Bible in 90 Days
A Message About Moab
48 This message is about the country of Moab. This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says:
“How terrible it will be for Nebo.
It will be ruined.
The town of Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured.
The strong city will be disgraced and shattered.
2 Moab will not be praised again.
Men in the town of Heshbon plan Moab’s defeat.
They say, ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation!’
Town of Madmen, you will also be silenced.
The sword will chase you.
3 Listen to the cries from the town of Horonaim.
They are cries of much confusion and destruction.
4 Moab will be broken up.
Her little children will cry for help.
5 Moab’s people go up the path to Luhith.
They cry loudly as they go.
On the road down to the town of Horonaim,
cries of pain and suffering can be heard.
6 Run! Run for your lives!
Go like a bush being blown through the desert.
7 You trust in the things you do and in your wealth.
So you also will be captured.
The god Chemosh will be taken into captivity.
And his priests and officers will be taken with him.
8 The destroyer will come against every town.
Not one town will escape.
The valley will be ruined.
The high plain will be destroyed.
The Lord said this would happen.
9 Spread salt[a] over the fields in Moab.
The country will be an empty desert.
Moab’s towns will become empty.
No one will live in them.
10 A curse will be on anyone who doesn’t do what the Lord says.
A curse will be on anyone who keeps back his sword from killing.
11 “The people of Moab have never known trouble.
They are like wine left to settle.
They have never been poured like wine from one jar to another.
They have not been taken into captivity.
So they taste as they did before.
And their smell has not changed.
12 A time is coming,” says the Lord.
“And I will soon send men to pour you from your jars.
Those men will empty Moab’s jars.
And they will smash their jugs.
13 The people of Israel trusted that god in Bethel.
They were ashamed when there was no help.
In the same way Moab will be ashamed of their god Chemosh.
14 “You cannot say, ‘We are warriors!
We are brave men in battle!’
15 The enemy will attack Moab and destroy their towns.
Their best young men will be killed!” says the King.
The King’s name is the Lord of heaven’s armies.
16 “The end of Moab is near.
They will soon be destroyed.
17 All you who live around Moab, cry for her.
All you who know about her, cry for her.
Say, ‘The ruler’s power is broken.
Moab’s power and glory are gone.’
18 “You people living in Dibon, come down from your place of honor.
Sit on the dry ground.
This is because the destroyer of Moab is coming against you.
And he will destroy your strong, walled cities.
19 You people living in Aroer,
stand next to the road and watch.
See the man running away and the woman escaping.
Ask them what happened.
20 Moab will be ruined and filled with shame.
Cry, Moab, cry out!
Announce at the Arnon River
that Moab is destroyed.
21 People on the high plain have been punished.
Judgment has come to these towns:
Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath;
22 Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim;
23 Kiriathaim, Beth Gamul and Beth Meon;
24 Kerioth and Bozrah.
Judgment has come to all the towns of Moab, far and near.
25 Moab’s strength has been cut off.
Moab’s arm is broken!” says the Lord.
26 “The people of Moab thought they were greater than the Lord.
So punish Moab until they act as if they are drunk.
Moab will fall and roll around in their own vomit.
People will make fun of them.
27 Moab, you made fun of Israel.
Israel was caught in the middle of a gang of thieves.
You often spoke about Israel.
And you shook your head and acted as if you were better than Israel.
28 People in Moab, leave your towns empty.
Go live among the rocks.
Be like a dove that makes its nest
at the entrance of a cave!
29 “We have heard that the people of Moab are proud
and very conceited.
They are proud and think they are important.
They were very proud in their hearts.”
30 The Lord says,
“I know Moab’s quick anger, but it is useless.
Moab’s bragging accomplishes nothing.
31 So I cry sadly for Moab.
I cry out for everyone in Moab.
I moan for the men from Kir Hareseth.
32 I cry with the people of Jazer
for the grapevines of Sibmah.
In the past your vines spread all the way to the sea.
They reached as far as the sea of Jazer.
But the destroyer has taken
your fruit and grapes.
33 Joy and happiness are gone
from the large fields of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine from the winepresses.
No one walks on the grapes with shouts of joy.
There are shouts,
but not shouts of joy.
34 “Their crying can be heard
from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz.
It can be heard from Zoar as far away as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah.
Even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.
35 I will stop Moab
from making burnt offerings at the places of worship.
I will stop them from burning incense to their gods,” says the Lord.
36 “My heart cries for Moab like a flute playing a funeral song.
It cries for the people from Kir Hareseth.
Their money and riches have all been taken away.
