הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' אֶל בָּבֶל אֶל אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים בְּיַד יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא

The matter that the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by means of Jeremiah the prophet:

הַגִּידוּ בַגּוֹיִם וְהַשְׁמִיעוּ וּשְׂאוּ־נֵס הַשְׁמִיעוּ אַל־תְּכַחֵדוּ אִמְרוּ נִלְכְּדָה בָבֶל הֹבִישׁ בֵּל חַת מְרֹדָךְ הֹבִישׁוּ עֲצַבֶּיהָ חַתּוּ גִּלּוּלֶיהָ

Tell it among the nations and proclaim, and raise a standard; proclaim, do not conceal; say: Babylon is captured, Bel, meaning Master, an appellation for Merodakh, the chief god of Babylonia, especially of the city of Babylon, is shamed and has disappointed. Merodakh is dismayed; its idols are shamed; its gods are dismayed.

כִּי עָלָה עָלֶיהָ גּוֹי מִצָּפוֹן הוּא־יָשִׁית אֶת־אַרְצָהּ לְשַׁמָּה וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה יוֹשֵׁב בָּהּ מֵאָדָם וְעַד־בְּהֵמָה נָדוּ הָלָכוּ

For from the north a nation has risen against it, the kingdoms of Media and Persia, it will render its land desolation, and there will be no inhabitants in it; from man to animal, they wandered and went away.

בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה וּבָעֵת הַהִיא נְאֻם־ה' יָבֹאוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה וּבְנֵי־יְהוּדָה יַחְדָּו הָלוֹךְ וּבָכוֹ יֵלֵכוּ וְאֶת־ה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם יְבַקֵּשׁוּ

In those days, and at that time, when Babylon will fall – the utterance of the Lord – the children of Israel, those remaining of the ten tribes, will come, they and the children of Judah together; they will walk weeping, from excitement and in supplication, and the Lord their God they will seek.

צִיּוֹן יִשְׁאָלוּ דֶּרֶךְ הֵנָּה פְנֵיהֶם בֹּאוּ וְנִלְווּ אֶל־ה' בְּרִית עוֹלָם לֹא תִשָּׁכֵחַ

They will ask concerning Zion, their faces toward here, the place where the prophet was standing, and they will say: Come and join the Lord in the enactment of an eternal covenant with Him, one that will not be forgotten.

צֹאן אֹבְדוֹת הָיוּ עַמִּי רֹעֵיהֶם הִתְעוּם הָרִים שׁוֹבְבוּם מֵהַר אֶל־גִּבְעָה הָלָכוּ שָׁכְחוּ רִבְצָם

This verse also refers to Israel: My people were like a lost flock, as their shepherds, their leaders, misled them, causing them to lose their way; they led them astray on the mountains, terrain that wearies sheep; from mountain to hill they went, they forgot the place of their pasture. They no longer even knew where they belonged.

כָּל־מוֹצְאֵיהֶם אֲכָלוּם וְצָרֵיהֶם אָמְרוּ לֹא נֶאְשָׁם תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר חָטְאוּ לַה' נְוֵה צֶדֶק וּמִקְוֵה אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם ה'

Everyone who found them consumed them, and their adversaries who afflicted them said: We will not be deemed guilty, as it is not our fault but theirs, since they sinned against the Lord, who is for them the abode of righteousness, and the hope of their fathers, the Lord.

נֻדוּ מִתּוֹךְ בָּבֶל וּמֵאֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים צֵאוּ וִהְיוּ כְּעַתּוּדִים לִפְנֵי־ צֹאן

Wander, you inhabitants of the land, from the midst of Babylonia, which is about to be destroyed, and leave the land of the Chaldeans; be like goats before the flock, the goats that go at the front of the flock, called bellwethers.

כִּי הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מֵעִיר וּמַעֲלֶה עַל־בָּבֶל קְהַל־גּוֹיִם גְּדֹלִים מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹן וְעָרְכוּ לָהּ מִשָּׁם תִּלָּכֵד חִצָּיו כְּגִבּוֹר מַשְׁכִּיל לֹא יָשׁוּב רֵיקָם

For behold, I am rousing and raising an assembly of great nations from the land of the north against Babylon, and they will deploy war against her, from there she will be captured; its arrows, of this assembly of great nations, will be like the mighty arrows that kill and cause bereavement, and it will not return empty-handed.

