rd

Jeremiah 51

1 Why Babylon is deſtroyed. 41 The vaine confidence of the Babylonians. 47 The vanitie of idolaters. 59 Ieremiah giueth his boke to Seraiáh.
1.THus ſaith the Lord, Beholde, I wil raiſe vp againſt Babél, and againſt the inhabitants that lift vp their heart againſt me, a deſtroying winde,
2.And wil ſend vnto Babél fanners that ſhal fanne her, and ſhal emptie her land: for in ye day of trouble thei ſhalbe againſt her on euerie ſide.
3.Alſo to the bender that bendeth his bowe, and to him that lifteth him ſelf vp in his brigandine, wil I ſay, Spare not her yong men, but deſtroye all her hoſte.
4.Thus the ſlaine ſhal fall in the lãd of the Caldeans, and they that are thruſt through in her ſtretes.
5.For Iſraél hathe bene no widow, nor Iudáh from his God, from the Lord of hoſtes, thogh their lãd was filled with ſinne againſt the holy one of Iſraél.
6.Flee out of the middes of Babél, & deliuer euerie mã his ſoule: be not deſtroyed in her iniquitie: for this is the time of the Lords vengeance: he wil rendre vnto her a recompence.
7.Babél hathe bene as a golden cuppe in the Lords hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nacions haue drunken of her wine, therefore do the nacions rage.
8.Babél is ſuddély fallen, & deſtroied: howle for her, bring balme for her ſore, if ſhe may be healed.
9.We wolde haue cured Babél, but ſhe colde not be healed: forſake her, and let vs go euerie one into his owne countreie: for her iudgement is come vp vnto heauen, & is lifted vp to the cloudes.
10.The Lord hathe broght forthe our righteouſnes: come and let vs declare in Zión the worke of the Lord our God.
11.Make bright the arrowes: gather ye ſhildes: the Lord hathe raiſed vp the ſpirit of the King of the Medes: for his purpoſe is againſt Babél to deſtroye it, becauſe it is the vengeance of the Lord, and the vengeance of his Temple.
12.Set vp the ſtandart vpon the walles of Babél, make the watche ſtrong: ſet vp the watchmen: prepare the ſkoutes: for the Lord hathe bothe deuiſed, and done that which he ſpake againſt the inhabitants of Babél.
13.O thou that dwelleſt vpõ many waters, abundant in treaſures, thine end is come, euen the end of thy couetouſnes.
14.The Lord of hoſtes hathe ſworne by him ſelfe, ſaying, Surely I wil fil thee with men, as with caterpillers, and thei ſhal crye and ſhoute againſt thee.
15.He hathe made the earth by his power, and eſtabliſhed the worlde by his wiſdome, and hathe ſtretched out the heauen by his diſcretion.
16.He giueth by his voice the multitude of waters in the heauen, and he cauſeth the cloudes to aſcend fró the ends of ye earth: he turneth lightnings to raine, and bringeth forthe the winde out of his treaſures.
17.Euerie man is a beaſt by his owne knowledge: euerie founder is cõfounded by the grauen image: for his melting is but falſehod and there is no breth therein.
18.Thei are vanitie, & the worke of errors: in the time of their viſitacion they ſhal periſh.
19.The porcion of Iaakób is not like them: for he is the maker of all things, and Iſraél is the rod of his inheritance: the Lord of hoſtes is his Name.
20.Thou art mine hammer, and weapons of warre: for with thee wil I breake the nations, and with thee wil I deſtroye kingdomes,
21.And by thee wil I breake horſe and horſeman, and by thee wil I breake the charet and him that rideth therein.
22.By thee alſo wil I breake man & womã, and by thee wil I breake olde and yong, and by thee wil I breake the yong man & the maid.
23.I wil alſo breake by thee the ſhepherd & his flocke, & by thee wil I breake the houſbandman and his yoke of oxen, & by thee wil I breake the dukes and princes.
24.And I wil rẽdre vnto Babél, & to all the inhabitants of the Caldeans all their euil, that thei haue done in Zión, euen in your ſight, ſaith the Lord.
25.Beholde, I come vnto thee, ô deſtroying mountaine, ſaith the Lord, which deſtroieſt all the earth: and I wil ſtretch out mine hand vpon thee, and roll thee downe from the rockes, & wil make thee a burnt mountaine.
26.Thei ſhal not take of thee a ſtone for a corner, nor a ſtone for fundaciõs, but thou ſhalt be deſtroied for euer, ſaith the Lord.
27.Set vp a ſtandart in the land: blowe the trumpets among the nacions: prepare the naciõs againſt her: call vp the kingdomes of Ararát, Minnî, and Aſhchenáz againſt her: appoint the prince againſt her: cauſe horſes to come vp as the rough caterpillers.
28.Prepare againſt her the nacions with the Kings of the Medes, the dukes thereof, & the princes thereof, and all the land of his dominion.
29.And the land ſhal tremble & ſorowe: for the deuiſe of the Lord ſhal be performed againſt Babél, to make the land of Babél waſte without an inhabitant.
