Jeremiah — Chapter 25

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1This is the 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.

2So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as follows:

3“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—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.

4And the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear.

5The prophets told you, ‘Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and deeds, and you can dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever.

6Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’

7‘But to your own harm, you have not listened to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘so you have provoked Me to anger with the works of your hands.’

8Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words,

9behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.

10Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.

11And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

12But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.

13I will bring upon that land all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.

14For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.’”

15This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it.

16And they will drink and stagger and go out of their minds, because of the sword that I will send among them.”

17So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand and made all the nations drink from it, each one to whom the LORD had sent me,

18to make them a ruin, an object of horror and contempt and cursing, as they are to this day—Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials;

19Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officials, his leaders, and all his people;

20all the mixed tribes; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;

21Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;

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

23Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who cut the corners of their hair;

24all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert;

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

26all the kings of the north, both near and far, one after another—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshach will drink it too.

27“Then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Drink, get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, because of the sword I will send among you.’

28If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘You most certainly must drink it!

29For behold, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears My Name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of Hosts.’

30So you are to prophesy all these words against them and say to them: ‘The LORD will roar from on high; He will raise His voice from His holy habitation. He will roar loudly over His pasture; like those who tread the grapes, He will call out with a shout against all the inhabitants of the earth.

31The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth because the LORD brings a charge against the nations. He brings judgment on all mankind and puts the wicked to the sword,’” declares the LORD.

32This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.”

33Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying on the ground.

34Wail, you shepherds, and cry out; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For the days of your slaughter have come; you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery.

35Flight will evade the shepherds, and escape will elude the leaders of the flock.

36Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD is destroying their pasture.

37The peaceful meadows have been silenced because of the LORD’s burning anger.

38He has left His den like a lion, for their land has been made a desolation by the sword of the oppressor, and because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

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, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;

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

3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.

4And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.

5They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:

6And go not after other gods 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 hurt.

7Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

8Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,

9Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and 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 will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.

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 candle.

11And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 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 the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

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.

14For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.

15For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

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

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

18To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;

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

20And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,

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

22And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,

23Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,

24And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,

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

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.

27Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.

28And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.

29For, lo, I begin to bring evil on 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 the LORD of hosts.

30Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

31A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.

32Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

33And the slain of the LORD 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 ground.

34Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.

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

36A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture.

37And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

38He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.

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,)

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

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.

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,)

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;

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.

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.

8Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Because ye have not heard 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

18[to 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;

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

20and all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of the Uz, and all the kings of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;

21Edom, and Moab, and the children 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;

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

1In the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah. (That was the same as the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.)

2So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the people who were living in Jerusalem.

3“For the last 23 years, from the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was ruling in Judah until now, the Lord’s messages have come to me, and I have told them to you over and over again. But you would not listen.

4Over and over again the Lord has sent his servants the prophets to you. But you have not listened or paid attention.

5He said through them, ‘Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and stop doing the evil things you are doing. If you do, I will allow you to continue to live here in the land that I gave to you and your ancestors as a lasting possession.

6Do not pay allegiance to other gods and worship and serve them. Do not make me angry by the things that you do. Then I will not cause you any harm.’

7So, now the Lord says, ‘You have not listened to me. But you have made me angry by the things that you have done. Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.’

8“Therefore, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘You have not listened to what I said.

9So I, the Lord, affirm that I will send for all the peoples of the north and my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy the land, its inhabitants, and all the surrounding nations and make them everlasting ruins. I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn.

10I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and the glad celebration of brides and grooms in these lands. I will put an end to the sound of people grinding meal. I will put an end to lamps shining in their houses.

11This whole area will become a desolate wasteland. These nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for 70 years.’

12“‘But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation for their sins. I will make the land of Babylon an everlasting ruin. I, the Lord, affirm it!

13I will bring on that land everything that I said I would. I will bring on it everything that is written in this book. I will bring on it everything that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.

14For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and his nation too. I will repay them for all they have done.’”

