⁶ He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay^(A) in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,^(B) Israel. ⁷ If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted,^(C) torn down and destroyed, ⁸ and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent^(D) and not inflict on it the disaster^(E) I had planned. ⁹ And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built^(F) up and planted, ¹⁰ and if it does evil^(G) in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider^(H) the good I had intended to do for it.^(I)

¹² “But when the seventy years^(A) are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon^(B) and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,^[a] for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate^(C) forever. ¹³ I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written^(D) in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. ¹⁴ They themselves will be enslaved^(E) by many nations^(F) and great kings; I will repay^(G) them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

The Cup of God’s Wrath

¹⁵ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup^(H) filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send^(I) you drink it. ¹⁶ When they drink^(J) it, they will stagger^(K) and go mad^(L) because of the sword^(M) I will send among them.”

¹⁷ So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent^(N) me drink it: ¹⁸ Jerusalem^(O) and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin^(P) and an object of horror and scorn,^(Q) a curse^[b](R)—as they are today;^{(S) 19} Pharaoh king^(T) of Egypt,^(U) his attendants, his officials and all his people, ²⁰ and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz;^(V) all the kings of the Philistines^(W) (those of Ashkelon,^(X) Gaza,^(Y) Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); ²¹ Edom,^(Z) Moab^(AA) and Ammon;^{(AB) 22} all the kings of Tyre^(AC) and Sidon;^(AD) the kings of the coastlands^(AE) across the sea; ²³ Dedan,^(AF) Tema,^(AG) Buz^(AH) and all who are in distant places^[c];^{(AI) 24} all the kings of Arabia^(AJ) and all the kings of the foreign people^(AK) who live in the wilderness; ²⁵ all the kings of Zimri,^(AL) Elam^(AM) and Media;^{(AN) 26} and all the kings of the north,^(AO) near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms^(AP) on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak^[d](AQ) will drink it too.

²⁷ “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk^(AR) and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword^(AS) I will send among you.’ ²⁸ But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink^(AT), tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! ²⁹ See, I am beginning to bring disaster^(AU) on the city that bears my Name,^(AV) and will you indeed go unpunished?^(AW) You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword^(AX) on all^(AY) who live on the earth,^(AZ) declares the Lord Almighty.’

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

³² This is what the Lord Almighty says:

³³ At that time those slain^(BN) by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered^(BO) up or buried,^(BP) but will be like dung lying on the ground.

¹² “But when the seventy years^(A) are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon^(B) and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,^[a] for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate^(C) forever. ¹³ I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written^(D) in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. ¹⁴ They themselves will be enslaved^(E) by many nations^(F) and great kings; I will repay^(G) them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

The Cup of God’s Wrath

¹⁵ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup^(H) filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send^(I) you drink it. ¹⁶ When they drink^(J) it, they will stagger^(K) and go mad^(L) because of the sword^(M) I will send among them.”

¹⁷ So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent^(N) me drink it: ¹⁸ Jerusalem^(O) and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin^(P) and an object of horror and scorn,^(Q) a curse^[b](R)—as they are today;^{(S) 19} Pharaoh king^(T) of Egypt,^(U) his attendants, his officials and all his people, ²⁰ and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz;^(V) all the kings of the Philistines^(W) (those of Ashkelon,^(X) Gaza,^(Y) Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); ²¹ Edom,^(Z) Moab^(AA) and Ammon;^{(AB) 22} all the kings of Tyre^(AC) and Sidon;^(AD) the kings of the coastlands^(AE) across the sea; ²³ Dedan,^(AF) Tema,^(AG) Buz^(AH) and all who are in distant places^[c];^{(AI) 24} all the kings of Arabia^(AJ) and all the kings of the foreign people^(AK) who live in the wilderness; ²⁵ all the kings of Zimri,^(AL) Elam^(AM) and Media;^{(AN) 26} and all the kings of the north,^(AO) near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms^(AP) on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak^[d](AQ) will drink it too.

²⁷ “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk^(AR) and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword^(AS) I will send among you.’ ²⁸ But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink^(AT), tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! ²⁹ See, I am beginning to bring disaster^(AU) on the city that bears my Name,^(AV) and will you indeed go unpunished?^(AW) You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword^(AX) on all^(AY) who live on the earth,^(AZ) declares the Lord Almighty.’

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

³² This is what the Lord Almighty says:

³³ At that time those slain^(BN) by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered^(BO) up or buried,^(BP) but will be like dung lying on the ground.