Jeremiah 25

1 The word that has been to 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 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon—

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

2 Which Jeremiah the prophet has spoken concerning all the people of Judah, even to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

So the prophet Jeremiah went and spoke to all the people of Judah and all of the people living in Jerusalem, telling them:

3 “From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, and to this day—this twenty-third year—the word of YHWH has been to me, and I speak to you, rising early and speaking, and you have not listened;

From the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah until now, twenty-three years in total, messages from the Lord have come to me, and I have told you what he said time and again, but you have not listened.

4 and YHWH has sent all His servants to you, the prophets, rising early and sending, and you have not listened, nor inclined your ear to hear, saying,

Even though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you time and again, you don't bother to listen or pay any attention.

5 Please turn back, each from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell on the ground that YHWH has given to you and to your fathers from age to age,

The consistent message has been: Give up your evil ways and the evil things you're doing so you can live in the country that the Lord has given to you and your forefathers forever.

6 and you do not go after other gods to serve them, and to bow yourselves to them, nor do you provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I do no evil to you;

Don't follow other gods and worship them, and don't anger me by making idols. Then I won't do anything to hurt you.

7 and you have not listened to Me,” a declaration of YHWH, “so as to provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands for evil to you.

But you've hurt yourselves by not listening to me, declares the Lord, because you angered me by making idols.

8 Therefore, thus said YHWH of Hosts: Because that you have not obeyed My words,

So this is what the Lord Almighty says: Because you have not obeyed what I told you,

9 behold, I am sending, and have taken all the families of the north—a declaration of YHWH—even to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and have brought them in against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations, and have devoted them, and appointed them for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for continuous ruins.

watch as I summon all the people of the north, declares the Lord. I'm going to send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to attack this country and the people who live here, and all the surrounding nations. I will set them apart for destruction. I'm going to totally destroy you, and people will be horrified at what's happened to you and will mock you.

10 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.

I will also put a stop to the cheerful sounds of celebration and the happy voices of the bride and bridegroom. No noise will come from millstones being used; no lamps will be lit.

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

This whole country will become an empty wasteland, and Judah and these other nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

12 And it has come to pass, at the fullness of seventy years, I charge against the king of Babylon, and against that nation,” a declaration of YHWH, “their iniquity, and against the land of the Chaldeans, and have appointed it for continuous desolations.

However, when these seventy years are over, I'm going to punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the country of Babylonia, for their sin, declares the Lord. I will completely destroy them.

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

I will bring down on that country everything I threatened to do, everything that's written in this book which Jeremiah prophesied against all the different nations.

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

Many nations and powerful kings will make slaves of them, the Babylonians, and I will pay them back for the evil they've done.

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

This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, told me: Take this cup I'm handing to you. It contains the wine of my anger. You are to make all the nations I send you to drink from it.

16 and they have drunk, and shaken themselves and shown themselves [to be] foolish, because of the sword that I am sending among them.”

They will drink and stumble around and go mad because of the war brought by the armies I'm sending to attack them.

17 And I take the cup out of the hand of YHWH, and cause all the nations to drink to whom YHWH sent me:

I took the cup the Lord handed to me and made all the nations he sent me to drink from it:

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

To Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, destroying them so that people were horrified at what happened to them and mocked them and cursed them (and they are still like this today);

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

to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and his officials, leaders, all his people

20 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 Gaza, and Ekron, And the remnant of Ashdod,

and all the foreigners living there; to all the kings of the country of Uz; to all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what's left of Ashdod;

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

to Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;

22 And all the kings of Tyre, And all the kings of Sidon, And the kings of the island that [is] beyond the sea,

to all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; to the kings of the Mediterranean sea coast;

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

to Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all those who trim their hair on the sides of their heads;

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

to all the kings of Arabia; and to all the kings of the different tribes living in the desert;

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

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

26 And all the kings of the north, The near and the far off to one another, And all the kingdoms of the earth, That [are] on the face of the ground, And King Sheshach drinks after them.

to all the kings of the north; in fact to all the kingdoms on earth whether close or far away, one after another. After all of them, the king of Babylon will drink it too.

27 “And you have said to them, Thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel: Drink, indeed drink abundantly, And vomit, and fall, and do not rise, Because of the sword that I am sending among you.

Tell them this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, make yourselves drunk, and vomit. Because of the war you'll be killed, falling down never to get up again.

28 And it has come to pass, When they refuse to receive the cup out of your hand to drink, That you have said to them, Thus said YHWH of Hosts: You certainly drink.

If they should refuse to take the cup and drink from it, tell them that this is what the Lord Almighty says: You can't avoid drinking it—you have to!

29 For behold, in the city over which My Name is called, I am beginning to bring ruin, And are you entirely acquitted? You are not acquitted, for I am proclaiming a sword, For all inhabitants of the land,” A declaration of YHWH of Hosts.

Can't you see that I'm about to bring disaster down on my own city, so do you really think you wouldn't be punished as well? You won't go unpunished, for I am bringing war to everyone on earth, declares the Lord Almighty.

30 “And you, you prophesy all these words to them, and have said to them: YHWH roars from the high place, And gives forth His voice from His holy habitation, He surely roars for His habitation, A shout as those treading [the grapes], God answers all the inhabitants of the land,

Give this whole message as a prophecy against them. Tell them: The Lord will thunder from high above. He will thunder loudly from the holy place where he lives. He will give a great roar against the sheepfolds. He will give a loud shout like people treading the grapes, frightening everyone who lives on earth.

31 A rumbling has come to the end of the earth, For YHWH has a controversy with nations, He has executed judgment for all flesh, He has given the wicked to the sword,” A declaration of YHWH.

The sound will reach everywhere on the earth because the Lord is accusing the nations. He is judging everyone, executing the wicked, declares the Lord.

32 Thus said YHWH of Hosts: “Behold, evil is going out from nation to nation, And a great whirlwind is stirred up from the sides of the earth.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: Watch out! Disaster is falling on one nation after another; an immense storm is building up in the far distance.

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

Those killed by the Lord at that time will cover the earth from one end to the other. No one will mourn them, or collect them, or bury them. They will be like piles of manure lying on the ground.

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

Cry out and weep, you shepherds! Roll around on the ground mourning, you leaders of the flock. The time for you to be killed has come; you will fall, smashed like the finest pottery.

35 And refuge has perished from the shepherds, And escape from the majestic of the flock.

The shepherds won't be able to run away; the leaders of the flock won't escape.

36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds, And a howling of the majestic of the flock, For YHWH is spoiling their pasture.

Listen to the cries of the shepherds, the weeping of the leaders of the flock, for the Lord is destroying their pasturelands.

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

The peaceful sheepfolds have been ruined because of the Lord's fierce anger.

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

The Lord has left his den like a lion, because their country has been devastated by the invading armies, and because of the Lord's fierce anger.