15So the Lord, the God of Israel, spoke to me in a vision: “Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my wrath. Take it and make the nations to whom I send you drink it.

16When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro and act insane. For I will send wars sweeping through them.”

17So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I made all the nations to whom he sent me drink the wine of his wrath.

18I made Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials drink it. I did it so Judah would become a ruin. I did it so Judah, its kings, and its officials would become an object of horror and of hissing scorn, an example used in curses. Such is already becoming the case!

19I made all these other people drink it: Pharaoh, king of Egypt; his attendants, his officials, his people,

20the foreigners living in Egypt; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the land of the Philistines, the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the people who had been left alive from Ashdod;

21all the people of Edom, Moab, Ammon;

22all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon; all the kings of the coastlands along the sea;

23the people of Dedan, Tema, Buz, all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples;

24all the kings of Arabia who live in the desert;

25all the kings of Zimri; all the kings of Elam; all the kings of Media;

26all the kings of the north, whether near or far from one another; and all the other kingdoms that are on the face of the earth. After all of them have drunk the wine of the Lord’s wrath, the king of Babylon must drink it.

27Then the Lord said to me, “Tell them that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Drink this cup until you get drunk and vomit. Drink until you fall down and can’t get up. For I will send wars sweeping through you.’

28If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, tell them that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘You most certainly must drink it!

29For take note, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that I call my own. So how can you possibly avoid being punished? You will not go unpunished. For I am proclaiming war against all who live on the earth. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, affirm it!’

30“Then, Jeremiah, make the following prophecy against them: ‘Like a lion about to attack, the Lord will roar from the heights of heaven; from his holy dwelling on high he will roar loudly. He will roar mightily against his land. He will shout in triumph, like those stomping juice from the grapes, against all those who live on the earth.

31The sounds of battle will resound to the ends of the earth. For the Lord will bring charges against the nations. He will pass judgment on all humankind and will hand the wicked over to be killed in war.’ The Lord so affirms it!

32The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘Disaster will soon come on one nation after another. A mighty storm of military destruction is rising up from the distant parts of the earth.’

33Those who have been killed by the Lord at that time will be scattered from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned over, gathered up, or buried. Their dead bodies will lie scattered over the ground like manure.

34Wail and cry out in anguish, you rulers! Roll in the dust, you who shepherd flocks of people! The time for you to be slaughtered has come. You will lie scattered and fallen like broken pieces of fine pottery.

35The leaders will not be able to run away and hide. The shepherds of the flocks will not be able to escape.

36Listen to the cries of anguish of the leaders. Listen to the wails of the shepherds of the flocks. They are wailing because the Lord is about to destroy their lands.

37Their peaceful dwelling places will be laid waste by the fierce anger of the Lord.

38The Lord is like a lion who has left his lair. So their lands will certainly be laid waste by the warfare of the oppressive nation and by the fierce anger of the Lord.”

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 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon),

2which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:

3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years, Yahweh’s word has come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking; but you have not listened.

4Yahweh has sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them (but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear),

5saying, “Return now everyone from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that Yahweh has given to you and to your fathers, from of old and even forever more.

6Don’t go after other gods to serve them or worship them, and don’t provoke me to anger with the work of your hands; then I will do you no harm.”

7“Yet you have not listened to me,” says Yahweh; “that you may provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt.”

8Therefore Yahweh of Armies says: “Because you have not heard my words,

9behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,” says Yahweh, “and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations around. I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

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.

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

12“It will happen, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,” says Yahweh, “for their iniquity. I will make the land of the Chaldeans desolate forever.

13I will bring on that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.

14For many nations and great kings will make bondservants of them, even of them. I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.”

15For Yahweh, the God of Israel, says to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand, and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it.

16They will drink, and reel back and forth, and be insane, because of the sword that I will send among them.”

