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.
Bamediya banopkhwanya Bhabhiloni
1 Yahwe bakati,
“Bonani, ndowodzonga meya ye nkolomodzi
kubhayana ne Bhabhiloni ne bagali bayo.
2 Ndowotumila bawulusi ku Bhabhiloni
ngono banowowulusa Khaladiya,
banowosiya shango yayo isina tjimwe,
abebhayana nayo kudwa mbizho dzose
mu zhuba le mbatsha.
3 Mposi ngaasipete dati lile,
ngaasime akaambala zwiambalo zwizwe zwe ngwa.
Musibe ne hanya ngekwe bazhuzha babo,
mulobese ngwa yayo tjoselele.
4 Banowokandalala bakafa mu shango ye Bakhaladiya,
bakakubala kwazo mu dzizila dzayo.
5 Ngoti Iziraela ne Juda adzizofupatigwa,
nge Ndzimu wadzo, Yahwe Masimbawose,
koga shango ye Bakhaladiya izhele nlandu,
mbeli kwe Nyengemali we Iziraela.
6 “Tizhani mu Bhabhiloni!
Nthu mmwe ne mmwe ngaatjidze butjilo gugwe!
Musidwe mulobesiwa ngekwe tjibi tjayo.
Tjibaka tje kubgwilizila kwa Yahwe,
banon'lipa nge kwakan'fanila.
7 Bhabhiloni yakabe ili bhepe le golide mu tjiyazha tja Yahwe,
ithama kuti shango yose ilaladze.
Shango yakang'wa nkumbi wayo we zhambi,
ndizo ngwenu batjishangana misholo.
8 Tjinyolotjo Bhabhiloni inowowa ikakolomoka.
Muililileni!
Tolani nyonje muzhodze zogwadza zwayo,
pamwe swiyo ingapola.
9 “Takabe tititolapa Bhabhiloni,
ngono aizolapika.
Muifupatile, ngatiyendeni mmwe ne mmwe ku shango iye,
ngoti sumikiliso yayo yaswika kudzimu,
inoswika ne ku makole dumbu.
10 “Yahwe batigwila,
izhani ngati kulebeni mu Ziyoni,
nshingo wa Yahwe Ndzimu wedu.
11 “Kuswani misebe,
Tolani zwivikisi!
Yahwe badzonga bomambo be Mediya,
ngoti balongolosa kukolomola Bhabhiloni.
Yahwe banowobgwilizila,
bebgwilizila ngekwe Ng'umba yabo.
12 Milidzani tjilakidzo makatjilingisanya ne makuma e Bhabhiloni!
Simisani balingi,
misani zubuyanana balindi,
lulwamisani balalili!
Yahwe banowoshinga ndongoloso yabo,
tjabaleba ngekwe bagali be Bhabhiloni!
13 Imwi munogala hwunde ne vula,
imwi makafuma thundu,
bhelelo lenyu laswika,
tjibaka tjenyu kuti mubulawe.
14 Yahwe Masimbawose bakatuna nge kwabo beti,
‘Nge malebeswa ndowomuzhadza nge bathu banji se phashu,
ngono banowomilidza nsindo we kumukunda.’
15 “Ndibo bakathama shango nge simba labo,
bakagadzika lubumbo nge butjenjedu gwabo,
nenge hwisiso yabo bakatalabudza zhuzhugwi.
16 Abedusa hwi labo vula inodidima ku zhuzhugwi,
banothama kuti makole amilidze kudwa phelelo dze shango.
Banotumila lupenyo ne vula,
bakadusa phepo mu matula abo.
17 “Nthu mmwe ne mmwe tjilengwe aasina luzibo,
nthuli we golide mmwe ne mmwe unobhatisiwa shoni nge midzimu iye yakabezhiwa,
ngoti zwifano zwizwe manyepkhwa,
kakale akuna meya mu zwili.
18 Azwina nshingo, mishingo ye madado,
mu tjibaka tje kulobgwa shamu kwabo zowoloba.
19 Iye waali gobe la Jakubo aazojalo,
ngoti ndiye wakabumba zwithu zose,
Iziraela ludzi gwe thaka iye,
Yahwe Masimbawose ndilo zina labo.
20 “U hamuli yangu ne tjibhayano tjangu tje ngwa,
ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya zwitjaba kube zwitibhutibhu,
ndoshingisa iwe kokolomola mibuso,
21 ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya koloyi dze ngwa ne batathi badzo kube zwitibhutibhu,
22 ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya bakadzi ne balume,
ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya bathuntana ne batjetjana,
ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya bazhuzha ne baanadi,
23 ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya balisi ne ngubi dzabo,
ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya balauli ne balauli be babhayani.
