70 Heb “Their strength is dry.” This is a figurative nuance of the word “dry” which 677 נָשַׁת Qal.1 explain as meaning “fails.” The idea of “strength to do battle” is implicit from the context and is supplied in the translation here for clarity.
71 Heb “They have become women.” The metaphor has been turned into a simile and the significance of the comparison drawn out for the sake of clarity. See 50:37 for the same figure.
72 Heb “Her dwelling places have been set on fire. Her bars [i.e., the bars on the gates of her cities] have been broken.” The present translation has substituted the word “gates” for “bars” because the intent of the figure is to show that the bars of the gates have been broken giving access to the city. “Gates” makes it easier for the modern reader to understand the figure.
73 Heb “Runner will run to meet runner and …” The intent is to portray a relay of runners carrying the news that follows on in vv. 31d–33 to the king of Babylon. The present translation attempts to spell out the significance.
74 Heb “Runner will run to meet runner and messenger to meet messenger to report to the king of Babylon that his city has been taken in [its] entirety.” There is general agreement among the commentaries that the first two lines refer to messengers converging on the king of Babylon from every direction bringing news the sum total of which is reported in the lines that follow. For the meaning of the last phrase see 892 קָצֶה 3 and compare the usage in Gen 19:4 and Isa 56:11. The sentence has been broken down and restructured to better conform with contemporary English style.
75 The words “They will report that” have been supplied in the translation to show the linkage between this verse and the previous one. This is still a part of the report of the messengers. The meaning of the word translated “reed marshes” has seemed inappropriate to some commentators because it elsewhere refers to “pools.” However, all the commentaries consulted agree that the word here refers to the reedy marshes that surrounded Babylon. (For a fuller discussion regarding the meaning of this word and attempts to connect it with a word meaning “fortress” see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 2:.) Babylon was a city covering over a thousand acres. The city itself was surrounded by two walls, the inner one 21 feet (6.3 m) thick and the outer 11 feet (3.3 m) thick. To provide further security, walls were built to the south and east of the city and irrigation ditches and canals north and east of the city were flooded to prevent direct access to the city. The reference to “fords” here is to the river crossings of the Euphrates River which ran right through the city and the crossings at the ditches and canals. The reference to the “reed marshes” refers to the low lying areas around the city where reeds grew. The burning of the reed marshes would deprive any fugitives of places to hide and flush out any who had already escaped.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting;

they remain in their strongholds;

their strength has failed;

they have become women;

her dwellings are on fire;

her bars are broken.

One runner runs to meet another,

and one messenger to meet another,

to tell the king of Babylon

that his city is taken on every side;

the fords have been seized,

the marshes are burned with fire,

and the soldiers are in panic.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting;

they remain in their strongholds.

Their strength is exhausted;

they have become weaklings.

Her dwellings are set on fire;

the bars of her gates are broken.

One courier follows another

and messenger follows messenger

to announce to the king of Babylon

that his entire city is captured,

the river crossings seized,

the marshes set on fire,

and the soldiers terrified.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting;

they sit in their strongholds.

Their might is exhausted;

they have become like women.

Babylon’s homes have been set ablaze,

her gate bars are shattered.

Messenger races to meet messenger,

and herald to meet herald,

to announce to the king of Babylon

that his city has been captured

from end to end.

The fords have been seized,

the marshes set on fire,

and the fighting men are terrified.

NLTNew Living Translation

Her mightiest warriors no longer fight.

They stay in their barracks, their courage gone.

They have become like women.

The invaders have burned the houses

and broken down the city gates.

The news is passed from one runner to the next

as the messengers hurry to tell the king

that his city has been captured.

All the escape routes are blocked.

The marshes have been set aflame,

and the army is in a panic.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

The warriors of Babylon have ceased to fight,

they remain in the strongholds,

their power has dried up,

they have become as women.

Her dwelling places are set on fire,

her bars are broken.

one runner runs to meet another runner,

and one messenger to meet another messenger,

to tell the king of Babylon that his city has been captured,

from end to end.

And the fords have been seized,

and the reed marshes have been burned with fire,

and the soldiers are horrified.

KJV 1900King James Version

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.

One post shall run to meet another,

And one messenger to meet another,

To shew the king of Babylon

That his city is taken at one end,

And that the passages are stopped,

And the reeds they have burned with fire,

And the men of war are affrighted.

Public Domain