Jeremiah 25
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 25[a]
Seventy Years of Captivity.[b] 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim of Judah, the son of Josiah, which was the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. 2 The prophet Jeremiah thus spoke as follows to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
3 For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of King Josiah of Judah, the son of Amon, until this very day—the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you unceasingly, but you have not listened. 4 And though the Lord continued to send all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you refused to listen or to pay any heed to their message when they warned, 5 “If you turn back, each of you, from your evil ways and your wicked deeds, says the Lord, you can remain in the land that I have given to you and to your fathers forever. 6 If you do not follow other gods to serve and worship them, and you do not provoke me with what your hands have made, then I will not harm you. 7 But you have not listened to me, says the Lord, and thus you have provoked me to anger with your handiwork to your own harm.”
8 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I intend to summon all the tribes of the north, says the Lord, as well as my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will totally destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn and everlasting disgrace. 10 No longer will there emerge from them the sounds of rejoicing and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This entire country will become a wasteland of desolation, and these nations will be enslaved to the king of Babylon for seventy years.
12 However, at the end of those seventy years, says the Lord, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, and I will turn it into a desolate wasteland. 13 [c]I will inflict upon that land all the scourges that I threatened against it, everything written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14 Mighty nations and powerful kings will reduce them to a life of slavery, and thus I will requite them as their deeds and their handiwork deserve.
15 The Cup of Wrath on the Nations. For these are the words that the Lord, the God of Israel, proclaimed to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and command all the nations to whom I send you to drink from it. 16 After they drink, they will stagger and become mad because of the sword that I am inflicting upon them.”
17 Therefore, I took the cup from the hand of the Lord and ordered all the nations to whom the Lord had sent me to drink from it: 18 Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to transform them into a desolate ruin and a desert, an object of ridicule and cursing, as they are today; 19 Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, and all his people, 20 with the various groupings of people: 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, and all the kings of the coastland across the sea; 23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who have shaven temples; 24 all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the mixed peoples that dwell in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media; 26 all the kings of the north, both close neighbors and those who are distant from each other—in other words, all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And, last of all, the king of Sheshach[d] shall drink.
27 Then say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink! Get drunk and vomit! Fall down, never to rise again, because of the sword that I am sending against you. 28 Should they refuse to accept the cup from your hand and drink, then you are to say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts: You must drink! 29 Behold, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that is called by my name. Do you believe that you can possibly avoid punishment? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, says the Lord of hosts.
30 Therefore, prophesy against them all these words and proclaim to them:
The Lord roars from on high;
he thunders from his holy dwelling place.
He will roar mightily against his fold;
like those who tread the grapes, she shouts aloud
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 The uproar will resound to the ends of the earth,
for the Lord has an indictment against the nations,
he will pass judgment upon all mankind
and put the wicked to the sword.
This the Lord has sworn.
32 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Behold, disaster is spreading
from nation to nation,
and a mighty storm has been unleashed
from the farthest corners of the earth.
33 Those whom the Lord has slain on that day will be scattered from one end of the earth to the other. No one will mourn for them. Nor will they be gathered up for burial. Rather, they will become like dung spread over the surface of the ground.
34 Wail, you shepherds, and weep aloud;
roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
The time for you to be slaughtered has arrived;
you will fall and be shattered
like a valuable vase.
35 The shepherds have no place to seek refuge;
the leaders of the flock have no way of escape.
36 Listen to the cry of the shepherds
and the wails from the lords of the flock.
For the Lord has ravaged their pasture,
37 and their peaceful sheepfolds lie in ruins
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
38 Like a lion he has abandoned his lair,
for their land has become a desolate waste
because of the sword of the oppressor
and the fierce anger of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 25:1 The end of the seventh century B.C. saw the clash of great empires. Assyria and Egypt made way for Babylon. The year 605 B.C. was one of the most important in the history of the ancient East: Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt at Carchemish.
- Jeremiah 25:1 An exile is announced that will last for seventy years. The number is not intended as strictly arithmetical but represents a period longer than the average duration of human life.
- Jeremiah 25:13 This passage probably served as a conclusion to the oracles against the nations, which have been removed from their proper place and put at the end of the Book (chs. 46–51).