37 Everyone has a shaved head.
Everyone’s beard is cut off.
Everyone’s hands are cut.
Everyone wears rough cloth around his waist.[b]
38 People are crying on every roof[c] in Moab
and in every public square.
There is nothing but sadness
because I have broken Moab
like a jar no one wants,” says the Lord.
39 “Moab is shattered! The people are crying!
Moab turns away in shame!
People all around her make fun of her.
The things that happened fill them with fear.”
40 This is what the Lord says:
“Look! An eagle is diving down from the sky.
It spreads its wings over Moab.
41 The towns of Moab will be captured.
The strong, walled cities will be defeated.
At that time Moab’s warriors will be frightened.
They will feel pain like a woman who is having a baby.
42 The nation of Moab will be destroyed.
This is because they thought they were greater than the Lord.
43 Fear, deep pits and traps wait for you,
people of Moab,” says the Lord.
44 “People will run from fear.
But they will fall into the pits.
Anyone who climbs out of the pits
will be caught in the traps.
I will bring the year of punishment to Moab,” says the Lord.
45 “People have run from the powerful enemy.
They ran to Heshbon for safety.
But fire started in Heshbon.
A blaze broke out in Sihon’s town.
And it burns the leaders of Moab.
It destroys those proud people.
46 How terrible it will be for you, Moab!
Chemosh’s people are being destroyed.
Your sons and daughters are being taken away as captives.
47 “But in days to come,
I will make good things happen again to Moab,” says the Lord.
This ends the judgment on Moab.
A Message About Ammon
49 This message is about the Ammonite people. This is what the Lord says:
“Do you think that Israel has no sons?
Do you think there is no one to take the land when the parents die?
Maybe that is why Molech took Gad’s land.
Maybe that is why Molech’s people live in Gad’s towns.”
2 The Lord says,
“The time will come when I will make
the capital city of Rabbah Ammon hear the battle cry.
It will be a hill covered with ruins.
And the towns around it will be burned.
Those people forced Israel out of that land.
But now the people of Israel will force them out!” says the Lord.
3 “People in Heshbon, cry because the town of Ai is destroyed!
Those who live in Rabbah Ammon, cry out!
Put on your rough cloth to show your sadness, and cry loudly.
Run here and there for safety inside the walls.
This is because the enemy will take Molech away as a captive.
They will also take away his priests and officers with him.
4 You brag about your valleys.
You brag about the fruit in your valleys.
You are like an unfaithful child.
You believe your treasures will save you.
You think, ‘Who would attack me?’
5 I will bring terror on you
from every side,”
says the Master, the Lord of heaven’s armies.
“You will all be forced away.
No one will be able to gather you.
6 “But the time will come
when I will make good things happen to the Ammonites again,”
says the Lord.
A Message About Edom
7 This message is about Edom. This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says:
“Is there no more wisdom in Teman?
Can the wise men of Edom no longer give good advice?
Have they lost their wisdom?
8 You people living in Dedan,
run away and hide in deep caves.
This is because I will punish
the people of Esau with disaster for what they did.
9 If workers came and picked the grapes from your vines,
they would leave a few grapes behind.
If robbers came at night,
they would steal only enough for themselves.
10 But I will strip Esau bare.
I will find all their hiding places.
They will not be able to hide from me.
The children, relatives and neighbors will die.
11 Leave the orphans, and I will take care of them.
Your widows also can trust in me.”
12 This is what the Lord says: “Some people did not deserve to be punished. But they had to drink from the cup of suffering anyway. People of Edom, you deserve to be punished. So you will not escape punishment. You must drink from the cup of suffering.” 13 The Lord says, “I make this promise in my own name. The city of Bozrah will become a pile of ruins! People will be shocked by what happened there. People will insult that city and speak evil of it. And all the towns around Bozrah will become ruins forever.”
14 I have heard a message from the Lord.
A messenger has been sent among the nations, saying,
“Gather your armies to attack it!
Get ready for battle!”
15 “Soon I will make you the smallest of nations!
You will be greatly hated.
16 Edom, you frightened other nations.
Your pride has fooled you.
You live in the hollow places of the cliff.
You live on the high places of the hills.
Even if you build your home as high as an eagle’s nest,
I will bring you down from there!” says the Lord.
17 “Edom will be destroyed.
People will be shocked to see the destroyed cities.
They will be amazed at the injuries.
18 Edom will be destroyed like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
and the towns around them,” says the Lord.
“No one will live there!
No man will stay in Edom.
19 “A lion will come from the thick bushes near the Jordan River.
And it will go into the rich pastures where people feed their flocks.
