The redemption of ¡jrael, Chap. H. 21 Go up against the land of Merathaim, even igainst it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: wafte and utterly destroy after them, faith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee. 22 A found of battle is in the land, and of great deftruction. 23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut alunder and broken! how is Babylon become a defolation among the nations! 24 1 have laid a fnare for thee, and thou art alfo taken, O Babylon, and thou waft not aware: thou art found,and also caught, because thou haft ftriven against the LORD. 25 The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: tor this is the work of the Lord GoD of hots in the land of the Chaldeans. 26 Come against her from the utmost border, upon her ftorchoufes; caft her up as heaps, and destroy her utterlys let nothing of her be luft. 27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the laughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation. 28 The voice of them that fee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple. 29 Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof efcape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that the hath done to unto her: for the hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Ifrael. 30 Therefore thall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war thall be cut off in that day, faith the LORD. 31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou moft proud, faith the Lord GoD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee. 32 And the most proud fhall ftumble and fall, and none shall raite him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it thall devour all round about him. 33 Thus faith the LORD of hofts, The children of Ifrael and the children of Judah were oppreffed together: and all that took them captives held them faft; they refufed to let them go. 34 Their Redeemer is strong; The LORD af hoits is his name: he thall thoroughly plead their caufe, that he may give reft to the land, and difquiet the inhabitants of Babylon. 35 A fword is upon the Chaldeans, faith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of BabyJon, and upon her princes, and upon her wife men. 36 Afword is upon the liars; and they fhall dote: a fword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be difmayed. 37 Afword is upon their horfes, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled peo-ple that are in the midst of her; and they thall become as women: a fword is upon her treafures; and they thall be robbed. 38 A drought is upon her waters; and they fhall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. 39 Therefore the wild beafts of the defert with the wild beats of the islands thall dwell there, and the owls fhall dwell therein and it thall be no more inhabited for ever; neither thail it be dwelt in from gene. ration to generation, Babylon threatened, Se 40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, faith the LORD; j thall no man abide there, neither shall any fon of man dwell therein. 41 Behold, a people thall come from the north, and a great nation, a d many kings fhall be raised up from the coats of the earth. 42 They thall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not thew mercy: their voice fhall roar like the fea, and they shall ride upon hories, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daugh. ter of Babylon. 43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail. 44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the fwelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the ftrong: but I will make them fuddenly run away from her: and who is a chofen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me: and who will appoint me the time? and who is that thepherd that will stand before me? 45 Therefore hear ye the counfel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purpofed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the leaft of the flock thall draw them out; furely he thall make their habitation defolate with them. 46 At the noife of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations. CHAP. LI. 4 Thus the flain fhall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thruft through in her streets. 5 For Ifrael bath not been forfake", nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with fin against the Holy One of Ifrael. 6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his foul: 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 bath 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 fuddenly fallen and deftroyed how! for her; take balm for her pain, if fo be the may be healed. 9 We would have healed Babylon, but fhe is not healed: forfake her, and let us goevery one into his own country for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. 10 The Babylon threatened JEREMIA H. 10 The LORD hath brought forth our righteoufnefs: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God. II Make bright the arrows; gather the fhields: the LORD hath raifed up the fpirit 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. in revenge of ifraet. the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Afhcht. naz; appoint a captain against her; caufe the hories to come up as the rough caterpillars. 28 Prepare againft 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 fhall tremble and forrow : for every purpofe of the LORD thall be per12 Set up the ftandard upon the walls of formed againft Babylon, to make the land of Babylon, make the watch ftrong; fet up the Babylon a defolation without an inhabitant. watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the 30 The mighty men of Babylon have forLORD hath both devifed and done that which borne to fight, they have remained in their he fpake against the inhabitants of Babylon. - holds their might hath failed; they became 13 O thou that dwelleft upon many waters, as women: they have burned her dwelling. abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and places; her bars are broken. the measure of thy covetoufnefs. 14 The LORD of hosts hath fworn by himfelf, faying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillars; and they shall lift up a fhout against thee. 15 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wifdem, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding. 16 When he uttereth bis voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he caufeth the vapours to afcend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treafures. 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 vifitation they shall perish. 19 The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things: and Ifrae! is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hofts is his name. 26 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I deftroy kingdoms; 21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horfe and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; 22 With thee alfo 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 ma'd; 23 i will alfo break in pieces with thee the fhepherd 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 fight, faith the LORD. 25 Behold, I am against thee, O deftroy ing mountain, faith the LORD, which deftroyeft 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 moun tain. 26 And they fhall not take of thee a ftone for a corner, nor a ftone for foundations; but thou shalt be defolate for ever, faith the LORD. 27 set ye up a ftandard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her 31 One poft hall run to meet another, and one meffenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end, 32 And that the paffages are ftopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted. 33 For thus faith the LORD of hosts, the God of Ifrael; The daughter of Babylon s like a thrething floor, it is time to threth her: yet a little while, and the time of ber harvest fhall come. 34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty veffel, he hath fwal. lowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath caft me out 35 The violence done to me and to my fleth be upon Babylon, thall the inhabitant of Zion fay; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, fhall Jerufalem fay. 36 Therefore thus faith the LORD: Behold, I will plead thy caufe, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her fea, and make her fprings dry. 37 And Babylon fhall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hilling, without an inhabitant. 