וְהָיְתָה כַשְׂדִּים לְשָׁלָל כָּל־שֹׁלְלֶיהָ יִשְׂבָּעוּ נְאֻם־ה'

Chaldea, the land of the Chaldeans, will be spoils; all who plunder it will be satiated – the utterance of the Lord.

כִּי תִשְׂמְחוּ כִּי תַעַלְזוּ שֹׁסֵי נַחֲלָתִי כִּי תָפוּשׁוּ כְּעֶגְלָה דָשָׁה וְתִצְהֲלוּ כָּאַבִּירִים

Although you Babylonians now rejoice, although you now delight, you who plunder My inheritance, Israel, although you grow fat like a threshing calf, for whom crops are always readily available, and neigh like stallions,

בּוֹשָׁה אִמְּכֶם מְאֹד חָפְרָה יוֹלַדְתְּכֶם הִנֵּה אַחֲרִית גּוֹיִם — מִדְבָּר צִיָּה וַעֲרָבָה

all this will yet change, as your mother is greatly shamed, she who bore you will be disgraced, humiliated; behold, the end of all the nations will be wilderness, wasteland, and desert, and this will be your end as well.

מִקֶּצֶף ה' לֹא תֵשֵׁב וְהָיְתָה שְׁמָמָה כֻּלָּהּ כֹּל עֹבֵר עַל־בָּבֶל יִשֹּׁם וְיִשְׁרֹק עַל־כָּל־מַכּוֹתֶיהָ

Because of the wrath of the Lord it, Babylon, will not be inhabited; in its entirety it will be desolation, everyone who passes by Babylon will be astonished and whistle over all its afflictions. People will issue sounds of shock over Babylon, which was once a city at the center of a kingdom and an empire, but which was turned into a ruin.

עִרְכוּ עַל־בָּבֶל סָבִיב כָּל־דֹּרְכֵי קֶשֶׁת יְדוּ אֵלֶיהָ אַל־תַּחְמְלוּ אֶל־חֵץ כִּי לַה' חָטָאָה

Deploy war against Babylon all around, all who draw the bow; shoot at it, do not spare arrows, as it sinned against the Lord.

הָרִיעוּ עָלֶיהָ סָבִיב נָתְנָה יָדָהּ נָפְלוּ אָשְׁיוֹתֶיהָ נֶהֶרְסוּ חוֹמוֹתֶיהָ כִּי נִקְמַת ה' הִיא הִנָּקְמוּ בָהּ — כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשְׂתָה עֲשׂוּ־לָהּ

Shout against it all around, with cries of conquest and victory, as it extended its hand in a gesture of submission and defeat; its foundations fell, its walls were destroyed, as it is the vengeance of the Lord. Exact vengeance against it; as it did, so do to it.

כִּרְתוּ זוֹרֵעַ מִבָּבֶל וְתֹפֵשׂ מַגָּל בְּעֵת קָצִיר מִפְּנֵי חֶרֶב הַיּוֹנָה אִישׁ אֶל־עַמּוֹ יִפְנוּ וְאִישׁ לְאַרְצוֹ יָנוּסוּ

Eradicate the sower from Babylon and the wielder of the sickle at the time of harvest. The agriculture of Babylonia will be destroyed. Each man will turn to his people, and each man will flee to his land from before the sword of the oppressor, which brings suffering and destruction. Babylon was surrounded by various vassal states. When Babylon is utterly destroyed, those nations will return to their places. The expression “the sword of the oppressor [yona]” appears several times in the book of Jeremiah.

שֶׂה פְזוּרָה יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲרָיוֹת הִדִּיחוּ הָרִאשׁוֹן אֲכָלוֹ — מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וְזֶה הָאַחֲרוֹן עִצְּמוֹ נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל

Israel is scattered sheep, lions attacked the flock and banished it, the sheep; the first lion who devoured it was the king of Assyria, and this last one who broke its bones was Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. The Assyrian lion destroyed the Kingdom of Israel and also conquered parts of Judah, followed by Nebuchadnezzar who completed the destruction of the land.

לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי פֹקֵד אֶל־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְאֶל־אַרְצוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר פָּקַדְתִּי אֶל־מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר

Therefore, so said the Lord of hosts, God of Israel: Behold, I am reckoning with the king of Babylon and with his land, as I reckoned with the king of Assyria. When this prophecy was stated, Assyria was already a destroyed, irrelevant kingdom, and the prophet foresaw the same fate for Babylonia as well.

