Jeremiah 48-52

Jeremiah 48-52

A TRANSLATION OF

CALVIN’S VERSION OF

JEREMIAH

CHAPTERS 48—52

CHAPTER 48

1 Concerning Moab: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, — Woe upon Nebo! for it is laid waste, Ashamed, taken is Kiriathaim; Ashamed is Misgab and dismayed.

2 No more shall be the boasting of Moab over Heshbon; They have consulted an evil against her, — “Come and let us cut her off from being a nation.” Also Madmen, thou shalt be cut off, After thee shall go the sword.

3 The sound of a cry from Horonaim! A waste and great destruction!

4 Distressed is Moab; A cry have her little ones made to be heard.

5 For in the ascent to Luhith, With weeping shall ascend weeping; For in the descent to Horonaim, The enemies a cry of distress shall hear:

6 Flee ye, save your lives; And ye shall be as the juniper in the desert,

7 Therefore, because thy confidence Was in thy works and in thy treasures, Even thou shalt be taken: And go forth shall Chemosh into captivity, His priests and his princes together.

8 And come shall a waster to every city, Nor shall a city escape; Perish also shall the valley, And destroyed shall be the plain, As Jehovah hath spoken.

9 Give wings to Moab, For flying she shall fly, And her cities shall be a waste, That there will be none to inhabit them.

10 Cursed is he who doeth the work of Jehovah deceitfully, And cursed is he who restrains his sword from blood.

11 Quiet has been Moab from his childhood, And hath settled on his dregs, And hath not been changed from vessel to vessel, And to captivity he hath not gone: Therefore remained has his flavor in him, And his odor was not changed.

12 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, saith Jehovah, That I will send to him drivers, Who will drive him out; And his vessels will they empty, And his bottles will they scatter:

13 And ashamed will be Moab of Chemosh, As ashamed was the house of Israel of Bethel, The object of their confidence.

14 How say ye, “We are valiant, and men strong for war:”

15 Wasted is Moab, and from his cities they have vanished, And his young men have descended to the slaughter, Saith the King, Jehovah of hosts is his name.

16 Nigh is the destruction of Moab to come, And her calamity greatly hastens. Be ye moved for him all who are around him, And all ye who know his name, say, — “How has the strong staff been broken, the beautiful rod!”

17 Come down from glory, and dwell in thirst, Thou inhabitant, the daughter of Dibon!

18 For the waster of Moab comes up against thee, The destroyer of thy fortresses.

19 On the way stand and look, Thou inhabitant of Aroer. Ask the fugitive, and her who has escaped, “Say, what hath happened?”

20 Ashamed is Moab, for he is broken. Howl ye, and cry out, And proclaim in Arnon that Moab is laid waste.

21 Judgment also shall come on the plain country, On Holon, and on Jahazah, and on Mephaath,

22 And on Dibon, and on Nebo, and on Beth-diblathaim,

23 And on Kiriathaim, and on Beth-gamul, and on Beth-meon,

24 And on Kerioth, and on Bozrah, And on all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near

25 Cut, off is the horn of Moab, And his strength is broken, saith Jehovah.

26 Make him drunk, for against Jehovah hath he magnified him- self; And roll himself shall Moab in his own vomit; And he also shall be a derision;

27 For has not Israel been a derision to thee? Has he been found among thieves? For since thou hast spoken of him, thou hast been excited.

28 Leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, Ye inhabitants of Moab: And they shall be as a dove, Which makes a nest in the passages, Beyond the mouth of the cleft.

29 Heard have we of the pride of Moab; Very proud is his haughtiness, And his pride, and the loftiness of his heart.

30 I know, saith Jehovah, his insolence, And his lies are not stable they shall not do so

31 Therefore for Moab will I howl, And to all Moab will I cry aloud; I will mutter to the men of the city of potsherd.

32 With the weeping of Jazer Will I weep for thee, vine of Sibmah: Thy shoots have passed over the sea, Even to the sea came Jazer: On thy summer-fruits and on thy vintages Has fallen a waster.

33 And taken away shall be joy and exultation, From the fruitful field, from the land of Moab; And the wine from the presses will I make to cease: He will not tread with shouting, shouting, There will not be shouting.

34 At the cry of Heshbon, to Elealeh, to Jahaz, Will they send forth their voice, From Zoar to Horonaim; An heifer three years old is Moab; Verily even the waters of Nimrim shall be dried up.

35 And I will cause to cease from Moab, saith Jehovah, Him who offers on the high place, And who burns incense to his gods

36 Therefore my heart for Moab Shall make a sound like pipes, And my heart for the men of the city of potsherd Like pipes shall make a sound; For the treasures he had made have perished.

