Jeremiah 25

1The 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),

1Jeremiah received a message about all the people of Judah during the fourth year that Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, was king of Judah. This was also the first year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.

2which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying:

2Jeremiah the prophet spoke this message to all the people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem.

3From 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.

3For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah, until today—the LORD has given me messages. I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

4And 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),

4Even though the LORD repeatedly sent all his servants the prophets to you, you failed to listen or pay any attention.

5saying, 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;

5The prophets said, 'Every one of you must turn from your evil ways and your bad deeds. If you do, you will live in the land the LORD gave to you and your ancestors forever.

6and 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.

6Do not follow other gods to serve or worship them. Do not make me angry by worshiping idols you have made. If you stop, I will not bring disaster on you.'

7Yet 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.

7'But you would not listen to me,' says the LORD. 'Instead, you made me angry by worshiping idols, bringing disaster on yourselves.'

8Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Because ye have not heard my words,

8Therefore, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: 'Because you have not listened to my words,

9behold, 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 utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

9I will send for all the tribes of the north,' says the LORD. 'I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. I will bring them against this land, its people, and all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them, making them a sight of horror, something to be hissed at, and a permanent ruin.'

10Moreover 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 lamp.

10'I will silence the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bridegroom and the bride, the sound of millstones grinding grain, and the light of the lamp.'

11And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

11'This entire land will become a pile of ruins and a wasteland. These nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.'

12And 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 desolate for ever.

12'Then, after the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation for their sins,' says the LORD. 'I will make the land of the Babylonians a wasteland forever.'

13And 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.

13'I will bring upon that land all the disasters I promised—everything written in this book that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.'

14For many nations and great kings 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.

14'Many nations and great kings will make slaves of the Babylonians. I will punish them according to their own actions and the work of their hands.'

15For 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.

15This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: 'Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my anger. Make all the nations I send you to drink from it.'

16And they shall drink, and reel to and fro, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

16'When they drink it, they will stagger and act like madmen because of the war I am sending against them.'

17Then took I the cup at Jehovah’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom Jehovah had sent me:

17So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand. I made all the nations the LORD sent me to drink from it.

18to 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;

18I brought it to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin, an object of horror, a thing to be hissed at, and a curse, just as they are today.

19Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;

19I also gave it to Pharaoh king of Egypt, his attendants, his officials, and all his people;

20and 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;

20to all the foreign people living there; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron, and what is left of Ashdod;

21Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon;

21to Edom, Moab, and the people of Ammon;

22and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the isle which is beyond the sea;

22to all the kings of Tyre and Sidon, and the kings of the coastlands across the sea;

23Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that have the corners of their hair cut off;

23to Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who trim the hair on their temples;

24and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the wilderness;

24to all the kings of Arabia and the kings of the various tribes that live in the desert;

25and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes;

25to all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media;

26and 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.

26and to all the kings of the north, near and far, one after another—to all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. Finally, the king of Babylon himself must drink from the cup.

27And 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.

27Then say to them, 'This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk, vomit, and fall down to never get up again. Do this because of the war I am sending among you.'

28And 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.

28'If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, tell them: This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: You must drink it!'

29For, 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.

29'Look, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my name. Do you think you will go unpunished? You will not! I am calling for war against every person on earth,' says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

30Therefore 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 fold; he will give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

30'Now, prophesy all these things against them. Say: The LORD roars from heaven; he thunders from his holy home. He roars loudly against his land. He shouts like those who stomp grapes against everyone living on earth.'

31A 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.

31'The noise of judgment will reach the ends of the earth. The LORD has a legal case against the nations. He will judge all people and put the wicked to death by the sword,' says the LORD.

32Thus 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.

32This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: 'Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation. A great storm is rising from the farthest parts of the earth.'

33And 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.

33On that day, those killed by the LORD will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. No one will mourn for them, gather them up, or bury them. They will be like dung lying on the ground.

34Wail, 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.

34Cry out and wail, you leaders! Roll in the dust, you managers of the people! The time has come for you to be slaughtered. You will be scattered and fall like a piece of fine pottery that shatters.

35And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.

35There will be no place for these leaders to hide; there will be no escape for the managers of the people.

36A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and the wailing of the principal of the flock! for Jehovah layeth waste their pasture.

36Listen to the cries of the leaders and the wailing of the managers! The LORD is destroying their land.

37And the peaceable folds are brought to silence because of the fierce anger of Jehovah.

37The peaceful fields are being destroyed by the fierce anger of the LORD.

38He 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.

38He has left his hiding place like a lion. Their land has become a wasteland because of the violence of the attacker and because of the LORD’s fierce anger.