Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Babylon’s thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire; the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.” New Living Translation This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: “The thick walls of Babylon will be leveled to the ground, and her massive gates will be burned. The builders from many lands have worked in vain, for their work will be destroyed by fire!” English Standard Version “Thus says the LORD of hosts: The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples labor for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire.” Berean Standard Bible This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Babylon’s thick walls will be leveled, and her high gates consumed by fire. So the labor of the people will be for nothing; the nations will exhaust themselves to fuel the flames.” King James Bible Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary. New King James Version Thus says the LORD of hosts: “The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, And her high gates shall be burned with fire; The people will labor in vain, And the nations, because of the fire; And they shall be weary.” New American Standard Bible This is what the LORD of armies says: “The broad wall of Babylon will be completely demolished, And her high gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will labor for nothing, And the nations become exhausted only for fire.” NASB 1995 Thus says the LORD of hosts, “The broad wall of Babylon will be completely razed And her high gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will toil for nothing, And the nations become exhausted only for fire.” NASB 1977 Thus says the LORD of hosts, “The broad wall of Babylon will be completely razed, And her high gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will toil for nothing, And the nations become exhausted only for fire.” Legacy Standard Bible Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “The broad wall of Babylon will be completely razed, And her high gates will be set on fire; So the peoples will toil for nothing, And the nations become weary only for fire.” Amplified Bible Thus says the LORD of hosts, “The broad wall of Babylon will be completely overthrown and the foundations razed And her high gates will be set on fire; The peoples will labor in vain, And the nations become exhausted [only] for fire [that will destroy their work].” Christian Standard Bible This is what the LORD of Armies says: Babylon’s thick walls will be totally demolished, and her high gates set ablaze. The peoples will have labored for nothing; the nations will weary themselves only to feed the fire. Holman Christian Standard Bible This is what Yahweh of Hosts says: Babylon’s thick walls will be totally demolished, and her high gates consumed by fire. The peoples will have labored for nothing; the nations will exhaust themselves only to feed the fire. American Standard Version Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly overthrown, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the peoples shall labor for vanity, and the nations for the fire; and they shall be weary. Contemporary English Version The thick walls of that city will be torn down, and its huge gates burned. Everything that nation worked so hard to gain will go up in smoke. English Revised Version Thus saith the LORD of hosts: The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly overthrown, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the peoples shall labour for vanity, and the nations for the fire; and they shall be weary. GOD'S WORD® Translation This is what the LORD of Armies says: The thick walls of Babylon will be leveled, and its high gates will be set on fire. People exhaust themselves for nothing. The nations wear themselves out only to have a fire. Good News Translation The walls of mighty Babylon will be thrown to the ground, and its towering gates burned down. The work of the nations is all for nothing; their efforts go up in flames. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken." International Standard Version This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "The broad wall of Babylon will be completely leveled, and its high gate set on fire. and so the peoples toil for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire." Majority Standard Bible This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Babylon’s thick walls will be leveled, and her high gates consumed by fire. So the labor of the people will be for nothing; the nations will exhaust themselves to fuel the flames.” NET Bible This is what the LORD who rules over all says, "Babylon's thick wall will be completely demolished. Her high gates will be set on fire. The peoples strive for what does not satisfy. The nations grow weary trying to get what will be destroyed." New Heart English Bible Thus says the LORD of hosts: "The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly overthrown, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the peoples shall labor for vanity, and the nations for the fire; and they shall be weary." Webster's Bible Translation Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labor in vain, and the people in the fire, and they shall be weary. World English Bible Yahweh of Armies says: “The wide walls of Babylon will be utterly overthrown. Her high gates will be burned with fire. The peoples will labor for vanity, and the nations for the fire; and they will be weary.” