Jeremiah 25:15–38

THE CUP OF GOD’S WRATH

¹⁵This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and make all the nations to whom I am sending you drink from it.^{c 16}They will drink, stagger,^A and go out of their minds because of the sword I am sending among them.”^d

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

¹⁸Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah, its kings and its officials, to make them a desolate ruin, an example for scorn and cursing—as it is today;

¹⁹Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officers, his leaders, all his people,

²⁰and all 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;

²¹Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;

²²all the kings of Tyre,

all the kings of Sidon,

and the kings of the coasts and islands;

²³Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all those who clip the hair on their temples;^Be

²⁴all the kings of Arabia,

and all the kings of the mixed peoples who have settled in the desert;

²⁵all the kings of Zimri,

all the kings of Elam,

and all the kings of Media;

²⁶all the kings of the north, both near and far from one another;

that is, all the kingdoms of the world throughout the earth.

Finally, the king of Sheshak^Cf will drink after them.

²⁷“Then you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink,^g get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, as a result of the sword I am sending among you.’ ²⁸If^D they refuse to accept the cup from your hand and drink, you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: You must drink! ²⁹For I am already bringing disaster^h on the city that bears my name,ⁱ so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth. This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.’^j

JUDGMENT ON THE WHOLE WORLD

³⁰“As for you, you are to prophesy all these things to them, and say to them:

The Lord roars from on high;

he makes his voice heard from his holy dwelling.^k

He roars loudly over his grazing land;

he calls out with a shout, like those who tread grapes,

against all the inhabitants of the earth.

³¹The tumult reaches to the ends of the earth

because the Lord brings a case against^l the nations.

He enters into judgment with all humanity.^m

As for the wicked, he hands them over to the sword—

this is the Lord’s declaration.

³²“This is what the Lord of Armies says:

Pay attention! Disaster spreads

from nation to nation.

A huge storm is stirred up

from the ends of the earth.”ⁿ

³³Those slain by the Lord^o on that day will be scattered from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned,^p gathered, or buried. They will be like manure on the soil’s surface.

³⁴Wail, you shepherds, and cry out.

Roll in the dust,^q you leaders of the flock.

Because the days of your slaughter have come,^r

you will fall and become shattered like a precious vase.

³⁵Flight will be impossible for the shepherds,

and escape, for the leaders of the flock.

³⁶Hear the sound of the shepherds’ cry,

the wail of the leaders of the flock,

for the Lord is destroying their pasture.

³⁷Peaceful grazing land will become lifeless

because of the Lord’s burning anger.^a

³⁸He has left his den like a lion,

for their land has become a desolation

because of the sword^A of the oppressor,^b

because of his burning anger.