37 For on every head shall be baldness, And to every beard, a shaving, And on all hands, incisions, and on loins, sackcloth.

38 On all the roofs of Moab, And in all her streets, shall be mourning altogether; For I will break Moab like a vessel In which there is no pleasure, saith Jehovah.

39 How Moab is broken! they will howl; How has he turned his back! he is ashamed: Yea, Moab is become a derision, And a terror to all around.

40 For thus saith Jehovah, — Behold, as an eagle will he fly, And extend his wings over Moab:

41 Taken are the cities, the strongholds are seized, And the heart of the men of Moab shall be in that day As the heart of a woman in distress.

42 And broken shall Moab be, so as not to be a people, Because against Jehovah hath he exalted himself.

43 Terror, and the pit, and the snare, shall be on thee, Inhabitant of Moab, saith Jehovah:

44 He who flies from terror shall fall into the pit, And he who ascends from the pit shall be taken in the snare; For I will bring upon her, upon Moab, The year of their visitation, saith Jehovah.

45 Under the shadow of Heshbon shall they stand, Who from violence shall flee: But fire shall go forth from Heshbon, And a flame from the midst of Sihon; And it shall consume the corner of Moab, And the extremities of the sons of tumult.

46 Woe to thee, Moab! Perished have the people of Chemosh! For driven have been thy sons into captivity, And thy daughters into exile.

47 But I will restore the captivity of Moab In the latter days, saith Jehovah. Thus far the judgment of Moab.

CHAPTER 49

1 Concerning the children of Ammon: Thus saith Jehovah, — Hath Israel no children? hath he no heir? Why doth their king inherit Gad, And his people dwell in its cities?

2 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, saith Jehovah, That I will cause to be heard the trumpet of war At Rabbah, of the children of Ammon; And she shall be a heap of desolation, And her daughters shall be burned with fire, And possess his possessors shall Israel, saith Jehovah.

3 Howl thou, Heshbon, for laid waste is Ai; Cry aloud, ye daughters of Rabbah. Gird on sackcloth, lament, Run here and there by the fences; For their king, into captivity is he gone, And his priests and his princes with him.

4 Why gloriest thou in thy deep valleys? Flown down has thy valley, rebellious daughter! Who trusted in her hidden places, Saying, Who can come to me?

5 Behold, I will bring on thee terror, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, from all around thee; And ye shall be driven out, each one before him, And there will be none to gather the dispersed.

6 But I will afterwards restore The captivity of the children of Ammon, saith Jehovah.

7 Concerning Edom: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, — Is there not wisdom any more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the intelligent? Overflowing has been their wisdom!

8 Flee, ye inhabitants of Dedan, Who have turned and made deep your dwelling; For the ruin of Esau will I bring on him, At the time of his visitation.

9 If vintagers had come to thee, Would they not have left some grapes? If thieves in the night, would they not have destroyed What would suffice them?

10 But I will uncover Esau, I will disclose his hidden things, So that he cannot be concealed: Plundered shall be his seed, And his brethren and his neighbors; And he shall be no more.

11 Leave thy orphans, I will nourish them; And thy widows, let them trust in me.

12 For thus saith Jehovah, — Behold, those to whom it was not their judgment To drink the cup, shall surely drink, And shalt thou be exempted? Thou shalt not be exempted, For drinking thou shalt drink it.

13 For I have by myself sworn, saith Jehovah, That a waste, a reproach, a desert, And a curse, shall Bozrah become; And all her cities shall be perpetual wastes.

14 A hearing have we heard from Jehovah, And a messenger to the nations has been sent, — “Be ye gathered and come against her, And rise ye up to the battle.”

15 For behold, small made I thee among the nations, Contemptible among men:

16 Deceived thee has thy terror, the pride of thine heart; Thou who dwellest in the fissures of rocks, Who occupiest the heights of mountains: Though thou raisest high, as an eagle, thy nest, Thence will I draw thee down, saith Jehovah.

17 And Edom shall become a waste; Every one passing by her shall be astonished, And shall hiss on account of all her strokes.

18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah And of their neighboring cities, saith Jehovah, Dwell there shall no man, Nor shall a son of man abide there.

19 Behold, as a lion from the swelling of Jordan, Will he ascend to the habitation of strength: After having made him to rest, I will make him flee from her; And who is the chosen one whom I shall set over her? For who is as I am? And who will protest against me? And who is the shepherd that before me will stand?

