Jeremiah 16:15

16:15 But in that time they will affirm them with ‘I swear as surely as the Lord lives who delivered the people of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other lands where he had banished them.’ At that time I will bring them back to the land I gave their ancestors.” ¹ 

Jeremiah 46:10

46:10 But that day belongs to the Lord God who rules over all. ² 

It is the day when he will pay back his enemies. ³ 

His sword will devour them until its appetite is satisfied!

It will drink their blood until it is full! ⁴ 

For the Lord God who rules over all ⁵  will offer them up as a sacrifice

in the land of the north by the Euphrates River.

Jeremiah 50:9

50:9 For I will rouse into action and bring against Babylon

a host of mighty nations ⁶  from the land of the north.

They will set up their battle lines against her.

They will come from the north and capture her. ⁷ 

Their arrows will be like a skilled soldier ⁸ 

who does not return from the battle empty-handed. ⁹ 

[16:15]  ¹ tn These two verses which constitute one long sentence with compound, complex subordinations has been broken up for sake of English style. It reads, “Therefore, behold the days are coming, says the Lord [Heb ‘oracle of the Lord’] and it will not be said any longer, ‘By the life of the Lord who…Egypt’ but ‘by the life of the Lord who…’ and I will bring them back….”

[46:10]  ² tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh of armies.” See the study note at 2:19 for the translation and significance of this title for God.

[46:10]  ³ sn Most commentators think that this is a reference to the Lord exacting vengeance on Pharaoh Necho for killing Josiah, carrying Jehoahaz off into captivity, and exacting heavy tribute on Judah in 609 b.c. (2 Kgs 23:29, 33-35).

[46:10]  ⁴ tn Or more paraphrastically, “he will kill them/ until he has exacted full vengeance”; Heb “The sword will eat and be sated; it will drink its fill of their blood.”

[46:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh of armies.” See the study note at 2:19 for the translation and significance of this title for God.

[50:9]  ³ sn Some of these are named in Jer 51:27-28.

[50:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “She will be captured from there (i.e., from the north).”

[50:9]  ⁵ tc Read Heb ַָמשְׂכִּיל (moskil) with a number of Hebrew mss and some of the versions in place of מַשְׁכִּיל (mashkil, “one who kills children”) with the majority of Hebrew mss and some of the versions. See BHS note d for the details.

[50:9]  ⁶ tn Or more freely, “Their arrows will be as successful at hitting their mark // as a skilled soldier always returns from battle with plunder.”