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. ² So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah^(C) and to all those living in Jerusalem: ³ For 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)

⁴ And 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) 5} They 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. ⁶ Do 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.”

⁸ Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, ⁹ I 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) 10} I 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) 11} This 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. ¹³ I 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. ¹⁴ They 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

¹⁵ This 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. ¹⁶ When they drink^(AL) it, they will stagger^(AM) and go mad^(AN) because of the sword^(AO) I will send among them.”

¹⁷ So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent^(AP) me drink it: ¹⁸ Jerusalem^(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) 19} Pharaoh king^(AV) of Egypt,^(AW) his attendants, his officials and all his people, ²⁰ and 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); ²¹ Edom,^(BB) Moab^(BC) and Ammon;^{(BD) 22} all the kings of Tyre^(BE) and Sidon;^(BF) the kings of the coastlands^(BG) across the sea; ²³ Dedan,^(BH) Tema,^(BI) Buz^(BJ) and all who are in distant places^[d];^{(BK) 24} all the kings of Arabia^(BL) and all the kings of the foreign people^(BM) who live in the wilderness; ²⁵ all the kings of Zimri,^(BN) Elam^(BO) and Media;^{(BP) 26} and 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.’ ²⁸ But 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! ²⁹ See, 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:

³² This is what the Lord Almighty says:

³³ At 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.

Jeremiah Threatened With Death

26 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim^(DD) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: ² “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard^(DE) of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord.^(DF) Tell^(DG) them everything I command you; do not omit^(DH) a word. ³ Perhaps they will listen and each will turn^(DI) from their evil ways. Then I will relent^(DJ) and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. ⁴ Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen^(DK) to me and follow my law,^(DL) which I have set before you, ⁵ and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened^(DM)), ⁶ then I will make this house like Shiloh^(DN) and this city a curse^[h](DO) among all the nations of the earth.’”

⁷ The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. ⁸ But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded^(DP) him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized^(DQ) him and said, “You must die!^{(DR) 9} Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?”^(DS) And all the people crowded^(DT) around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

¹⁰ When the officials^(DU) of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate^(DV) of the Lord’s house. ¹¹ Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death^(DW) because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”^(DX)

¹² Then Jeremiah said to all the officials^(DY) and all the people: “The Lord sent me to prophesy^(DZ) against this house and this city all the things you have heard.^{(EA) 13} Now reform^(EB) your ways and your actions and obey^(EC) the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent^(ED) and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴ As for me, I am in your hands;^(EE) do with me whatever you think is good and right. ¹⁵ Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood^(EF) on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words^(EG) in your hearing.”

¹⁶ Then the officials^(EH) and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death!^(EI) He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

¹⁷ Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, ¹⁸ “Micah^(EJ) of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says:

¹⁹ “Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah^(EO) fear the Lord and seek^(EP) his favor? And did not the Lord relent,^(EQ) so that he did not bring the disaster^(ER) he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster^(ES) on ourselves!”

²⁰ (Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim^(ET) was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. ²¹ When King Jehoiakim^(EU) and all his officers and officials^(EV) heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death.^(EW) But Uriah heard of it and fled^(EX) in fear to Egypt. ²² King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan^(EY) son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. ²³ They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword^(EZ) and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)^(FA)

²⁴ Furthermore, Ahikam^(FB) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.