20 Therefore, hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, Which he hath counseled against Edom, And his thoughts which he hath thought Against the inhabitants of Teman; Surely draw them forth shall the least of the flock, Surely destroyed over them shall be their dwellings.

21 At the sound of their fall, tremble shall the earth, The cry of their voice shall at the Red Sea be heard.

22 Behold, as an eagle will he ascend and fly, And will spread his wings over Bozrah; And the heart of the valiant men of Edom in that day Shall be like the heart of a sorrowful woman.

23 Concerning Damascus: Ashamed is Hamath and Arpad; Because they heard a bad report, they melt away, Like a turbulent sea which cannot rest.

24 Weakened is Damascus, she turns to flight, Terror hath laid hold on her, Anguish and pangs have seized her, As a woman in travail.

25 How is not forsaken the city of praise — The city of my joy?

26 Yet fall shall her young men in her streets, And all the men of war shall be cut off In that day, saith Jehovah of Hosts.

27 For I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, And it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad.

28 Concerning Kedar, and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had smitten: Thus saith Jehovah, — Arise ye, ascend against Kedar, And destroy the children of the east.

29 Their tents and their flocks shall they take away, And their curtains and all their vessels; Their camels also shall they take to themselves, And they shall cry to them, “Terror is on every side.”

30 Flee ye, depart far away, (Though deep have they made to dwell The inhabitants of Hazor, saith Jehovah;) For consulted against you hath Nebuchadnezzar, The king of Babylon, a counsel, And he hath purposed against you a purpose.

31 Arise ye, ascend against a secure nation, That dwelleth in confidence, saith Jehovah; It hath neither gates nor bars, it dwelleth alone.

32 And their camels shall became a prey, And the abundance of their cattle a plunder; And I will scatter them to every wind, Even the utmost corners; And from all the sides thereof Will I bring their destruction, saith Jehovah.

33 And Hazor shall be the habitation of dragons, A perpetual desolation; Dwell there shall no man, Nor shall a son of man abide in her.

34 The word which came to Jeremiah, the prophet, against Elam, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, the king of Judah, saying:

35 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, — Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, The chief part of their strength;

36 And I will bring against Elam four winds From the four quarters of the heavens; And I will scatter them to these four winds, And there shall not be a nation To which some fugitives from Elam shall not come.

37 For I will terrify Elam before their enemies, And before those who seek their life; And I will bring on them the evil Of the indignation of my wrath, saith Jehovah; And I will send after them the sword Until I shall have consumed them;

38 And I will erect my throne in Elam, And destroy thence the king and the princes, saith Jehovah.

39 But it shall be in the latter days That I will restore the captivity of Elam, saith Jehovah.

CHAPTER 50

1 The word which Jehovah spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet:

2 Tell ye among the nations, proclaim, Raise up also a banner, proclaim, conceal not; Say ye, “Taken is Babylon, Confounded is Bel, broken is Merodach, Confounded are her images, broken are her idols.”

3 For ascend against her shall a nation from the north, Which will turn her land to a waste, So that there will be no dweller in it, man or beast; They have fled, they have departed.

4 In those days and at that time, saith Jehovah, Come shall the children of Israel And the children of Judah together; Going and weeping they shall come, And Jehovah their God will they seek.

5 To Sion will they ask the way, hither their faces, — “Come ye and let us join ourselves to Jehovah, By a perpetual covenant, not to be forgotten.”

6 A lost sheep have been my people; Their pastors have made them to wander; On the mountains they strayed, From mountain to hill they went, They forgot the place of their lying down.

7 All who found them devoured them, And their adversaries said, “We sin not, Because they have sinned against Jehovah, The habitation of justice, And the hope of their fathers, even Jehovah.”

8 Flee ye from the midst of Babylon, And from Chaldea go forth, And be as he-goats before the flock.

9 For, behold, I will rouse and bring against Babylon, An assembly of great nations from the land of the north, And they shall set in order against her; Thence taken will she be; Their arrows, like those of a skillful valiant man, They shall not return in vain.

10 And Chaldea shall be a prey, And all who plunder her shall be satiated, saith Jehovah,

11 Surely ye rejoiced and exulted When ye plundered mine heritage; Ye became fat as a heifer well fed, And neighed like strong horses.

12 Ashamed greatly shall be your mother, Blush shall she who bare you; Behold, the last of nations shall she be, A desert, a waste, a solitude!

13 Because of the indignation of Jehovah She shall not be inhabited, And shall be an entire waste; All who pass by Babylon shall be astonished, And shall hiss for all her strokes.

14 Set in order against Babylon around; All ye who bend the bow, Shoot at her, spare not the arrows, For against Jehovah hath she sinned.

