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Jeremiah 7

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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¹ "A sword against the oracle priests (the babbling liars), and they will become fools! A sword against her mighty warriors, and they will be shattered and destroyed!

² "A sword against their horses and against their chariots And against all the foreign troops that are in her midst, And they will become [as weak and defenseless as] women! A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!

³ "A drought on her waters, and they will dry up! For it is a land of [worthless] idols, And they are mad over fearsome idols [those objects of terror in which they foolishly trust].

⁴ "Therefore[4] wild beasts of the desert will live there [in Babylon] with the jackals; The ostriches also will live there, And it will never again be inhabited [with people] Or lived in from generation to generation.

⁵ "As when God overthrew Sodom And Gomorrah and their neighboring cities," says the LORD, "So no man will live there; Nor shall any son of man live there."

⁶ "Behold, a people is coming from the north, And a great nation and many kings Will be stirring from the remote parts of the earth.

⁷ "They seize their bow and spear; They are cruel and have no compassion. They sound like the roaring of the sea; They ride on horses, Every man equipped like a man [ready] for the battle Against you, O Daughter of Babylon.

⁸ "The king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands fall limp and helpless; Anguish has seized him, And agony like that of a woman in childbirth.

⁹ "See, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan against the enduring habitation [of Babylon] and its watered pastures; for in an instant I will make Babylon run from his land. I will appoint over Babylon the one whom I choose. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me [into court] and prosecute Me [for this]? Who is the [earthly] shepherd who can stand [defiantly] before Me?"

¹⁰ Therefore hear the plan of the LORD which He has devised against Babylon, and hear what He has purposed against [the inhabitants of the land of] the Chaldeans: surely they will be dragged away, [even] the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their habitation desolate because of them.

¹¹ At the shout, "Babylon has been seized!" the earth quakes, and an outcry is heard among the nations.

¹² Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I am going to stir up and put into action [a fury] against Babylon And against the [rebellious] people of Leb-kamai (Chaldea) A destroying wind and hostile spirit;

¹³ "And I will send foreigners to Babylon that they may winnow her And may devastate and empty her land; For in the day of destruction They will be against her on every side.

¹⁴ "Do not let him (the Chaldean defender) who bends his bow bend it, Nor let him rise up in his coat of armor. So do not spare her young men; Devote her entire army to destruction.

¹⁵ "They shall fall down dead in the land of the Chaldeans, And wounded in her streets."

¹⁶ For neither Israel nor Judah has been[1] abandoned By his God, the LORD of hosts, Though their land is full of sin and guilt Before the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁷ Flee out of Babylon, Let every one of you save his life! Do not be destroyed in her punishment, For this is the time of the Lord's vengeance; He is going to pay her what she has earned.

¹⁸ Babylon has been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations have gone mad.

¹⁹ Babylon has suddenly fallen and is shattered! Wail for her [if you care to]! Get balm for her [incurable] pain; Perhaps she may be healed.

²⁰ We would have healed Babylon, but she was not to be healed. Abandon her and let each [captive] return to his own country, For her guilt and judgment have reached to heaven And are lifted up to the very skies.

²¹ The LORD has brought about our vindication and has revealed the righteousness of our cause; Come and let us proclaim in Zion The work of the LORD our God!

²² Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields [and cover yourselves]! The LORD has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the[2] Medes, Because His purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it; For that is the vengeance of the LORD, vengeance [on Babylon] for [plundering and destroying] His temple.

²³ Set up a signal on the walls of Babylon [to spread the news]; Post a strong blockade, Station the guards, Prepare the men for ambush! For the LORD has both purposed and done That which He spoke against the people of Babylon.

²⁴ [O Babylon] you who live by many waters, Rich in treasures, Your end has come, And the line measuring your life is cut.

²⁵ The LORD of hosts has sworn [an oath] by Himself, saying, "Surely I will fill you with men, as with [a swarm of] locusts [who strip the land clean], And they will lift up a song and shout of victory over you."

²⁶ He made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom And stretched out the heavens by His understanding.

²⁷ When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings for the rain And brings out the wind from His storehouses.

²⁸ Every man has become stupid and brutelike, without knowledge [of God]; Every goldsmith is shamed by the cast images he has made; For his molten idols are a lie, And there is no breath [of life] or spirit in them.

²⁹ They are worthless (empty, false, futile), a work of delusion and worthy of derision; In the time of their inspection and punishment they will perish.

³⁰ The Portion of Jacob [the true God of Israel] is not like these [handmade gods]; For He is the Maker of all and the One who formed and fashioned all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance— The LORD of hosts is His name.

³¹ "You [Cyrus of Persia, soon to conquer Babylon] are My battle-axe and weapon of war— For with you I shatter nations, With you I destroy kingdoms.

³² "With you I shatter the horse and his rider, With you I shatter the chariot and its driver,

³³ With you I shatter man and woman, With you I shatter old man and youth, With you I shatter young man and virgin,

³⁴ With you I shatter the shepherd and his flock, With you I shatter the farmer and his yoke of oxen, And with you I shatter governors and commanders.