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionThus said YHWH of Hosts: The wall of Babylon—The broad one—is made utterly bare, "" And her high gates are burned with fire, "" And peoples labor in vain, "" And nations in fire, and have been weary!” Young's Literal Translation Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, the wall of Babylon -- The broad one -- is utterly made bare, And her high gates with fire are burnt, And peoples labour in vain, And nations in fire, and have been weary! Smith's Literal Translation Thus said Jehovah of armies: The broad walls of Babel being demolished, shall be demolished, and her high gates shall be burnt in fire; the peoples shall labor in vain, the nations for the fire, and they shall be weary. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThus saith the Lord of hosts: That broad wall of Babylon shall be utterly broken down, and her high gates shall be burnt with fire, and the labours of the people shall come to nothing, and of the nations shall go to the fire, and shall perish. Catholic Public Domain Version Thus says the Lord of hosts: “That very wide wall of Babylon will be utterly overturned, and her exalted gates will be burned with fire, and the labors of the people will be as nothing, and the labors of the nations will be sent into the fire and will perish.” New American Bible Thus says the LORD of hosts: The walls of spacious Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, its lofty gates destroyed by fire. The toil of the peoples is for nothing; the nations weary themselves for what the flames consume. New Revised Standard Version Thus says the LORD of hosts: The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThus says the LORD of hosts: The broad walls of Babylon shall surely be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labor in vain, and the nations shall be weary with fire. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Thus says LORD JEHOVAH of Hosts: “The broad walls of Babel shall surely be overthrown, and its high gates shall burn up in fire and the nations shall labor for nothing, and the peoples shall be afflicted in fire OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Thus saith the LORD of hosts: The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly overthrown, And her high gates shall be burned with fire; And the peoples shall labour for vanity, And the nations for the fire; And they shall be weary. Brenton Septuagint Translation Thus saith the Lord, The wall of Babylon was made broad, but it shall be completely broken down, and her high gates shall be burnt with fire; and the peoples shall not labour in vain, nor the nations fail in their rule. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Babylon's Punishment…57I will make her princes and wise men drunk, along with her governors, officials, and warriors. Then they will fall asleep forever and not wake up,” declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts. 58This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Babylon’s thick walls will be leveled, and her high gates consumed by fire. So the labor of the people will be for nothing; the nations will exhaust themselves to fuel the flames.” Cross References Revelation 18:2-3 And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast. / All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.” Isaiah 13:19-22 And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. / She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there. / But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. ... Revelation 18:21 Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again. Isaiah 47:1-3 “Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of the Chaldeans! For you will no longer be called tender or delicate. / Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams. / Your nakedness will be uncovered and your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.” Revelation 18:10 In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” Isaiah 14:22-23 “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will cut off from Babylon her name and her remnant, her offspring and her posterity,” declares the LORD. / “I will make her a place for owls and for swamplands; I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of Hosts. Revelation 18:17-19 For in a single hour such fabulous wealth has been destroyed!” Every shipmaster, passenger, and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand at a distance / and cry out at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. “What city was ever like this great city?” they will exclaim. / Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.” Isaiah 21:9 Look, here come the riders, horsemen in pairs.” And one answered, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon! All the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground!” Revelation 14:8 Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.” Isaiah 45:1-2 This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut: / “I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. Revelation 16:19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath. Isaiah 46:1-2 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal. / The gods cower; they crouch together, unable to relieve the burden; but they themselves go into captivity. Revelation 