Jeremiah 25:15–38

The Cup of God’s Wrath

15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cupn filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I sendo you drink it. 16 When they drinkp it, they will staggerq and go madr because of the swords I will send among them.”

17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sentt me drink it: 18 Jerusalemu and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruinv and an object of horror and scorn,w a cursec x—as they are today;y 19 Pharaoh kingz of Egypt,a his attendants, his officials and all his people, 20 and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz;b all the kings of the Philistinesc (those of Ashkelon,d Gaza,e Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); 21 Edom,f Moabg and Ammon;h 22 all the kings of Tyrei and Sidon;j the kings of the coastlandsk across the sea; 23 Dedan,l Tema,m Buzn and all who are in distant placesd;o 24 all the kings of Arabiap and all the kings of the foreign peopleq who live in the wilderness; 25 all the kings of Zimri,r Elams and Media;t 26 and all the kings of the north,u near and far, one after the other—all the kingdomsv on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshake w will drink it too.

27 “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunkx and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the swordy I will send among you.’ 28 But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drinkz, tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! 29 See, I am beginning to bring disastera on the city that bears my Name,b and will you indeed go unpunished?c You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a swordd on alle who live on the earth,f declares the Lord Almighty.’

30 “Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:

“ ‘The Lord will roarg from on high;

he will thunderh from his holy dwellingi

and roar mightily against his land.

He will shout like those who treadj the grapes,

shout against all who live on the earth.

31 The tumultk will resound to the ends of the earth,

for the Lord will bring chargesl against the nations;

he will bring judgmentm on alln mankind

and put the wicked to the sword,o’ ”

declares the Lord.

32 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Look! Disasterp is spreading

from nation to nation;q

a mighty stormr is rising

from the ends of the earth.”s

33 At that time those slaint by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gatheredu up or buried,v but will be like dung lying on the ground.

34 Weep and wail, you shepherds;w

rollx in the dust, you leaders of the flock.

For your time to be slaughteredy has come;

you will fall like the best of the rams.f z

35 The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,

the leaders of the flock no place to escape.a

36 Hear the cryb of the shepherds,c

the wailing of the leaders of the flock,

for the Lord is destroying their pasture.

37 The peaceful meadows will be laid waste

because of the fierce anger of the Lord.

38 Like a liond he will leave his lair,

and their land will become desolatee

because of the swordg of the oppressorf

and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.g