Jeremiah, 25

1. The word that was addressed to Jeremiah about all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah (that is to say the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon).

1. The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoi'akim the son of Josi'ah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadrez'zar king of Babylon),

2. The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed it before all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:

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

3. 'For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until today, the word of Yahweh has been addressed to me and I have never tired of speaking to you (but you have not listened.

3. "For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josi'ah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened.

4. Furthermore, Yahweh has untiringly sent you all his servants the prophets, but you have not listened or paid attention).

4. You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the LORD persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets,

5. The message was this, "Turn back, each one of you, from your evil behaviour and your evil actions, and you will go on living on the soil Yahweh long ago gave to you and your ancestors for ever.

5. saying, `Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and wrong doings, and dwell upon the land which the LORD has given to you and your fathers from of old and for ever;

6. (And do not follow other gods to serve and worship them, do not provoke me with things you yourselves have made, and then I shall not harm you.)

6. do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.'

7. But you have not listened to me (Yahweh declares, so that you have now provoked me with things you yourselves have made, and thus harmed yourselves)."

7. Yet you have not listened to me, says the LORD, that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

8. 'So-this is what Yahweh Sabaoth says, "Since you have not listened to my words,

8. "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words,

9. I shall now send for all the families of the north (Yahweh declares, that is, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant) and bring them down on this country and its inhabitants (and on all these surrounding nations); I shall curse them with utter destruction and make them an object of horror, of scorn, and ruin them for ever.

9. behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, says the LORD, and for Nebuchadrez'zar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these nations round about; I will utterly destroy them, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting reproach.

10. From them I shall banish the shouts of rejoicing and mirth, the voices of bridegroom and bride, the sound of the handmill and the light of the lamp;

10. Moreover, I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

11. and this whole country will be reduced to ruin and desolation, and these nations will be enslaved to the king of Babylon for seventy years.

11. This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

12. (But when the seventy years are over, I shall punish the king of Babylon and that nation, Yahweh declares, for the wrong they have done, that is, the country of the Chaldaeans, and make it desolate for ever),

12. Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chalde'ans, for their iniquity, says the LORD, making the land an everlasting waste.

13. and against that country I shall perform all the words with which I have threatened it, that is, everything written in this book." '

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

14. What Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. ('For these in their turn are to be enslaved to powerful nations and great kings, and I shall pay them back as their deeds and handiwork deserve.')

14. For many nations and great kings shall make slaves even of them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands."

15. For Yahweh, the God of Israel, said this to me, 'Take this cup of the wine of wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it;

15. Thus 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 it.

16. they will drink and reel and lose their wits, because of the sword I am sending among them.'

16. They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword which I am sending among them."

17. I took the cup from Yahweh's hand and made all the nations to whom Yahweh sent me drink it

17. So I took the cup from the LORD's hand, and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it:

18. (Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and its chief men, to make them a ruin, an object of horror and derision and a curse, as is the case today):

18. Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and princes, to make them a desolation and a waste, a hissing and a curse, as at this day;

19. Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officials, his chief men and all his people,

19. Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, all his people,

20. with the whole conglomeration of peoples there (all the kings of the country of Uz); all the kings of the country of the Philistines, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and what is still left of Ashdod;

20. and all the foreign folk among them; all the kings of the land of Uz and all the kings of the land of the Philistines (Ash'kelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod);

21. Edom, Moab and the Ammonites;

21. Edom, Moab, and the sons of Ammon;

22. (all) the kings of Tyre, (all) the kings of Sidon, the kings of the island across the sea;

22. all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastland across the sea;

23. Dedan, Tema, Buz, all the people with shaven temples;

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

24. all the kings of Arabia (and all the kings of the conglomeration of peoples) who live in the desert

24. all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the mixed tribes that dwell in the desert;

25. (all the kings of Zimri), all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media;

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

26. all the kings of the north, near and far, one after another: in short, all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. (As for the king of Sheshak, he will drink last of all.)

26. all the kings of the north, far and near, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of Babylon shall drink.

27. 'You will say to them, "Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Drink! Get drunk! Vomit! Fall, never to rise again, before the sword that I am sending among you!"

27. "Then you shall say to them, `Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I am sending among you.'

28. If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, you will say to them, "Yahweh Sabaoth says this: You must drink!

28. "And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, `Thus says the LORD of hosts: You must drink!

29. Look, for a start, I am bringing disaster on the city that bears my name, so are you likely to go unpunished? You certainly will not go unpunished, for next I shall summon a sword against all the inhabitants of the land, Yahweh declares."

29. For behold, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, says the LORD of hosts.'

30. 'For your part, you are to prophesy all these words to them. Say to them: "Yahweh roars from on high, he thunders from his holy dwelling-place, loudly he roars at his own fold, shouts aloud like those who tread the grape at all the inhabitants of the land.

30. "You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: `The LORD will roar from on high, and from his holy habitation utter his voice; he will roar mightily against his fold, and shout, like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

31. The noise resounds to the remotest parts of the earth. For Yahweh is indicting the nations, arraigning all humanity for judgement; the wicked he assigns to the sword, Yahweh declares.

31. The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth, for the LORD has an indictment against the nations; he is entering into judgment with all flesh, and the wicked he will put to the sword, says the LORD.'

32. Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Look, disaster is spreading from nation to nation, a mighty tempest is rising from the far ends of the earth.

32. "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, evil is going forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth!

33. "Those slaughtered by Yahweh that day will be scattered across the world from end to end. No dirge will be raised for them; no one will gather them or bury them; they will stay lying on the surface like dung.

33. "And those slain by the LORD on that day shall extend from one end of the earth to the other. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall be dung on the surface of the ground.

34. "Howl, shepherds, shriek, roll on the ground, you lords of the flock, for your days have come to be slaughtered and to be scattered, and like a choice vase you will fall.

34. "Wail, you shepherds, and cry, and roll in ashes, you lords of the flock, for the days of your slaughter and dispersion have come, and you shall fall like choice rams.

35. No refuge then for the shepherds, no escape for the lords of the flock!

35. No refuge will remain for the shepherds, nor escape for the lords of the flock.

36. Listen! A shriek from the shepherds, a howl from the lords of the flock! For Yahweh has laid their pasture waste,

36. Hark, the cry of the shepherds, and the wail of the lords of the flock! For the LORD is despoiling their pasture,

37. the peaceful sheepfolds are reduced to silence owing to Yahweh's furious anger.

37. and the peaceful folds are devastated, because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

38. The lion has left his lair and their country is a wasteland now, owing to the devastating fury, owing to his furious anger." '

38. Like a lion he has left his covert, for their land has become a waste because of the sword of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger."