Jeremiah 51:11

⁹ “We tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches to the clouds.”

¹⁰ “The LORD has brought forth our vindication; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD our God has accomplished.”

Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the vengeance of the LORD— vengeance for His temple.

¹² Raise a banner against the walls of Babylon; post the guard; station the watchmen; prepare the ambush. For the LORD has both devised and accomplished what He spoke against the people of Babylon.

¹³ You who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the vengeance of the LORD— vengeance for His temple.
KJV: Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.
WEB: “Make the arrows sharp! Hold the shields firmly! The LORD has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it; for it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.
ASV: Make sharp the arrows; hold firm the shields: Jehovah hath stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; because his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it: for it is the vengeance of Jehovah, the vengeance of his temple.
DARBY: Sharpen the arrows; take the shields. Jehovah hath stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; for his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it; for this is the vengeance of Jehovah, the vengeance of his temple.
BLB: Make bright the arrows! Fill the quivers! YHWH has roused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His plan [is] against Babylon to destroy her. For it [is] the vengeance of YHWH, vengeance for His temple.

ÅB: Gjør pilene blanke, grip skjoldene! Herren har vakt mederkongenes ånd; for mot Babel er hans tanke rettet, han vil ødelegge det; for det er Herrens hevn, hevnen for hans tempel.
OTB: «‘Herren av hærskarene har sverget ved seg selv: «Sannelig, jeg vil fylle deg med menn som gresshopper, Og med en slik mengde mennesker at lyden av dem vil forbløffe deg.
B1930: Gjør pilene blanke, grip skjoldene! Herren har vakt mederkongenes ånd; for mot Babel er hans tanke rettet, han vil ødelegge det; for det er Herrens hevn, hevnen for hans tempel.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Jeremiah 46:4
Harness the horses; mount the steeds; take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears; put on armor!
Read in context
Jeremiah 50:45
Therefore hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Babylon and the strategies He has devised against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away; certainly their pasture will be made desolate because of them.
Read in context
Jeremiah 46:9
Advance, O horses! Race furiously, O chariots! Let the warriors come forth— Cush and Put carrying their shields, men of Lydia drawing the bow.
Read in context
Jeremiah 50:9
For behold, I stir up and bring against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north. They will line up against her; from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.
Read in context
Jeremiah 50:14–15
Line up in formation around Babylon, all you who draw the bow! Shoot at her! Spare no arrows! For she has sinned against the LORD.
Read in context
Isaiah 13:17–18
Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold.
Read in context
Zechariah 14:12
And this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
Read in context
Isaiah 41:25
I have raised up one from the north, and he has come— one from the east who calls on My name. He will march over rulers as if they were mortar, like a potter who treads the clay.
Read in context