- Jeremiah 25:26 Sheshach: a cabalistic transcription of the name “Babylon.”
Jeremiah 25
English Standard Version
Seventy Years of Captivity
25 (A)The 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 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 3 “For twenty-three years, (B)from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken (C)persistently to you, (D)but you have not listened. 4 (E)You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord (F)persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, 5 saying, (G)‘Turn now, every one of you, (H)from his evil way and evil deeds, and (I)dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. 6 (J)Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, (K)or provoke me to anger (L)with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’ 7 (M)Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, (N)that you might provoke me to anger (O)with the work of your hands to your own harm.
8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, 9 (P)behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (Q)my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, (R)and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10 Moreover, (S)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, (T)the grinding of the millstones and (U)the light of the lamp. 11 (V)This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and (W)these nations shall serve the king of Babylon (X)seventy years. 12 Then after (Y)seventy years are completed, (Z)I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, (AA)the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, (AB)making the land an everlasting waste. 13 I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written (AC)in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14 (AD)For many nations (AE)and great kings shall make slaves even of them, (AF)and I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”
The Cup of the Lord's Wrath
15 Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: (AG)“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 shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of (AH)the sword that I am sending among them.”
17 So I took the cup from the Lord's hand, (AI)and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: 18 (AJ)Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials, (AK)to make them a desolation and a waste, a hissing and a curse, as at this day; 19 (AL)Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, all his people, 20 and (AM)all the mixed tribes among them; all the kings of (AN)the land of Uz and all the kings of (AO)the land of the Philistines ((AP)Ashkelon, (AQ)Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of (AR)Ashdod); 21 (AS)Edom, (AT)Moab, and the sons of (AU)Ammon; 22 all the kings of (AV)Tyre, all the kings of (AW)Sidon, and the kings of the coastland across (AX)the sea; 23 (AY)Dedan, (AZ)Tema, (BA)Buz, and all who cut (BB)the corners of their hair; 24 all the (BC)kings of Arabia and all the kings of (BD)the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of (BE)Elam, and all the kings of (BF)Media; 26 all the kings of (BG)the north, far and near, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of (BH)Babylon[a] shall drink.
27 “Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (BI)Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of (BJ)the sword that I am sending among you.’
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: (BK)You must drink! 29 For behold, (BL)I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, (BM)for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the Lord of hosts.’
30 “You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them:
(BN)“‘The Lord will roar from on high,
and from his holy habitation utter his voice;
he will roar mightily against his fold,
(BO)and shout, like those who tread grapes,
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth,
for (BP)the Lord has an indictment against the nations;
(BQ)he is entering into judgment with all flesh,
and the wicked he will put to the sword,
declares the Lord.’
32 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Behold, disaster is going forth
from nation to nation,
(BR)and a great tempest is stirring
(BS)from the farthest parts of the earth!
33 (BT)“And those pierced by the Lord on that day shall extend from one end of the earth to the other. (BU)They shall not be lamented, (BV)or gathered, or buried; (BW)they shall be dung on the surface of the ground.
34 (BX)“Wail, (BY)you shepherds, and cry out,
(BZ)and roll in ashes, you lords of the flock,
for the days of your slaughter and dispersion have come,
and you shall fall like a choice vessel.
35 No refuge will remain (CA)for the shepherds,
nor escape for the lords of the flock.
36 A voice—the cry (CB)of the shepherds,
(CC)and the wail of the lords of the flock!
For the Lord is laying waste their pasture,
37 (CD)and the peaceful folds are devastated
(CE)because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
38 Like a lion (CF)he has left his lair,
for their land has become a waste
because of (CG)the sword of the oppressor,
(CH)and because of his fierce anger.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 25:26 Hebrew Sheshach, a code name for Babylon
Jeremiah 25
New King James Version
Seventy Years of Desolation
25 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, (A)in the fourth year of (B)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: 3 (C)“From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the Lord has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, (D)but you have not listened. 4 And the Lord has sent to you all His servants the prophets, (E)rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. 5 They said, (F)‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 6 Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the Lord, “that you might (G)provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, 9 behold, I will send and take (H)all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (I)My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and (J)make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will [a]take from them the (K)voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, (L)the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy (M)years.
