Seventy Years of Captivity

25 The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakime son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzarf king of Babylon. 2 So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judahg and to all those living in Jerusalem: 3 For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiahh 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,i but you have not listened.j

4 And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophetsk to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.l 5 They said, “Turnm now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the landn the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. 6 Do not follow other godso 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 arousedp my anger with what your hands have made,q and you have brought harmr to yourselves.”

8 Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summons all the peoples of the northt and my servantu Nebuchadnezzarv 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 destroya w them and make them an object of horror and scorn,x and an everlasting ruin.y 10 I will banish from them the soundsz of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom,a the sound of millstonesb and the light of the lamp.c 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland,d and these nations will servee the king of Babylon seventy years.f

12 “But when the seventy yearsg are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylonh and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,b for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolatei forever. 13 I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are writtenj in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14 They themselves will be enslavedk by many nationsl and great kings; I will repaym 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 cupn filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I sendo you drink it. 16 When they drinkp it, they will staggerq and go madr because of the swords I will send among them.”

17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sentt me drink it: 18 Jerusalemu and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruinv and an object of horror and scorn,w a cursec x—as they are today;y 19 Pharaoh kingz of Egypt,a his attendants, his officials and all his people, 20 and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz;b all the kings of the Philistinesc (those of Ashkelon,d Gaza,e Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); 21 Edom,f Moabg and Ammon;h 22 all the kings of Tyrei and Sidon;j the kings of the coastlandsk across the sea; 23 Dedan,l Tema,m Buzn and all who are in distant placesd;o 24 all the kings of Arabiap and all the kings of the foreign peopleq who live in the wilderness; 25 all the kings of Zimri,r Elams and Media;t 26 and all the kings of the north,u near and far, one after the other—all the kingdomsv on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshake w will drink it too.

27 “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunkx and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the swordy I will send among you.’ 28 But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drinkz, tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! 29 See, I am beginning to bring disastera on the city that bears my Name,b and will you indeed go unpunished?c You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a swordd on alle who live on the earth,f declares the Lord Almighty.’

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

“ ‘The Lord will roarg from on high;

he will thunderh from his holy dwellingi

and roar mightily against his land.

He will shout like those who treadj the grapes,

shout against all who live on the earth.

31 The tumultk will resound to the ends of the earth,

for the Lord will bring chargesl against the nations;

he will bring judgmentm on alln mankind

and put the wicked to the sword,o’ ”

declares the Lord.

32 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Look! Disasterp is spreading

from nation to nation;q

a mighty stormr is rising

from the ends of the earth.”s

33 At that time those slaint by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gatheredu up or buried,v but will be like dung lying on the ground.

34 Weep and wail, you shepherds;w

rollx in the dust, you leaders of the flock.

For your time to be slaughteredy has come;

you will fall like the best of the rams.f z

35 The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,

the leaders of the flock no place to escape.a

36 Hear the cryb of the shepherds,c

the wailing of the leaders of the flock,

for the Lord is destroying their pasture.

37 The peaceful meadows will be laid waste

because of the fierce anger of the Lord.

38 Like a liond he will leave his lair,

and their land will become desolatee

because of the swordg of the oppressorf

and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.g