24 “Mbeli kuko, ndowobgwilizila Bhabhiloni ne bagali bose be Khaladiya bubi gose gwabathamila Ziyoni,” kojalo Yahwe.
25 “Bona ndobhayana nawe, iwe dombo le nkolomodzi,
iwe unokolomola shango yose,
kojalo Yahwe.Ndowotambunudza luboko gwangu kubhayana nawe,
akukunguludzila pasi kudwa kuthweswi,
akuthama dombo lakatshwa.
26 Akuna bgwe linowotogwa mukuli kube bgwe linotambunudza,
kene bgwe le nteyo,
ngoti unowobe wathukudzigwa tjatjose,
koleba Yahwe.27 Milidzani tjilakidzo mu shango!
Lidzani lunyanga pakati kwe zwitjaba!
Lulwamisani zwitjaba kubhayana nayo,
danani mibuso iyeyi kubhayana nayo,
Ararati ne Minni ne Ashikenazi.
Bigani balauli be ngwa kubhayana nayo,
lulwamisani mbizi njinji se phashu.
28 Lulwamisani zwitjaba kugwa nayo,
bomambo be Mediya,
ne balauli babo ne makulukota abo wose,
ne shango dzose dzabanobusa.
29 Shango inotetema ili mu zogwadza,
ngoti ndongoloso ya Yahwe kubhayana ne Bhabhiloni imile yakajalo,
kuthama kuti shango ye Bhabhiloni ithukudzike ibe isina bagali.
30 Babhayani be Bhabhiloni bamisa kugwa,
bagele mu matizhilo abo,
simba labo lapela,
botjinga bakadzi,
magalo ayo apisiwa nge moto,
matendele e butale avung'wa.
31 Nlabuki mmwe unolabuka kunoshangamidza mmwe,
ne ntumwa mmwe unonoshangamidza mmwe,
kunobudza mambo we Bhabhiloni,
kuti nzi nkulu watogwa mbizho dzose,
32 ne panotjulukwa gwizi kwazhaligwa,
ne mashanga e madziba apisiwa,
ne babhayani bapaluka moyo.
33 Ngoti Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati,
Nkololokadzi we Bhabhiloni unonga lutombo,
nge tjibaka tjainokanyangiwa,
koga nge tjibaka tjifutshwanana,
tjibaka tje kuvuna kukwe tjowon'swikila.
34 “Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni watija
watizwiyilidza,
watithama tikabe jegwa lisina tjimwe.
Se bhophona watimidza,
wazhadza ntumbu uwe naswi,
katidusa mu bugalo gwedu gwakanaka
ngono katitata.
35 Atshene mbatsha dzatakathamigwa dziwile Bhabhiloni,”
kojalo bagali be Ziyoni.
“Atshene lopa ledu litebukile ibabo bagali be Khaladiya,”
kojalo Jerusalema.
36 Ndizo Yahwe bakati,
“Bonani, ndowoteedza ndebo yenyu ha bgwilizila nge kwenyu.
Ndowowomeledza gungwa lile,
athama kuti nsenya uwe upkhwe,
37 Bhabhiloni inowobe duluthulu le dongo,
bugalo gwe phungubgwe,
tjithu tjinopalusa moyo ne tje madado,
kusina ndodwa ne n'gali.
38 “Banowobomba bose se shumba tukununu,
banowobunga se shumbana.
39 Koga banowoti kuyemula kwabo kwakula, ndowolulwamisa nzano,
athama kuti balaladze,
kuti ndizo bamimile ne tjiseko,
ipapo baizelele tjatjose basingotjamuka,”
kojalo Yahwe.40 “Ndowobadelusa se pkhwizana dzinonobhayiwa,
se nyundo ne mbudzi ndume.
41 “Bhabhiloni yakundiwa seni,
gudzo le shango yose latogwa!
Bhabhiloni yabe tjithu
tjinopalusa moyo ku zwitjaba!
42 Gungwa gwamilidza gukafukidza Bhabhiloni,
wafukidziwa nge mapundu e vula.
43 Mizi mikulu yayo yathukudzika,
yawomelela yabe shango ye tjilambanyika,
shango isina ndodwa ne unogala muili,
isina ndodwa ne nthu unoyenda muili.
44 Ndowoloba shamu Bheli mu Bhabhiloni,
adusa mu nlomo wayo tjayakamidza.
Zwitjaba azwitjowokubunganila ku ili,
guma le Bhabhiloni lawa.