I am like that lion! I will suddenly chase Edom from their land.
Who is the one I have chosen to do this?
There is no one like me.
There is no one who can challenge me.
None of their leaders can stand up against me.”
20 So listen to what the Lord has planned to do against Edom.
Listen to what he has decided to do to the people in Teman.
The Lord will surely drag away the young ones of Edom.
Edom’s pastures will surely be destroyed because of them.
21 At the sound of Edom’s fall, the earth will shake.
Their cry will be heard all the way to the Gulf of Aqaba.
22 The Lord is like an eagle swooping down.
He is like an eagle spreading its wings over the city of Bozrah.
At that time Edom’s soldiers will become very frightened.
They will be crying from fear like a woman having a baby.
A Message About Damascus
23 This message is about the city of Damascus:
“The towns of Hamath and Arpad are put to shame.
They are afraid because they have heard bad news.
They are discouraged.
They are troubled like the tossing sea.
24 The city of Damascus has become weak.
The people want to run away.
The people are ready to panic.
The people feel pain and suffering
like a woman having a baby.
25 Damascus was a city of my joy.
Why have the people not left that famous city yet?
26 Surely the young men will die in the public squares of that city.
All of her soldiers will be killed at that time,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies.
27 “I will set fire to the walls of Damascus.
The fire will completely burn the strong cities of Ben-Hadad.”
A Message About Kedar and Hazor
28 This message is about the tribe of Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated them. This is what the Lord says:
“Go and attack the people of Kedar.
Destroy the people of the East.
29 Their tents and flocks will be taken away.
Their tents and all their things will be carried off.
Their enemy will take away their goods and camels.
Men will shout to them,
‘Terror on every side!’
30 “Run away quickly!
People in Hazor, find a good place to hide!” says the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has made plans against you.
He has made plans to defeat you!
31 “There is a nation that is comfortable.
It is sure that no one will defeat it,” says the Lord.
“That nation does not have gates or fences to protect it.
Its people live alone.
Attack that nation!
32 The enemy will steal their camels
and their large herds of cattle.
I will scatter the Arabs to every part of the earth.
And I will bring disaster on them from everywhere,” says the Lord.
33 “Hazor will become a place where wild dogs live.
It will become an empty desert forever.
No one will live there.
No man will stay in it.”
A Message About Elam
34 It was early in the time when Zedekiah was king of Judah. The Lord spoke this word to Jeremiah the prophet. This message is about the nation of Elam.
35 This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says:
“I will break Elam’s bow.
I will break its strength.
36 I will bring the four winds against Elam.
I will bring them from the four corners of the skies.
I will scatter the people of Elam everywhere the four winds blow.
And its captives will go to every nation.
37 I will break Elam to pieces in front of their enemies.
The enemies want to destroy Elam.
I will bring disaster to Elam.
I will show them how angry I am!” says the Lord.
“I will send a sword to chase Elam.
It will chase them until I have killed them all.
38 I will show Elam that I am king.
And I will destroy her king and her officers!” says the Lord.
39 “But I will make good things happen to Elam again
in the future,” says the Lord.
A Message About Babylon
50 This is the message the Lord spoke about Babylon and the Babylonian people. He spoke this message through Jeremiah the prophet.
2 “Announce this to the nations.
Lift up a banner and tell them.
Speak the whole message and say:
‘Babylon will be captured.
The god Bel will be put to shame.
The god Marduk will be very afraid.
Babylon’s idols will be put to shame.
Her idols will be filled with terror!’
3 A nation from the north will attack Babylon.
That nation will make Babylon like an empty desert.
No people will live there.
Both men and animals will run away from there.”
4 The Lord says, “At that time
the people of Israel and Judah will be together.
They will cry and look for the Lord their God.
5 Those people will ask how to go to Jerusalem.
They will start to go in that direction.
They will come and join themselves to the Lord.
They will make an agreement that will last forever.
It will be an agreement that will never be forgotten.
6 “My people have been like lost sheep.
Their leaders have led them in the wrong way.
Their leaders made them wander around in the mountains and hills.
They forgot where their resting place was.
7 Whoever found my people hurt them.
And those enemies said, ‘We did nothing wrong.
Those people sinned against the Lord, their true resting place.
He was the God their fathers trusted.’
8 “Run away from Babylon.
Leave the land of the Babylonians.
Be like the goats that lead the flock.
9 I will bring against Babylon
many nations from the north.
This group of nations will take their places for war against Babylon.
Babylon will be captured by people from the north.
Their arrows are like trained soldiers
who do not return from war with empty hands.
