Jeremiah 25:15-38

English Standard Version

The Cup of the Lord's Wrath

¹⁵Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: ^(A)“Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. ¹⁶They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of ^(B)the sword that I am sending among them.”

¹⁷So I took the cup from the Lord's hand, ^(C)and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: ¹⁸^(D)Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials, ^(E)to make them a desolation and a waste, a hissing and a curse, as at this day; ¹⁹^(F)Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, all his people, ²⁰and ^(G)all the mixed tribes among them; all the kings of ^(H)the land of Uz and all the kings of ^(I)the land of the Philistines (^(J)Ashkelon, ^(K)Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of ^(L)Ashdod); ²¹^(M)Edom, ^(N)Moab, and the sons of ^(O)Ammon; ²²all the kings of ^(P)Tyre, all the kings of ^(Q)Sidon, and the kings of the coastland across ^(R)the sea; ²³^(S)Dedan, ^(T)Tema, ^(U)Buz, and all who cut ^(V)the corners of their hair; ²⁴all the ^(W)kings of Arabia and all the kings of ^(X)the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert; ²⁵all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of ^(Y)Elam, and all the kings of ^(Z)Media; ²⁶all the kings of ^(AA)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 ^(AB)Babylon^[a] shall drink.

²⁷“Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(AC)Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of ^(AD)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: ^(AE)You must drink! ²⁹For behold, ^(AF)I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, ^(AG)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:

^(AH)“‘The Lord will roar from on high,
    and from his holy habitation utter his voice;
he will roar mightily against his fold,
    ^(AI)and shout, like those who tread grapes,
    against all the inhabitants of the earth.
³¹The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth,
    for ^(AJ)the Lord has an indictment against the nations;
^(AK)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,
^(AL)and a great tempest is stirring
^(AM)from the farthest parts of the earth!

³³^(AN)“And those pierced by the Lord on that day shall extend from one end of the earth to the other. ^(AO)They shall not be lamented, ^(AP)or gathered, or buried; ^(AQ)they shall be dung on the surface of the ground.

³⁴^(AR)“Wail, ^(AS)you shepherds, and cry out,
    ^(AT)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.
³⁵No refuge will remain ^(AU)for the shepherds,
    nor escape for the lords of the flock.
³⁶A voice—the cry ^(AV)of the shepherds,
    ^(AW)and the wail of the lords of the flock!
For the Lord is laying waste their pasture,
³⁷    ^(AX)and the peaceful folds are devastated
    ^(AY)because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
³⁸Like a lion ^(AZ)he has left his lair,
    for their land has become a waste
because of ^(BA)the sword of the oppressor,
    ^(BB)and because of his fierce anger.”