1 T he word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah—which was the first year of the reign of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon—

This is the word that came to Jeremiah about all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah. (That was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.)

2 W hich Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:

Jeremiah the man of God spoke this word to all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, saying,

3 F or these twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, even to this day—the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you persistently early and late, but you have not listened and obeyed.

“These twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, until this day, the Word of the Lord has come to me. And I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

4 A lthough the Lord persistently sent you all the prophets, His servants, yet you have not listened and obeyed or inclined your ear to hear.

The Lord has sent to you all his servants who have spoken for Him again and again, but you have not listened or turned your ear to hear.

5 s aying, Turn again now every one from his evil way and wrongdoing; dwell in the land that the Lord gave to you and to your fathers from of old and forevermore.

They have said, ‘Every one of you turn now from your sinful way and the sinful things you do, and live on the land which the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever.

6 D o not go after other gods to serve and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.

Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them. Do not make Me angry with the work you do, and I will not hurt you.’

7 Y et you have not listened to and obeyed Me, says the Lord, that you might provoke Me to anger with the works (idols) made by your hands to your own hurt.

Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the Lord. “You have made Me angry with the work of your hands to your own hurt.

8 T herefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not heard and obeyed My words,

“So the Lord of All says, ‘Because you have not obeyed My words,

9 B ehold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, says the Lord, and I will send for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will devote them and utterly destroy them and make them an amazement, a hissing, and perpetual and agelong desolations.

I will send for all the families of the north. And I will send for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its people, and against all these nations around you. I will make a complete end of them. I will destroy them all and make them an object of fear and hate, and a waste place forever.

10 M oreover, 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 candle.

I will also take from them the voice of joy, the voice of happiness, the voice of the man to be married and the voice of the bride. I will take from them the sound of the grinding stones and the light of the lamp.

11 A nd this whole land shall be a waste and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

This whole land will be a waste and a cause of fear. And these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

12 T hen when seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, says the Lord, for their iniquity, and will make the land a perpetual waste.

‘Then when seventy years have past, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, and the land of the Babylonians, for their sin,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will make that land a waste forever.

13 A nd 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 has prophesied against all the nations.

I will bring upon that land all My words which I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has spoken against all the nations.

14 F or many nations and great kings shall make bondmen of them, even them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.

They themselves will be made to serve many nations and great kings. I will pay them for what they have done, and for the work of their hands.’” The Cup of God’s Anger

15 F or thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to me: Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it.

For the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of anger from My hand. And make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

16 T hey shall drink and reel to and fro and be crazed because of the sword that I will send among them.

They will drink and have trouble walking and become crazy because of the sword that I will send among them.”

17 T hen I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations drink it to whom the Lord had sent me:

So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it.

18 J erusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is to this day;

I was sent to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, to its kings and its leaders, to make them a waste, an object of fear and hate, and a curse, as it is this day.

19 P haraoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, all his people,

I was sent to Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his sons, and to all his people.

20 A nd all the mixed foreign population; all the kings of the land of Uz; and all the kings of the land of the Philistines and Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;

I was sent to all the people from different countries, all the kings of the land of Uz, and to all the kings of the land of the Philistines (Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and those left of Ashdod).

21 E dom, Moab, and the children of Ammon;

I was sent to Edom, Moab, the sons of Ammon,

22 A ll the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the islands and the coastlands across the Sea;

and to all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and to the kings of the lands across the sea.

23 D edan, Tema, Buz, and all who clip off the corners of their hair and beards;

I was sent to Dedan, Tema, Buz, to all who are far away in their lands,

24 A ll the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the mixed foreign people who dwell in the desert;

to the kings of Arabia, and to all the kings of the different people who live in the desert.

25 A ll the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam (Persia), and all the kings of Media;

I was sent to all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, all the kings of Media,

26 A ll the kings of the north, far and near, one after another—and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of Sheshach (Babel or Babylon) shall drink.

and to all the kings of the north, near and far, one after another. I was sent to all the nations on the earth. And after them the king of Sheshach will drink.

27 T hen you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, be drunk, vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword which I am sending among you.

“Then you will say to them, ‘The Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, “Drink, be drunk, throw up, fall, and get up no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.”’

28 A nd if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord of hosts: You shall surely drink!

And if they will not take the cup from your hand to drink, then say to them, ‘The Lord of All says, “You must drink!

29 F or behold, I am beginning to work evil in the city which is called by My Name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, for I am calling for a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, says the Lord of hosts.

See, I am beginning to make trouble in this city which is called by My name. And will you not be punished? You will not be free from punishment, for I am bringing a sword against all the people of the earth,” says the Lord of All.’

30 T herefore prophesy against them all these words and say to them: The Lord shall roar from on high and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He shall roar mightily against His fold and pasture. He shall give a shout like those who tread grapes against all the inhabitants of the earth.

“So you should speak all these words against them. Tell them, ‘The Lord will sound from on high. His voice will be heard from His holy place. He will call out in a loud voice against his flock. He will call out like those who crush the grapes, against all the people of the earth.

31 A noise will come even to the ends of the earth, for the Lord has a controversy and an indictment against the nations; He will enter into judgment with all mankind; as for the wicked, He will give them to the sword, says the Lord.

The noise will go to the ends of the earth, because the Lord has something against the nations. He is deciding what should be done with all flesh. As for the sinful, He has given them to the sword,’” says the Lord.

32 T hus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, evil will go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirling tempest will rise from the uttermost parts of the earth.

The Lord of All says, “See, sinful ways are spreading from nation to nation. A powerful storm is moving from the farthest parts of the earth.

33 A nd those slain by the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented or gathered or buried; their shall be dung upon the ground.

Those killed by the Lord on that day will be from one end of the earth to the other. No one will cry for them or gather up the bodies and bury them. They will be like animal waste on the ground.

34 W ail, you shepherds, and cry; and roll in ashes, you principal ones of the flock. For the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions have fully come, and you shall fall and be dashed into pieces like a choice vessel.

Cry in a loud voice, you shepherds. And roll in ashes, you leaders of the flock. For the days for you to be killed and sent everywhere have come, and you will fall and be broken like a fine pot.

35 A nd the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal ones of the flock any means of escape.

The shepherds will have no place to run. And the leaders of the flock will have no place to get away.

36 A voice! The cry of the shepherds and the wailing of the principal ones of the flock! For the Lord is laying waste and destroying their pasture.

Listen to the cry of the shepherds and the loud cry of the leaders of the flock! For the Lord is destroying their field.

37 A nd the peaceable folds are devastated and brought to silence because of the fierce anger of the Lord.

The fields of peace are laid waste because of the burning anger of the Lord.

38 H e has left His shelter like the lion; for their land has become a waste and an astonishment because of the fierceness of the oppressor and because of fierce anger.

He has left His hiding place like a lion. For their land has become a cause of much fear because of the sword of the one who makes it hard for them, and because of the Lord’s burning anger.”