30.The ſtrõg men of Babél haue ceaſed to fight: thei haue remained in their holdes: their ſtrength hathe failed, and thei were like women: thei haue burnt her dwelling places, and her barres are broken.
31.A poſt ſhal runne to mete the poſt, and a meſſenger to mete the meſſenger, to ſhewe the King of Babél, that his citie is taken on a ſide thereof,
32.And that the paſſages are ſtopped, and ye redes burnt with fyre, and the mẽ of warre troubled.
33.For thus ſaith ye Lord of hoſtes the God of Iſraél, The daughter of Babél is like a threſſhing floore: the time of her threſſhing is come: yet a litle while, and the time of her harueſt ſhalcome.
34.Nebuchad-nezzár ye King of Babél hathe deuoured me, & deſtroied me: he hathe made me an emptie veſſel: he ſwalowed me vp like a dragon, and filled his belie with my delicates, & hathe caſt me out.
35.The ſpoile of me, & that which was left of me, is broght vnto Babél, ſhal the inhabitant of Zión ſay: and my blood vnto the inhabitants of Caldea, ſhal Ieruſalém ſay.
36.Therefore thus ſaith the Lord, Beholde, I wil mainteine thy cauſe, and take vengeance for thee, and I wil drye vp the ſea, and drye vp her ſprings.
37.And Babél ſhal be as heapes, a dwelling place for dragons, an aſtoniſhment, and an hiſsing, without an inhabitant.
38.Thei ſhal roare together like lions, and yell as the lions whelpes.
39.In their heat I wil make them feaſtes, and I wil make them drunken, that they may reioice, and ſlepe a perpetual ſlepe, and not wake, ſaith the Lord.
40.I wil bring them downe like lambes to the ſlaughter, & like rams and goates.
41.How is Sheſhách taken! and how is the glorie of the whole earth taken! how is Babél become an aſtoniſhement among the nacions!
42.The ſea is come vp vpon Babél: ſhe is couered with the multitude of the waues thereof.
43.Her cities are deſolate: the land is drye & a wildernes, a land wherein no mã dwelleth, nether doeth the ſonne of man paſſe thereby.
44.I wil alſo viſite Bel in Babél, and I wil bring out of his mouth, that which he hathe ſwallowed vp, and the nacions ſhal runne no more vnto him, and the wall of Babél ſhal fall.
45.My people, go out of the middes of her, & deliuer ye euerie man his ſoule frõ the fierce wrath of the Lord,
46.Left your heart euen faint, and ye feare the rumour, that ſhalbe heard in the land: the rumour ſhal come this yere, and after that in the other yere ſhal come a rumour, and crueltie in the land, and ruler againſt ruler.
47.Therefore beholde, the dayes come, that I wil viſite the images of Babél, and the whole land ſhal be confounded, & all her ſlaine ſhal fall in the middes of her.
48.Then the heauen and the earth, and all that is therein, ſhal reioice for Babél: for the deſtroyers ſhal come vnto her frõ the North, ſaith the Lord.
49.As Babél cauſed the ſlaine of Iſraél to fall, ſo by Babél the ſlaine of all the earth did fall.
50.Ye that haue eſcaped the ſworde, go away, ſtande not ſtil: remembre the Lord afarre of, & let Ieruſalém come into your minde.
51.We are confounded becauſe we haue heard reproche: ſhame hathe couered our face, for ſtrangers are come into the ſanctuaries of the Lords Houſe.
52.Wherefore beholde, the daies come, ſaith the Lord, that I wil viſite her grauen images, and through all her land the wounded ſhal grone.
53.Thogh Babél ſhulde mounte vp to heauẽ, & thogh ſhe ſhulde defẽd her ſtrẽgth on hie, yet from me ſhal her deſtroiers come.
54.A ſounde of a crye cometh frõ Babél, and great deſtruction from the land of the Caldeans.
55.Becauſe the Lord hathe laid Babél waſte and deſtroied, from her the great voyce, & her waues ſhal roare like great waters, and a ſounde was made by their noice.
56.Becauſe the deſtroier is come vpon her, euen vpon Babél, and her ſtrong men are taken, their bowes are broken: for the Lord God that recompenceth, ſhal ſurely recompence.
57.And I wil make drunke her princes, and her wiſe men, her dukes, and her nobles, & her ſtrong men: & thei ſhal ſlepe a perpetual ſlepe, and not wake, ſaith the King, whoſe Name is the Lord of hoſtes.
58.Thus ſaith ye Lord of hoſtes, The thicke wall of Babél ſhalbe broken, and her hye gates ſhalbe burnt with fyre, and the people ſhal labour in vaine, and the folke in the fyre, for thei ſhalbe weary.
59.The worde which Ieremiáh the Prophet commanded Sheraiáh the ſonne of Neriiah, the ſonne of Maaſeiáh, when he went with Zedekiáh the King of Iudáh into Babél, in the fourth yere of his reigne: and this Sheraiáh was a peaceable prince.
60.So Ieremiáh wrote in a boke all the euil that ſhulde come vpon Babél: euen all theſe things, that are writen againſt Babél.
