Add parallel Print Page Options

Seventy Years of Servitude

25 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,[a] “From the thirteenth year of Josiah, the son of Amon, the king of Judah, even up to this day, these twenty-three years[b] the word of Yahweh has come to me, and I have spoken to you over and over again,[c] but you have not listened. And though Yahweh has sent all his servants the prophets to you over and over again[d] you have not listened, and you have not inclined your ear to hear, saying,[e] ‘Turn back please, each one from his evil way, and from the evil of your deeds, and live on the land that Yahweh has given to you and to your ancestors[f] from a long time back and until forever, and you must not go after other gods to serve them, and to bow in worship to them, and you must not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands, then I will not do something bad to you.’ ‘Yet you have not listened to me,’ declares[g] Yahweh, ‘so that you[h] have provoked me to anger with the work of your hands for your own harm.’

Therefore[i] thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Because you have not obeyed my words, look, I am going to send and take all the clans[j] of the north,’ declares[k] Yahweh, ‘and I will send[l] to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations all around, and I will destroy them, and I will make them a horror, and an object of hissing, and everlasting ruins.[m] 10 And I will exterminate from them the sound of jubilation, and the sound of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp. 11 And all this land will become a site of ruins, a desolation, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.[n]

The Cup of Wrath

12 And then[o] when the seventy years[p] are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares[q] Yahweh, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and I will make it an everlasting waste.[r] 13 And I will bring upon that land all my words that I have spoken against it, everything that is written in this scroll which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14 For many nations and great kings will let them work, even them, and I will repay them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.’” 15 For thus said Yahweh, the God of Israel, to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand, and you must give it to all the nations to whom I am sending you to drink. 16 And they will drink, and they will stagger, and they will act like madmen because of the presence[s] of the sword that I am sending among them.”

17 So I took the cup from the hand of Yahweh and I gave it[t] to all the nations to whom Yahweh sent me to drink: 18 Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, and its kings, and its officials, to make them a site of ruins, a horror, an object of hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; 19 Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his servants, and his officials, and all his people; 20 and all the other[u] people; and all the kings of the land of Uz; and all the kings of the land of the Philistines—[v]Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; 21 Edom, and Moab, and the Ammonites;[w] 22 and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastland that is across the sea; 23 and Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all those who are trimmed to the side; 24 and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the other[x] people who dwell in the desert;[y] 25 and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media; 26 and all the kings of the north, near and far, each one to his brother, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach, he will drink after them.

27 “And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Drink and become drunk, and vomit, and fall, and you must not rise because of the presence[z] of the sword that I am sending among you.”’ 28 And it will happen, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “You must certainly drink! 29 For look, on the city that is called by[aa] my name I am beginning to inflict harm, and you indeed, will you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth,” declares[ab] Yahweh of hosts.’

30 And you yourself shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them:

‘Yahweh will roar from on high,
    and from his holy dwelling place[ac] he will give his voice.
He will roar mightily against his settlement,
    a jubilant shout like those who tread grapes,
he will answer against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 The rage of battle will resound to the end of the earth,
    for there is a lawsuit of Yahweh against the nations.
He is entering into judgment with all wicked flesh,
    he will give them to the sword,’ declares[ad] Yahweh.”

32 Thus says Yahweh of hosts,

“Look, disaster is going out from nation to nation,
    and a great tempest is stirred up from the farthest parts of the earth.
33 And the slain ones of Yahweh will be on that day
    from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth,
and they will not be mourned,
    and they will not be gathered,
and they will not be buried.
    They will become like dung on the surface[ae] of the ground.
34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out.
    And roll about in mourning in the dust, O leaders[af] of the flock.
For your days of slaughter and your dispersions have arrived,
    and you will fall like a vessel of desire.
35 And flight will perish from the shepherds,
    and escape from the leaders[ag] of the flock.
36 A sound, the cry of distress of the shepherds
    and the wailing of the leaders[ah] of the flock,
    for Yahweh is despoiling their pasture.
37 And the peaceful settlements[ai] are devastated
    because of the burning anger of Yahweh.[aj]
38 He has left his den like a lion,
    for their land has become a horror,
because of the anger of the oppressors,
    and because of his burning anger.”[ak]

