Jeremiah 25

1 This 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.

The word that hath been unto Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, — it [is] the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, —

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

Which Jeremiah the prophet hath spoken concerning all the people of Judah, even unto all the inhabitants of 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.

'From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, and unto this day — this three and twentieth year — hath the word of Jehovah been unto me, and I speak unto you, rising early and speaking, and ye have not hearkened;

4 And 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.

And Jehovah hath sent unto you all His servants, the prophets, rising early and sending, and ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear, saying:

5 The 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.

'Turn back, I pray you, each from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell on the ground that Jehovah hath given to you and to your fathers from age unto age,

6 Do 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.’

And ye do not go after other gods to serve them, and to bow yourselves to them, nor do ye provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I do no 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.’

And ye have not hearkened unto Me — an affirmation of Jehovah — so as to provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands for evil to you.

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

'Therefore thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Because that ye have not obeyed My words,

9 behold, 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.

Lo, I am sending, and have taken all the families of the north — an affirmation of Jehovah — even unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and have brought them in against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations round about, and have devoted them, and appointed them for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for wastes age-during.

10 Moreover, 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.

And I have destroyed from them the voice of rejoicing, and the voice of joy, voice of bridegroom and voice of bride, noise of millstones, and the light of lamps.

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

And all this land hath been for a waste, for an astonishment, and these nations have served the king of Babylon seventy years.

12 But 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.

'And it hath come to pass, at the fulness of seventy years, I charge against the king of Babylon, and against that nation — an affirmation of Jehovah — their iniquity, and against the land of the Chaldeans, and have appointed it for desolations age-during.

13 I 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.

And I have brought in on that land all My words that I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book, that Jeremiah hath prophesied concerning all the nations.

14 For 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.’”

For laid service on them — also them — have many nations and great kings, and I have given recompence to them according to their doing, and according to the work of their hands.

15 This 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.

'For thus said Jehovah God of Israel unto me, Take the wine cup of this fury out of My hand, and thou hast caused all the nations to drink it unto whom I am sending thee;

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

And they have drunk, and shaken themselves and shewn themselves foolish, because of the sword that I am sending among them.

17 So 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,

'And I take the cup out of the hand of Jehovah, and cause all the nations to drink unto whom Jehovah sent me:

18 to 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;

Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, And its kings, its heads, To give them to waste, to astonishment, To hissing, and to reviling, as [at] this day.

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

Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, And his heads, and all his people,

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

And all the mixed people, And all the kings of the land of Uz, And all the kings of the land of the Philistines, And Ashkelon, and Gazzah, and Ekron, And the remnant of Ashdod,

21 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;

Edom, and Moab, and the sons of Ammon,

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

And all the kings of Tyre, And all the kings of Zidon, And the kings of the isle that [is] beyond the sea,

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

Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, And all cutting the corners [of the beard],

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

And all the kings of Arabia, And all the kings of the mixed people, Who are dwelling in the wilderness,

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

And all the kings of Zimri, And all the kings of Elam, And all the kings of Media,

26 all 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.

And all the kings of the north, The near and the far off, one unto another, And all the kingdoms of the earth, That [are] on the face of the ground, And king Sheshach drinketh 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.’

And thou hast said unto them: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts God of Israel, Drink ye, yea drink abundantly, And vomit, and fall, and rise not, Because of the sword that I am sending among you.

28 If 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!

And it hath come to pass, When they refuse to receive the cup out of thy hand to drink, That thou hast said unto them: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Ye do certainly drink.

29 For 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.’

For lo, in the city over which My name is called, I am beginning to do evil, And ye — ye are entirely acquitted! Ye are not acquitted, for a sword I am proclaiming, For all inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts.

30 So 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.

And thou, thou dost prophesy unto them all these words, and hast said unto them: Jehovah from the high place doth roar, And from His holy habitation giveth forth His voice, He surely roareth for His habitation, A shout as of treaders down, God answereth all the inhabitants of the land,

31 The 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,’”

Wasting hath come unto the end of the earth, For a controversy hath Jehovah with nations, He hath executed judgment for all flesh, The wicked! He hath given them to the sword, An affirmation of Jehovah.

32 This 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.”

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Lo, evil is going out from nation to nation, And a great whirlwind is stirred up from the sides of the earth.

33 Those 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.

And the pierced of Jehovah have been in that day, From the end of the earth even unto the end of the earth, They are not lamented, nor gathered, nor buried, For dung on the face of the ground they are.

34 Wail, 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.

Howl, ye shepherds, and cry, And roll yourselves, ye honourable of the flock, For full have been your days, For slaughtering, and [for] your scatterings, And ye have fallen as a desirable vessel.

35 Flight will evade the shepherds, and escape will elude the leaders of the flock.

And perished hath refuge from the shepherds, And escape from the honourable of the flock.

36 Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD is destroying their pasture.

A voice [is] of the cry of the shepherds, And a howling of the honourable of the flock, For Jehovah is spoiling their pasture.

37 The peaceful meadows have been silenced because of the LORD’s burning anger.

And the peaceable habitations have been cut down, Because of the fierceness of the anger of Jehovah.

38 He 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.

He hath forsaken, as a young lion, His covert, Surely their land hath become a desolation, Because of the oppressing fierceness, And because of the fierceness of His anger!