Jeremiah 51

Great^{(i) 1} Thus hath the Lorde sayd: beholde, I wyll rayse vp a perlous wynde agaynst Babylon and her citezens, that beare euyll wyll agaynst me. ² I wyll sende also into Babilon fanners, to fanne her out, and to destroye her lande: for in the daye of her trouble they shalbe aboute her on euery syde. ³ Moreouer, the Lorde hath sayde vnto the bowe men, and to them that clyme ouer the walles in brest plates. Ye shall not spare her yonge men: kyll downe all her host. ⁴ Thus the slayne shall fall downe in the lande of the Chaldees, and the wounded in the stretes. ⁵ As for Israel and Iuda, they shall not be forsaken of their God, of the Lorde of hostes for the holy one of Israel sake: no, though they haue fylled all their land full of synne. ⁶ Flye awaye from Babilon, euery man saue his lyfe, that ye be not roted out wt her wickednesse: for the tyme of the Lordes vengeaunce is come: yee, he shall reward her agayne. ⁷ Babylon hathe bene in the Lordes hande, a golden cuppe that maketh all landes droncken. Of her wyne haue all people droncken: therfore, are they out of theyr wittes. ⁸ But sodenly is Babylon fallen, & destroyed. Mourne for her, brynge plasters for her woundes, yf she maye paraduenture be healed againe. ⁹ We wold haue made Babylon whole, saye they: but she is nott recouered. Therfore wyll we let her alone, and go euery man into his awne countreye. For her iudgment is come into heauen, & is gone vp to the cloudes. ¹⁰ The Lord hathe brought forth our righteousnes. And therfore come on, we wyll shewe Sion the worcke of the Lorde oure God. ¹¹ Make sharpe the arowes, and multiplye youre shyldes: for the Lorde shall rayse vp the sprete of the kinge of the Medees, which hath allready a desyre to destroye Babilon. This shalbe the vengeaunce of the Lord, and the vengeaunce of his temple. ¹² Set vp tokens vpon the walles of Babilon: make youre watch stronge, sett youre watchmen in araye: yee, holde preuye watches: and yet for all that shall the Lorde go forth with the deuyce, which he hath taken vpon them that dwell in Babilon. ¹³ O thou that dwellest by the greate waters, O thou that hast so great treasure and riches, thyne ende is come, and the rekening of thy wynninges. ¹⁴ The Lorde of hoostes hath sworne by him selfe, that he wyll ouerwhelme the with men, lyke gresshoppers in nomber, which with a corage shall crie, alarum, alarum agaynst the. ¹⁵ Yee, euen the Lorde of hostes, that wt his power made the earth, wt hys wysdome prepared the rounde worlde, and with his discretion spred out the heauens. ¹⁶ Assone as he letteth his voyce be hearde, the waters in the ayre waxe fearce. He draweth vp the cloudes from the endes of the earth. He turneth the lightnynges to rayne, he bringeth the wyndes out of their secrete places. ¹⁷ If they be estemed by their wysdome, all men are become fooles. Confounded be all the casters of ymages: for the thing that they make is but disceate, and hath no breath. ¹⁸ Uayne is it and an erronyouse worke: and in the time of visitation it shall perishe. ¹⁹ Neuertheles, the porcion of Iacob is none soch: but he that made all thinges, whose name is the Lorde of hoostes, he is the rodde of his enheritaunce. ²⁰ Thou hast bene myne hammer and weapens for warre: for with the haue I broken the people in peces: and with the haue I destroied kingdomes. ²¹ Thorow the I haue beaten to poulder horse and horseman: yee, the charettes & soch as sat vpon them. ²² Thorowe the I haue broken man & woman, olde & yonge, bacheler & mayden. ²³ Thorowe the I haue destroyed the sheperde and his flocke, the husbandeman and his catell, the princes and the rulers. ²⁴ Therfore wyll I reward the citye of Babilon & all her citesins, the Chaldees wt all the euyll which they haue done vnto Sion: yee, that ye your selues shall se it, sayth the Lorde: ²⁵ Beholde, I come vpon the, thou noysome hill, sayth the Lorde: thou that destroyest all landes: I wyll stretche oute my hande ouer the, and cast the downe from the stony rockes: and will make the a brent hill: ²⁶ so that nether corner stones, ner pinacles, ner foundatyons of stones shalbe taken eny more out of the, but wast and desolate shalt thou lye for euermore, sayth the Lorde. ²⁷ Set vp a token in the laude: blowe the trompettes amonge the Heythen: prouoke the nations agaynst her, call the kyngdomes of Ararat, Menni and Ascanes agaynst her. Set the prince agaynst her: bring as great a sorte of terrible horses against her: as yf they were gresshoppers. ²⁸ Prepare agaynst them the people of the Meedes wt their kynges, prynces and all their chefe rulers: yee, & the whole lande that is vnder hym. ²⁹ The lande also shall shake and be afrayed when the deuice of the Lorde shall come forth agaynst Babylon: to make the lande of Babylon so waste, that no man shall dwell eny more therin. ³⁰ The worthyes of Babylon shall leaue the batayll, and kepe them selues in stronge holdes, their strength hath fayled them, they shalbe lyke wemen. Theyr dwellynge places shalbe brent vp, theyr barres shalbe broken. ³¹ One purseuaunt shall mete another: yee, one poste shall come by another, to bring the kynge of Babylon