#	AMP
1	"A sword against the oracle priests (the babbling liars), and they will become fools! A sword against her mighty warriors, and they will be shattered and destroyed!
2	"A sword against their horses and against their chariots And against all the foreign troops that are in her midst, And they will become [as weak and defenseless as] women! A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!
3	"A drought on her waters, and they will dry up! For it is a land of [worthless] idols, And they are mad over fearsome idols [those objects of terror in which they foolishly trust].
4	"Therefore[4] wild beasts of the desert will live there [in Babylon] with the jackals; The ostriches also will live there, And it will never again be inhabited [with people] Or lived in from generation to generation.
5	"As when God overthrew Sodom And Gomorrah and their neighboring cities," says the LORD, "So no man will live there; Nor shall any son of man live there."
6	"Behold, a people is coming from the north, And a great nation and many kings Will be stirring from the remote parts of the earth.
7	"They seize their bow and spear; They are cruel and have no compassion. They sound like the roaring of the sea; They ride on horses, Every man equipped like a man [ready] for the battle Against you, O Daughter of Babylon.
8	"The king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands fall limp and helpless; Anguish has seized him, And agony like that of a woman in childbirth.
9	"See, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan against the enduring habitation [of Babylon] and its watered pastures; for in an instant I will make Babylon run from his land. I will appoint over Babylon the one whom I choose. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me [into court] and prosecute Me [for this]? Who is the [earthly] shepherd who can stand [defiantly] before Me?"
10	Therefore hear the plan of the LORD which He has devised against Babylon, and hear what He has purposed against [the inhabitants of the land of] the Chaldeans: surely they will be dragged away, [even] the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their habitation desolate because of them.
11	At the shout, "Babylon has been seized!" the earth quakes, and an outcry is heard among the nations.
12	Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I am going to stir up and put into action [a fury] against Babylon And against the [rebellious] people of Leb-kamai (Chaldea) A destroying wind and hostile spirit;
13	"And I will send foreigners to Babylon that they may winnow her And may devastate and empty her land; For in the day of destruction They will be against her on every side.
14	"Do not let him (the Chaldean defender) who bends his bow bend it, Nor let him rise up in his coat of armor. So do not spare her young men; Devote her entire army to destruction.
15	"They shall fall down dead in the land of the Chaldeans, And wounded in her streets."
16	For neither Israel nor Judah has been[1] abandoned By his God, the LORD of hosts, Though their land is full of sin and guilt Before the Holy One of Israel.
17	Flee out of Babylon, Let every one of you save his life! Do not be destroyed in her punishment, For this is the time of the Lord's vengeance; He is going to pay her what she has earned.
18	Babylon has been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations have gone mad.
19	Babylon has suddenly fallen and is shattered! Wail for her [if you care to]! Get balm for her [incurable] pain; Perhaps she may be healed.
20	We would have healed Babylon, but she was not to be healed. Abandon her and let each [captive] return to his own country, For her guilt and judgment have reached to heaven And are lifted up to the very skies.
21	The LORD has brought about our vindication and has revealed the righteousness of our cause; Come and let us proclaim in Zion The work of the LORD our God!
22	Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields [and cover yourselves]! The LORD has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the[2] Medes, Because His purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it; For that is the vengeance of the LORD, vengeance [on Babylon] for [plundering and destroying] His temple.
23	Set up a signal on the walls of Babylon [to spread the news]; Post a strong blockade, Station the guards, Prepare the men for ambush! For the LORD has both purposed and done That which He spoke against the people of Babylon.
24	[O Babylon] you who live by many waters, Rich in treasures, Your end has come, And the line measuring your life is cut.
25	The LORD of hosts has sworn [an oath] by Himself, saying, "Surely I will fill you with men, as with [a swarm of] locusts [who strip the land clean], And they will lift up a song and shout of victory over you."
26	He made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom And stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
27	When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings for the rain And brings out the wind from His storehouses.
28	Every man has become stupid and brutelike, without knowledge [of God]; Every goldsmith is shamed by the cast images he has made; For his molten idols are a lie, And there is no breath [of life] or spirit in them.
29	They are worthless (empty, false, futile), a work of delusion and worthy of derision; In the time of their inspection and punishment they will perish.
30	The Portion of Jacob [the true God of Israel] is not like these [handmade gods]; For He is the Maker of all and the One who formed and fashioned all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance— The LORD of hosts is His name.
31	"You [Cyrus of Persia, soon to conquer Babylon] are My battle-axe and weapon of war— For with you I shatter nations, With you I destroy kingdoms.
32	"With you I shatter the horse and his rider, With you I shatter the chariot and its driver,
33	With you I shatter man and woman, With you I shatter old man and youth, With you I shatter young man and virgin,
34	With you I shatter the shepherd and his flock, With you I shatter the farmer and his yoke of oxen, And with you I shatter governors and commanders.

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Jeremiah 7

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