10 The enemy will take all the wealth from the Babylonians.
Those enemy soldiers will get all they want!” says the Lord.
11 “Babylon, you are excited and happy.
You took my land.
You dance around like a young cow in the grain.
Your laughter is like the neighing of male horses.
12 Your mother will be very ashamed.
The woman who gave you birth will be disgraced.
Babylonia will be the least important of all the nations.
She will be an empty, dry desert.
13 The Lord will show his anger.
No people will live there.
Babylon will be completely empty.
Everyone who passes by Babylon will be afraid.
They will shake their heads when they see how it has been destroyed.
14 “Take your positions for war against Babylon,
all you soldiers with bows.
Shoot your arrows at Babylon! Do not save any of them.
This is because Babylon has sinned against the Lord.
15 Soldiers around Babylon, shout the war cry!
Babylon has surrendered. Her towers have fallen.
Her walls have been torn down.
The Lord is giving them the punishment they deserve.
You nations should give Babylon what she deserves.
Do to her what she has done to others.
16 Don’t let the people from Babylon plant their crops.
Don’t let them gather the harvest.
The soldiers of Babylon treated their captives cruelly.
Now, let everyone go back home!
Let everyone run to his own country.
17 “The people of Israel are like a flock of sheep that are scattered.
They are like sheep that have been chased away by lions.
The first lion to eat them up
was the king of Assyria.
The last lion to crush their bones
was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”
18 So this is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says:
“I will punish the king of Babylon and his country.
I will punish him as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 But I will bring the people of Israel back to their own pasture.
They will eat on Mount Carmel and in Bashan.
They will eat and be full.
They will eat on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.”
20 The Lord says,
“At that time people will try to find Israel’s guilt.
But there will be no guilt.
People will try to find Judah’s sins.
But no sins will be found.
This is because I am saving the few people left alive from Israel and Judah.
And I am forgiving their sins.
21 “Attack the land of Merathaim.
Attack the people who live in Pekod.
Chase them, kill them and completely destroy them.
Do everything I commanded you!” says the Lord.
22 “The noise of battle can be heard all over the country.
It is the noise of much destruction.
23 Babylon was the hammer of the whole earth.
But how broken and shattered that hammer is now!
Babylon is truly the most ruined
of all the nations.
24 Babylon, I set a trap for you.
And you were caught before you knew it.
You fought against the Lord.
So you were found and taken prisoner.
25 The Lord has opened up his storeroom.
He has brought out the weapons of his anger.
This is because the Lord God of heaven’s armies has work to do.
He has work to do in the land of the Babylonians.
26 Come against Babylon from far away.
Break open her storehouses of grain.
Pile up her dead bodies like big piles of grain.
Completely destroy Babylon
and do not leave anyone alive.
27 Kill all the young men in Babylon.
Let them be killed.
The time has come for their defeat.
How terrible it will be for them!
It is time for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the people running from the country of Babylon!
They are telling Jerusalem
how the Lord our God is punishing Babylon as it deserves.
This is because Babylon destroyed his Temple.
29 “Call for the men who shoot arrows
to come against Babylon.
Tell them to surround the city.
Don’t let anyone escape.
Pay her back for the bad things she has done.
Do to her what she has done to other nations.
Babylon acted with pride against the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.
30 So Babylon’s young men will be killed in the streets.
All her soldiers will die on that day,” says the Lord.
31 “Babylon, you are too proud. And I am against you,”
says the Master, the Lord of heaven’s armies.
“This is because the time has come
for you to be punished.
32 Proud Babylon will stumble and fall.
And no one will help her get up.
I will start a fire in her towns.
It will completely burn up everything around her.”
33 This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says:
“The people of Israel
and Judah both are slaves.
The enemy took them as prisoners.
And they won’t let them go.
34 But God is strong and will buy them back.
His name is the Lord of heaven’s armies.
He will defend them with power
so he can give rest to their land.
But he will not give rest to those living in Babylon.”
35 The Lord says,
“Let a sword kill the people living in Babylon!
Let a sword kill its officers and wise men!
36 Let a sword kill its false prophets!
They will become fools.
Let a sword kill Babylon’s warriors!
They will be full of terror.
37 Let a sword kill its horses and chariots.
Let a sword kill all the soldiers hired from other countries!
They will be like frightened women.
Let there be a sword against Babylon’s treasures!
They will be taken away.
38 Let there be a sword against its waters!
They will be dried up.
It is a land of idols.
Those idols will go crazy with fear.
39 “Babylon will never be filled with people again.
Desert animals and hyenas will live there.