tydinges: that his cytie is taken in on euery syde, ³² the foordes occupied, the fennes brent vp, and the soudiers sore afrayed. ³³ For thus sayeth the Lorde of hoostes the God of Israel: the daughter of Babylon hath bene in her tyme lyke as a thresshyng floore, but shortly shal her haruest come. ³⁴ Nabuchodonosor the kynge of Babylon hath deuoured & destroyed me, he hath made me an empty vessell. He swalowed me vp lyke a dragon, and fylled his bely with my delycates: he hath cast me oute, ³⁵ he hath taken my substaunce awaye, and the thinge that was left me hath he caried vnto Babylon, sayeth the daughter that dwelleth in Syon: yee, & my bloude also vnto the Caldees, sayeth Ierusalem. ³⁶ Therfore thus sayeth the Lorde: Beholde, I wyll defende thy cause, and auenge the: I wyll drincke vp her see, and drye vp her water sprynges. ³⁷ Babylon shall become an hepe of stones a dwellinge place for dragons, a fearfulnes and wondrynge, because no man dwelleth there. ³⁸ They shall roare together lyke lyons, and as the yonge lyons when they be angrye, so shall they bende them selues. ³⁹ In theyr heate I shall gyue them a dyner and they shalbe droncken for ioye. Then shall they slepe an euerlastynge slepe, and neuer wake, sayeth the Lorde. ⁴⁰ I shall carye them downe to be slayne lyke shepe, lyke wethers and goates. ⁴¹ O, how was Sesach wonne? O, how was the glory of the whole lande taken? how happeneth it, that Babilon is so wondred at among the Heathen? ⁴² The see is rysen ouer Babylon, and hath couered her wt his greate waues. ⁴³ Her cyties are layed waste the lande lyeth vnbuylded and voyde: it is a lande where no man dwelleth, and where no man trauaylleth thorowe. ⁴⁴ Moreouer, I wyll viset Bel at Babylon: and the thynge that he hath swalowed vp, that same shall I plucke out of hys mouth. The Gentyls also shall runne nomore vnto hym, yee, and the walles of Babylon shall fall. ⁴⁵ O my people, come out of Babylon, that euery man maye saue his lyfe, from the fearfull wrath of the Lorde. ⁴⁶ Be not faynte herted, and feare not at euery rumoure that shalbe herde in the lande: for euery yeare bringeth new tydinges, & in the yere folowynge newe tydinges, & robbynge in the lande and Lorde vpon Lorde. ⁴⁷ And lo, the tyme commeth, that I wyll viset the ymages of Babylon, & the whole lande shalbe confounded: yee, and her slayne shall lye in the myddest of her. ⁴⁸ Heauen & earth with all that is therin, shall reioyce ouer Babilon, when the destroyers shall come vpon her from the North, sayeth the Lorde. ⁴⁹ Lyke as Babilon hath beaten downe & slayne many out of Israel, so shall there fall many, and be slayne in all her kyngdome. ⁵⁰ Ye that haue escaped the sweard, haste you, stande not styll, remembre the Lorde a farre of, and thyncke vpon Ierusalem, ⁵¹ for we were ashamed to heare the blasphemyes: our faces were couered with shame, because the straunge aleauntes came into the Sanctuary of the Lorde. ⁵² Wherfore, beholde (sayeth the Lord) the tyme commeth, that I wyll viset the ymages of Babylon, and thorowe the whole land they shall mourne and fall. ⁵³ Though Babylon clymed vp into heauen, and kepte her power an hye: yet shal I sende her destroyers sayeth the Lorde. ⁵⁴ A pyteous cry shalbe hearde from Babilon, and a greate misery from the land of the Caldees, ⁵⁵ when the Lorde destroyeth them and when he dryueth out the hye stomack & proude boastynge, wherwith they haue bene as furious as the waues of greate water floudes, and made greate crakes with their wordes. ⁵⁶ For the destroyers shall come vpon her (euen vpon Babylon) which shall take their worthyes, and breake their bowes: for God is disposed to auenge hym selfe vpon them, and sufficiently to recompence them. ⁵⁷ Yee, (sayeth the Lorde.) I wyll make theyr princes, theyr wyse men, theyr chefe rulers, and all their worthyes, droncken: so that they shall slepe an euerlastynge slepe, and neuer wake. Thus sayeth the kynge, whose name is the Lorde of Hostes. ⁵⁸ Moreouer, thus sayeth the Lorde of Hostes. The thycke wall of Babylon shalbe broken, and her hye gates shalbe brent vp. And the thynge that the Gentyles and the people haue wrought with greate trauayle and labour, shall come to naught and be consumed in the fyre. ⁵⁹ This is the charge that Ieremy gaue vnto Saraiah the sonne of Neriah, the sonne of Maasiah, when he went towarde Babylon with Zedekiah the kyng of Iuda, in the fourth yeare of hys raygne. Nowe thys Saraiah was a peaceable prynce. ⁶⁰ Ieremy wrote in a booke all the misery that shulde come vpon Babylon, yee, and all these sermons that be wrytten agaynst Babylon, ⁶¹ and gaue Saraiah thys charge. When thou commest vnto Babilon, se that thou reade all these wordes, ⁶² and saye. O Lorde, thou art determined to rote out thys place, so that nether people ner catell shall dwell there eny more, but to lye waste for euer: ⁶³ and when thou hast redde out the booke, bynde a stone to it, and cast it in the myddest of Euphrates, ⁶⁴ and saye, Euen thus shall Babylon syncke, & be thrust downe with the burthen of trouble, that I wyll brynge vpon her: so that she shall neuer come vp agayne. Thus farre are the preachynges of Ieremy.