You have shown your people hard things: you have made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

Good understanding gives favor: but the way of transgressors is hard.

From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

Woe to you that plunder, and you were not plundered; and deal treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with you! when you shall cease to plunder, you shall be plundered; and when you shall make an end of dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with you.

As says the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceeds from the wicked: but my hand shall not be upon you.

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

Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is in them, shall sing for Babylon: for the plunderers shall come unto her from the north, says the LORD.

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

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

He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Lift up a banner upon the high mountain, raise the voice unto them, wave the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like that of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts musters the army of the battle.

Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all you that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she has sinned against the LORD.

Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,

Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance for his temple.

Set you up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts.

Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, their captains, and all their rulers, and all the land of their dominion.

PERES; Your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

The ram which you saw having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cling to the house of Jacob.

And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear, and from the hard bondage in which you were made to serve.

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

I was angry with my people, I have profaned my inheritance, and given them into your hand: you did show them no mercy; upon the aged have you very heavily laid your yoke.

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, says the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that sneers at him.

Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you; according to the greatness of your power preserve you those that are appointed to die;

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for grain, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spoke against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my heart is troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, says the LORD.

For I have fully satisfied the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.

You did say, Woe is me now! for the LORD has added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.

Against him that bends let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifts himself up in his armor: and spare you not her young men; destroy you utterly all her army.

Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.

Let all their wickedness come before you; and do unto them, as you have done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

Rejoice not against me, O my enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.

Then she that is my enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her who said unto me, Where is the LORD your God? my eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

And I am very much displeased with the nations that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they furthered the disaster.

Therefore thus says the LORD; I have returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, says the LORD of hosts, and a measuring line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.