Jeremiah 25:3–12

3 “From the athirteenth year of bJosiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, 1these ctwenty-three years the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you 2dagain and again, but you have not listened.

4 “And the Lord has sent to you all His aservants the prophets 1again and again, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear,

5 saying, ‘aTurn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the land which the Lord has given to you and your forefathers bforever and ever;

6 and ado not go after other gods to 1serve them and to 2worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.’

7 “Yet you have not listened to Me,” declares the Lord, “in order that you might aprovoke Me to anger 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 behold, I will asend and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, bMy servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will 1utterly destroy them and cmake them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation.

10 ‘Moreover, I will 1atake from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the bsound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

11 ‘aThis whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon bseventy years.

Babylon Will Be Judged

12 ‘Then it will be awhen seventy years are completed I will bpunish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and cI will make it an everlasting desolation.