Jeremiah 51 summary meaning ai explained commentary

Jeremiah 51 meaning explained in AI Summary

Chapter 51 of Jeremiah marks the culmination of God's judgment against Babylon, detailing its impending destruction and the reasons behind it.

God's Instruments of Wrath (vv. 1-11): God raises up "destroyers" against Babylon, specifically mentioning the Medes. He describes their military might and fierce determination to conquer. The imagery is vivid, depicting Babylon as ripe for harvest and destined for destruction.
Babylon's Sins (vv. 12-14): God reminds the audience why Babylon faces judgment. Their pride, idolatry, and violence against his people (specifically Judah) have reached their limit.
God's Power and Sovereignty (vv. 15-26): A powerful reminder of God's creative power and his ability to use nature itself as a weapon. He created the world, and he can just as easily destroy it. Babylon, despite its might, is nothing compared to the Almighty.
Call to Escape (vv. 27-33): A message to foreign nations entangled with Babylon: flee before it's too late! God's judgment will be swift and merciless. Even Babylon's own soldiers will lose heart and abandon their posts.
Babylon's Fall is Final (vv. 34-49): God, through Jeremiah, speaks directly to Babylon, personifying the city and highlighting its arrogance and cruelty. He details the utter destruction that awaits, leaving no room for rebuilding or recovery.
Israel's Vindication (vv. 50-58): A message of hope for Israel. God hasn't forgotten their suffering at the hands of Babylon. Their exile will end, and they will return to their land, while Babylon faces eternal desolation.
Symbolic Act of Judgment (vv. 59-64): Jeremiah instructs Seraiah to travel to Babylon and read the words of this prophecy aloud. Afterward, he is to tie the scroll to a stone and throw it into the Euphrates River, symbolizing the complete and irreversible fall of the once-mighty empire.

Overall, Jeremiah 51 serves as both a warning and a promise:

Warning: To those who oppose God and persecute his people, judgment is inevitable.
Promise: God will avenge his people and remain faithful to his promises, even when it seems like all hope is lost.

Jeremiah 51 bible study ai commentary

Jeremiah 51, together with chapter 50, forms a single, massive oracle declaring the absolute and certain destruction of the Babylonian empire. It operates on multiple levels: a divine promise of restoration for exiled Judah, a sentence of retributive justice against a proud and violent empire, and a profound theological polemic contrasting the sovereign power of Yahweh, the Creator, with the impotence of Babylon's famed idols. The chapter uses a rich tapestry of metaphors—a destroying wind, a threshing floor, a golden cup, a battle-ax, and a sinking stone—to portray the totality of Babylon's fall, establishing it as an archetype for the godless world system that will be judged at the end of time, a theme powerfully appropriated by the book of Revelation.

Jeremiah 51 Context

This prophecy was given around 593 BC (v. 59), when the Neo-Babylonian Empire was at the zenith of its power under Nebuchadnezzar II. It had conquered Judah, destroyed Solomon's Temple in 586 BC, and exiled its people. Babylon was considered invincible, a cosmopolitan center of military, economic, and religious power, famed for its massive walls and devotion to its chief god, Marduk (also called Bel). Jeremiah's prophecy of its utter demise would have sounded impossible to its original audience. The prophecy attacks not only Babylon's military might but its core spiritual identity, directly challenging Marduk's authority and portraying Babylon's imperial project as an act of cosmic pride doomed to fail before Yahweh, the true King of the nations.

Jeremiah 51:1

Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will raise up against Babylon and against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai a destroying wind."

In-depth-analysis

A destroying wind (ruach mashchit): Ruach means wind, spirit, or breath. Mashchit means destroying or corrupting. This is the very breath of God enacting judgment, an invisible, irresistible force. It's not a normal army but a divinely sent agent of destruction.
Leb-kamai (לב קמי): This is a cryptic name for Babylon, using a Hebrew cipher called atbash. In atbash, the first letter of the alphabet is substituted for the last, the second for the second-to-last, and so on. "Leb Kamai" (לֵב קָמָי) decodes to "Kasdim" (כַּשְׂדִּים), the Hebrew word for Chaldeans, the ruling people of Babylon. This literary device may have served to conceal the message from Babylonian officials while being clear to the intended Hebrew audience.

Bible references

Jeremiah 4:11-12: "...A hot wind...not to winnow or cleanse...a wind too full for this comes for me." (God's wind of judgment)
Hosea 13:15: "An east wind shall come, the wind of the Lord...and his spring shall dry up." (Divine judgment as a drying wind)

Cross references

Gen 8:1 (wind to assuage water); Exod 10:13 (wind bringing locusts); 1 Kgs 19:11 (wind of God's power); Rev 7:1 (angels holding back winds of destruction).

Jeremiah 51:2-4

And I will send to Babylon winnowers, and they shall winnow her, and they shall empty her land... let not the archer bend his bow, and let him not stand up in his armor. Spare not her young men; devote to destruction all her host. They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans, and wounded in her streets.

In-depth-analysis

Winnowers: This continues the agricultural metaphor for judgment. Foreign armies (the "winnowers") will come and, like farmers tossing grain into the air, they will scatter the inhabitants of Babylon like worthless chaff.
Total Annihilation: The command is for complete destruction with no mercy: spare no one, from the elite archer in his armor to the young men. This totality is a measure of Babylon's sin.

Bible references

Matthew 3:12: "[His] winnowing fork is in his hand... he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (John the Baptist describing Christ's final judgment)
Psalm 1:4: "The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff that the wind drives away." (The fate of the ungodly)

Cross references

Isa 41:16 (scattering enemies like chaff); Amos 9:9 (sifting Israel).

Jeremiah 51:5

For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord of hosts, though their land is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel.

In-depth-analysis

Not forsaken (lo’ ‘alman): The word is related to 'widow' (almanah). God is affirming His covenant relationship. Despite Israel and Judah's own sin, which led to their exile, God has not abandoned them like a husband leaving a wife.
Contrast of Guilt: The verse starkly contrasts God's faithfulness with the guilt of both Israel and Babylon. However, the context implies Babylon's guilt—specifically against God's people ("the Holy One of Israel")—is now the focus of judgment.