Owls will live there.
But no people will live there ever again.
40 God completely destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
and the towns around them,” says the Lord.
“In the same way no people will live in Babylon.
No man will stay there.
41 “Look! An army is coming from the north.
It comes from a powerful nation.
Many kings are coming together from all around the world.
42 Their armies have bows and spears.
The soldiers are cruel and have no mercy.
The soldiers come riding on their horses.
And the sound is loud like the roaring sea.
They stand in their places, ready for battle.
They are ready to attack you, city of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon heard about those armies.
And he became helpless because of his fear.
His fear is like pain.
It is like the pain of a woman having a baby.
44 “A lion will come from the thick bushes near the Jordan River.
It will go into the rich pastures where people feed their flocks.
I am like that lion! I will suddenly chase the people of Babylon from their land.
Who is the one I have chosen to do this?
There is no one like me.
There is no one who can challenge me.
None of their leaders can stand up against me.”
45 So listen to what the Lord has planned to do against Babylon.
Listen to what he has decided to do to the people in Babylon.
He will surely drag away the young ones of Babylon.
Babylon’s pastures will be destroyed because of them.
46 At the sound of Babylon’s fall, the earth will shake.
People in all nations will hear about their destruction.
51 This is what the Lord says:
“I will cause a destroying wind to blow.
It will blow against Babylon and the Babylonian people.
2 I will send foreign people to destroy Babylon
like a wind that blows chaff away.
Those people will make Babylon empty.
Armies will surround the city
when disaster comes upon her.
3 The Babylonian soldiers will not use their bows and arrows.
Those soldiers will not even put on their armor.
Don’t feel sorry for the young men of Babylon.
Completely destroy her army.
4 Babylon’s soldiers will be killed in Babylon.
They will be badly injured in Babylon’s streets.
5 The Lord God of heaven’s armies
did not leave Israel and Judah alone.
They are fully guilty of leaving the Holy One of Israel.
But he has not left them.
6 “Run away from Babylon!
Run to save your lives!
Don’t stay and be killed because of Babylon’s sins.
It is time for the Lord to punish Babylon.
Babylon will get the punishment it deserves.
7 Babylon was like a gold cup in the Lord’s hand.
It made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank Babylon’s wine.
So they went crazy.
8 Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken.
Cry for her!
Get balm for her pain.
Maybe she can be healed.
9 “Foreigners in Babylon say, ‘We tried to heal Babylon.
But she cannot be healed.
So let us leave her and each go to his own country.
Babylon’s guilt is as high as the clouds.
Babylon’s guilt reaches to the sky.’
10 “The people of Judah say, ‘The Lord has shown us to be right.
Come, let us tell about it in Jerusalem.
Let us tell about what the Lord our God has done.’
11 “Sharpen the arrows.
Pick up your shields!
The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes.
He has stirred them up because he wants to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will give the people of Babylon the punishment they deserve.
This is because Babylon destroyed his Temple in Jerusalem.
12 Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon!
Bring more guards.
Put the watchmen in their places.
Get ready for a secret attack!
The Lord will do what he has planned.
He will do what he said he would do against the people of Babylon.
13 People of Babylon, you live near much water.
You are rich with treasures.
But your end as a nation has come.
It is time for you to be destroyed.
14 The Lord of heaven’s armies has promised in his own name:
‘Babylon, I will surely fill you with so many enemy soldiers they will be like a swarm of locusts.
They will stand over you and shout their victory.’
15 “The Lord made the earth by his power.
He used his wisdom to build the world.
He used his understanding to stretch out the skies.
16 When he thunders, the waters in the skies roar.
He makes clouds rise in the sky all over the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain.
He brings out the wind from his storehouses.
17 “People are so stupid and know so little.
Goldsmiths are made ashamed by their idols.
Those statues are only false gods.
They have no breath in them.
18 They are worth nothing.
People make fun of them.
When they are judged, they will be destroyed.
19 But God, who is Jacob’s Portion, is not like the idols.
God made everything.
And he made Israel to be his special people.
The Lord of heaven’s armies is his name.
20 “You are my war club.
You are my battle weapon.
I use you to smash nations.
I use you to destroy kingdoms.
21 I use you to smash horse and rider.
I use you to smash chariot and driver.
22 I use you to smash men and women.
I use you to smash old men and young men.
I use you to smash young men and young women.
23 I use you to smash shepherds and flocks.
I use you to smash farmers and oxen.
I use you to smash governors and officers.
24 “But I will pay Babylon back, and I will pay back all the Babylonians for all the evil things they did to Jerusalem,” says the Lord.
