂnubis khoegu ǀkha nî ǀoaǀoa. ǁÎgu ge sas ǂama dans di ǃauba nî ǂgaiǂui.
Koatsanas
15 ǃKhūb ge ǁîb ǀgaib ǀkha ǃhūbaiba ge ǂnubi
gā-aisib âb ǀkhab ge ǃhūbaiba ge dī
tsî ǀhomma ge ǃāǂui.
16 ǁÎb mîmās ai gu ǁgamga ǀhommi ǃnâ ra ǃguru;
ǁîb ge ǃâude ǃhūbaib ǀamsa xu ra hā-ū.
ǀNanub ǃnâb ge ra napa kai,
tsîb ge sâuǃnâ-omdi âba xu ǂoaba ra sîǂui.
17 Nēsa ra mû-i hoa-i ge gâre tsî gâse ra tsâ,
mâ ǃhuniǀurikuru-aob hoab ǁgôa-elon xa ra taotaohe,
ǁgôa-elon ǁîb ra kurun a ǂhumi tsî ǁō hâ xui-ao.
18 ǁÎn ge a ǁau, ǁîn ge a ǃhōxū,
ǁkharab ân ǁaeb ga hā, on ge kāǃari.
19 Jakob Elob ge ǁîn khami ī tama hâ;
ǁîb ge ǁnāb hoaraga xūna ge kurub
tsî Israelǁaesa ǁîb di ǂhunuma ǁaese ge ǁhûiba.
ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab tib ge ǀon hâ.
ǃKhūb di hamers
20 “Sas ge ti hamer tsî torob ǁâtani.
Sas ǀkha ta ge ǁaede ra ǂnauǂkhū,
sas ǀkha ta ge gaoside ra hîkākā.
21 Sas ǀkha ta ge hān tsî ǃgapi-aoga ra ǂkhūǂkhū,
sas ǀkha ta ge torokunidi tsî ǃnari-aoga ra ǂkhūǂkhū.
22 Sas ǀkha ta ge khoeb tsî khoes tsîra ra ǂnauǂkhū,
sas ǀkha ta ge kairan tsî ǂkhamn tsîna ra ǂkhūǂkhū,
sas ǀkha ta ge ǂkhamkhoeb tsî ǂkhamkhoes tsîra ra ǂkhūǂkhū.
23 Sas ǀkha ta ge ǃûi-aogu tsî gūn âga ra ǂnauǂkhū,
sas ǀkha ta ge ǃhanaǂgā-aob tsî gomagu âba ra ǂkhūǂkhū,
sas ǀkha ta ge gowoniagu tsî ǂamkhoega ra ǂkhūǂkhū.”
Babilons di ǁkharab
24 “Xawe Babilons tsî hoaraga ǁanǂgāsaben Xaldeab din tsîna ta ge ǁnā ǂkhawadīb, sadu mûǁaen ge Sionsa dī-ūb ǃaroma nî ǁkhara,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.25 “Tita ge sats ǃoagu hâ, hîkākā ra ǃhomtse, sats hoaraga ǃhūbaiba ra hîkākātsa, tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî. Ti ǃomma ta ge sats ǃoa nî ǀhōǂui, tsî ta ge ǃgareǀuiga xu gariǁnâ tsi tsî khauǃkhūsa ǃhomse nî dī tsi. 26 ǀGui ǀui-i tsîn ge satsa xu ǁhôaǀuise ūhe tide tamas ka io ǃgaoǃgaoǀuise, sats hoaragase nî ǂkhūǂkhūhe xui-ao,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.27 “ǃKhauba ǃhūb ǃnâ ǃkhā, xâiǁnâsa ǃhaodi ǃnâ ǀō kai. ǃHaode ǂhomi ǁîs ǃoagu di nî torodīse. Gaosidi Ararati, Minib tsî Askenab tsîgu dide ǁîs ǃoagu ǂgaikhâi. ǂAmkhoeba ǂgaeǂguib nîse ǁgaumâi, î ǂhoms khami ǂgui hāna ǁîs ǃoagu ǀhaoǀhao. 28 ǃHaode ǂhomi ǁîs ǃoagu di nî torodīse. Mediab gao-aogu, gowoniagu tsî hoaraga ǂamkhoegu tsî ǁîgu xa ǂgaeǂguihe ǃhūgu hoagu tsîna. 29 ǃHūb ge ǂgubi tsî nî ǀkhū, ǃKhūb ge Babilons ǂama mîǀguin ǁaposase mâ xui-ao, Babilons ǃhūbab hoaragase nî hîkākā, ǁanǂgāsabe-i xare-i ǁîb ǃnâ ǃgau tidese ǃkhaisa. 30 Babilons toroǃkhamaogu ge ǃkhamǀû hâ. ǁÎgu ge ǁkhuigu âgu ǃnâ ǂnôa, ǁîgu ǀgaib ge toa hâ, tarekhoedi khami gu ge ī. ǃĀs di omdi ge ra ǂhubi, dao-amdi ǁkhaeǃnaogu ge khôa hâ. 31 Nē sîsabeba xu naub ti gu ge Babilons gao-aob ǃoa nî ǃkhoe, ǁîba gu nî ǂhôase, ǁîb di ǃās go hoaǀkhāga xu ǂgâǃnâhesa. 32 ǃGâunadi go ūhe tsî ǂāgu go ǂhubihe tsî gu toroǃkhamaoga ǃaob xa ǃkhōhe hâ ǃkhaisa. 33 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab, Israeli Eloba ra mî: Babilons ôas ge dāǃnâǃkhais ase ī dāǃnâhes ga ǁaeb ai. ǂKhari ǁaerob ǀguib, ob ge ǃgaoǁaeb âsa nî hā.”