Bible references

Isaiah 54:4-5: "...you will forget the shame of your youth...For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name..." (God as the faithful husband to Israel)
Romans 11:1-2: "I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!... God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew." (Paul affirms God's covenant faithfulness to Israel)

Cross references

Isa 49:14-16 (not forgotten); Heb 13:5 (God will never leave or forsake his people).

Jeremiah 51:6

"Flee from the midst of Babylon; let every one save his life! Be not cut off in her punishment, for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her."

In-depth-analysis

This is the first of two direct commands for God's people to flee the city. The call is urgent and individual ("every one save his life").
It highlights the principle of separation from a condemned system. Remaining in Babylon means sharing in its judgment.

Bible references

Revelation 18:4: "Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues...'" (A direct quote and application of Jeremiah's call)
Genesis 19:15-17: "Up! Take your wife and your two daughters...lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city." (Lot's family urged to flee Sodom)

Cross references

Num 16:26 (fleeing Korah's rebellion); Isa 48:20 (a call to leave Babylon).

Jeremiah 51:7

Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad.

In-depth-analysis

Golden Cup: Babylon was an instrument of God's wrath (Jer 25:15), a "golden" (rich, powerful, magnificent) vessel used to pour out judgment on other nations.
Drunkenness and Madness: Nations that fell under Babylon's influence became intoxicated by her power, culture, and idolatry, losing their senses and becoming politically unstable ("mad"). She exported destruction and chaos.
Polemics: This is a polemic against Babylon’s allure. While she appeared golden and attractive, the contents of her cup were poison—idolatry and imperial violence.

Bible references

Revelation 17:4: "The woman...[held] a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality." (John directly applies this imagery to "Babylon the Great")
Jeremiah 25:15-16: "Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it." (God's initial commissioning of the cup of wrath)

Cross references

Hab 2:15-16 (woe to him who makes his neighbors drunk); Rev 14:8 (Babylon made all nations drink the wine of her passion).

Jeremiah 51:8-10

Suddenly Babylon has fallen and is broken; wail for her! Take balm for her pain; perhaps she may be healed... 'We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Forsake her, and let us go each to his own country, for her judgment has reached up to heaven...' The Lord has brought about our vindication; come, let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.

In-depth-analysis

Sudden, Irreparable Fall: Her collapse is swift and final. The call to "take balm" is sarcastic; her wound is mortal. Even her allies ("we") abandon her, recognizing her judgment is divine ("reached up to heaven").
Vindication (tsedaqah): God's judgment on Babylon is seen as the salvation and public justification of His people. Their suffering is shown to have been seen by God, who now acts on their behalf.

Bible references

Revelation 18:9-10: "...the kings of the earth... will weep and wail over her... 'Alas, alas, you great city...For in a single hour your judgment has come.'" (The suddenness of the fall and lament)
Isaiah 47:9: "These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day: the loss of children and widowhood..." (Prophecy of Babylon's sudden collapse)

Cross references

Jer 46:11 (Egypt's incurable wound); Isa 1:6 (Israel's unhealed wounds).

Jeremiah 51:11

Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for his temple.

In-depth-analysis

Kings of the Medes: A specific historical pointer. The Medes, allied with the Persians under Cyrus the Great, were the ones who conquered Babylon in 539 BC. Jeremiah names the instrument of judgment decades in advance.
Vengeance for His Temple: The specific reason for this fierce judgment is clarified: it is divine retribution for Babylon's desecration and destruction of Yahweh's temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC. This was an affront to God's own honor.

Bible references

Isaiah 13:17: "Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold." (Isaiah also names the Medes)
Daniel 5:30-31: "That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom." (The historical fulfillment)

Cross references

Ezra 1:1 (God stirs up the spirit of Cyrus); Isa 45:1-4 (Cyrus as God's anointed agent).

Jeremiah 51:13

O you who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut.

In-depth-analysis

Dwell by many waters: This is both literal and symbolic. Literally, Babylon was situated on the massive Euphrates River and crisscrossed by a network of canals. Symbolically, the "many waters" represent the multitude of nations and peoples under its dominion.
Thread of your life is cut: A metaphor from weaving. The "thread" (bits’ek) refers to the weaver's term for a cut-off piece, implying a violent and premature end to a nation's woven existence.

Bible references

Revelation 17:1, 15: "...I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters...' And the angel said to me, 'The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.'" (The direct NT interpretation of this metaphor)

Cross references

Isa 21:1-2 (prophecy concerning Babylon as the "wilderness of the sea").

Jeremiah 51:15-19

It is he who made the earth by his power... When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens... Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idol... They are worthless, a work of delusion... The portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the one who formed all things... the Lord of hosts is his name.

In-depth-analysis

Creation Hymn as Polemic: This section is a direct repetition of Jeremiah 10:12-16. Its insertion here is a masterstroke of polemical theology. In a chapter about destroying a nation famed for its gods (like Marduk, a creator-god in Babylonian myth), Jeremiah inserts a hymn praising Yahweh as the only true Creator.
Yahweh vs. Idols: The contrast is absolute. Yahweh speaks, and creation responds ("tumult of waters"). Idols are silent, shameful, deluded creations of men. The power that will destroy Babylon is the same power that created the universe.
Portion of Jacob: God is not a regional deity; He is the Creator of "all things" (yotzer hakol). Israel's God is the universal sovereign.

Bible references

Psalm 135:5-7, 15-18: A psalm that similarly contrasts God's power in creation with the powerlessness of man-made idols.
Colossians 1:16-17: "For by him all things were created... all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (The NT identifies Christ as this universal Creator)

Cross references

Isa 44:9-20 (a lengthy satire on idol making); Acts 17:24-29 (Paul's address at the Areopagus contrasting the Creator with idols).