38 They fhall roar together like lions: they fhall yell as lions whelps. 39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and fleep a perpetual fleep, and not wake, faith the LORD. 40 I will bring them down like lambs to the flaughter, like rams with be goats. 41 How is Shefbach taken! and how is the praife of the whole earth furprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations! 42 The fea is come up upon Babylon: the is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof. 43 Her cities are a defolation, a dry land, and a wildernefs, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any fon of man país thereby." 44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath Twallowed up: and the nations fhall not flow together any more unto him; yea, the wall of Babylon fhall fall. 45 My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his foul from the fierce anger of the LORD. 46 And left your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that thall be heard in the land; a rumour thall both come one year, and after that in another year ball come a rumour, and 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 thall be confounded, and all her slain thall fall in the midit of her. 48 Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, fhall fing for Babylon: for the spoilers thall come unto her from the north, faith the LORD. 49 As Babylon bath caused the flain of If rael to fall, fo at Babylon hall fall the dain of all the earth. So Ye that have efcaped the fword, go away, ftand not ftill remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerufalem come into your mind. 51 We are confounded, because we have, heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: for ftrangers are come into the fanc tuaries of the LORD's houfe. 52 Wherefore, behold, the days come, faith the LORD, that I will do juigment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded fhall groan. 53 Though Babylon fhould mount up to heaven, and though the should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me thall Spoilers come unto her, faith the LORD. 54 A found of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great deftruction 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 noife of their voice is uttered: 56 Because the fpoiler 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 fhall furely requfte. 57 And I will make drunk her princes, and her wife men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men and they hall fleep a perpetual fleep, and not wake, faith the king, whofe name is the LORD of hosts. 58 Thus faith the LORD of hofts; The broad walls of Babylon thall be utterly broken, and her high gates thall be burnt with fire; and the people thall labour in vain, and. the folk in the fire, and they mali by weary. The word which Jeremiah the pro. phet commanded Seraiah the fon of Neriah, the fon of Maaleiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah Das a quiet prince. 60 So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should coine upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah faid to Seraiah, When thou come to Babylon, and thalt fee, and fhalt read all thefe words; 62 Then halt thou fay, O LORD, thou haft fpoken against this place, to cut it off, that none thall remain in it, neither man nor beat, but that it shall be defolate for ever. 63 And it shall be, when thou haft made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a ftone to it, and caft it into the midft of Euphrates: 64 And thou fhalt fay, Thus fhall Babylon fink, and fhall not rife from the evil that I will bring upon her and they fhail be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. Zedekiab taken. CHAP. LII. 1 Zedekiah rebelleth. 4 Ferufalem is besieged and taken. 8 Zedekiah's fons killed, &c. ZEDEKIAH was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerufalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Je hoiakim had done. 3 For through the anger of the LORD it came to pafs in Jerufalem and Judah, till he had caft them out from his prefence, that Ze dekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 And it came to pafs in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, again Jerufalem, and pitched againft it, and built forts against it round about. 5 So the city was besieged unto the ele. venth year of king Zedekiah. 6 And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was fore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth o of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans purfu ed after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was fcattered from him. 9 Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judg ment upon him. 10 And the king of Babylon flew the fons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he flew alfo all the princes of Judah in Riblah. Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prifon till the day of his death. 12 Now in the fifth month, in the tent day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which ferved the king of Babylon, into Jerufalem, 13 And burnt the houfe of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jeru falem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire. 14 And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerufalem round about. 15 Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the refidue of the people that remained in the city, and thofe that fell away, that fell to the king of Baby. lon, and the rest of the multitude. 16 But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedreffers and for huthandmen. 17 Alfo the pillars of brafs that were in. the houfe of the LORD, and the bafes, and the brafen fea that was in the houfe of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brafs of them to Babylon. Jerufalem's mifery LAMENTATIONS. 18 The caldrons alfo, and the shovels, and the fnuffers, and the bowls, and the fpoons, and all the veffels of brafs wherewith they ministered, took they away. 19 And the bafons, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the fpoons, and the cups; that which was of gold in gold, and that which was of silver in filver, took the captain of the guard away. 20 The two pillars, one fea, and twelve brafen bulls that were under the bafes, which king Solomon had made in the house of the LORD: the brafs of all thefe veffels was without weight. 21 And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteeen cubits; and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thicknefs thereof was four fingers: it was hollow. 22 And a chapiter of brafs was upon it; and the height of one chapiter was five cu bits, with network and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all of brafs. The fecond pillar alfo and the pomegranates were like unto thefe. 23 And there were ninety and fix pomegranates on a fide; and all the pomegranates upon the network were an hundred round about. 