45 “Bhudani muili imwi bathu bangu!
Mmwe ne mmwe ngaatjidze butjilo gugwe,
tizhani kugwadzamoyo kukulu kwa Yahwe!
46 Mimoyo yenyu ngaisitimbame, musitje,
ngekwe makwayi amunohwa mu shango,
ili makwayi gole ileli,
ne mamwe gole linozha,
nenge kuti kuna mbatsha mu shango,
kene babusi bemukilana.
47 “Ndizo ke bonani, mazhuba aswika,
pandinowoloba shamu zwifano zwe Bhabhiloni,
shango iye yose inowobhakhwa nge shoni,
ne babulawa banowokandalala pakati kwayo.
48 Ipapo zhuzhugwi ne shango ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjimuzwili
zowomimilila Bhabhiloni nge kushatha,
ngoti kudwa ku bunandzwa,
bakolomoli banowozha bakabhayana nayo,”
kojalo Yahwe.49 “Bhabhiloni yakafanila kuwa ngekwe Baiziraela bayakabulaya,
bakabulawa mu shango yose naibo bakawa ngekwe Bhabhiloni.
50 Imwi mapudzumuka mu thumo,
tizhani sinonokeni!
Kumbulani Yahwe muli ku shango ikulekule,
kumbulani Jerusalema,”
51 “Talengudziwa,
ngoti tatukiwa,
ngono shoni dzakatiambala,
ngoti bataya bangina,
mu bugalo gwakayengemala gwe Ng'umba ya Yahwe.”
52 “Koga mazhuba aswika, kojalo Yahwe,
pandinowoloba shamu zwifano zwayo,
ne mu shango yayo yose,
bakakubala banowogomela.
53 Nenguba Bhabhiloni iswika ku makole,
nenguba ikudza matizhilo ayo,
ndowotumila bakolomoli kubhayana nayo,
koleba Yahwe.54 Nsindo we tjililo unodwa mu Bhabhiloni,
nsindo we golomodzo gulugulu,
unodwa mu shango ye Bakhaladiya!
55 Ngoti Yahwe banokolomola Bhabhiloni,
banowonyaladza zhoba ye guwo layo.
Mapundu e vula dzabo anosuma se vula njinji,
nsindo we mahwi abo wakamilidzikila pezhugwi,
56 ngoti nkolomodzi wazha ku ili,
unobhayana ne Bhabhiloni,
babhayani bayo batogwa,
matati abo avung'wa abe zwitibhutibhu,
ngoti Yahwe ba Ndzimu unobgwilizila,
banowobgwilizila nge buzhalo.
57 Ndowothama makulukota ayo ne balume bayo bakatjenjela kuti balaladze,
balauli ne makombgwa ne babhayani naibobo,
banowoizelela tjatjose bakasitjamuke,
kojalo Mambo ibo zina labo linoyi Yahwe Masimbawose.
58 Yahwe Masimbawose bakati,
‘Guma bhabi le Bhabhiloni,
lowopkhwanyiwa mavu alo akalizalizanyiwa pasi,
mikoba yayo milefulefu,
inowopisiwa nge moto.
Bathu banozwinyadzila suli,
zwitjaba zoshingila masimba ndilashe koga.’ ”
Jeremiya unoyisa ndayidzo ku Bhabhiloni
59 Dama la Jeremiya nlebesambeli laakadwa Seraya nkololo wa Neriya, nkololo wa Mahiseya tjibaka tjaakayenda na Zedekiya mambo we Juda ku Bhabhiloni, mu gole le bunna le mbuso uwe. Seraya wakabe ali ntungamili we bukotokelo. 60 Jeremiya wakakwala mu lukwalo mbatsha dzose dzakafanila kuwila Bhabhiloni, matama wose iyawa akakwagwa ngekwe Bhabhiloni. 61 Ngono Jeremiya wakadwa Seraya kati, “Auswika ku Bhabhiloni, ubone kuti unobala matama iyawa wose, 62 uti, ‘Imwi Yahwe, makati mowolobesa pathu ipapa, kuti ndizo kushaye nthu kene phuka inowogala ipapa, kowobe kwakathukudzika tjatjose.’ 63 Ha wapedza bala lukwalo igogu, usungile bgwe mu guli ube uguposela ku Yufuratesi. 64 Ipapo uti, ‘Saikoku Bhabhiloni inong'wila ikasitjabhude ngoti mbatsha dzoiwila ne bathu bayo banowabo.’ ”
Matama a Jeremiya anopelela ipapa.