Jeremiah 51:20-23

"You are my battle-ax and my weapons of war; with you I break in pieces the nations... with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team... with you I break in pieces governors and commanders."

In-depth-analysis

The Battle-Ax: There is scholarly debate over who "you" refers to.
1. Cyrus/Persia: The most likely interpretation in the immediate context. God is addressing the agent He will use to smash Babylon, just as Babylon itself was His "cup."
2. Babylon (in the past): Some see this as God describing what Babylon was—His instrument for judging others—before declaring its own judgment in the next verse.
3. The Messiah: A Christological interpretation sees this as the Divine Warrior who executes final judgment (Rev 19:15).
Total Societal Deconstruction: The list methodically covers every aspect of a functioning society—military, pastoral, agricultural, and political—showing the totality of the destruction God will wield through his chosen instrument.

Bible references

Isaiah 45:1: "Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him..." (God explicitly naming His chosen instrument to conquer)
Revelation 2:27: "...and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces..." (Christ's power to shatter the nations)

Cross references

Isa 10:5 (Assyria as the "rod of my anger"); Zech 9:13 (using Judah and Ephraim as weapons).

Jeremiah 51:25-26

"Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, who destroys the whole earth, says the Lord. I will stretch out my hand against you and roll you down from the crags and make you a burnt mountain. They shall not take from you a stone for a corner or a stone for a foundation, but you shall be a perpetual desolation," says the Lord.

In-depth-analysis

Destroying Mountain... Burnt Mountain: Babylon is personified as a great mountain, symbolizing its seeming permanence, power, and oppressive weight on the world. God will reduce this mighty mountain to a "burnt mountain"—a dead, sterile, volcanic ruin.
No Stone for a Corner: This is a powerful image of finality. The cornerstone was the most important stone in a building. God declares that Babylon will be so utterly ruined that not a single stone from it will be reusable for any new construction. It will be an eternal ruin.

Bible references

Revelation 8:8: "A second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea..." (The image of a burning mountain representing a collapsing kingdom)
Matthew 21:44: "The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." (Christ as the cornerstone who crushes those who reject him)

Cross references

Zech 4:7 (Zerubbabel before the great mountain); Isa 13:19-22 (Babylon to be like Sodom and Gomorrah).

Jeremiah 51:33

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time when it is trodden; yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come."

In-depth-analysis

Threshing Floor: The imagery of judgment shifts again. A threshing floor was a hard, flat surface where grain was beaten or trampled by oxen to separate the grain from the stalk. Babylon, who trampled others, will now become the floor upon which she herself is trampled and judged.
Time of Harvest: Harvest is a common biblical metaphor for the appointed time of judgment. The process may seem slow, but it is certain and coming soon.

Bible references

Joel 3:13: "Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great." (Harvest and treading as images of judgment)
Revelation 14:15: "And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice... 'Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.'" (End-times judgment as a divine harvest)

Cross references

Mic 4:12-13 (Zion threshing the nations); Hab 3:12 (God threshing nations in anger).

Jeremiah 51:34-36

"Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me... he has swallowed me like a monster [tannin]... he has filled his belly with my delicacies..." Therefore thus says the Lord: "Behold, I will plead your cause and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make her fountain dry."

In-depth-analysis

Swallowed me like a monster (tannin): Zion speaks, personifying Nebuchadnezzar as a voracious sea monster (tannin). This powerful creature of chaos has swallowed God's people whole.
Divine Advocate: God responds not just as a judge, but as Zion's lawyer ("I will plead your cause") and kinsman-redeemer (go'el), who is obligated to avenge.
Dry up her sea: This is both a literal and symbolic promise. Literally, Cyrus's army reportedly diverted the Euphrates to enter the city. Symbolically, it means God will dry up the source of Babylon's life, wealth, and power (see v. 13). God will defeat this sea monster by drying up its sea.

Bible references

Isaiah 27:1: "In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent... and he will kill the dragon [tannin] that is in the sea." (God defeating the cosmic sea monster, a symbol of evil empires)
Ezekiel 29:3-4: "I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon [tannin] that lies in the midst of his streams..." (Pharaoh also depicted as this monster)

Cross references

Psa 74:13-14 (God crushed the heads of Leviathan); Isa 51:9-10 (God who cut Rahab in pieces).

Jeremiah 51:44

"And I will punish Bel in Babylon and take out of his mouth what he has swallowed. The nations shall no longer flow to him; the wall of Babylon has fallen."

In-depth-analysis

Punish Bel: A direct challenge to Marduk (Bel), the chief god of Babylon. His defeat is a central part of Babylon's fall.
Out of his mouth: Nations and wealth were "swallowed" by Babylon, symbolically offered to Bel. Yahweh will force the idol to vomit up his stolen goods—the people and treasures of conquered lands.
Nations shall no longer flow to him: The flow of pilgrims, tribute, and trade to Babylon's religious and economic center will cease. This is a theological and economic collapse.

Bible references

Isaiah 46:1-2: "Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock...They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity." (The impotence of Babylon's gods)

Cross references

Dan 1:2 (vessels from God's house put into the treasury of Nebuchadnezzar's god).

Jeremiah 51:45

"Come out of her, my people! Let every one save his life from the fierce anger of the Lord!"

In-depth-analysis

This is the second, emphatic command for the exiles to flee, nearly identical to verse 6.
The repetition underscores the urgency and the grace of God in providing a warning and an escape from His own impending, "fierce anger."

Bible references

Revelation 18:4: "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins..." (The definitive echo of this verse, showing its enduring application to separating from worldly systems)
2 Corinthians 6:17: "Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord..." (Paul applying the principle of separation to believers)

Cross references

Isa 52:11 (depart from Babylon, be clean); Acts 2:40 (save yourselves from this crooked generation).

Jeremiah 51:47-49

"Therefore, behold, the days are coming when I will execute judgment on the carved images of Babylon... Then the heavens and the earth and all that is in them shall sing for joy over Babylon... Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel, just as for Babylon have fallen the slain of all the earth."