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

18Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, with its kings and its princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is today;

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

20and all the mixed people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the Philistines, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;

21Edom, Moab, and the children of Ammon;

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

23Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who have the corners of their beard cut off;

24and all the kings of Arabia, all the kings of the mixed people who dwell in the wilderness;

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

26and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world, which are on the surface of the earth. The king of Sheshach will drink after them.

27“You shall tell them, ‘Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Drink, and be drunk, vomit, fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.”’

28It shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at your hand to drink, then you shall tell them, ‘Yahweh of Armies says: “You shall surely drink.

29For, behold, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should you be utterly unpunished? You will not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth, says Yahweh of Armies.”’

30“Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and tell them, “‘Yahweh 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 those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

31A noise will come even to the end of the earth; for Yahweh has a controversy with the nations. He will enter into judgment with all flesh. As for the wicked, he will give them to the sword,”’ says Yahweh.”

32Yahweh of Armies says, “Behold, evil will go out from nation to nation, and a great storm will be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth.”

33The slain of Yahweh will be at that day from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They won’t be lamented. They won’t be gathered or buried. They will be dung on the surface of the ground.

34Wail, you shepherds, and cry. Wallow in dust, you leader of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions have fully come, and you will fall like fine pottery.

35The shepherds will have no way to flee. The leader of the flock will have no escape.

36A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and the wailing of the leader of the flock, for Yahweh destroys their pasture.

37The peaceful folds are brought to silence because of the fierce anger of Yahweh.

38He has left his covert, as the lion; for their land has become an astonishment because of the fierceness of the oppression, and because of his fierce anger.

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Summary

Jeremiah reviews twenty-three years of preaching that the people refused to heed, despite God's persistent sending of prophets (vv. 1-7). Because of their disobedience, God announces that Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar will conquer the land and the people will serve Babylon for seventy years, after which Babylon itself will be punished for its own guilt (vv. 8-14). Jeremiah is then shown a symbolic cup of God's wrath that he must make all the surrounding nations drink, beginning with Jerusalem and Judah and extending outward to the ends of the earth, including Babylon itself under the code name Sheshach (vv. 15-26). The chapter closes with a vivid picture of God's judgment sweeping across the whole earth like a storm, from nation to nation (vv. 30-33).

Authorship & Background

Author: Jeremiah son of Hilkiah (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Classification: Prophetic Summary Oracle — 23 Years Summarized + Cup of Wrath to Nations
Key Themes: 23 years of rejected prophecy, the 70-year Babylon exile, Babylon's own judgment after 70 years, the cup of wrath passed to all nations, universal judgment
Historical Context: Dated precisely to Jehoiakim's 4th year / Nebuchadnezzar's 1st year (605 BC) — the year of the Battle of Carchemish when Babylon defeated Egypt and became the undisputed world power. This chapter is a summary of Jeremiah's ministry to date (23 years, from 627 BC). The message: 23 years of preaching, and nobody listened. Now the sentence is final: 70 years serving Babylon (v.11), then Babylon judged (v.12), then all nations drink God's wrath (vv.15-29). This is Jeremiah's most universal chapter — expanding from Judah to the entire known world.
Three and Twenty Years (vv.1-7): Dated the fourth year of Jehoiakim, which the text identifies as the first year of Nebuchadrezzar, 605 BC, the year of Carchemish. The prophet then dates his own ministry and gives its result in one sentence: from the thirteenth year of Josiah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking, but ye have not hearkened. Twenty-three years, summarized. And what had been asked was modest, turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers.
Seventy Years (vv.8-14): I will send and take all the families of the north, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant. That last phrase is used of him three times in this book and it is startling every time: the invading pagan emperor is called God's servant. Then the number, these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. It is the figure Daniel 9 is reading and praying over, the one 2 Chronicles 36 uses to interpret the exile through the land's unkept sabbaths, and the one Ezra 1 treats as run out. And the sentence has a second half that is often forgotten, when seventy years are accomplished, I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation.
The Cup of the Wine of This Fury (vv.15-29): Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations to whom I send thee to drink it. The list of who drinks is effectively a table of contents for chapters 46 to 51: Egypt, Uz, the Philistine cities, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Zidon, the isles, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabia, Elam, the Medes, all the kings of the north, and last of all Sheshach, which is a cipher for Babylon itself. The reason nobody is exempt is put as an argument from precedent, and it is hard to answer, for lo, I begin to bring evil upon the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished. Judgment that starts at the temple cannot stop at the border.
The LORD Shall Roar from on High (vv.30-38): The LORD shall roar from on high, he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. The imagery then moves from the winepress to the sheepfold, howl, ye shepherds, and cry, and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock, with the reason given as a practical one, the shepherds shall have no way to flee. And the closing line supplies the register for the whole chapter, he hath forsaken his covert, as the lion.

