Jeremiah 25

1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (the same was 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 spoke to all the people of Judah, and 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 the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years, the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking; but 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 The LORD has sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them (but you have not listened, nor inclined your ear to hear)

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 saying, 'Return now everyone from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and to your fathers, from of old and even forevermore;

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 do not go after other gods to serve them or worship them, and do not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands; and I will do you no harm.

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 Yet you have not listened to me,' says the LORD; 'that you may provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt.'

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

8 Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Because you have not heard my words,

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

9 look, I will send and take all the families of the north,' says the LORD, 'and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations around; and I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

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 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth 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.

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 This whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve 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 It shall happen, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, says the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it desolate forever.

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 I will bring on that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this scroll, which Jeremiah has prophesied against 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 many nations and great kings shall make bondservants of them, even of them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds, 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 says the LORD, the God of Israel, to me: "Take this cup of the wine of wrath at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it.

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 They shall drink, and reel back and forth, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send 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 Then took I the cup at the LORD's hand, and made all the nations to drink, to whom the LORD had 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, and its officials, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is 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 officials, 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 the Uz, and all the kings 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 people 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 isle which 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 who have the corners of their beard cut off;

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 dwell 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 the Medes;

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

26 and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world, which are on the surface of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink 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 "You shall tell them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Drink, and be drunk, vomit, fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send 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 It shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at your hand to drink, then you shall tell them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "You shall surely 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, look, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,"' says the LORD 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 Therefore prophesy you against them all these words, and tell them, 'The LORD will roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he will mightily roar against his fold; he will give a shout, as those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

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 noise shall come even to the remotest parts of the earth; for the LORD brings charges against the nations; he will enter into judgment with all flesh: as for the wicked, he will give them to the sword,' says the LORD.

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 says the LORD of hosts, 'Look, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great storm shall be raised up from the uttermost parts 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 The slain of the LORD shall be on that day from all areas of the earth. They shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung on the surface 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 Wail, you shepherds, and cry; and wallow in dust, you principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are fully come, and you shall fall like a goodly 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 The shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.

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 the wailing of the principal of the flock. For the LORD lays waste 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 The peaceable folds are brought to silence because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

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

38 He has left his covert, as the lion; for their land has become an astonishment, because of the sword of the oppressor, and because of his fierce 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.