25
Prophecy of the Captivity
1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the
Afourth year of
BJehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the
Cfirst year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon),
2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the
Apeople of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,
3 “From the
Athirteenth year of
BJosiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day,
1these
Ctwenty-three years the word of the Loʀᴅ has come to me, and I have spoken to you
2Dagain and again, but you have not listened.
4 “And the Loʀᴅ has sent to you all His
Aservants the prophets
1again and again, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear,
5 saying, ‘
ATurn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the land which the Loʀᴅ has given to you and your forefathers
Bforever and ever;
6 and
Ado not go after other gods to
1serve them and to
2worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.’
7 “Yet you have not listened to Me,” declares the Loʀᴅ, “in order that you might
Aprovoke Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.
8 “Therefore thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts, ‘Because you have not obeyed My words,
9 behold, I will
Asend and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Loʀᴅ, ‘and
I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
BMy servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will
1utterly destroy them and
Cmake them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation.
10 ‘Moreover, I will
1Atake from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the
Bsound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.
11 ‘
AThis whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon
Bseventy years.
Babylon Will Be Judged
12 ‘Then it will be
Awhen seventy years are completed I will
Bpunish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Loʀᴅ, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and
CI will make it an everlasting desolation.
13 ‘I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in
Athis book which Jeremiah has prophesied against
Ball the nations.
14 ‘(
1For
Amany nations and great kings will make slaves of them, even them; and I will
Brecompense them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.)’ ”
15 For thus the Loʀᴅ, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this
Acup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it.
16 “They will
Adrink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.”
17 Then I took the cup from the Loʀᴅ’s hand and
Amade all the nations to whom the Loʀᴅ sent me drink it:
18 AJerusalem and the cities of Judah and its kings
and its princes, to make them a ruin, a horror, a hissing and a curse, as it is this day;
19 APharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes and all his people;
20 and all the
1Aforeign people, all the kings of the
Bland of Uz, all the kings of the land of the
CPhilistines (even Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and the remnant of
DAshdod);
21 AEdom,
BMoab and the sons of
CAmmon;
22 and all the kings of
ATyre, all the kings of Sidon and the kings of
Bthe coastlands which are beyond the sea;
23 and
ADedan, Tema,
BBuz and all who
Ccut the corners
of their hair; 24 and all the kings of
AArabia and all the kings of the
1Bforeign people who dwell in the desert;
25 and all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of
AElam and all the kings of
BMedia;
26 and all the kings of the north, near and far, one with another; and
Aall the kingdoms of the earth which are upon the face of the ground, and the king of
1BSheshach shall drink after them.
27 “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts, the God of Israel, “
ADrink, be drunk, vomit, fall and rise no more because of the
Bsword which I will send among you.” ’
28 “And it will be, if they
Arefuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts: “
BYou shall surely drink!
29 “For behold, I am
Abeginning to work calamity in
this city which is
Bcalled by My name, and shall you be completely free from punishment? You will not be free from punishment; for
CI am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth,” declares the Loʀᴅ of hosts.’
30 “Therefore you shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them,
‘The
ALoʀᴅ will
Broar from on high
And utter His voice from His holy habitation;
He will roar mightily against His
1fold.
He will shout like those who tread the grapes,
Against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 ‘A clamor has come to the end of the earth,
Because the Loʀᴅ has
Aa controversy with the nations.
He is entering into
Bjudgment with all flesh;
As for the wicked, He has given them to the sword,’ declares the Loʀᴅ.”
32 Thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts,
“Behold, evil is going forth
And a great
Bstorm is being stirred up
From the remotest parts of the earth.
33 “Those
Aslain by the Loʀᴅ on that day will be from one end of the earth to the
1other. They will
Bnot be lamented, gathered or buried; they will be like
Cdung on the face of the ground.
34 “Wail, you shepherds, and cry;
And
Awallow
in ashes, you masters of the flock;
For the days of your
Bslaughter and your dispersions
1have come,
And you will fall like a choice vessel.
35 “
AFlight will perish from the shepherds,
And escape from the masters of the flock.
36 “Hear the sound of the cry of the shepherds,
And the wailing of the masters of the flock!
For the Loʀᴅ is destroying their pasture,
37 “And the peaceful
1Afolds are made silent
Because of the
Bfierce anger of the Loʀᴅ.
38 “He has left His hiding place
Alike the lion;
For their land has become a horror
Because of the fierceness of the
1oppressing
sword And because of His fierce anger.”