In-depth-analysis

Cosmic Joy: The judgment of Babylon is not a somber event but a cause for universal celebration. Heaven and earth rejoice because cosmic justice has been done and the oppressor is removed.
Measure for Measure (Lex Talionis): Verse 49 provides the perfect encapsulation of divine justice. Babylon is responsible for the death of God's people ("the slain of Israel"). Therefore, Babylon itself must fall, and in its fall will be "the slain of all the earth" for whom Babylon was responsible.

Bible references

Revelation 18:20: "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!" (The heavenly response to Babylon's fall)
Isaiah 44:23: "Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth... for the Lord has redeemed Jacob and will be glorified in Israel." (Creation's joy at God's redemptive acts)

Cross references

Psa 96:11-13 (creation rejoicing at God's judgment); Rev 19:1-3 (Hallelujah over Babylon's destruction).

Jeremiah 51:58

Thus says the Lord of hosts: "The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly overthrown, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples labor for nothing, and the nations weary themselves for fire."

In-depth-analysis

Broad Walls...Utterly Overthrown: The walls of Babylon, a wonder of the ancient world and the ultimate symbol of its security and pride, will be completely razed ('ar'ar te't'ar'ar - a strong Hebrew repetition meaning "utterly razed").
Labor for Nothing: This line is a near-verbatim quote from Habakkuk 2:13. It declares that the imperial project, built on the forced labor of conquered peoples ("the nations"), is ultimately futile. All their work to build this great empire will just end up as fuel for its destruction.

Bible references

Habakkuk 2:13: "Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?" (The source of Jeremiah's quote)

Cross references

Gen 11:4-9 (the futile labor to build Babel's tower).

Jeremiah 51:59-64

The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah... when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon... "When you have finished reading this book, you shall tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and you shall say, 'Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her.'"

In-depth-analysis

Seraiah's Prophetic Sign-Act: This historical appendix describes a symbolic act that functions as the divine seal on the entire prophecy. Seraiah, an official, is to read the prophecy in Babylon and then sink the scroll in the Euphrates.
Reading, Tying, Sinking, Speaking: The four-step action is a powerful, non-verbal sermon. The words of judgment are read, physically bound to a stone (symbolizing its weight and certainty), drowned in the very river that gave Babylon life, and accompanied by a verbal declaration of its permanent end. It's a performative utterance ensuring the prophecy's fulfillment.

Bible references

Revelation 18:21: "Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, 'So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more...'" (A clear parallel and intensification of Seraiah's act)
Nehemiah 9:11: "...you cast them into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters." (Imagery of enemies sinking like a stone)

Cross references

Exod 15:5 (Egyptians sank like a stone); Jer 36 (a scroll being read and destroyed).

Jeremiah 51 analysis

Babylon as an Archetype: Jeremiah’s detailed prophecy establishes Babylon as more than just a historical empire. It becomes the biblical archetype for any proud, idolatrous, persecuting world system. This is why the author of Revelation can use Jeremiah's language to describe "Babylon the Great," applying it to the apostate world order of his (and our) time.
Repetition as Emphasis: The oracle is intentionally long and repetitive, using a cumulative effect. It returns to key themes—idolatry's folly, the cup of wrath, the call to flee—to drive home the certainty and multifaceted nature of God's judgment.
Justice as Vindication: A central theme is that the judgment of the wicked is the salvation of the righteous. God's action against Babylon is not just punitive; it is the vindication of His covenant people and His own holy name.
The Atbash Cipher: The use of "Leb Kamai" for "Chaldea" (v. 1) and "Sheshach" for "Babel" (in Jer 25:26 and 51:41) is a mark of high literary artistry, possibly to protect the messenger while delivering a devastating message within enemy territory. It shows the prophecy is a carefully crafted text, not just a spontaneous utterance.
Symbolic Enactment: The chapter concludes not with a word, but with an act. Sinking the scroll (vv. 59-64) is a prophetic performance that guarantees the outcome. What is done symbolically on earth by God's prophet will be done in reality by God Himself. This connects word and world, prophecy and history.

Jeremiah 51 summary

Jeremiah 51 provides a comprehensive and final sentence of judgment against Babylon, portraying its fall as absolute and certain. God, the true Creator, will raise a "destroying wind" against the Chaldeans, smashing the nation that was His "battle-ax" and "golden cup." He names the Medes as His instrument and identifies Babylon's sins as pride, idolatry, and the destruction of His temple. He commands His people to flee the doomed city, contrasting His power with that of the impotent idol Bel. The chapter concludes with a powerful symbolic act where a scroll containing these curses is sunk into the Euphrates, guaranteeing that Babylon will "sink, to rise no more."

Jeremiah 50 AI Jeremiah 52 AI

Jeremiah 51 AI Image Audio and Video

Jeremiah chapter 51 kjv

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;
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.
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.
⁴ Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through 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.
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.
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.
⁸ Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.
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.
¹⁰ The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.
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.
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.
¹³ O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
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.
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.
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.
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.
¹⁸ They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
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.
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;
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;
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;
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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,
³² And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.
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.
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.
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.
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.
³⁷ And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.
³⁸ They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lions' whelps.
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.
⁴⁰ I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he 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!
⁴² The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
⁴⁹ As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.
⁵⁰ Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.
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.
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.
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.
⁵⁴ A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from 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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
⁶⁰ So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon.
⁶¹ And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt 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.
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:
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.

