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word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 2 Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the people of Jerusalem, saying: 3 “From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until this very day, for twenty-three years the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.
4 “And although the Lord has sent all of His servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or incline your ears to hear. 5 They said, ‘Turn now, each of you, from all of your evil ways and from all your evil deeds. Live in the land that the Lord has given to you and to your fathers forever and ever. 6 Do not follow other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm’.
7 “‘But you did not listen to Me’, declares the Lord, ‘and you have provoked Me to anger with the work of your hands, and you have brought harm on yourselves.
8 “Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, 9 Behold, I am going to send for all of the tribes of the north’, declares the Lord, ‘and My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and of hissing, and a perpetual ruin. 10 Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and bride, the sound of millstones, and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole land will become a desolation and a ruin, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
12 “‘Then it will come to pass, that when the seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity’, declares the Lord; ‘and I will make it desolate forever. 13 I will bring upon that land all the things that I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book that Jeremiah has prophesied all against the nations. 14 For many nations and great kings will enslave them also; and I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands’.”
15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of My wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 When they drink it they will stagger and go mad because of the sword that 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 me drink from it:
18 Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, and its kings and officials, to make them a desolate ruin, an object of horror and hissing and cursing, as they are today;
19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, and all his people;
20 all of the mixed peoples;
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;
21 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;
22 all the kings of Tyre;
all the kings of Sidon;
the kings of the coastlands across the sea—
23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who shave their temples;
24 all the kings of Arabia;
all the kings of the mixed peoples that live in the desert;
25 all the kings of Zimri;
all the kings of Elam;
all the kings of the Medes;
26 all the kings of the north, both near and far from one another;
that is, all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face the earth.
Last of all, the king of Sheshach will drink it also.
27 “Then you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Drink, get drunk and vomit. Fall and rise no more, because of the sword I will send among you” ’. 28 But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Hosts says: “You must drink it! 29 For I am about to bring disaster on the city that is called by My Name, so how can you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I will call for a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth”, declares the Lord of Hosts’.
30 “Therefore prophesy all these words against them and say to them:
‘The Lord will roar from on High;
His voice will thunder from His holy habitation;
He will roar mightily against His fold.
He will call out with a shout, like those who tread the grapes,
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 The tumult will reach to the ends of the earth,
for the Lord has a controversy with the nations;
He will enter into judgment with all mankind,
and the wicked will be put to the sword’,
declares the Lord.”
32 “This is what the Lord of Hosts says:
“Look! Disaster goes forth
from nation to nation;
a great storm is rising
from the ends of the earth.”
33 On that day, those slain by the Lord will be strewn about from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried; they will be like dung lying on the ground.
34 “Wail, you shepherds,
and cry out!
Roll about in the dust,
you leaders of the flock.
For the day of your slaughter has arrived;
you will fall and be shattered like a precious vase.
35 The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,
the leaders of the flock will have no way to escape.
36 Hear the cry of the shepherds,
and the wailing of the leaders of the flock;
for the Lord is destroying their pastures.
37 The peaceful meadows will be cut down
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
38 He will leave His lair like a lion,
for their land will become a desolation
because of the sword of the oppressor,
and because of His fierce anger.”