25 The Lord says,
“Babylon, you are a destroying mountain.
And I am against you.
You have destroyed the whole land.
I will put my hand out against you.
I will roll you off the cliffs.
I will make you a burned-out mountain.
26 People will not find any rocks in Babylon big enough for cornerstones.
People will not take any rocks from Babylon to use for the foundation of a building.
This is because your city will be just a pile of ruins forever,” says the Lord.
27 “Lift up the banner in the land!
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Get the nations ready for battle against Babylon.
Call these kingdoms to come fight against Babylon:
Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz.
Choose a commander to lead the army against Babylon.
Send so many horses that they are like a swarm of locusts.
28 Get the nations ready for battle against Babylon.
Get the kings of the Medes ready.
Get their governors and all their officers ready.
Get all the countries they rule ready for battle against Babylon.
29 The land shakes and moves like it is in pain.
It will shake when the Lord does what he planned to Babylon.
His plan is to make Babylon into an empty desert.
No one will live there.
30 Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting.
They stay in their protected cities.
Their strength is gone.
They have become like frightened women.
Babylon’s houses are burning.
The bars of her gates are broken.
31 One messenger follows another.
Messenger follows messenger.
They announce to the king of Babylon
that his whole city has been captured.
32 The river crossings have been captured.
The swamplands are burning.
All of Babylon’s soldiers are terribly afraid.”
33 This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says:
“The city of Babylon is like a threshing floor,
where people crush the grain at harvest time.
The time to harvest Babylon is coming soon.”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has destroyed us.
In the past he took our people away.
And we became like an empty jar.
He was like a giant snake that swallowed us.
He ate everything until he was full of our best things.
Then he spit us out.
35 Babylon did terrible things to hurt us.
Now let those things happen to Babylon,”
say the people of Jerusalem.
“The people of Babylon are guilty of killing our people.
Now let them be punished for the evil they did,” says Jerusalem.
36 So this is what the Lord says:
“I will defend you, Judah.
I will make sure that Babylon is punished.
I will dry up Babylon’s sea.
And I will make her springs become dry.
37 Babylon will become a pile of ruins.
Wild dogs will live there.
People will be shocked by what happened there.
No one lives there anymore.
38 Babylon’s people are like roaring young lions.
They growl like baby lions.
39 While they are stirred up,
I will give a feast for them.
I will make them drunk.
They will shout and laugh.
And they will sleep forever and never wake up!” says the Lord.
40 “I will take the people of Babylon to be killed.
They will be like lambs,
like male sheep and goats waiting to be killed.
41 “How Babylon will be defeated!
The pride of the whole earth will be taken captive.
People from other nations will be shocked at what happened to Babylon.
And the things they see will make them afraid.
42 The sea will rise over Babylon.
Its roaring waves will cover her.
43 Babylon’s towns will be ruined and empty.
Babylon will become a dry, desert land.
It will become a land where no one lives.
People will not even travel through Babylon.
44 I will punish the god Bel in Babylon.
I will make him spit out what he has swallowed.
Nations will no longer come to Babylon.
And the wall around the city will fall.
45 “Come out of Babylon, my people!
Run for your lives!
Run from the Lord’s great anger.
46 Don’t lose courage.
Rumors will spread, but don’t be afraid.
One rumor comes this year, and another comes the next year.
There will be rumors of terrible fighting in the country.
There will be rumors of rulers fighting against rulers.
47 The time will surely come
when I will punish the idols of Babylon.
And the whole land will be disgraced.
There will be many dead people lying all around.
48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout for joy about Babylon.
They will shout because the army came from the north
and fought against Babylon,” says the Lord.
49 “Babylon killed people from Israel.
Babylon killed people from everywhere on earth.
So Babylon must fall.
50 You people escaped being killed with swords.
You must hurry and leave Babylon.
Don’t wait!
Remember the Lord in the faraway land where you are.
And think about Jerusalem.”
51 “We people of Judah are disgraced.
We have been insulted.
We have been shamed.
This is because strangers have gone into
the holy places of the Lord’s Temple!”
52 The Lord says, “The time is coming
when I will punish the idols of Babylon.
Wounded people will cry with pain
all over that land.
53 Babylon might grow until she touches the sky.
She might make her cities strong.
But I will send people to destroy that city,” says the Lord.
54 “We can hear people crying in Babylon.
We hear the sound of people destroying things
in the land of the Babylonians.
55 The Lord will destroy Babylon.
He will make the loud sounds of the city become silent.
Enemies will come roaring in like ocean waves.