Jeremiah chapter 51 nkjv

¹ Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, Against those who dwell in Leb Kamai, A destroying wind.
² And I will send winnowers to Babylon, Who shall winnow her and empty her land. For in the day of doom They shall be against her all around.
³ Against her let the archer bend his bow, And lift himself up against her in his armor. Do not spare her young men; Utterly destroy all her army.
⁴ Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, And those thrust through in her streets.
⁵ For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the LORD of hosts, Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel."
⁶ Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is the time of the LORD's vengeance; He shall recompense her.
⁷ Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD's hand, That made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged.
⁸ Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed.
⁹ We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies.
¹⁰ The LORD has revealed our righteousness. Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.
¹¹ Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the LORD, The vengeance for His temple.
¹² Set up the standard on the walls of Babylon; Make the guard strong, Set up the watchmen, Prepare the ambushes. For the LORD has both devised and done What He spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon.
¹³ O you who dwell by many waters, Abundant in treasures, Your end has come, The measure of your covetousness.
¹⁴ The LORD of hosts has sworn by Himself: "Surely I will fill you with men, as with locusts, And they shall lift up a shout against you."
¹⁵ He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.
¹⁶ When He utters His voice? There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: "He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries."
¹⁷ Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them.
¹⁸ They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish.
¹⁹ The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things; And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The LORD of hosts is His name.
²⁰ "You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms;
²¹ With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider; With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider;
²² With you also I will break in pieces man and woman; With you I will break in pieces old and young; With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden;
²³ With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen; And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers.
²⁴ "And I will repay Babylon And all the inhabitants of Chaldea For all the evil they have done In Zion in your sight," says the LORD.
²⁵ "Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, Who destroys all the earth," says the LORD. "And I will stretch out My hand against you, Roll you down from the rocks, And make you a burnt mountain.
²⁶ They shall not take from you a stone for a corner Nor a stone for a foundation, But you shall be desolate forever," says the LORD.
²⁷ Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts.
²⁸ Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion.
²⁹ And the land will tremble and sorrow; For every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant.
³⁰ The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting, They have remained in their strongholds; Their might has failed, They became like women; They have burned her dwelling places, The bars of her gate are broken.
³¹ One runner will run to meet another, And one messenger to meet another, To show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides;
³² The passages are blocked, The reeds they have burned with fire, And the men of war are terrified.
³³ For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor When it is time to thresh her; Yet a little while And the time of her harvest will come."
³⁴ "Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon Has devoured me, he has crushed me; He has made me an empty vessel, He has swallowed me up like a monster; He has filled his stomach with my delicacies, He has spit me out.
³⁵ Let the violence done to me and my flesh be upon Babylon," The inhabitant of Zion will say; "And my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea!" Jerusalem will say.
³⁶ Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry.
³⁷ Babylon shall become a heap, A dwelling place for jackals, An astonishment and a hissing, Without an inhabitant.
³⁸ They shall roar together like lions, They shall growl like lions' whelps.
³⁹ In their excitement I will prepare their feasts; I will make them drunk, That they may rejoice, And sleep a perpetual sleep And not awake," says the LORD.
⁴⁰ "I will bring them down Like lambs to the slaughter, Like rams with male goats.
⁴¹ "Oh, how Sheshach is taken! Oh, how the praise of the whole earth is seized! How Babylon has become desolate among the nations!
⁴² The sea has come up over Babylon; She is covered with the multitude of its waves.
⁴³ Her cities are a desolation, A dry land and a wilderness, A land where no one dwells, Through which no son of man passes.
⁴⁴ I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will bring out of his mouth what he has swallowed; And the nations shall not stream to him anymore. Yes, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
⁴⁵ "My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierce anger of the LORD.
⁴⁶ And lest your heart faint, And you fear for the rumor that will be heard in the land (A rumor will come one year, And after that, in another year A rumor will come, And violence in the land, Ruler against ruler),
⁴⁷ Therefore behold, the days are coming That I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon; Her whole land shall be ashamed, And all her slain shall fall in her midst.
⁴⁸ Then the heavens and the earth and all that is in them Shall sing joyously over Babylon; For the plunderers shall come to her from the north," says the LORD.
⁴⁹ As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, So at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall.
⁵⁰ You who have escaped the sword, Get away! Do not stand still! Remember the LORD afar off, And let Jerusalem come to your mind.
⁵¹ We are ashamed because we have heard reproach. Shame has covered our faces, For strangers have come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house.
⁵² "Therefore behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will bring judgment on her carved images, And throughout all her land the wounded shall groan.
⁵³ Though Babylon were to mount up to heaven, And though she were to fortify the height of her strength, Yet from Me plunderers would come to her," says the LORD.
⁵⁴ The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, And great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans,
⁵⁵ Because the LORD is plundering Babylon And silencing her loud voice, Though her waves roar like great waters, And the noise of their voice is uttered,
⁵⁶ Because the plunderer comes against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men are taken. Every one of their bows is broken; For the LORD is the God of recompense, He will surely repay.
⁵⁷ "And I will make drunk Her princes and wise men, Her governors, her deputies, and her mighty men. And they shall sleep a perpetual sleep And not awake," says the King, Whose name is the LORD of hosts.
⁵⁸ Thus says the LORD of hosts: "The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, And her high gates shall be burned with fire; The people will labor in vain, And the nations, because of the fire; And they shall be weary."
⁵⁹ The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And Seraiah was the quartermaster.
⁶⁰ So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that would come upon Babylon, all these words that are written against Babylon.
⁶¹ And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, "When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words,
⁶² then you shall say, 'O LORD, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever.'
⁶³ Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates.
⁶⁴ Then you shall say, 'Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.' " Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah chapter 51 niv

