Jeremiah 25
25
Don’t Follow the God-Fads of the Day
1This is the Message given to Jeremiah for all the people of Judah. It came in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah. It was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
2Jeremiah the prophet delivered the Message to all the people of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem:
3From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah right up to the present day—twenty-three years it’s been!—God’s Word has come to me, and from early each morning to late every night I’ve passed it on to you. And you haven’t listened to a word of it!
4-6Not only that but God also sent a steady stream of prophets to you who were just as persistent as me, and you never listened. They told you, “Turn back—right now, each one of you!—from your evil way of life and bad behavior, and live in the land God gave you and your ancestors, the land he intended to give you forever. Don’t follow the god-fads of the day, taking up and worshiping these no-gods. Don’t make me angry with your god-businesses, making and selling gods—a dangerous business!
7“You refused to listen to any of this, and now I am really angry. These god-making businesses of yours are your doom.”
8-11The verdict of God-of-the-Angel-Armies on all this: “Because you have refused to listen to what I’ve said, I’m stepping in. I’m sending for the armies out of the north headed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant in this, and I’m setting them on this land and people and even the surrounding countries. I’m devoting the whole works to total destruction—a horror to top all the horrors in history. And I’ll banish every sound of joy—singing, laughter, marriage festivities, genial workmen, candlelit suppers. The whole landscape will be one vast wasteland. These countries will be in subjection to the king of Babylon for seventy years.
12-14“Once the seventy years is up, I’ll punish the king of Babylon and the whole nation of Babylon for their sin. Then they’ll be the wasteland. Everything that I said I’d do to that country, I’ll do—everything that’s written in this book, everything Jeremiah preached against all the godless nations. Many nations and great kings will make slaves of the Babylonians, paying them back for everything they’ve done to others. They won’t get by with anything.” God’s Decree.
God Puts the Human Race on Trial
15-16This is a Message that the God of Israel gave me: “Take this cup filled with the wine of my wrath that I’m handing to you. Make all the nations where I send you drink it down. They’ll drink it and get drunk, staggering in delirium because of the killing that I’m going to unleash among them.”
17-26I took the cup from God’s hand and made them drink it, all the nations to which he sent me:
Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, along with their kings and leaders, turning them into a vast wasteland, a horror to look at, a cussword—which, in fact, they now are;
Pharaoh king of Egypt with his attendants and leaders, plus all his people and the melting pot of foreigners collected there;
All the kings of Uz;
All the kings of the Philistines from Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what’s left of Ashdod;
Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;
All the kings of Tyre, Sidon, and the coastlands across the sea;
Dedan, Tema, Buz, and the nomads on the fringe of the desert;
All the kings of Arabia and the various Bedouin sheiks and chieftains wandering about in the desert;
All the kings of Zimri, Elam, and the Medes;
All the kings from the north countries near and far, one by one;
All the kingdoms on planet Earth . . .
And the king of Sheshak (that is, Babylon) will be the last to drink.
27“Tell them, ‘These are orders from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel: Drink and get drunk and vomit. Fall on your faces and don’t get up again. You’re slated for a massacre.’
28“If any of them refuse to take the cup from you and drink it, say to them, ‘God-of-the-Angel-Armies has ordered you to drink. So drink!
29“‘Prepare for the worst! I’m starting off the catastrophe in the city that I claim as my own, so don’t think you are going to get out of it. No, you’re not getting out of anything. It’s the sword and nothing but the sword against everyone everywhere!’” The God-of-the-Angel-Armies’ Decree.
30-31“Preach it all, Jeremiah. Preach the entire Message to them. Say:
“‘God roars like a lion from high heaven;
thunder rolls out from his holy dwelling—
Ear-splitting bellows against his people,
shouting hurrahs like workers in harvest.
The noise reverberates all over the earth;
everyone everywhere hears it.
God makes his case against the godless nations.
He’s about to put the human race on trial.
For the wicked the verdict is clear-cut:
death by the sword.’” God’s Decree.
* * *
32A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
“Prepare for the worst! Doomsday!
Disaster is spreading from nation to nation.
A huge storm is about to rage
all across planet Earth.”
* * *
33Laid end to end, those killed in God’s judgment that day will stretch from one end of the earth to the other. No tears will be shed and no burials conducted. The bodies will be left where they fall, like so much horse dung fertilizing the fields.
* * *
34-38Wail, shepherds! Cry out for help!
Grovel in the dirt, you masters of flocks!
Time’s up—you’re slated for the slaughterhouse,
like a choice ram with its throat cut.
There’s no way out for the rulers,
no escape for those shepherds.
Hear that? Rulers crying for help,
shepherds of the flock wailing!
God is about to ravage their fine pastures.
The peaceful sheepfolds will be silent with death,
silenced by God’s deadly anger.