וְשֹׁבַבְתִּי אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־נָוֵהוּ וְרָעָה הַכַּרְמֶל וְהַבָּשָׁן וּבְהַר אֶפְרַיִם וְהַגִּלְעָד תִּשְׂבַּע נַפְשׁוֹ

And I will return Israel to its pasture, and it will graze, be nourished by the crops of the Carmel and the Bashan, areas of pasture, and on the highlands of Ephraim and in the Gilad its soul will be satisfied.

בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וּבָעֵת הַהִיא נְאֻם־ה' יְבֻקַּשׁ אֶת־עֲוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל — וְאֵינֶנּוּ וְאֶת־חַטֹּאת יְהוּדָה — וְלֹא תִמָּצֶאינָה כִּי אֶסְלַח לַאֲשֶׁר אַשְׁאִיר

In those days and at that time, a poetic expression that alludes to the era of the redemption – the utterance of the Lord – the iniquity of Israel will be sought, but it will not be, and the sins of Judah, but they will not be found, as I will forgive those whom I will allow to remain. After the destruction of Babylonia, better times will come to Israel.

עַל־הָאָרֶץ מְרָתַיִם עֲלֵה עָלֶיהָ וְאֶל־יוֹשְׁבֵי פְּקוֹד חֲרֹב וְהַחֲרֵם אַחֲרֵיהֶם נְאֻם־ה' וַעֲשֵׂה כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ

The prophet calls upon the future conqueror of Babylonia: Rise against the land of Meratayim, a province under Babylonian control, and against the inhabitants of Pekod, which is near Babylonia, destroy, or chase with the sword, and obliterate them – the utterance of the Lord – and act in accordance with everything that I commanded you. The enemy that comes to conquer Babylonia will destroy other countries that maintain ties with it.

קוֹל מִלְחָמָה בָּאָרֶץ וְשֶׁבֶר גָּדוֹל

The sound of war is heard in the land, and great ruin.

אֵיךְ נִגְדַּע וַיִּשָּׁבֵר פַּטִּישׁ כָּל־הָאָרֶץ אֵיךְ הָיְתָה לְשַׁמָּה בָּבֶל בַּגּוֹיִם

How was the hammer of the entire world, powerful Babylon, which smashed all the nations, severed and broken? How did Babylon become a desolation among the nations?

יָקֹשְׁתִּי לָךְ וְגַם־־־־־נִלְכַּדְתְּ בָּבֶל וְאַתְּ לֹא יָדָעַתְּ נִמְצֵאת וְגַם־נִתְפַּשְׂתְּ כִּי בַה' הִתְגָּרִית

I set a snare for you, and you were also captured, Babylon, and you were unaware of the trap before you; you were found, and also seized, for you challenged the Lord.

פָּתַח ה' אֶת־אוֹצָרוֹ וַיּוֹצֵא אֶת־כְּלֵי זַעְמוֹ כִּי־מְלָאכָה הִיא לַה' אֱלוֹהִים צְבָאוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים

The Lord opened His armory and took out the weapons of His fury, for it, the use of these weapons, is creative work for the Lord, God of hosts, in the land of the Chaldeans.

בֹּאוּ־לָהּ מִקֵּץ פִּתְחוּ מַאֲבֻסֶיהָ סָלּוּהָ כְמוֹ־עֲרֵמִים וְהַחֲרִימוּהָ אַל־תְּהִי־לָהּ שְׁאֵרִית

Come to it, Babylon, from the edge of the land, open its granaries full of produce; trample it like heaps of produce designated for threshing. Alternatively, this expression means: Pile up its ruins like heaps of earth, and obliterate it; let there be no remnant for it.

חִרְבוּ כָּל־פָּרֶיהָ יֵרְדוּ לַטָּבַח הוֹי עֲלֵיהֶם כִּי־בָא יוֹמָם עֵת פְּקֻדָּתָם

Put all its bulls, its leaders and nobles, to the sword, let them go down to the slaughter; woe to them for their day is coming, the time of their reckoning. The term “bulls” can refer to leaders, just as the word aluf, chief, originally meant a large ox.

קוֹל נָסִים וּפְלֵטִים מֵאֶרֶץ בָּבֶל לְהַגִּיד בְּצִיּוֹן אֶת־נִקְמַת ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ נִקְמַת הֵיכָלוֹ

There is the sound of fugitives and refugees heard from the land of Babylonia. These refugees come with a message, to tell in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of His Sanctuary, which was destroyed by Babylonia.