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 25:2 Literally “to say”
  2. Jeremiah 25:3 Hebrew “year”
  3. Jeremiah 25:3 Literally “I have spoken to you doing early and speaking”
  4. Jeremiah 25:4 Literally “do early and sending”
  5. Jeremiah 25:5 Literally “to say”
  6. Jeremiah 25:5 Or “fathers”
  7. Jeremiah 25:7 Literally “a declaration of”
  8. Jeremiah 25:7 Hebrew “they”
  9. Jeremiah 25:8 Literally “To thus”
  10. Jeremiah 25:9 Or “families”
  11. Jeremiah 25:9 Literally “a declaration of”
  12. Jeremiah 25:9 Here the subject and verb are supplied from context in the English translation
  13. Jeremiah 25:9 Literally “sites of ruins of eternity”
  14. Jeremiah 25:11 Hebrew “year”
  15. Jeremiah 25:12 Literally “And it will happen”
  16. Jeremiah 25:12 Hebrew “year”
  17. Jeremiah 25:12 Literally “a declaration of”
  18. Jeremiah 25:12 Literally “a waste of eternity”
  19. Jeremiah 25:16 Literally “face”
  20. Jeremiah 25:17 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  21. Jeremiah 25:20 Or “foreign”
  22. Jeremiah 25:20 Hebrew “Philistine”
  23. Jeremiah 25:21 Literally “sons of Ammon”
  24. Jeremiah 25:24 Or “foreign”
  25. Jeremiah 25:24 Or “wilderness”
  26. Jeremiah 25:27 Literally “face”
  27. Jeremiah 25:29 Literally “on it”
  28. Jeremiah 25:29 Literally “a declaration of”
  29. Jeremiah 25:30 Literally “the dwelling place of his holiness”
  30. Jeremiah 25:31 Literally “a declaration of”
  31. Jeremiah 25:33 Literally “face”
  32. Jeremiah 25:34 Or “nobles”
  33. Jeremiah 25:35 Or “nobles”
  34. Jeremiah 25:36 Or “nobles”
  35. Jeremiah 25:37 Literally “settlements of the peace”
  36. Jeremiah 25:37 Literally “the blaze of the nose of Yahweh”
  37. Jeremiah 25:38 Literally “the blaze of his nose”

25 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 Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon), which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even unto this day, these three and twenty years, the word of Jehovah hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising up early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened. And Jehovah hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, (but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear), saying, Return ye now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that Jehovah hath given unto you and to your fathers, from of old and even for evermore; and go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the work of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith Jehovah; that ye may provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt. Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Because ye have not heard my words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith Jehovah, and I will send unto Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about; and I will [a]utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will [b]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. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith Jehovah, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it [c]desolate for ever. 13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. 14 For many nations and great kings [d]shall make bondmen of them, even of them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.

15 For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, unto me: Take this cup of the wine of wrath at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. 16 And they shall drink, and reel to and fro, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. 17 Then took I the cup at Jehovah’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom Jehovah had sent me: 18 to wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; 20 and all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; 21 Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon; 22 and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the [e]isle which is beyond the sea; 23 Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that have the corners of their hair cut off; 24 and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the wilderness; 25 and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; 26 and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

27 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink ye, and be drunken, and spew, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. 28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thy hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Ye shall surely drink. 29 For, lo, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith Jehovah of hosts.

30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, Jehovah will roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he will mightily roar against his [f]fold; he will give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A noise shall come even to the end of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the nations; he will enter into judgment with all flesh: as for the wicked, he will give them to the sword, saith Jehovah.

32 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth. 33 And the slain of Jehovah shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the face of the ground. 34 Wail, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow in ashes, ye principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are fully come, and ye shall fall like a goodly vessel. 35 And [g]the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. 36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and the wailing of the principal of the flock! for Jehovah layeth waste their pasture. 37 And the peaceable folds are brought to silence because of the fierce anger of Jehovah. 38 He hath left his covert, as the lion; for their land is become an astonishment because of the fierceness of the oppressing sword, and because of his fierce anger.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 25:9 Hebrew devote.
  2. Jeremiah 25:10 Hebrew cause to perish from them.
  3. Jeremiah 25:12 Hebrew everlasting desolations.
  4. Jeremiah 25:14 Or, have made
  5. Jeremiah 25:22 Or, coast-land
  6. Jeremiah 25:30 Or, pasture
  7. Jeremiah 25:35 Hebrew flight shall perish from the shepherds, and escape from etc.