12 ‘Then it will come to pass, (N)when [b]seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the Lord; (O)‘and I will make it a perpetual desolation. 13 So I will bring on that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied concerning all the nations. 14 (P)(For many nations (Q)and great kings shall (R)be served by them also; (S)and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.)’ ”
Judgment on the Nations
15 For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: “Take this (T)wine cup of [c]fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. 16 And (U)they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.”
17 Then I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations drink, to whom the Lord had sent me: 18 Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its princes, to make them (V)a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and (W)a curse, as it is this day; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, and all his people; 20 all the mixed multitude, all the kings of (X)the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the (Y)Philistines (namely, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and (Z)the remnant of Ashdod); 21 (AA)Edom, Moab, and the people of Ammon; 22 all the kings of (AB)Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastlands which are across the (AC)sea; 23 (AD)Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who are in the farthest corners; 24 all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the (AE)mixed multitude who dwell in the desert; 25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of (AF)Elam, and all the kings of the (AG)Medes; 26 (AH)all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. Also the king of [d]Sheshach shall drink after them.
27 “Therefore you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (AI)“Drink, (AJ)be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.” ’ 28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “You shall certainly drink! 29 For behold, (AK)I begin to bring calamity on the city (AL)which is called by My name, and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for (AM)I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,” says the Lord of hosts.’
30 “Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say to them:
‘The Lord will (AN)roar from on high,
And utter His voice from (AO)His holy habitation;
He will roar mightily against (AP)His fold.
He will give (AQ)a shout, as those who tread the grapes,
Against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 A noise will come to the ends of the earth—
For the Lord has (AR)a controversy with the nations;
(AS)He will plead His case with all flesh.
He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the Lord.”
32 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Behold, disaster shall go forth
From nation to nation,
And (AT)a great whirlwind shall be raised up
From the farthest parts of the earth.
33 (AU)And at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be (AV)lamented, (AW)or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground.
34 “Wail,(AX) shepherds, and cry!
Roll about in the ashes,
You leaders of the flock!
For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are fulfilled;
You shall fall like a precious vessel.
35 And the shepherds will have no [e]way to flee,
Nor the leaders of the flock to escape.
36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds,
And a wailing of the leaders to the flock will be heard.
For the Lord has plundered their pasture,
37 And the peaceful dwellings are cut down
Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
38 He has left His lair like the lion;
For their land is desolate
Because of the fierceness of the Oppressor,
And because of His fierce anger.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 25:10 Lit. cause to perish from them
- Jeremiah 25:12 Beginning circa 605 b.c. (2 Kin. 24:1) and ending circa 536 b.c. (Ezra 1:1)
- Jeremiah 25:15 wrath
- Jeremiah 25:26 A code word for Babylon, Jer. 51:41
- Jeremiah 25:35 Or refuge
Jeremiah 25
American Standard Version
25 The 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), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: 3 From 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. 4 And 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), 5 saying, 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; 6 and 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. 7 Yet 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. 8 Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Because ye have not heard my words, 9 behold, 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 [a]utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will [b]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. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
12 And 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 [c]desolate for ever. 13 And 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. 14 For many nations and great kings [d]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.
15 For 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. 16 And they shall drink, and reel to and fro, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. 17 Then 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; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; 20 and 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; 21 Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon; 22 and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the [e]isle which is beyond the sea; 23 Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that have the corners of their hair cut off; 24 and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the wilderness; 25 and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; 26 and 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.
27 And 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. 28 And 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. 29 For, 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.
30 Therefore 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 [f]fold; he will give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A 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.
32 Thus 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. 33 And 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. 34 Wail, 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. 35 And [g]the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. 36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and the wailing of the principal of the flock! for Jehovah layeth waste their pasture. 37 And the peaceable folds are brought to silence because of the fierce anger of Jehovah. 38 He 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.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 25:9 Hebrew devote.
- Jeremiah 25:10 Hebrew cause to perish from them.
- Jeremiah 25:12 Hebrew everlasting desolations.
- Jeremiah 25:14 Or, have made
- Jeremiah 25:22 Or, coast-land
- Jeremiah 25:30 Or, pasture
- Jeremiah 25:35 Hebrew flight shall perish from the shepherds, and escape from etc.
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