cast me out.

35. The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and, My blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.

36. Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.

37. And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for dragons, an astonishment, and a hissing without an inhabitant.

38. They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lions' whelps.

39. In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD.

40. I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he-goats.

41. How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!

42. The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.

43. Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.

44. And I will punish Bel in Babylon; and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him; yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.

45. My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.

46. And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard in the land: a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.

47. Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.

48. Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the LORD.

49. As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.

50. Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD

mind.

51. We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces; for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house.

52. Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images; and through all her land the wounded shall groan.

53. Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

54. A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans:

55. Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:

56. Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken; every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of recompenses shall surely requite.

57. And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

58. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burnt with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be

weary.

59. The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince.

60. So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon.

61. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words,

62. Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.

63. And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:

64. And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I

will bring upon her, and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

CHAP. LII.

1 Zedekiah rebelleth. 4 Jerusalem is besieged and taken. EDEKIAH was one and twenty

14. And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.

15. Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the

he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2. And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

3. For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4. And it came to pass, in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.

5. So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

6. And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

7. Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about;) and they went by the way of the plain.

8. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

9. Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah, in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.

10. And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

11. Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

16. But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land, for vine-dressers and for husbandmen.

17. Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

18. The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass, wherewith they ministered, took they away.

19. And the basons, and the fire-pans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups; that which was of gold in gold, and that which was of silver in silver, took the captain of the guard away.

20. The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brazen bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the house of the LORD: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

21. And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow.

22. And a chapiter of brass was upon it; and the height of one chapiter was five cubits, with net-work and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all of brass: the second pillar also and the pomegranates were like unto these.

23. And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the net-work were a hundred round about.

24. And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:

13. And burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burnt he with fire.

and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.

26. So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the

guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

27. And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah, in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.

28. This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: In the seventh year, three thousand Jews and three and twenty:

29. In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons: 30. In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.

1. HOW

2. She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they are become her enemies.

3. Judah is gone into captivity, because of affliction, and because of great servitude; she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.

4. The ways of Zion do mourn, because || none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate; her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

5. Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the

enemy.

6. And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture; and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

7. Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction, and of her miseries, all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.

8. Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her

10. The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.

11. All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile. 12. Is it nothing to you, all that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

ye

13. From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet; he hath turned me back; he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.

14. The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand; they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck; he hath made my strength to fall; the LORD hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.

15. The LORD hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me; he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the LORD hath trodden the vir gin, the daughter of Judah, as in a wine-press.

16. For these things I weep: mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is

far from me; my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.

destroyed his places on the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised, in the indignation of his anger, the king and the priest.

19. I called for my lovers, but they deceived me; my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.

20. Behold, O LORD, for I am in distress; my bowels are troubled: my heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

21. They have heard that I sigh; there is none to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me. 22. Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

1.

HOW

CHAP. II.

Jeremiah lamenteth the misery of Jerusalem. TOW hath the LORD covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger! 2. The LORD hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof. 3. He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.

4. He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.

5. The LORD was as an enemy; he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces; he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.

6. And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden; he hath

8. The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion; he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.

9. Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars; her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD.

10. The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.

11. Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the suckling swoon in the streets of the city.

12. They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom.

13. What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea; who can heal thee?

14. Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee; and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens, and causes of banishment.

15. All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?

16. All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

17. The LORD hath done that which he

had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee; he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.

18. Their heart cried unto the LORD, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease. 19. Arise, cry out in the night; in the beginning of the watches pour out thy heart like water before the face of the LORD: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.

20. Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the LORD?

21. The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied.

22. Thou hast called, as in a solemn day, my terrors round about; so that in the day of the LORD's anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.

CHAP. III.

1 The prophet bewaileth his own calamities: 37 His humble confession of sins.

1.

AM the man that hath seen affliction

"I by the rod of his wrath.

2. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.

3. Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day. 4. My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.

5. He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.

6. He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.

7. He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.

8. Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

9. He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone; he hath made my paths crooked.

10. He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.

11. He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.

12. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

13. He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

14. I was a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.

15. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. 16. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel-stones, he hath covered me with ashes. 17. And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. 18. And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD:

19. Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20. My soul hath them still in remem brance, and is humbled in me.

21. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

22. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

24. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

25. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

27. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

28. He sítteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. 29. He putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

30. He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him he is filled full with reproach.

31. For the LORD will not cast off for ever: 32. But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude

of his mercies.