Jeremiah 25–26

Seventy Years in Babylonia

25A message about all of the people of Judah came to me from the Lord. It came in the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah. It was the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylonia. Jehoiakim was the son of Josiah.

²I, the Lord’s prophet, spoke to all of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. I said, ³“For 23 years the Lord’s messages have been coming to me. They began to come in the 13th year that Josiah was king of Judah. He was the son of Amon. The Lord’s messages still come to me today. I’ve spoken to you people again and again. But you haven’t listened to me.

⁴“The Lord has sent all of his servants the prophets to you. They’ve come to you again and again. But you haven’t listened. You haven’t paid any attention to them.

⁵“They said, ‘Each of you must turn from your evil ways and practices. Then you can stay in the land forever. It’s the land the Lord gave you and your people long ago. ⁶Don’t follow other gods. Don’t serve them or worship them. Don’t make the Lord angry with the gods your own hands have made. Then he won’t harm you.’

⁷“ ‘But you did not listen to me,’ announces the Lord. ‘You have made me very angry with the gods your hands have made. And you have brought harm on yourselves.’

⁸“The Lord who rules over all says, ‘You have not listened to my words. ⁹So I will send for all of the nations in the north. And I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia,’ announces the Lord.

“ ‘I will bring all of them against this land and against you who live here. They will march out against all of the nations that are around this land. I will set them apart in a special way to be destroyed. People will be shocked because of them. And they will make fun of them. Those nations will be destroyed forever.

¹⁰“ ‘I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness. I will put an end to the voices of brides and grooms. The sound of grinding millstones will not be heard anymore. And lamps will not be lit anymore. ¹¹This whole country will become dry and empty. And those nations will serve the king of Babylonia for 70 years.

¹²“ ‘But I will punish that king and his nation because they are guilty. I will do it when the 70 years are over,’ announces the Lord. ‘I will make that land a desert forever.

¹³“ ‘I have spoken against that land. And I will make all of those things happen to it. Everything will happen that is written in this scroll. And I will make everything Jeremiah prophesied against all of the nations come true. ¹⁴The people of Babylonia will become slaves of many other nations and great kings. I will pay them back for what their hands have done.’ ”

The Lord Judges the Nations

¹⁵The Lord is the God of Israel. He said to me, “Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my burning anger. Make all of the nations to which I send you drink it. ¹⁶When they drink it, they will not even be able to walk straight. It will drive them out of their minds. I am going to send war against them.”

¹⁷So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I made all of the nations to which he sent me drink from it. ¹⁸He sent me to Judah’s kings and officials. He told me to go to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. He wanted me to tell them they would be destroyed. Then people would be shocked because of them. They would make fun of them. They would call down curses on them. And that’s how things still are today.

¹⁹Here is a list of the other kings and nations he sent me to.

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt

his attendants, his officials, all of his people

²⁰all of the people from other lands who lived there

all of the kings of Uz

the Philistine kings of Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron

the Philistines who were still living in Ashdod

²¹Edom, Moab, Ammon

²²all of the kings of Tyre and Sidon

the kings of the islands and other lands along the Mediterranean Sea

²³Dedan, Teman, Buz

all of the other places far away in the east

²⁴all of the kings of Arabia

all of the other kings of people who live in the desert

²⁵all of the kings of Zimri, Elam and Media

²⁶all of the kings in the north, near and far

So he sent me to all of the kingdoms on the face of the earth, one after the other. After all of them drink from the cup of the Lord’s anger, the king of Babylonia will drink from it too.

²⁷The Lord says, “Tell them, ‘The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Drink from this cup. Get drunk and throw up. Fall down and do not get up again. I am going to send war against you.” ’

²⁸“But they might refuse to take the cup from your hand. They might not want to drink from it. Then tell them, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “You have to drink from it! ²⁹I am beginning to bring trouble on the city where I have put my Name. You might think you will not be punished. But you will certainly be punished. I am sending war against everyone who lives on earth,” announces the Lord who rules over all.’

³⁰“Jeremiah, prophesy against them. Tell them,

“ ‘The Lord will roar from heaven like a lion.

His voice will sound like thunder

from his holy temple there.

He will roar loudly against his land.

