Jeremiah 25

New International Version

Seventy Years of Captivity

25 The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(A) son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar^(B) king of Babylon. ²So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah^(C) and to all those living in Jerusalem: ³For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah^(D) son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again,^(E) but you have not listened.^(F)

⁴And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets^(G) to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.^(H) ⁵They said, “Turn^(I) now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land^(J) the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. ⁶Do not follow other gods^(K) to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”

⁷“But you did not listen to me,” declares the Lord, “and you have aroused^(L) my anger with what your hands have made,^(M) and you have brought harm^(N) to yourselves.”

⁸Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, ⁹I will summon^(O) all the peoples of the north^(P) and my servant^(Q) Nebuchadnezzar^(R) king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy^[a]^(S) them and make them an object of horror and scorn,^(T) and an everlasting ruin.^(U) ¹⁰I will banish from them the sounds^(V) of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom,^(W) the sound of millstones^(X) and the light of the lamp.^(Y) ¹¹This whole country will become a desolate wasteland,^(Z) and these nations will serve^(AA) the king of Babylon seventy years.^(AB)

¹²“But when the seventy years^(AC) are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon^(AD) and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,^[b] for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate^(AE) forever. ¹³I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written^(AF) in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. ¹⁴They themselves will be enslaved^(AG) by many nations^(AH) and great kings; I will repay^(AI) them according to their deeds and the work of their 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^(AJ) filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send^(AK) you drink it. ¹⁶When they drink^(AL) it, they will stagger^(AM) and go mad^(AN) because of the sword^(AO) I will send among them.”

¹⁷So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent^(AP) me drink it: ¹⁸Jerusalem^(AQ) and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin^(AR) and an object of horror and scorn,^(AS) a curse^[c]^(AT)—as they are today;^(AU) ¹⁹Pharaoh king^(AV) of Egypt,^(AW) his attendants, his officials and all his people, ²⁰and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz;^(AX) all the kings of the Philistines^(AY) (those of Ashkelon,^(AZ) Gaza,^(BA) Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); ²¹Edom,^(BB) Moab^(BC) and Ammon;^(BD) ²²all the kings of Tyre^(BE) and Sidon;^(BF) the kings of the coastlands^(BG) across the sea; ²³Dedan,^(BH) Tema,^(BI) Buz^(BJ) and all who are in distant places^[d];^(BK) ²⁴all the kings of Arabia^(BL) and all the kings of the foreign people^(BM) who live in the wilderness; ²⁵all the kings of Zimri,^(BN) Elam^(BO) and Media;^(BP) ²⁶and all the kings of the north,^(BQ) near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms^(BR) on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak^[e]^(BS) will drink it too.

²⁷“Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk^(BT) and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword^(BU) I will send among you.’ ²⁸But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink^(BV), tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! ²⁹See, I am beginning to bring disaster^(BW) on the city that bears my Name,^(BX) and will you indeed go unpunished?^(BY) You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword^(BZ) on all^(CA) who live on the earth,^(CB) declares the Lord Almighty.’

³⁰“Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:

“‘The Lord will roar^(CC) from on high;
    he will thunder^(CD) from his holy dwelling^(CE)
    and roar mightily against his land.
He will shout like those who tread^(CF) the grapes,
    shout against all who live on the earth.
³¹The tumult^(CG) will resound to the ends of the earth,
    for the Lord will bring charges^(CH) against the nations;
he will bring judgment^(CI) on all^(CJ) mankind
    and put the wicked to the sword,^(CK)’”
declares the Lord.

³²This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Look! Disaster^(CL) is spreading
from nation to nation;^(CM)
a mighty storm^(CN) is rising
from the ends of the earth.”^(CO)

³³At that time those slain^(CP) by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered^(CQ) up or buried,^(CR) but will be like dung lying on the ground.

³⁴Weep and wail, you shepherds;^(CS)
    roll^(CT) in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
For your time to be slaughtered^(CU) has come;
    you will fall like the best of the rams.^[f]^(CV)
³⁵The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,
    the leaders of the flock no place to escape.^(CW)
³⁶Hear the cry^(CX) of the shepherds,^(CY)
    the wailing of the leaders of the flock,
    for the Lord is destroying their pasture.
³⁷The peaceful meadows will be laid waste
    because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
³⁸Like a lion^(CZ) he will leave his lair,
    and their land will become desolate^(DA)
because of the sword^[g] of the oppressor^(DB)
    and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.^(DC)

Footnotes

Jeremiah 25:9 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
Jeremiah 25:12 Or Chaldeans
Jeremiah 25:18 That is, their names to be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, to be seen by others as cursed
Jeremiah 25:23 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
Jeremiah 25:26 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon.
Jeremiah 25:34 Septuagint; Hebrew fall and be shattered like fine pottery
Jeremiah 25:38 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 46:16 and 50:16); most Hebrew manuscripts anger

Jeremiah 33

New International Version

Promise of Restoration

33 While Jeremiah was still confined^(A) in the courtyard^(B) of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time:^(C) ²“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth,^(D) the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name:^(E) ³‘Call^(F) to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable^(G) things you do not know.’ ⁴For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege^(H) ramps^(I) and the sword ⁵in the fight with the Babylonians^[a]: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath.^(J) I will hide my face^(K) from this city because of all its wickedness.

⁶“‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal^(L) my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace^(M) and security. ⁷I will bring Judah^(N) and Israel back from captivity^[b]^(O) and will rebuild^(P) them as they were before.^(Q) ⁸I will cleanse^(R) them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive^(S) all their sins of rebellion against me. ⁹Then this city will bring me renown,^(T) joy, praise^(U) and honor^(V) before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble^(W) at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

¹⁰“This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.”^(X) Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted,^(Y) inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more ¹¹the sounds of joy and gladness,^(Z) the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings^(AA) to the house of the Lord, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
for the Lord is good;^(AB)
his love endures forever.”^(AC)

For I will restore the fortunes^(AD) of the land as they were before,^(AE)’ says the Lord.

¹²“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate^(AF) and without people or animals^(AG)—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.^(AH) ¹³In the towns of the hill^(AI) country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,^(AJ) in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand^(AK) of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

¹⁴“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise^(AL) I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

¹⁵“‘In those days and at that time
    I will make a righteous^(AM) Branch^(AN) sprout from David’s line;^(AO)
    he will do what is just and right in the land.
¹⁶In those days Judah will be saved^(AP)
    and Jerusalem will live in safety.^(AQ)
This is the name by which it^[c] will be called:^(AR)
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’^(AS)

¹⁷For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail^(AT) to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, ¹⁸nor will the Levitical^(AU) priests^(AV) ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.^(AW)’”

¹⁹The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁰“This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day^(AX) and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,^(AY) ²¹then my covenant^(AZ) with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites^(BA) who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.^(BB) ²²I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless^(BC) as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”

²³The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁴“Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms^[d]^(BD) he chose’? So they despise^(BE) my people and no longer regard them as a nation.^(BF) ²⁵This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night^(BG) and established the laws^(BH) of heaven and earth,^(BI) ²⁶then I will reject^(BJ) the descendants of Jacob^(BK) and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes^[e]^(BL) and have compassion^(BM) on them.’”