24 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the fecond priest, and the three keepers of the door: 25 He took alfo out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and feven men of them that were near the king's perfon, which were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the hoft, who muf. tered the people of the land; and threefcore for her fix. men of the people of the land, that were found in the midit of the city. 26 So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah. 27 And the king of Babylon (mote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land. 28 This is the people whom Nebuchad rezzar carried away captive: in the feventh year three thoufand jews and three and twenty: 29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchad rezzar he carried away captive from Jerufalem eight hundred thirty and two perfons: 30 In the three and twentieth year of Ne buchadrezzar, Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews feven hundred forty and five perfons: all the perfons were tour thousand and fix hundred. 31 And it came to pafs in the feven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babyloo in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Je hoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prifon, 32 And fpake kindly unto him, and fet his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, 33 And changed his prifon garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life. 34 And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion, uncil the day of his death, all the days of his life. 1 The LAMENTATIONS of JEREMIAH. CHAP. I. How doth the city fit foinary that 2 She weepeth fore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lov ers the hath none to comfort her: ail her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they are become her enemics. 3 Judab is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great fervitude: fhe dwelleth among the heathen, the findeth no rent: all her perfecutors overtook her be tween the traits. 4 The ways of Zion do mourn, becaufe none come to the folemn teafts: all her gates are defolate: her priefts figh, her virgins are afflicted, and the is in bitterness. 5 Her adverfaries are the chief, her enemies profper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her tranfgretions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy. 6 And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pature, and they are gone without strength before the purfuer.. 7 Jerufalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miferies all her pleafant things that he had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the cemy; and none did help her; the adverfa. ries faw her, and did mock at her fabbaths. 8 Jerufalem hath grievoudly finned; there fore ine is removed: all that honoured her defpife her, becaufe they have seen her na kedaefs; yea,, the figheth, and turucth backward. 9 Her filthine's is in her skirts; the remembereth not her tait end; therefore the came down wonderfully: the had no com. forter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself. 10 The adverfary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for the hath feen that the heathen entered into her fanetuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation. 11 All her people figh, they feek bread; they have given their pleafant things for meat to relieve the foul: fee, O LORD, and confider; for I am become vile. 12s it nothing to you, all ye that pafs by? behold, and fee if there be any forrow like unto my forrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his herce anger. 13 From above hath he fent fire into my bones, Jeremiah lamenteth bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back he hath made me defolate and faint all the day. 14 The yoke of my tranfgreffions is bound by his hand they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my ftrength to fall, the LORD hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rife up. 15 The LORD hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midft of me: he hath called an affembly against me to cruth my young men: the LORD hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a wineprefs. 16 For thefe things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that thould relieve my foul is far from me: my children are defolate, because the enemy prevailed. 17 Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adverfaries should be round about him: Jerufalem is as a menftruous woman among them. 18 The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled againft his commandment: hear, I pray you, ali people, and behold my forrow: my virgius and my young men are gone into captivity. 19 I called for my lovers, but they deceiv ed me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghoft in the city, while they fought their meat to relieve their fouls. 20 Behold, O LORD; for I am in diftrefs: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turn. ed within me; for I have greviously rebelled: abroad the fword bereaveth, at home there is as death. 21 They have heard that I figh: there is none to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou liat called, and they fhall be like unto me. Chap. il. Jerufalem's misery. fwallowed up Ifrael, he hath fwallowed up all her palaces; he hath deftroyed his ftrong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation. 6 And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden; he hath deftroyed his places of the affembly: the LORD hath caufed the folemn feafts and fabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath defpifed, in the indignation of his anger, the king and the pricft. 7 The LORD hath caft off his altar, he hath abhorred his fanctuary, he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noife in the houfe of the LORD, as in the day of a folemn feat.. 8 The LORD hath purpofed to deftroy the wall of the daughter of Zion; he hath ftretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from deftroying therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together. : 9 Her gates are funk into the ground; he hath deftroyed and broken her bars; her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets alfo find no vi fion from the LORD. 10 The elders of the daughter of Zion fit upon the ground, and keep filence: they have caft up duit upon their heads, they have gird. ed themfelves with fackcloth: the virgins of Jerufalem hang down their heads to the ground. 11 Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the deftruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the fuck. lings fwoon in the streets of the city. 12 They fay to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they fwooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their foul was poured out into their mothers bofom. 13 What thing shall I take to witness for thee what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerufalem? what thall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daugh ter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the fea who can heal thee? 14 Thy prophets have feen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discover. ed thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; of banishment. 15 All that pafs by clap their hands' at thee; they hifs and wag their head at the daughter of lerufalem, faying, Is this the city that men call the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth? 16 All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hits and gnash the teeth they fay, We have fwallowed her up; certainly this is the day that we looked for: we have found, we have seen it. 17 The LORD hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caufed thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath fet up the horn of thine adveríaries. 18 Their heart cried unto the LORD, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thy felf ΠΟ |