15 Cry ye aloud against her around; She hath given her hand, Fallen have her foundations, Demolished have been her walls, Because it is the vengeance of Jehovah; Vengeance take ye on her; as she has done, do to her.

16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, And him who handles the sickle in the time of harvest: From the face of the wasting sword Every one shall look to his own people, Every one to his own land shall flee.

17 A scattered flock hath Israel been, Lions have driven him out; The first who devoured him was the king of Assyria, And this last hath broken his bones, Even Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.

18 Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel — Behold, I will visit the king of Babylon and his land, As I visited the king of Assyria:

19 And I will restore Israel to his folds, And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, And on mount Ephraim and Gilead; And satisfied shall be his soul.

20 In those days and at that time, saith Jehovah, Sought will be the iniquity of Israel, and there will be none; And the sin of Judah, and it shall not be found: For I will pardon those whom I shall reserve.

21 On the land of the exasperating ascend, And against the inhabitants of visitation, Slay and destroy after them, saith Jehovah; And do all that I have commanded thee.

22 A sound of battle in the land and a great ruin!

23 Now has the hammer of the whole earth Been cut off and broken in pieces! How has Babylon become a waste among the nations!

24 I set a snare for thee, therefore taken wert thou, Babylon, though thou knewest not: Thou wept found, and hence taken, Because against Jehovah thou didst contend.

25 Opened hath Jehovah his treasure, And brought forth the instruments of his wrath; For this is the work of the Lord, the Jehovah of hosts, In the land of the Chaldeans.

26 Come ye against her from the extremity, Open her repositories, tread her as heaps, Destroy her wholly, that there may be to her no remnant.

27 Slay all her bullocks, Let them descend to the slaughter Woe to them, for their day is come, The time of their visitation.

28 The voice of these who flee and escape From the land of Babylon! To announce in Sion the vengeance of Jehovah our God, The vengeance of his temple.

29 Summon against Babylon the mighty, All who bend the bow; Besiege her around, that there may be no escape; Render to her according to her work, According to all she has done, do ye to her; For against Jehovah has she acted proudly, Against the Holy One of Israel.

30 Therefore fall shall her young men in her streets, And all her men of war shall be destroyed In that day, saith Jehovah.

31 Behold, I am against thee, the proud one, Saith the Lord, the Jehovah of hosts; For come is thy day, the time of thy visitation.

32 And stumble shall the proud and fall, And there will be no one to raise him up; And I will kindle a fire in his cities, And it shall consume all round him.

33 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, — Oppressed have been the children of Israel And the children of Judah together; And all who led them captives have prevailed against them, They have refused to let them go.

34 Their Redeemer is strong, Jehovah of hosts is his name, Their cause pleading he will plead, So as to destroy the land, And to make to tremble the inhabitants of Babylon.

35 A sword on the Chaldeans, saith Jehovah! And on all the inhabitants of Babylon! And on all her princes and on her wise men!

36 A sword on her diviners! and they shall become foolish; A sword on her valiant men! and they shall be terrified;

37 A sword on her horses! and on her chariots! And on her multitude, in the midst of her! They shall be as women; A sword on her treasures! and they shall be plundered;

38 A drought on her waters! and they shall be dried up: For it is the land of carved images, And in idols they glory.

39 Therefore dwell there shall wild birds with wild beasts, And dwell there shall the daughters of ostriches; And it shall not be inhabited any more for ever; It shall not be an habitation to all generations.

40 As in God’s overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, And of their neighboring cities, saith Jehovah, Dwell there shall no man, For shall a son of man abide there.

41 Behold, a people cometh from the north, Even a great nation and many kings Shall be roused from the sides of the earth.

42 On the bow and the shield shall they lay hold, Cruel shall they be, and will shew no mercy; Their voice like the sea shall roar, And on horses shall they ride, Prepared as a man for battle Against thee, daughter of Babylon.

43 Heard has the king of Babylon a report of them, And feeble became his hands; Anxiety laid hold on him, And anguish, like a woman in travail.

44 Behold, as a lion from the swelling of Jordan Will he ascend to the strong habitation: After having made him to rest, I will make him flee from her; And who is the chosen one whom I shall set over her? For who is as I am? And who will protest against me? And who is the shepherd that before me will stand?

45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, Which he hath counseled against Babylon; And his thoughts which he has thought Against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely draw them forth shall the least of the flock, Surely destroyed over them shall be their dwellings.

46 At the sound of Babylon being taken, tremble shall the earth, And a cry among the nations shall be heard.