¹ This is what the LORD says: "See, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai.
² I will send foreigners to Babylon to winnow her and to devastate her land; they will oppose her on every side in the day of her disaster.
³ Let not the archer string his bow, nor let him put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; completely destroy her army.
⁴ They will fall down slain in Babylon, fatally wounded in her streets.
⁵ For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the LORD Almighty, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel.
⁶ "Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the LORD's vengeance; he will repay her what she deserves.
⁷ Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD's hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad.
⁸ Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her! Get balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.
⁹ "?'We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to our own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the heavens.'
¹⁰ "?'The LORD has vindicated us; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD our God has done.'
¹¹ "Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The LORD has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The LORD will take vengeance, vengeance for his temple.
¹² Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, prepare an ambush! The LORD will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon.
¹³ You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has come, the time for you to be destroyed.
¹⁴ The LORD Almighty has sworn by himself: I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you.
¹⁵ "He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
¹⁶ When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
¹⁷ "Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them.
¹⁸ They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish.
¹⁹ He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including the people of his inheritance? the LORD Almighty is his name.
²⁰ "You are my war club, my weapon for battle? with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms,
²¹ with you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver,
²² with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth, with you I shatter young man and young woman,
²³ with you I shatter shepherd and flock, with you I shatter farmer and oxen, with you I shatter governors and officials.
²⁴ "Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion," declares the LORD.
²⁵ "I am against you, you destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth," declares the LORD. "I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain.
²⁶ No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone, nor any stone for a foundation, for you will be desolate forever," declares the LORD.
²⁷ "Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations for battle against her; summon against her these kingdoms: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Appoint a commander against her; send up horses like a swarm of locusts.
²⁸ Prepare the nations for battle against her? the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the countries they rule.
²⁹ The land trembles and writhes, for the LORD's purposes against Babylon stand? to lay waste the land of Babylon so that no one will live there.
³⁰ Babylon's warriors have stopped fighting; they remain in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become weaklings. Her dwellings are set on fire; the bars of her gates are broken.
³¹ One courier follows another and messenger follows messenger to announce to the king of Babylon that his entire city is captured,
³² the river crossings seized, the marshes set on fire, and the soldiers terrified."
³³ This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Daughter Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled; the time to harvest her will soon come."
³⁴ "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us, he has thrown us into confusion, he has made us an empty jar. Like a serpent he has swallowed us and filled his stomach with our delicacies, and then has spewed us out.
³⁵ May the violence done to our flesh be on Babylon," say the inhabitants of Zion. "May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia," says Jerusalem.
³⁶ Therefore this is what the LORD says: "See, I will defend your cause and avenge you; I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry.
³⁷ Babylon will be a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and scorn, a place where no one lives.
³⁸ Her people all roar like young lions, they growl like lion cubs.
³⁹ But while they are aroused, I will set out a feast for them and make them drunk, so that they shout with laughter? then sleep forever and not awake," declares the LORD.
⁴⁰ "I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams and goats.
⁴¹ "How Sheshak will be captured, the boast of the whole earth seized! How desolate Babylon will be among the nations!
⁴² The sea will rise over Babylon; its roaring waves will cover her.
⁴³ Her towns will be desolate, a dry and desert land, a land where no one lives, through which no one travels.
⁴⁴ I will punish Bel in Babylon and make him spew out what he has swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him. And the wall of Babylon will fall.
⁴⁵ "Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the LORD.
⁴⁶ Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.
⁴⁷ For the time will surely come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within her.
⁴⁸ Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her," declares the LORD.
⁴⁹ "Babylon must fall because of Israel's slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon.
⁵⁰ You who have escaped the sword, leave and do not linger! Remember the LORD in a distant land, and call to mind Jerusalem."
⁵¹ "We are disgraced, for we have been insulted and shame covers our faces, because foreigners have entered the holy places of the LORD's house."
⁵² "But days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will punish her idols, and throughout her land the wounded will groan.
⁵³ Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, I will send destroyers against her," declares the LORD.
⁵⁴ "The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians.
⁵⁵ The LORD will destroy Babylon; he will silence her noisy din. Waves of enemies will rage like great waters; the roar of their voices will resound.
⁵⁶ A destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken. For the LORD is a God of retribution; he will repay in full.
⁵⁷ I will make her officials and wise men drunk, her governors, officers and warriors as well; they will sleep forever and not awake," declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty.
⁵⁸ This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Babylon's thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire; the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, the nations' labor is only fuel for the flames."
⁵⁹ This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign.
⁶⁰ Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon?all that had been recorded concerning Babylon.
⁶¹ He said to Seraiah, "When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud.
⁶² Then say, 'LORD, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.'
⁶³ When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.
⁶⁴ Then say, 'So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people will fall.'?" The words of Jeremiah end here.