34 Babilons gao-aob Nebukadnesari ge tita ge hapu,
ǁîb ge tita ge ǂkhūǂkhū.
ǁÎb ge tita ge ǀkhaiǃnâ xapa kai,
ǁîb ge draki khami ge haraǂgā te.
ǃNāb âbab ge ti ǁkhoaxasigu ǀkha ge ǀoaǀoa,
ǁîb ge tita ge ǀnapuǂuiǃnâ.
35 An Sions ǁanǂgāsabena mî re:
ǂKhawadīb tita tsî ti khoen ge dī-ūheba
ab Babilonsa hāǂam.
An Jerusalems ǁanǂgāsabena mî re:
Ab sida ǀaoba Xaldeab ǁanǂgāsaben ai hā.
ǃKhūb ge Israela nî hui
36 ǁNā-amagab ge ǃKhūba nēti ra mî: “Tita ge sado nî ǂnoaguba tsî sado nî ǀkhaoba. Tita ge Babilons ǁgam-e nî ǂnâ kai tsî ǁîs ǀausa nî ǂnâǂnâ. 37 Tsîs ge Babilonsa nî ǀuiǁkhopo kai; ǀgirin di ǁanǃkhais, khoen ǁîs xa ra burugâs, khoe-i xare-i xa ǁanǃnâhe tamasa. 38 ǁÎs di khoen ge ǀhûpe xamn khami nî ǃguru tsî ǂkham xamron khami nî ā. 39 ǁÎn di turab ga khâi, o ta ge tita ǁîna ǂûǁare-e dība tsî nî āǃgâu kai, dân nîga, tsîn ge nî ǁomǃari tsî ǁkhawa ǂkhai tide,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.40 “Tita ge ǁîna ǂāheǃgû ra ǁkhaon tsî baigu tsî pirigu khami nî ǂgaeǂguibē.”
Babilonsa nî hāǂam ǃgomsigu
41 “Mâtis Babilonsa ūhe hâ; ǁîs hoaraga ǃhūbaib xa ra koahesa ǃkhōhe hâ. Mâtis Babilonsa burugâxū kai hâ ǃhaodi ǃnâ. 42 Hurib ge Babilonsa ge dâuǂam; ǁîs ge ǁaixa ǃgabigu xa ge ǃgū-aihe. 43 ǁÎs di ǃādi ge ge ǃaoǃaosa ǃkhai kai; ǂnâsa ǃhū tsî ǃgaroǃhū kai. Khoe-i xare-i ge ǁnāpa ǁan tama hâ, khoe-i xare-i ge ǁnāpa-u ǃkharu tama hâ. 44 Tita ge Beli Babilons ǃnâ hâba nî ǁkhara, tsî ta ge harab ge hâ i xūna nî ǀkhûiǂui kai bi. ǁAedi ge ǃaruǀî ǁîb ǃoa ǃgû tide. Babilons di ǂnubiǂoab ge go ǁnā. 45 Ti ǁaese ǁîsa xu ǂoa. A i mâ-i hoa-e ǁî-i ûiba sâu, ǀaexa ǁaib ǃKhūb diba xu. 46 Tā ǂkhabuǂâi, î tā ǃao, ǃhūb ǃnâ du ra ǁnâu gommi xa. Mâ kurib hoabab ge gomma nî hâ. ǂKhawadīb ge ǃhūb ǃnâ nî hâ, nē ǂgaeǂgui-aob ge naub ǃoagu nî ǃkham. 47 ǁAeb ge go ǀoa, Babilons īga ta nî ǁkharaba. ǁÎs di hoaraga ǃhūb ge nî taotaohe tsîn ge ǁîs di ǃgamhe hâna ǁîs ǃnâ nî ǁgoe. 48 O kha ge ǀhommi tsî ǃhūbaib tsî ǁîkha ǃnâ hân tsîn hoana Babilons di ǁnās ǂama nî dâ, ǁîsa nî hîkākān ǀapasa xu nî ǀkhī xui-ao,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.49 “Babilons ge nî ǁnā, Israeli din hîas ge ǃgamn ǃaroma, tsî ǁnās ǁkhās xase ǁkhāti hoaraga ǃhūbaib din hîas ge ǃgamn ǃaroma.
