Jeremiah 25

Seventy Years of Captivity

1This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,

2So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as follows:

2which the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and to all those dwelling in Jerusalem, saying:

3“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—twenty-three years—the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

3“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, even to this day—this is the third and twentieth year—the word of YHWH came to me, and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, and you have not listened.

4And the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear.

4And YHWH has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, and you have not listened and you have not inclined your ear to hear—

5The prophets told you, ‘Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and deeds, and you can dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever.

5saying, ‘Repent now, each man from his evil way, and from the evil of his deeds, and dwell in the land that YHWH has given to you and to your fathers, from forever and even to forever.

6Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’

6And do not go after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not bring evil to you.’

7‘But to your own harm, you have not listened to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘so you have provoked Me to anger with the works of your hands.’

7‘And you have not listened to Me,’ a declaration of YHWH, ‘So you have provoked Me to anger by the works of your hands, to bring evil to yourselves.

8Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words,

8Therefore, thus says YHWH of Hosts: ‘Because that you have not heard My words,

9behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.

9behold, I am sending forth and I have taken all the families of the north, a declaration of YHWH, and unto Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant. And will bring them against this land and against its dwellers and against all these surrounding nations, and I will devote them to destruction, and I will give them for a horror and for a hissing and for desolations forever!

10Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.

10And I will make perish from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

11And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

11And all this land will become as a desolation, as a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

12But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.

12And it will come to pass, at the completing of seventy years, that I will visit punishment upon the king of Babylon, upon that nation, a declaration of YHWH, for their iniquity, and upon the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it as a desolation forever.

13I will bring upon that land all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.

13And I will bring upon that land all My words that I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied concerning all the nations.

14For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.’”

14For shall be served by them—even them—even many nations and great kings; and I will repay to them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.’”

The Cup of God’s Wrath

15This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it.

15For thus said YHWH God of Israel to me: “Take the wine of the cup of this fury from My hand, and cause all the nations to drink it, to whom I am sending you.

16And they will drink and stagger and go out of their minds, because of the sword that I will send among them.”

16And they will drink it and stagger about and go raving from the face of the sword that I am sending among them.

17So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand and made all the nations drink from it, each one to whom the LORD had sent me,

17And I took the cup from the hand of YHWH and made all the nations drink from it to whom YHWH had sent me:

18to make them a ruin, an object of horror and contempt and cursing, as they are to this day—Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials;

18Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and its kings and its princes, to make them a desolation, a horror, a hissing, and a curse—as at this day;

19Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officials, his leaders, and all his people;

19Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;

20all the mixed tribes; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;

20and all the mixed multitude, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines—and Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod—

21Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;

21Edom, and Moab, and the sons of Ammon,

22all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea;

22and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the islands that are across the sea,

23Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who cut the corners of their hair;

23and Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all in the cut off corners,

24all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert;

24and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed multitude dwelling in the desert,

25all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media;

25and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,

26all the kings of the north, both near and far, one after another—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshach will drink it too.

26and all the kings of the north, those near and those far, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the earth that are on the face of the earth, and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

27“Then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Drink, get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, because of the sword I will send among you.’

27And you shall say to them, “Thus says YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Drink and become drunk, and vomit, and fall, and you shall stand no more before the face of the sword that I am sending among you.’

28If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘You most certainly must drink it!

28And it will come to pass, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, that you shall say to them, thus says YHWH of Hosts: ‘You shall surely drink!

29For behold, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears My Name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of Hosts.’

29For behold, upon the city that is called by My name, I am beginning to bring evil, and you, will you at all be cleared? You will not be cleared of guilt. For I am calling for a sword upon all those dwelling in the earth! A declaration of YHWH of Hosts.’

30So you are to prophesy all these words against them and say to them:

‘The LORD will roar from on high;

He will raise His voice from His holy habitation.

He will roar loudly over His pasture;

like those who tread the grapes,

He will call out with a shout

against all the inhabitants of the earth.

30And you must prophesy against them all these words, and you are to say to them: ‘YHWH will roar from on high, and from His holy habitation He will give forth His voice; He will roar loudly against His habitation, a shout as of treaders He will give forth unto all those dwelling in the earth.

31The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth

because the LORD brings a charge against the nations.

He brings judgment on all mankind

and puts the wicked to the sword,’”

declares the LORD.

31An uproar will come as far as the ends of the earth; for unto YHWH is a dispute with the nations, He executes judgment for all flesh, and He will give the wicked to the sword!’” A declaration of YHWH.

32This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Behold! Disaster is spreading

from nation to nation;

a mighty storm is rising

from the ends of the earth.”

32Thus says YHWH of Hosts: “Behold, disaster goes forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest is raised up from the sides of the earth.

33Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying on the ground.

33And those slain by YHWH shall be on that day from one end of the earth and to the other end of the earth; They will not be mourned, and not gathered, and not buried—they will be like dung upon the face of the ground!

The Cry of the Shepherds

34Wail, you shepherds, and cry out;

roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.

For the days of your slaughter have come;

you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery.

34Wail, O shepherds, and cry out; and roll, O leaders of the flock! For the days of your slaughter are fulfilled—and of your dispersions—and you will fall like a precious vessel.

35Flight will evade the shepherds,

and escape will elude the leaders of the flock.

35And the place of refuge will perish from the shepherds, and of escape from the leaders of the flock—

36Hear the cry of the shepherds,

the wailing of the leaders of the flock,

for the LORD is destroying their pasture.

36A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and the wailing of the leaders of the flock! For YHWH has spoiled their pasture.

37The peaceful meadows have been silenced

because of the LORD’s burning anger.

37And the peaceable habitations are silenced before the face of the burning nose of YHWH.

38He has left His den like a lion,

for their land has been made a desolation

by the sword of the oppressor,

and because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

38He leaves His lair like the lion, for their land has become as a desolation before the face of the fierceness of the Oppressor, and from the face of the fierceness anger.