Jeremiah chapter 51 esv

¹ Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon, against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai,
² and I will send to Babylon winnowers, and they shall winnow her, and they shall empty her land, when they come against her from every side on the day of trouble.
³ Let not the archer bend his bow, and let him not stand up in his armor. Spare not her young men; devote to destruction all her army.
⁴ They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans, and wounded in her streets.
⁵ For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the LORD of hosts, but the land of the Chaldeans is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel.
⁶ "Flee from the midst of Babylon; let every one save his life! Be not cut off in her punishment, for this is the time of the LORD's vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her.
⁷ Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD's hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad.
⁸ Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; wail for her! Take balm for her pain; perhaps she may be healed.
⁹ We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Forsake her, and let us go each to his own country, for her judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies.
¹⁰ The LORD has brought about our vindication; come, let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.
¹¹ "Sharpen the arrows! Take up the shields! The LORD has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for that is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance for his temple.
¹² "Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon; make the watch strong; set up watchmen; prepare the ambushes; for the LORD has both planned and done what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
¹³ O you who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut.
¹⁴ The LORD of hosts has sworn by himself: Surely I will fill you with men, as many as locusts, and they shall raise the shout of victory over you.
¹⁵ "It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
¹⁶ When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
¹⁷ Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them.
¹⁸ They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
¹⁹ Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name.
²⁰ "You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms;
²¹ with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider; with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer;
²² with you I break in pieces man and woman; with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth; with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman;
²³ with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team; with you I break in pieces governors and commanders.
²⁴ "I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the LORD.
²⁵ "Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares the LORD, which destroys the whole earth; I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a burnt mountain.
²⁶ No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no stone for a foundation, but you shall be a perpetual waste, declares the LORD.
²⁷ "Set up a standard on the earth; blow the trumpet among the nations; prepare the nations for war against her; summon against her the kingdoms, Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; appoint a marshal against her; bring up horses like bristling locusts.
²⁸ Prepare the nations for war against her, the kings of the Medes, with their governors and deputies, and every land under their dominion.
²⁹ The land trembles and writhes in pain, for the LORD's purposes against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.
³⁰ The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting; they remain in their strongholds; their strength has failed; they have become women; her dwellings are on fire; her bars are broken.
³¹ One runner runs to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to tell the king of Babylon that his city is taken on every side;
³² the fords have been seized, the marshes are burned with fire, and the soldiers are in panic.
³³ For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time when it is trodden; yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come."
³⁴ "Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me; he has made me an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he has filled his stomach with my delicacies; he has rinsed me out.
³⁵ The violence done to me and to my kinsmen be upon Babylon," let the inhabitant of Zion say. "My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea," let Jerusalem say.
³⁶ Therefore thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will plead your cause and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make her fountain dry,
³⁷ and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, the haunt of jackals, a horror and a hissing, without inhabitant.
³⁸ "They shall roar together like lions; they shall growl like lions' cubs.
³⁹ While they are inflamed I will prepare them a feast and make them drunk, that they may become merry, then sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake, declares the LORD.
⁴⁰ I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams and male goats.
⁴¹ "How Babylon is taken, the praise of the whole earth seized! How Babylon has become a horror among the nations!
⁴² The sea has come up on Babylon; she is covered with its tumultuous waves.
⁴³ Her cities have become a horror, a land of drought and a desert, a land in which no one dwells, and through which no son of man passes.
⁴⁴ And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and take out of his mouth what he has swallowed. The nations shall no longer flow to him; the wall of Babylon has fallen.
⁴⁵ "Go out of the midst of her, my people! Let every one save his life from the fierce anger of the LORD!
⁴⁶ Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful at the report heard in the land, when a report comes in one year and afterward a report in another year, and violence is in the land, and ruler is against ruler.
⁴⁷ "Therefore, behold, the days are coming when I will punish the images of Babylon; her whole land shall be put to shame, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.
⁴⁸ Then the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, shall sing for joy over Babylon, for the destroyers shall come against them out of the north, declares the LORD.
⁴⁹ Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel, just as for Babylon have fallen the slain of all the earth.
⁵⁰ "You who have escaped from the sword, go, do not stand still! Remember the LORD from far away, and let Jerusalem come into your mind:
⁵¹ 'We are put to shame, for we have heard reproach; dishonor has covered our face, for foreigners have come into the holy places of the LORD's house.'
⁵² "Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will execute judgment upon her images, and through all her land the wounded shall groan.
⁵³ Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify her strong height, yet destroyers would come from me against her, declares the LORD.
⁵⁴ "A voice! A cry from Babylon! The noise of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
⁵⁵ For the LORD is laying Babylon waste and stilling her mighty voice. Their waves roar like many waters; the noise of their voice is raised,
⁵⁶ for a destroyer has come upon her, upon Babylon; her warriors are taken; their bows are broken in pieces, for the LORD is a God of recompense; he will surely repay.
⁵⁷ I will make drunk her officials and her wise men, her governors, her commanders, and her warriors; they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
⁵⁸ "Thus says the LORD of hosts: The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples labor for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire."
⁵⁹ The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster.
⁶⁰ Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon.
⁶¹ And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: "When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words,
⁶² and say, 'O LORD, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever.'
⁶³ When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates,
⁶⁴ and say, 'Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted.'" Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah chapter 51 nlt