הַשְׁמִיעוּ אֶל־בָּבֶל רַבִּים כָּל־דֹּרְכֵי קֶשֶׁת חֲנוּ עָלֶיהָ סָבִיב אַל־יְהִי־לָהּ פְּלֵיטָה שַׁלְּמוּ־לָהּ כְּפָעֳלָהּ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשְׂתָה עֲשׂוּ־לָהּ כִּי אֶל־ה' זָדָה אֶל־קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל

Muster archers against Babylon, all who draw the bow; encamp against it all around, let it have no escape, repay it in accordance with its actions, its deeds; in accordance with everything that it has done, do to it, as it performed evil, acted wickedly, against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel. Babylon will be severely punished, mainly for the suffering it brought upon Israel, the nation of God.

לָכֵן יִפְּלוּ בַחוּרֶיהָ בִּרְחֹבֹתֶיהָ וְכָל־אַנְשֵׁי מִלְחַמְתָּהּ יִדַּמּוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם־ה'

Therefore, its young men will fall in its thoroughfares, and all its men of war will be eradicated on that day – the utterance of the Lord.

הִנְנִי אֵלֶיךָ זָדוֹן נְאֻם־ה' אֱלוֹהִים צְבָאוֹת כִּי בָּא יוֹמְךָ עֵת פְּקַדְתִּיךָ

The prophet provides a different formulation of the same idea: Behold, I am against you, evilness – the utterance of the Lord, God of hosts. God will wage war against such wickedness, for your day is coming, the time of My reckoning with you.

וְכָשַׁל זָדוֹן וְנָפַל וְאֵין לוֹ מֵקִים וְהִצַּתִּי אֵשׁ בְּעָרָיו וְאָכְלָה כָּל־סְבִיבֹתָיו

Evilness will stumble and fall, and it has no one to raise it, and I will ignite a fire in its cities, and it will consume all its environs.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת עֲשׁוּקִים בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְנֵי־יְהוּדָה יַחְדָּו וְכָל־שֹׁבֵיהֶם הֶחֱזִיקוּ בָם מֵאֲנוּ שַׁלְּחָם

So said the Lord of hosts: The children of Israel and the children of Judah are exploited together, and all their captors seized and subjugated them, they refused to send them forth, release them.

גֹּאֲלָם חָזָק ה' צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ רִיב יָרִיב אֶת־רִיבָם לְמַעַן הִרְגִּיעַ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְהִרְגִּיז לְיֹשְׁבֵי בָבֶל

Although Israel itself is plundered and wretched, their Redeemer is mighty, the Lord of hosts is His name; He will champion their cause and avenge their suffering, so as to calm the land and to cause the inhabitants of Babylonia to tremble.

חֶרֶב עַל־כַּשְׂדִּים נְאֻם־ה' וְאֶל־יֹשְׁבֵי בָבֶל וְאֶל־שָׂרֶיהָ וְאֶל־חֲכָמֶיהָ;

A sword is against the Chaldeans – the utterance of the Lord – and against the inhabitants of Babylonia and against its princes and against its wise men. All of them will be struck.

חֶרֶב אֶל־הַבַּדִּים וְנֹאָלוּ חֶרֶב אֶל־גִּבּוֹרֶיהָ — וָחָתּוּ

A sword is against the falsifiers [baddim], the magicians and fortune-tellers that speak falsehoods [baddim], and they will be confused and revealed as foolish; a sword is against its, Babylon’s, mighty, and they shall be dismayed, or broken.

חֶרֶב אֶל־סוּסָיו וְאֶל־רִכְבּוֹ וְאֶל־כָּל־הָעֶרֶב אֲשֶׁר בְּתוֹכָהּ וְהָיוּ לְנָשִׁים; חֶרֶב אֶל־אוֹצְרֹתֶיהָ — וּבֻזָּזוּ

A sword is against its horses and against its chariots and against the mingled people, the multitudes from various nations that are in its midst; instead of acting as soldiers they will be as women. A sword is against its treasures, and they will be looted.

חֹרֶב אֶל־מֵימֶיהָ — וְיָבֵשׁוּ כִּי אֶרֶץ פְּסִלִים הִיא וּבָאֵימִים יִתְהֹלָלוּ

Dryness is upon its water, and it will dry up, for it is a land of idols, and with the things of terror, or in horrible rituals and celebrations, they will rage. Either way, the reference is to the frenzied and frivolous nature of pagan worship.