61.And Ieremiáh ſaid to Sheraiáh, When thou comeſt vnto Babél, and ſhalt ſe, and ſhalt read all theſe wordes,
62.Then ſhalt thou ſay, O Lord, thou haſt ſpokẽ againſt this place, to deſtroie it, that none ſhulde remaine in it, nether man nor beaſt, but yt it ſhulde be deſolate for euer.
63.And when thou haſt made an end of reading this boke, thou ſhalt binde a ſtone to it, and caſt it in the middes of Euphrates,
64.And ſhalt ſay, Thus ſhal Babél be drowned, and ſhal not riſe from the euil, that I wil bring vpõ her: and thei ſhal be wearie. Thus farre are ye wordes of Ieremiáh.

Notes

1:".
Or, of the land that riſeth vp.
1:a.
The Medes, and Perſians, yt ſhal deſtroye them as the winde doeth ye chaffe.
5:b.
Thogh they were forſaken for a time, yet they were not vtterly caſt of as thogh their houſband were dead.
6:*.
Chap. 50,8. reuel. 18,4.
6:c.
He ſheweth that there remaineth nothing for them that abide in Babylon, but deſtruction.
7:d.
By whome ye Lord powred out the drinke of his vengeãce, to whome it pleaſed him
7:e.
For ye great affliction that thei haue felt by the Babylonians.
8:*.
Iſa 21,9. reuel 14,8.
9:f.
As ye people of God exhorte one another to go to Zión and praiſe God.
10:g.
In approuing our cauſe and puniſhing our enemies.
11:".
Or, fil, or multiplie.
11:h.
For the wrong done to his people and to his Temple.
11:*.
Chap 50,28.
13:i.
For ye land of Caldea was ful of riuers wc ran into Euphrates.
13:".
Or, meaſure.
14:".
Ebr. his ſoule.
14:*.
Amos. 6,8.
15:*.
Chap. 10,12.
17:k.
Read Chap. 10,14.
18:l.
When God ſhal execute his vengeance.
19:m.
That is, the true God of Iſraél is not like to theſe idoles: for he can helpe when all things are deſperate.
20:n.
He meaneth the Medes and Perſians, as he did before call the Babylonians his hammer, Chap. 50, 23.
25:o.
Not that Babylon ſtode on a mountaine, but becauſe it was ſtrong and ſemed inuincible
26:p.
From thy ſtrong holdes and fortereſſes
27:q.
By theſe thre nations he meaneth Armenia the hier, and Armenia the lower, and Sythia: for Cyrus had gathered an armie of diuers nacions.
31:r.
By turning the courſe of the riuer one ſide was made open, and the reedes that did growe in the waters, were deſtroied which Cyrus did by the counſel of Gobria & Gabatha Belſhazzars captaines
33:s.
When ſhe ſhalbe cut vp and threſhed
34:t.
This is ſpoken in the perſone of the Iewes bewayling their ſtate and the crueltie of the Babylonians
36:u.
Thus the Lord eſtemeth the iniurie done to his Church as done to him ſelf, becauſe their cauſe is his.
39:x.
When thei are inflamed with ſurfeting and drinking, I wil feaſt with them, alluding to Belſhazzars bãket, Dan. 5,2.
41:y.
Meaning Babél, as Chap. 25,26.
42:z.
The great armie of the Medes and Perſians
44:a.
That is, his giftes & preſents which he had receiued as part of the ſpoile of other nacions, and wc the idolaters broght vnto him from all countreys.
45:b.
Meaning, yt Babylon ſhuld not be deſtroied all at once, but by litle & litle ſhulde be broght to nothing: for the firſt yere came the tydings, ye next yere the ſiege, and in the thirde yere it was taken: yet this is not that horrible deſtructiõ wc the Prophetes threatened î manie places: for that was after this, whẽ they rebelled and Darius ouercame thẽ by the policie of Zopirus and hanged thre thouſand gentlemen beſides the cõmune people.
48:c.
All creatures in heauẽ & earth ſhal reioice and praiſe God for the deſtruction of Babylon the great enemie of his Churche
49:d.
Babylon did not onely deſtroy Iſraél, but many other nacions
50:e.
Ye that are now captiues in Babylon: ſhe ſheweth how they ſhuld remembre Ieruſalém by lamenting the miſerable affliction thereof:
53:f.
For the walles were two hundreth foote hie.
57:h.
I wil ſo aſtoniſh thẽ by afflictions that thei ſhal not know wc waye to turne them.
58:i.
The thicknes of the walle was fiftie foote thicke.
59:k.
This was not in the time of his captiuitie, but ſeuen yeres before, when he went ether to gratulat Nebuchadnezzar or to intreat of ſome matters.
63:l.
S. Iohn in his reuelacion alludeth to this place when he ſaith that the Angel toke a milleſtone and caſt into the ſea: ſignifying thereby the deſtruction of Babylon, Reuel. 18,21.
64:m.
Thei ſhal not be able to reſiſt, but ſhal labour in vaine