¹ This is what the LORD says:
"I will stir up a destroyer against Babylon
and the people of Babylonia.
² Foreigners will come and winnow her,
blowing her away as chaff.
They will come from every side
to rise against her in her day of trouble.
³ Don't let the archers put on their armor
or draw their bows.
Don't spare even her best soldiers!
Let her army be completely destroyed.
⁴ They will fall dead in the land of the Babylonians,
slashed to death in her streets.
⁵ For the LORD of Heaven's Armies
has not abandoned Israel and Judah.
He is still their God,
even though their land was filled with sin
against the Holy One of Israel."
⁶ Flee from Babylon! Save yourselves!
Don't get trapped in her punishment!
It is the LORD's time for vengeance;
he will repay her in full.
⁷ Babylon has been a gold cup in the LORD's hands,
a cup that made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank Babylon's wine,
and it drove them all mad.
⁸ But suddenly Babylon, too, has fallen.
Weep for her.
Give her medicine.
Perhaps she can yet be healed.
⁹ We would have helped her if we could,
but nothing can save her now.
Let her go; abandon her.
Return now to your own land.
For her punishment reaches to the heavens;
it is so great it cannot be measured.
¹⁰ The LORD has vindicated us.
Come, let us announce in Jerusalem
everything the LORD our God has done.
¹¹ Sharpen the arrows!
Lift up the shields!
For the LORD has inspired the kings of the Medes
to march against Babylon and destroy her.
This is his vengeance against those
who desecrated his Temple.
¹² Raise the battle flag against Babylon!
Reinforce the guard and station the watchmen.
Prepare an ambush,
for the LORD will fulfill all his plans against Babylon.
¹³ You are a city by a great river,
a great center of commerce,
but your end has come.
The thread of your life is cut.
¹⁴ The LORD of Heaven's Armies has taken this vow
and has sworn to it by his own name:
"Your cities will be filled with enemies,
like fields swarming with locusts,
and they will shout in triumph over you."
¹⁵ The LORD made the earth by his power,
and he preserves it by his wisdom.
With his own understanding
he stretched out the heavens.
¹⁶ When he speaks in the thunder,
the heavens roar with rain.
He causes the clouds to rise over the earth.
He sends the lightning with the rain
and releases the wind from his storehouses.
¹⁷ The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge!
The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make,
for their carefully shaped works are a fraud.
These idols have no breath or power.
¹⁸ Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.
¹⁹ But the God of Israel is no idol!
He is the Creator of everything that exists,
including his people, his own special possession.
The LORD of Heaven's Armies is his name!
²⁰ "You are my battle-ax and sword,"
says the LORD.
"With you I will shatter nations
and destroy many kingdoms.
²¹ With you I will shatter armies ?
destroying the horse and rider,
the chariot and charioteer.
²² With you I will shatter men and women,
old people and children,
young men and young women.
²³ With you I will shatter shepherds and flocks,
farmers and oxen,
captains and officers.
²⁴ "I will repay Babylon
and the people of Babylonia
for all the wrong they have done
to my people in Jerusalem," says the LORD.
²⁵ "Look, O mighty mountain, destroyer of the earth!
I am your enemy," says the LORD.
"I will raise my fist against you,
to knock you down from the heights.
When I am finished,
you will be nothing but a heap of burnt rubble.
²⁶ You will be desolate forever.
Even your stones will never again be used for building.
You will be completely wiped out,"
says the LORD.
²⁷ Raise a signal flag to the nations.
Sound the battle cry!
Mobilize them all against Babylon.
Prepare them to fight against her!
Bring out the armies of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.
Appoint a commander,
and bring a multitude of horses like swarming locusts!
²⁸ Bring against her the armies of the nations ?
led by the kings of the Medes
and all their captains and officers.
²⁹ The earth trembles and writhes in pain,
for everything the LORD has planned against Babylon stands unchanged.
Babylon will be left desolate without a single inhabitant.
³⁰ Her mightiest warriors no longer fight.
They stay in their barracks, their courage gone.
They have become like women.
The invaders have burned the houses
and broken down the city gates.
³¹ The news is passed from one runner to the next
as the messengers hurry to tell the king
that his city has been captured.
³² All the escape routes are blocked.
The marshes have been set aflame,
and the army is in a panic.
³³ This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies,
the God of Israel, says:
"Babylon is like wheat on a threshing floor,
about to be trampled.
In just a little while
her harvest will begin."
³⁴ "King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has eaten and crushed us
and drained us of strength.
He has swallowed us like a great monster
and filled his belly with our riches.
He has thrown us out of our own country.
³⁵ Make Babylon suffer as she made us suffer,"
say the people of Zion.
"Make the people of Babylonia pay for spilling our blood,"
says Jerusalem.
³⁶ This is what the LORD says to Jerusalem: "I will be your lawyer to plead your case,
and I will avenge you.
I will dry up her river,
as well as her springs,
³⁷ and Babylon will become a heap of ruins,
haunted by jackals.
She will be an object of horror and contempt,
a place where no one lives.
³⁸ Her people will roar together like strong lions.
They will growl like lion cubs.
³⁹ And while they lie inflamed with all their wine,
I will prepare a different kind of feast for them.
I will make them drink until they fall asleep,
and they will never wake up again,"
says the LORD.
⁴⁰ "I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats to be sacrificed.
⁴¹ "How Babylon is fallen ?
great Babylon, praised throughout the earth!
Now she has become an object of horror
among the nations.
⁴² The sea has risen over Babylon;
she is covered by its crashing waves.
⁴³ Her cities now lie in ruins;
she is a dry wasteland
where no one lives or even passes by.
⁴⁴ And I will punish Bel, the god of Babylon,
and make him vomit up all he has eaten.
The nations will no longer come and worship him.
The wall of Babylon has fallen!
⁴⁵ "Come out, my people, flee from Babylon.
Save yourselves! Run from the LORD's fierce anger.
⁴⁶ But do not panic; don't be afraid
when you hear the first rumor of approaching forces.
For rumors will keep coming year by year.
Violence will erupt in the land
as the leaders fight against each other.
⁴⁷ For the time is surely coming
when I will punish this great city and all her idols.
Her whole land will be disgraced,
and her dead will lie in the streets.
⁴⁸ Then the heavens and earth will rejoice,
for out of the north will come destroying armies
against Babylon," says the LORD.
⁴⁹ "Just as Babylon killed the people of Israel
and others throughout the world,
so must her people be killed.
⁵⁰ Get out, all you who have escaped the sword!
Do not stand and watch ? flee while you can!
Remember the LORD, though you are in a far-off land,
and think about your home in Jerusalem."
⁵¹ "We are ashamed," the people say.
"We are insulted and disgraced
because the LORD's Temple
has been defiled by foreigners."
⁵² "Yes," says the LORD, "but the time is coming
when I will destroy Babylon's idols.
The groans of her wounded people
will be heard throughout the land.
⁵³ Though Babylon reaches as high as the heavens
and makes her fortifications incredibly strong,
I will still send enemies to plunder her.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
⁵⁴ "Listen! Hear the cry of Babylon,
the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians.
⁵⁵ For the LORD is destroying Babylon.
He will silence her loud voice.
Waves of enemies pound against her;
the noise of battle rings through the city.
⁵⁶ Destroying armies come against Babylon.
Her mighty men are captured,
and their weapons break in their hands.
For the LORD is a God who gives just punishment;
he always repays in full.
⁵⁷ I will make her officials and wise men drunk,
along with her captains, officers, and warriors.
They will fall asleep
and never wake up again!"
says the King, whose name is
the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
⁵⁸ This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says:
"The thick walls of Babylon will be leveled to the ground,
and her massive gates will be burned.
The builders from many lands have worked in vain,
for their work will be destroyed by fire!"
⁵⁹ The prophet Jeremiah gave this message to Seraiah son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah, a staff officer, when Seraiah went to Babylon with King Zedekiah of Judah. This was during the fourth year of Zedekiah's reign.
⁶⁰ Jeremiah had recorded on a scroll all the terrible disasters that would soon come upon Babylon ? all the words written here.
⁶¹ He said to Seraiah, "When you get to Babylon, read aloud everything on this scroll.
⁶² Then say, 'LORD, you have said that you will destroy Babylon so that neither people nor animals will remain here. She will lie empty and abandoned forever.'
⁶³ When you have finished reading the scroll, tie it to a stone and throw it into the Euphrates River.
⁶⁴ Then say, 'In this same way Babylon and her people will sink, never again to rise, because of the disasters I will bring upon her.'" This is the end of Jeremiah's messages.