לָכֵן יֵשְׁבוּ צִיִּים אֶת אִיִּים וְיָשְׁבוּ בָהּ בְּנוֹת יַעֲנָה וְלֹא־תֵשֵׁב עוֹד לָנֶצַח וְלֹא תִשְׁכּוֹן עַד־דּוֹר וָדֹר

Therefore, the inhabitants of the wasteland, animals that live in the wilderness and among ruins, whose name, tziyyim, is derived from the term tziyya, arid wasteland, shall dwell with wildcats in Babylonia, and eagle owls, will dwell in it, Babylonia; it will not be inhabited ever again, and it will not be dwelled in from generation to generation. The land will be inhabited solely by animals of the wilderness.

כְּמַהְפֵּכַת אֱלֹהִים אֶת־סְדֹם וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָה וְאֶת־שְׁכֵנֶיהָ נְאֻם־ה' לֹא־יֵשֵׁב שָׁם אִישׁ וְלֹא־יָגוּר בָּהּ בֶּן־אָדָם

Like God’s upheaval of Sodom and Gomorrah and its neighbors – the utterance of the Lord – so too will be Babylonia’s fate; no man will live there, and no human will reside in it.

הִנֵּה עַם בָּא מִצָּפוֹן וְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וּמְלָכִים רַבִּים יֵעֹרוּ מִיַּרְכְּתֵי אָרֶץ

Behold, a people is coming from the north, and a great nation and many kings will arise from the ends of the earth, from places very far from Babylonia.

קֶשֶׁת וְכִידֹן יַחֲזִיקוּ אַכְזָרִי הֵמָּה וְלֹא יְרַחֵמוּ קוֹלָם כַּיָּם יֶהֱמֶה וְעַל־סוּסִים יִרְכָּבוּ עָרוּךְ כְּאִישׁ לַמִּלְחָמָה עָלַיִךְ בַּת־בָּבֶל

They hold bow and spear; they are cruel and will not have mercy; their voice roars like the sea, and they ride on horses, arrayed like a mighty man for war, against you, daughter of Babylon.

שָׁמַע מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל אֶת־שִׁמְעָם וְרָפוּ יָדָיו צָרָה הֶחֱזִיקַתְהוּ חִיל כַּיּוֹלֵדָה

The king of Babylon heard the report of them, these attackers, and his hands have grown feeble; distress took hold of him, trembling like a woman in childbirth.

הִנֵּה כְּאַרְיֵה יַעֲלֶה מִגְּאוֹן הַיַּרְדֵּן אֶל־נְוֵה אֵיתָן כִּי־אַרְגִּעָה אֲרִיצֵם מֵעָלֶיהָ ומִי בָחוּר אֵלֶיהָ אֶפְקֹד כִּי מִי כָמוֹנִי וּמִי יוֹעִדֶנִּי וּמִי־זֶה רֹעֶה אֲשֶׁר יַעֲמֹד לְפָנָי

Behold, like a lion it, the enemy, will go up from the thickets of the Jordan, the area through which the channel of the Jordan runs, which contains thick vegetation and is home to beasts of prey, to attack a steadfast pasture; for in a moment I will cause them, the attacked, to run upon it, or: I will send the attackers to be above it, and whoever is chosen and good for the task, I will appoint over it, to wage war against it. For who is like Me, and who will appoint Me a time, and who is that shepherd who will stand before Me? I am the Leader of the world, and the Babylonians have no one to come to their aid.

לָכֵן שִׁמְעוּ עֲצַת ה' אֲשֶׁר יָעַץ אֶל־בָּבֶל וּמַחְשְׁבוֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר חָשַׁב אֶל־אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים אִם־לֹא יִסְחָבוּם צְעִירֵי הַצֹּאן אִם־לֹא ה' יַשִּׁים עֲלֵיהֶם נָוֶה

Therefore, hear the scheme of the Lord, which He has conceived against Babylon, and His designs that He has devised against the land of the Chaldeans: Will the young of the flock not drag them, that is, the young of the flock will drag them. Those who will destroy Babylon-Persia, Media, and Elam will be nations that were not previously important. These relative newcomers will establish a great army and destroy the Babylonian empire. Will He not render the abode desolate for them? God will certainly turn their place into a wasteland.

מִקּוֹל נִתְפְּשָׂה בָבֶל נִרְעֲשָׁה הָאָרֶץ וזְעָקָה בַּגּוֹיִם נִשְׁמָע

From the sound of the seizing of Babylon, the chief of kingdoms, the earth quakes, and an outcry is heard among the nations.