He will shout like those who stomp on grapes in winepresses.

He will shout against everyone who lives on earth.

³¹The noise of battle will be heard

from one end of the earth to the other.

That’s because the Lord will bring charges against the nations.

He will judge every human being.

He will kill sinful people with his sword,’ ”

announces the Lord.

³²The Lord who rules over all says,

“Look! Horrible trouble is spreading

from one nation to another.

A mighty storm is rising.

It is coming from a place

that is very far away.”

³³At that time those the Lord kills will be lying around everywhere. They will be found from one end of the earth to the other. No one will sob over them. Their dead bodies will not be gathered up or buried. Instead, they will be like trash lying there on the ground.

³⁴Sob and cry, you shepherds.

Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.

Your time to be killed has come.

You will fall and be broken to pieces like fine clay pots.

³⁵The shepherds won’t have any place to run to.

The leaders of the flock won’t be able to escape.

³⁶Listen to the cries of the shepherds.

Hear the sobs of the leaders of the flock.

The Lord is destroying their grasslands.

³⁷Their peaceful meadows will be completely destroyed

because of the Lord’s burning anger.

³⁸Like a lion he will leave his den.

The land of those leaders will become a desert.

That’s because the sword of the Lord brings great harm.

His anger will burn against them.

Jeremiah’s Enemies Try to Have Him Killed

26A message came to me from the Lord. It was shortly after Jehoiakim became king of Judah. He was the son of Josiah. ²The Lord said, “Stand in the courtyard of my house. Speak to the people of the towns in Judah. Speak to all those who come to worship in my house. Tell them everything I command you. Do not leave out a single word. ³Perhaps they will listen. Maybe they will turn from their evil ways. Then I will not do what I said I would. I will not bring trouble on them. I had planned to punish them because of the evil things they had done.

⁴“Tell them, ‘The Lord says, “Listen to me. Obey my law that I gave you. ⁵And listen to the words my servants the prophets are speaking. I have sent them to you again and again. But you have not listened to them. ⁶So I will make this house like Shiloh. All of the nations on earth will call down curses on this city.” ’ ”

⁷I spoke those words in the Lord’s house. The priests, the prophets and all of the people heard me. ⁸I finished telling all of the people everything the Lord had commanded me to say.

But as soon as I did, the priests, the prophets and all of the people grabbed hold of me. They said, “You must die! ⁹Why do you prophesy those things in the Lord’s name? Why do you say that this house will become like Shiloh? Why do you say that this city will be empty and deserted?” And all of the people crowded around me in the Lord’s house.

¹⁰The officials of Judah heard what had happened. So they went up from the royal palace to the Lord’s house. There they took their places at the entrance of the New Gate. ¹¹Then the priests and prophets spoke to the officials and all of the people. They said, “This man should be sentenced to death. He has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”

¹²Then I spoke to all of the officials and people. I said, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city. He told me to say everything you have heard. ¹³So change the way you live and act. Obey the Lord your God. Then he won’t do what he said he would. He won’t bring on you the trouble he said he would bring.

¹⁴“As for me, I’m in your hands. Do to me what you think is good and right. ¹⁵But you can be sure of one thing. If you put me to death, you will be held accountable for spilling my blood. And I haven’t even done anything wrong. You will bring guilt on yourselves and this city and those who live in it. The Lord has sent me to you. He wanted me to say all of those things so you could hear them. And that’s the truth.”

¹⁶Then the officials and all of the people spoke to the priests and prophets. They said, “This man shouldn’t be sentenced to death! He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

¹⁷Some of the elders of the land stepped forward. They spoke to the whole community that was gathered there. They said, ¹⁸“Micah from Moresheth prophesied. It was during the time Hezekiah was king over Judah. Micah spoke to all of the people of Judah. He told them, ‘The Lord who rules over all says,

“ ‘ “Zion will be plowed up like a field.

Jerusalem will be turned into a pile of trash.

The temple hill will be covered with bushes and weeds.” ’

¹⁹“Did King Hezekiah or anyone else in Judah put Micah to death? Hezekiah had respect for the Lord. He asked the Lord to show him his favor. And the Lord didn’t judge Jerusalem as he said he would. He didn’t bring on it the trouble he said he would bring.…