God will come out into the open
like a lion leaping from its cover,
And the country will be torn to pieces,
ripped and ravaged by his anger.
Currently Selected:
Jeremiah 25: MSG
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Jeremiah 25
25
Seventy Years of Servitude
1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, 2which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,#Literally “to say” 3“From the thirteenth year of Josiah, the son of Amon, the king of Judah, even up to this day, these twenty-three years#Hebrew “year” the word of Yahweh has come to me, and I have spoken to you over and over again,#Literally “I have spoken to you doing early and speaking” but you have not listened. 4And though Yahweh has sent all his servants the prophets to you over and over again#Literally “do early and sending” you have not listened, and you have not inclined your ear to hear, 5saying,#Literally “to say” ‘Turn back please, each one from his evil way, and from the evil of your deeds, and live on the land that Yahweh has given to you and to your ancestors#Or “fathers” from a long time back and until forever, 6and you must not go after other gods to serve them, and to bow in worship to them, and you must not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands, then I will not do something bad to you.’ 7‘Yet you have not listened to me,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, ‘so that you#Hebrew “they” have provoked me to anger with the work of your hands for your own harm.’
8Therefore#Literally “To thus” thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Because you have not obeyed my words, 9look, I am going to send and take all the clans#Or “families” of the north,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, ‘and I will send#Here the subject and verb are supplied from context in the English translation to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations all around, and I will destroy them, and I will make them a horror, and an object of hissing, and everlasting ruins.#Literally “sites of ruins of eternity” 10And I will exterminate from them the sound of jubilation, and the sound of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp. 11And all this land will become a site of ruins, a desolation, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.#Hebrew “year”
The Cup of Wrath
12And then#Literally “And it will happen” when the seventy years#Hebrew “year” are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and I will make it an everlasting waste.#Literally “a waste of eternity” 13And I will bring upon that land all my words that I have spoken against it, everything that is written in this scroll which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14For many nations and great kings will let them work, even them, and I will repay them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.’ ” 15For thus said Yahweh, the God of Israel, to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand, and you must give it to all the nations to whom I am sending you to drink. 16And they will drink, and they will stagger, and they will act like madmen because of the presence#Literally “face” of the sword that I am sending among them.”
17So I took the cup from the hand of Yahweh and I gave it#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation to all the nations to whom Yahweh sent me to drink: 18Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, and its kings, and its officials, to make them a site of ruins, a horror, an object of hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; 19Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and his servants, and his officials, and all his people; 20and all the other#Or “foreign” people; and all the kings of the land of Uz; and all the kings of the land of the Philistines—#Hebrew “Philistine”Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod; 21Edom, and Moab, and the Ammonites;#Literally “sons of Ammon” 22and all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastland that is across the sea; 23and Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all those who are trimmed to the side; 24and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the other#Or “foreign” people who dwell in the desert;#Or “wilderness” 25and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media; 26and all the kings of the north, near and far, each one to his brother, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach, he will drink after them.
27“And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Drink and become drunk, and vomit, and fall, and you must not rise because of the presence#Literally “face” of the sword that I am sending among you.” ’ 28And it will happen, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “You must certainly drink! 29For look, on the city that is called by#Literally “on it” my name I am beginning to inflict harm, and you indeed, will you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh of hosts.’
30And you yourself shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them:
‘Yahweh will roar from on high,
and from his holy dwelling place#Literally “the dwelling place of his holiness” he will give his voice.
He will roar mightily against his settlement,
a jubilant shout like those who tread grapes,
he will answer against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31The rage of battle will resound to the end of the earth,
for there is a lawsuit of Yahweh against the nations.
He is entering into judgment with all wicked flesh,
he will give them to the sword,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.”
32Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Look, disaster is going out from nation to nation,
and a great tempest is stirred up from the farthest parts of the earth.
33And the slain ones of Yahweh will be on that day
from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth,
and they will not be mourned,
and they will not be gathered,
and they will not be buried.
They will become like dung on the surface#Literally “face” of the ground.
34Wail, you shepherds, and cry out.
And roll about in mourning in the dust, O leaders#Or “nobles” of the flock.
For your days of slaughter and your dispersions have arrived,
and you will fall like a vessel of desire.
35And flight will perish from the shepherds,
and escape from the leaders#Or “nobles” of the flock.
36A sound, the cry of distress of the shepherds
and the wailing of the leaders#Or “nobles” of the flock,
for Yahweh is despoiling their pasture.
37And the peaceful settlements#Literally “settlements of the peace” are devastated
because of the burning anger of Yahweh.#Literally “the blaze of the nose of Yahweh”
38He has left his den like a lion,
for their land has become a horror,
because of the anger of the oppressors,
and because of his burning anger.”#Literally “the blaze of his nose”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software