17:5 And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Isaiah 48:14 Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out His desire against Babylon, and His arm will be against the Chaldeans. Revelation 18:8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” Treasury of Scripture Thus said the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labor in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary. The broad walls of babylon. Jeremiah 51:44 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. Jeremiah 50:15 Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her. broken. Jeremiah 51:30 The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken. Isaiah 45:1,2 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; … the people Jeremiah 51:9,64 We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies… Psalm 127:1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Isaiah 65:23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. Jump to Previous Armies Babylon Babylon's Broad Broken Burned Completely Exhausted Fire Flames Folk Fuel Gates High Hosts Labor Nations Overthrown Peoples Razed Themselves Thick Toil Utterly Vain Vanity Wall Walls WearyJump to Next Armies Babylon Babylon's Broad Broken Burned Completely Exhausted Fire Flames Folk Fuel Gates High Hosts Labor Nations Overthrown Peoples Razed Themselves Thick Toil Utterly Vain Vanity Wall Walls WearyJeremiah 51 1. The severe judgment of God against Babylon, in revenge of Israel59. Jeremiah delivers the book of this prophecy to Seraiah, to be cast into Euphrates, 64. in token of the perpetual sinking of Babylon “Thus says the LORD of Hosts” This phrase introduces a divine proclamation, emphasizing the authority and power of God. The title "LORD of Hosts" (Hebrew: Yahweh Sabaoth) underscores God's sovereignty over all heavenly and earthly armies. It is a reminder of His ultimate control and the assurance that His words are not mere human predictions but divine certainties. This sets the tone for the seriousness and inevitability of the message that follows. “The broad walls of Babylon” “will be leveled,” “and her high gates” “will be set on fire;” “the peoples labor for nothing;” “the nations exhaust themselves in vain.” The people shall labour in vain.--The words are all but verbally identical, in some MSS. absolutely so, with those of Habakkuk 2:13. In both the thought is that the stately edifices which had been raised with so much toil by the slave-labour of Nebuchadnezzar's subjects and captives should all be fruitless. The walls of Babylon are described by Herod. (1, 173), possibly with some exaggeration, as 50 cubits (= 75 feet) thick and 200 high. Verse 58. - The broad walls of Babylon... and her high gates. See Herod., 1:179, 181, and the parallel accounts from other authors, cited by Duncker ('Hist. of Antiquity,' 3:373, etc.), who taxes Herodotus with exaggeration, but admits as probable that the walls were not less than forty feet broad. Utterly broken; rather, destroyed even to the ground (literally, made bare). The people; rather, peoples.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew This is whatכֹּֽה־ (kōh-) Adverb Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now the LORD יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel of Hosts צְבָא֗וֹת (ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ) Noun - common plural Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign says: אָמַ֞ר (’ā·mar) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say “Babylon’s בָּבֶ֤ל (bā·ḇel) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 894: Babylon -- an eastern Mediterranean empire and its capital city thick הָֽרְחָבָה֙ (hā·rə·ḥā·ḇāh) Article | Adjective - feminine singular Strong's 7342: Wide, broad walls חֹ֠מוֹת (ḥō·mō·wṯ) Noun - feminine plural construct Strong's 2346: A wall of protection will be leveled, עַרְעֵ֣ר (‘ar·‘êr) Verb - Piel - Infinitive absolute Strong's 6209: To bare, to demolish and her high הַגְּבֹהִ֖ים (hag·gə·ḇō·hîm) Article | Adjective - masculine plural Strong's 1364: Elevated, powerful, arrogant gates וּשְׁעָרֶ֥יהָ (ū·šə·‘ā·re·hā) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate consumed יִצַּ֑תּוּ (yiṣ·ṣat·tū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 3341: To burn, set on fire, to desolate by fire. בָּאֵ֣שׁ (bā·’êš) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - common singular Strong's 784: A fire So the labor וְיִֽגְע֨וּ (wə·yiḡ·‘ū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 3021: To gasp, to be exhausted, to tire, to toil of the people עַמִּ֧ים (‘am·mîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock will be for nothing; רִ֛יק (rîq) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 7385: Emptiness, a worthless thing, in vain the nations וּלְאֻמִּ֥ים (ū·lə·’um·mîm) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 3816: A community will exhaust themselves וְיָעֵֽפוּ׃ (wə·yā·‘ê·p̄ū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Strong's 3286: To be weary, faint to fuel the flames.” אֵ֖שׁ (’êš) Noun - common singular Strong's 784: A fire Links Jeremiah 51:58 NIVJeremiah 51:58 NLT Jeremiah 51:58 ESV Jeremiah 51:58 NASB Jeremiah 51:58 KJV Jeremiah 51:58 BibleApps.com Jeremiah 51:58 Biblia Paralela Jeremiah 51:58 Chinese Bible Jeremiah 51:58 French Bible Jeremiah 51:58 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Jeremiah 51:58 Thus says Yahweh of Armies: The broad (Jer.) |