Jeremiah 25

Twenty-Three Years of Warning

1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah—that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon— 2which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: 3“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until this day—these twenty-three years—the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened. 4The LORD has sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear. 5They said, ‘Turn now, each of you, from your evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell upon the land that the LORD gave to you and your ancestors from long ago and forever. 6Do not go after other gods to serve them and bow down to them, and do not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands; then I will not bring harm upon you.’ 7But you did not listen to me,” says the LORD, “so that you provoked me to anger with the work of your hands, to your own harm.”

Seventy Years for Babylon

8Therefore thus says the LORD of Hosts: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9look, I am sending and taking all the clans of the north,” says the LORD, “and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction and make them a horror, a hissing, and everlasting ruins. 10I will destroy from them the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the voice of bridegroom and the voice of bride, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11This whole land will become a ruin and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12Then, when seventy years are completed, I will attend to the king of Babylon and that nation for their guilt,” says the LORD, “and to the land of the Chaldeans, and I will make it everlasting desolations. 13I will bring upon that land all my words that I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14For many nations and great kings will make slaves even of them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.”

The Cup of the Wine of Wrath

15For thus said the LORD, the God of Israel, to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16They will drink and stagger and act madly because of the sword that I am sending among them.” 17So I took the cup from the hand of the LORD and made all the nations to whom the LORD sent me drink: 18Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials, to make them a ruin, a horror, a hissing, and a curse, as they are this day; 19Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, and all his people; 20all the mixed people; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the land of the Philistines—Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; 21Edom, Moab, and the children of Ammon; 22all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastland beyond the sea; 23Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who clip the corners of their hair; 24all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the mixed people who dwell in the wilderness; 25all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media; 26all the kings of the north, near and far, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the earth that are on the face of the ground. And the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

You Shall Surely Drink

27“Then you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, become drunk, vomit, fall, and rise no more because of the sword that I am sending among you. 28And 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! 29For look, I am beginning to bring harm upon the city that is called by my name, and should you go entirely 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.

The LORD Has a Controversy with the Nations

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

The LORD will roar from on high
and from his holy dwelling give his voice.
He will roar mightily against his pasture;
he will shout like those who tread grapes
against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31The tumult will reach
to the ends of the earth,
for the LORD has a controversy
with the nations.
He enters into judgment
with all flesh;
the wicked he gives to the sword,”
says the LORD. 32Thus says the LORD of Hosts:

“Look, disaster is going out
from nation to nation,
and a great storm is stirring
from the farthest parts of the earth. 33Those slain by the LORD on that day will be from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. They will not be lamented, gathered, or buried. They will become manure on the face of the ground.

Wail, Shepherds

34Wail, shepherds, and cry out!
Roll yourselves in ashes, leaders of the flock!
For your days for slaughter are fulfilled,
and I will scatter you,
and you will fall like a precious vessel. 35Flight will perish from the shepherds,
and escape from the leaders of the flock. 36A sound—the cry of the shepherds,
the wailing of the leaders of the flock!
For the LORD is devastating their pasture. 37The peaceful pastures are silenced
because of the burning anger of the LORD. 38Like a young lion he has left his thicket,
for their land has become a horror
because of the fierce oppressor
and because of his burning anger.