Map & Geography

  • Babylon (v.1, v.9, v.11): Capital of the Babylonian empire; place of Judah's exile (modern Iraq).
  • Jerusalem (v.2, v.18): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.
  • Egypt (v.19): Land to the southwest; place of Israel's bondage and exodus.
  • Edom (v.21): Land south of the Dead Sea; descendants of Esau.
  • Moab (v.21): Land east of the Dead Sea; often in conflict with Israel.

Places on this map

  • Babylonnear Hillah, IraqOn the Euphrates about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad. Judah's exiles were marched roughly 900 miles to get here, the long way round the Arabian desert, which is why the journey took months and the return was a genuine undertaking rather than a short trip home. Wikipedia
  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
  • EgyptEgyptA ribbon of irrigated land along the Nile, ending in the Delta where Israel settled in Goshen. Rain-fed Canaan depended on weather; Egypt depended on a river that flooded on schedule, which made it the place everyone went when the harvest failed. Wikipedia
  • Edomsouthern JordanThe red sandstone highlands south-east of the Dead Sea, holding the King's Highway and later Petra. Settlements sat behind cliffs and narrow gorges, which is the pride Obadiah addresses when he speaks to those who dwell in the clefts of the rock. Wikipedia
  • Dead SeaIsrael / JordanThe lowest exposed ground on earth, about 1,400 feet below sea level, and roughly ten times saltier than the ocean because water leaves only by evaporation. Nothing lives in it, which is the image Ezekiel 47 overturns when he has it filled with fish. Wikipedia
  • Moabwest-central JordanThe plateau east of the Dead Sea, cut off from Israel by the rift valley and from Ammon by the Arnon gorge. High enough to farm grain, which is why Naomi's family went there in a famine. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Jeremiah 25 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application
2BeLikeChrist

Learning from Figs and from Cups - Jeremiah 24-25
David Guzik

Jeremiah 24-25 | Two Baskets of Figs | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Jeremiah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Twenty-Three Years of Faithful, Unheeded Preaching (v.3) — Jeremiah has preached for over two decades and the people still haven't listened. If years of faithfulness in your own life haven't produced the results you hoped for, can you still measure success by obedience rather than by response?
  • God Sending Prophets Persistently (v.4) — God describes sending His servants the prophets again and again, urgently and repeatedly, and still being ignored. When you've been warned about something more than once, do you take the repetition as a sign of how seriously you should treat it?
  • A Sentence With a Specific Timeline (v.11) — The exile is set at seventy years, a definite, measurable period rather than an open-ended punishment. In your own hard season, can you trust that God has an end point in mind even when you can't see it?
  • Even God's Instrument Faces Judgment (v.12) — Babylon, used by God to discipline His people, is told it will also be punished for its own guilt once its purpose is served. Does being useful to God's purposes in some area of your life ever tempt you to think your own character is exempt from His judgment?
  • Judgment Beginning at Home (v.29) — God says He begins bringing disaster on the city called by His own name before it reaches anyone else. Are you quicker to notice sin in the world around you than to let God's correction start with your own household first?