Add parallel Print Page Options

25 The davar that came to Yirmeyah concerning kol HaAm Yehudah in the fourth year of Y’hoyakim Ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, that was the first year of Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel;

The which Yirmeyah HaNavi spoke unto kol HaAm Yehudah, and to all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, saying,

From the thirteenth year of Yoshiyah Ben Amon Melech Yehudah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the Devar Hashem hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not paid heed.

And Hashem hath sent unto you all His avadim the nevi’im, rising early and sending them; but ye have not paid heed, nor inclined your ozen to hear.

They said, Shuvu, make teshuvah now every ish from his derech ra’ah, and from the rah of your doings, and dwell in ha’aretz that Hashem hath given unto you and to avoteichem l’min olam v’ad olam;

And go not after elohim acherim to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke Me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no harm.

Yet ye have not paid heed unto Me, saith Hashem; that ye might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

Therefore thus saith Hashem Tzva’os; Because ye have not paid heed to My Devarim,

Hinei, I will send and take all the mishpekhot of the tzafon (north), saith Hashem, and Avdi Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these Goyim all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

10 Moreover I will cause to perish from them the kol sasson (voice of gladness), and the kol simchah (voice of joy), the voice of the Choson, and the voice of the Kallah, the sound of the millstones, and the ohr of the ner.

11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these Goyim shall serve Melech Bavel shiv’im shanah (seventy years). [T.N. Note: length of Exile predicted here.]

12 And it shall come to pass, when shiv’im shanah are accomplished, that I will punish Melech Bavel, and that nation, saith Hashem, for their avon, and the Eretz Kasdim (Land of Chaldeans), and will make it perpetual desolations.

13 And I will bring upon that land all My Devarim which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this sefer, which Yirmeyah hath prophesied against kol HaGoyim.

14 For Goyim rabbim and melachim gedolim shall enslave them also; I will recompense them according to their deeds, according to the ma’aseh of their own hands.

15 For thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel unto me, Take this kos hayayin haChemah (wine cup of wrath, see Lk 22:42) from My yad, and cause kol HaGoyim, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

16 And they shall drink, and stagger, and go mad, because of the cherev that I will send among them.

17 Then took I the Kos from the yad Hashem, and made all the Goyim to drink, unto whom Hashem had sent me;

18 Namely, Yerushalayim, and the towns of Yehudah, and the melachim thereof, and the sarim thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a kelalah (curse); as it is this day;

19 Pharaoh Melech Mitzrayim, and his avadim, and his sarim and all his people;

20 And all the mixed multitude rabble, and kol melachim of Eretz Utz, and kol melachim of Eretz Pelishtim, and Ashkelon, and Azzah (Gaza), and Ekron, and the she’erit (remnant) of Ashdod,

21 Edom, and Moav, and the Bnei Ammon,

22 And kol melachim of Tzor, and kol melachim of Tzidon, and the melachim of the coastlands which are beyond the yam,

23 Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost [desert] fringes,

24 And kol melachim of Arabia, and kol melachim of the mixed multitude rabble that dwell in the desert,

25 And kol melachim of Zimri, and kol melachim of Eilam, and kol melachim of the Medes,

26 And kol melachim of the tzafon, far and near, one after another, and all the mamlechot ha’aretz, which are upon the face of adamah; and Melech Sheshach [Babylon] shall drink after them.

27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel; Drink ye, and become shikkor, and vomit, and fall, and rise no more, because of the cherev which I will send among you.

28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the Kos at thine yad to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, Ye shall certainly drink.

29 For, hinei, I begin to bring ra’ah on the Ir which is called by My Shem, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a cherev upon all the inhabitants of ha’aretz, saith Hashem Tzva’os.

30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these Devarim, and say unto them, Hashem shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His Ma’on Kodesh; He shall mightily roar upon His Naveh (Dwelling); He shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of ha’aretz.

31 A noise shall come even to the ends of ha’aretz; for Hashem hath a legal controversy with the Goyim, He will plead His case with kol basar; He will give them that are wicked to the cherev, saith Hashem.

32 Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os, Hinei, ra’ah shall go forth from Goy to Goy, and a sa’ar gadol (great whirlwind) shall be raised up from the farthest ends of Eretz.

33 And the slain of Hashem shall be at that day from one end of ha’aretz even unto the other end of ha’aretz; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the adamah.

34 Wail, ye ro’im (shepherds), and weep; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye leaders of the tzon; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a precious pottery vessel.

35 And the ro’im (shepherds) shall have no refuge for fleeing, nor the leader of the tzon to escape.

36 A voice of the cry of the ro’im and a wailing of the leaders of the tzon, shall be heard: for Hashem hath destroyed their pasture.

37 And the ne’ot hashalom (peaceful folds) are laid waste because of the Charon Af Hashem.

38 He hath left His hiding place, as the lion; for their land is desolate because of the charon (anger) of the oppressor, and because of His charon af.

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

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) 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. 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.”

“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.”

Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 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:

“‘The Lord will roar(CC) from on high;
    he will thunder(CD) from his holy dwelling(CE)
    and roar mightily against his land.
He will shout like those who tread(CF) the grapes,
    shout against all who live on the earth.
31 The tumult(CG) will resound to the ends of the earth,
    for the Lord will bring charges(CH) against the nations;
he will bring judgment(CI) on all(CJ) mankind
    and put the wicked to the sword,(CK)’”
declares the Lord.

32 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Look! Disaster(CL) is spreading
    from nation to nation;(CM)
a mighty storm(CN) is rising
    from the ends of the earth.”(CO)

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.

34 Weep and wail, you shepherds;(CS)
    roll(CT) in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
For your time to be slaughtered(CU) has come;
    you will fall like the best of the rams.[f](CV)
35 The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,
    the leaders of the flock no place to escape.(CW)
36 Hear the cry(CX) of the shepherds,(CY)
    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 lion(CZ) he will leave his lair,
    and their land will become desolate(DA)
because of the sword[g] of the oppressor(DB)
    and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.(DC)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 25:9 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  2. Jeremiah 25:12 Or Chaldeans
  3. Jeremiah 25:18 That is, their names to be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, to be seen by others as cursed
  4. Jeremiah 25:23 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads
  5. Jeremiah 25:26 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon.
  6. Jeremiah 25:34 Septuagint; Hebrew fall and be shattered like fine pottery
  7. Jeremiah 25:38 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 46:16 and 50:16); most Hebrew manuscripts anger