Elob ǂhôas, Babilons ǃnâ hâ Israelǁîn ǃoa
50 “Sadu gôaba xu ge ûiǂoado, ūbēsen, tā mâ. ǃKhūb xa ǃnūse du hâpa xu ǂâi, î Jerusalems tsîn xa ǂâiǂâisen. 51 Sida ge tao hâ, ǃgôaǁnâhe da ge xui-ao. ǃHaraxūb ge sida aide ǃgū-ai hâ, ǃhaokhoen ge ǃKhūb ommi di ǃanu ǃkhaidi ǃnâ ǂgâ amaga. 52 ǁNā-amaga mû, tsēdi ge ǃgoaxa, tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî, o ta ge Babilons īga nî ǁkhara tsîn ge tsuihe hâna ǁîs di ǃhūb hoaragab ǃnâ nî ǃgae. 53 Babilons ga ǀhommi kōse ǃapa tsî ǁkhui-ommi âsa ǀgaiǀgai, xawe ta ge tita hîkākā-aoga ǁîsa nî sîba,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.ǃKhūb ge Babilonsa nî hîkākā
54 “ǃAub di ǀōb ge Babilonsa xu ra hā,
kai ǂkhôadīb di ǂkhupiba Xaldeaba xu.
55 ǃKhūb ge Babilonsa ra hîkākā,
tsî ǁîs di ǂkhupixasiba ra ǃnō kai.
ǀGaisa ǃgabigu khamin ge khākhoena
ǁîs ǃoagu ra hā
ǁÎn domgu di ǂkhupib ge ra ǀgai.
56 Hîkākā-aob ge Babilonsa ra hāǂam,
ǁîs di toroǃkhamaogu ge ra ǃkhōhe,
ǁîgu di khādi ge ra khôaǃāhe.
ǃKhūb, ǀkhaob di Elob ge
ǁîsa amase nî dīdawa-am.
57 Tita ge ǂamkhoegu âsa nî āǀhoro kai,
gowoniagu, ǂgaeǂgui-aogu
tsî toroǃkhamaogu tsîga.
ǁÎgu ge nî ǁomǃari tsî ǂkhai tide,
tib ge Gao-aob, ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab,
ti ǀon hâba ra mî.
58 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixaba ra mî:
Babilons di ǀgaisa ǂnubiǂgoab ge
ǃhūb ai nî khôaǁguihe.
ǁÎs di ǀgapi dao-amdi ge nî khauǃkhūhe.
Khoen ge ǁause ra sîsen
tsî ǀaes xa nî hîkākāhe xūn
ǃaroma ra ǀhupuǀhupusen.”
Jeremiab ǂhôas ge Babilons ǃoa ra sîhe
59 Nēs ge kēbo-aob Jeremiab ge Neriab ôa tsî Maxsejaxi ǁnurib Serajaba mā mîmāsa, Judab gao-aob Sedekiab di hakaǁî ǂgaeǂguis kurib ǃnâb ge ǁîb ǀkha Babilons ǃoa ǃgû ǃnubai. Serajab ge ge sâǃkhaib di mûǂamao i. 60 Jeremiab ge Babilonsa nî hāǂam ǂōǂōsigu hoagu tsî Babilons xa xoahe hâ xūn hoan tsîna ǂkhanis ǃnâ ge xoamâi. 61 Tsîb ge Jeremiaba Serajab ǃoa ge mî: “Babilons ǃnâts ga sī, ots ge nē mîdi hoade nî khomai. 62 Tsîts ge nî mî: ‘O ǃKhūtse, sats ge nē ǃāsats nî hîkākā tsî i khoe-i kas, ûitsama xū-i kas hoasa ǁîs ǃnâ ǁan tide, tsîs ǀamose nî ǃū-aisa ǃkhai, ti ge mî.’ 63 Nē ǂkhanisats ga khomaitoa, ots ge ǀui-e ǁîs ai ǃgae tsî ǁîsa Eufrati ǃnâ aoǂgā, 64 tsî nî mî: ‘Nētis ge Babilonsa nî dūǂgâ tsî ǁkhawa ǂoaxa tide, ǁnā ǁkharab ǁîs ǂama ta nî hā-ūb ǃaroma.’ ” Nēpa di ge Jeremiab mîde ra ǀuni.
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.