People all around will hear that roar.
56 The army will come and destroy Babylon.
Babylon’s soldiers will be taken captive.
Their bows will be broken.
This is because the Lord is a God who punishes people for the evil they do.
He gives them the full punishment they deserve.
57 I will make Babylon’s rulers and wise men drunk.
I will make her governors, officers and soldiers drunk, too.
Then they will sleep forever and never wake up,” says the King.
His name is the Lord of heaven’s armies.
58 This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says:
“Babylon’s thick wall will be pulled down.
Her high gates will be burned.
The people will work hard, but it won’t help.
Their work will only become fuel for the flames!”
A Message to Babylon
59 This is the message that Jeremiah the prophet gave to the officer Seraiah. Seraiah was the son of Neriah, who was the son of Mahseiah. Seraiah went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah. This happened in the fourth year Zedekiah was king of Judah. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll all the terrible things that would happen to Babylon. He had written all these words about Babylon. 61 Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “Go to Babylon. Be sure to read this message so all the people can hear you. 62 Then say, ‘Lord, you have said that you will destroy this place. You will destroy it so that no people or animals will live in it. It will be an empty ruin forever.’ 63 After you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it. And throw it into the Euphrates River. 64 Then say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink. It will not rise again. It will sink because of the terrible things I will make happen here. Her people will fall.’”
The words of Jeremiah end here.
The Fall of Jerusalem
52 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. And he was king in Jerusalem for 11 years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah.[d] She was from Libnah. 2 Zedekiah did what the Lord said was wrong, just as Jehoiakim had done. 3 All this happened in Jerusalem and Judah because the Lord was angry with them. Finally, he threw them out of his presence.
Zedekiah turned against the king of Babylon.
4 Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. They made a camp around the city. Then they built devices all around the city walls to attack it. This happened during Zedekiah’s ninth year, tenth month and tenth day as king. 5 The city was under attack until Zedekiah’s eleventh year as king.
6 By the ninth day of the fourth month, the hunger was terrible in the city. There was no food for the people to eat. 7 Then the city wall was broken through. And the whole army ran away at night. They went through the gate between the two walls by the king’s garden. The Babylonians were still surrounding the city. Zedekiah and his men ran toward the Jordan Valley.
8 But the Babylonian army chased King Zedekiah. They caught up with him in the plains of Jericho. All of his army was scattered from him. 9 So they captured Zedekiah and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah. Riblah is in the land of Hamath. There he passed sentence on Zedekiah. 10 There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah’s sons as he watched. The king also killed all the officers of Judah. 11 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes. He put bronze chains on him and took him to Babylon. And the king kept Zedekiah in prison there until the day he died.
12 Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king’s special guards. This servant of the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem. This was on the tenth day of the fifth month. This was in Nebuchadnezzar’s nineteenth year as king of Babylon. 13 Nebuzaradan set fire to the Temple of the Lord and the palace. He also set fire to all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building was burned. 14 The whole Babylonian army broke down the walls around Jerusalem. That army was led by the commander of the king’s special guards. 15 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, took captive some of the poorest people. And he took those who were left in Jerusalem. He took captive those who had surrendered to the king of Babylon. And he took away the skilled craftsmen who were left in Jerusalem. 16 But Nebuzaradan left behind the rest of the poorest people of the land. They were to take care of the vineyards and fields.
17 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the bronze stands and the large bronze bowl, which was called the Sea. These were in the Temple of the Lord. Then they carried all the bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, bowls, dishes and all the bronze objects. They were used to serve in the Temple. 19 The commander of the king’s special guards took these things away: bowls, pans for carrying hot coals and large bowls; pots, lampstands, pans and bowls used for drink offerings. He took everything that was made of pure gold or silver.
20 There was so much bronze that it could not be weighed. There were two pillars. There was the large bronze bowl with the 12 bronze bulls under it. And there were the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the Temple of the Lord.
21 Each of the pillars was about 27 feet high. Each pillar was 18 feet around and hollow. The wall of each pillar was 3 inches thick. 22 The bronze capital on top of the pillar was about 7½ feet high. It was decorated with a net design and bronze pomegranates all around it. The other pillar also had pomegranates. It was like the first pillar. 23 There were 96 pomegranates on the sides of the pillars. There was a total of 100 pomegranates above the net design.
24 The commander of the guards took some prisoners. He took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three doorkeepers. 25 The commander also took other people who were still in the city. He took the officer in charge of the fighting men. He also took seven people who advised the king. He also took the royal assistant who selected people for the army. And he took 60 other men who were in the city. 26 Nebuzaradan, the commander, took all these people. And he brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them killed.
So the people of Judah were led away from their country as captives. 28 This is how many people Nebuchadnezzar took away as captives: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews; 29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem; 30 in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan took 745 Jews as captives. Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king’s special guards.
In all 4,600 people were taken captive.
Jehoiachin Is Set Free
31 Jehoiachin king of Judah was in prison in Babylon for 37 years. That year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon. He let Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison that year. He set Jehoiachin free on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month. 32 Evil-Merodach spoke kindly to Jehoiachin. He gave Jehoiachin a seat of honor. It was above the seats of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin put away his prison clothes. For the rest of his life, he ate at the king’s table. 34 Every day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin an allowance. This lasted as long as he lived, until Jehoiachin died.
Jerusalem Cries over Her Destruction
1 Jerusalem once was full of people.
But now the city is empty.
Jerusalem once was a great city among the nations.
But now she[e] has become like a widow.
She was like a queen of all the other cities.
But now she is a slave.
2 She cries loudly at night.
Tears are on her cheeks.
There is no one to comfort her.
All her lovers are gone.
All her friends have turned against her.
They have become her enemies.
3 Judah has gone into captivity.
She has suffered and worked hard.
She lives among other nations.
But she has found no rest.
Those who chased her caught her.
They caught her when she was in trouble.
4 The roads to Jerusalem are sad.
No one comes to Jerusalem for the feasts.
No one passes through her gates.
And her priests groan.
Her young women are suffering.
And Jerusalem suffers terribly.
5 Her enemies have become her masters.
Her enemies enjoy the wealth they have won.
The Lord is punishing her
for her many sins.
Her children have gone away.
They are captives of the enemy in a foreign land.
6 The beauty of Jerusalem
has gone away.
Her rulers are like deer
that cannot find food.
They are weak and have run away
from those who chased them.
7 Jerusalem is suffering and homeless.
She remembers all the precious things
she had in the past.
She remembers when her people were defeated by the enemy.
There was no one to help her.
When her enemies saw her,
they laughed to see her ruined.
8 Jerusalem sinned terribly.
So she has become unclean.
Those who honored her hate her now
because they have seen her nakedness.
Jerusalem groans
and turns away.
9 Jerusalem made herself unclean by her sins.
She did not think about what would happen to her.
Her defeat was surprising.
There was no one to comfort her.
She says, “Lord, see how I suffer.
The enemy has won.”
10 The enemy reached out and took
all her precious things.
She even saw foreigners
enter her Temple.
Lord, you had commanded
that they should not enter the meeting of your people.
11 All of Jerusalem’s people are groaning.
They are looking for bread.
They are giving away their precious things for food
so they can stay alive.
The city says, “Look, Lord, and see.
I am hated.”
12 Jerusalem says, “You who pass by on the road don’t seem to care.
Come, look at me and see.
Is there any pain like mine?
Is there any pain like that he has caused me?
The Lord has punished me
on the day of his great anger.
13 “The Lord sent fire from above.
It went down into my bones.
He stretched out a net for my feet.
He turned me back.
He made me sad and lonely.
I am weak all day.
14 “He has noticed my sins.
They are tied together by his hands.
They hang around my neck.
He has turned my strength into weakness.
The Lord has let me be defeated
by those who are stronger than I am.
15 “The Lord has rejected
all my mighty men inside my walls.
He brought an army against me
to destroy my young men.
As if in a winepress, the Lord has crushed
the capital city of Judah.
16 “I cry about these things.
My eyes overflow with tears.
There is no one near to comfort me.
There is no one who can give me strength again.
My children are left sad and lonely
because the enemy has won.”
17 Jerusalem reaches out her hands,
but there is no one to comfort her.
The Lord has commanded for the people of Jacob
that their enemies surround them.
Jerusalem has become unclean
like those around her.
18 Jerusalem says, “The Lord is right.
But I refused to obey him.
Listen, all you people.
Look at my pain.
My young women and men
have gone into captivity.
19 “I called out to my friends,
but they turned against me.
My priests and my elders
have died in the city.
They were looking for food
so they could stay alive.
20 “Look at me, Lord. I am upset.
I am troubled.
My heart is troubled
because I have been so stubborn.
Out in the streets, the sword kills.
Inside the houses, death destroys.
21 “People have heard my groaning.
There is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble.
They are happy that you have done this to me.
Now bring that day you have announced.
Let my enemies be like me.
22 “Look at all their evil.
Do to them what you have done to me
because of all my sins.
I groan over and over again,
and I am afraid.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.