25 1 He prophesieth that they shall be in captivity seventy years. 12 And that after the seventy years the Babylonians should be destroyed. 15 The destruction of all nations is prophesied.

The word that came to Jeremiah, concerning all the people of Judah, in the [a]fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was in the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel:

The which Jeremiah the Prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto [b]this day (that is the three and twentieth year) the word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you [c]rising early and speaking, but ye would not hear.

And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the Prophets, rising early, and sending them, but ye would not hear, nor incline your ears, to obey.

They [d]said, Turn again now everyone from his evil way, and from the wickedness of your inventions, and ye shall dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you, and to your fathers forever and ever.

And go not after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands, and I will not punish you.

Nevertheless, ye would not hear me, saith the Lord, but have provoked me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.

Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Because ye have not heard my words,

Behold, I will send and take to me all the [e]families of the North, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babel my [f]servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations [g]round about, and will destroy them, and make them an astonishment and an hissing, and a continual desolation.

10 (A)Moreover I will [h]take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the noise of the [i]millstones, and the light of the candle.

11 And this whole land shall be desolate, and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babel seventy years.

12 And when the [j]seventy years are accomplished, I will visit [k]the king of Babel and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquities, even the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it a perpetual desolation.

13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all nations.

14 For many nations, and great kings shall even [l]serve themselves of them: thus will I recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.

15 For thus hath the Lord God of Israel spoken unto me, [m]Take the cup of wine of this mine indignation at mine hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

17 Then took I the cup at the Lord’s hand, and made all people to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me:

18 Even Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them desolate, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse, [n]as appeareth this day:

19 Pharaoh also, King of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people:

20 And all sorts of people, and all the Kings of the land [o]of Uz: and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and [p]Ashkelon, and Gaza, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod:

21 [q]Edom, and Moab, and the Ammonites,

22 And all the Kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the [r]Isles, that are beyond the sea,

23 And [s]Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that dwell in the uttermost corners,

24 And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of Arabia that dwell in the [t]desert,

25 And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of [u]Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,

26 And all the kings of the North, far and near one to another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the earth, and the king of [v]Sheshach shall drink after them.

27 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Drink and be drunken, and spew and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword, which I will send among you.

28 ¶ But if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then tell them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Ye shall certainly drink.

29 For lo, [w]I begin to plague the city, where my Name is called upon, and should you go free? Ye shall not go acquited: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts.

30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, (B)The Lord shall roar from above, and thrust out his voice from his holy habitation: he shall roar upon his habitation, and cry aloud, as they that press the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

31 The sounds shall come to the ends of the earth: for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, and will enter into judgment with all flesh, and he will give them that are wicked, to the sword, saith the Lord.

32 ¶ Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, a plague shall go forth from nation to nation, and a (C)great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

33 And [x]the slain of the Lord shall be at that day, from one end of the earth, even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be mourned, neither gathered nor buried, but shall be as the dung upon the ground.

34 Howl, [y]ye shepherds, and cry, and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for your days of slaughter are accomplished, and of your dispersion, and ye shall fall like [z]precious vessels.

35 And the [aa]flight shall fail from the shepherds, and the escaping from the principal of the flock.

36 A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the Lord hath destroyed their pasture.

37 And the [ab]best pastures are destroyed because of the wrath and indignation of the Lord.

38 He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is waste, because of the wrath of the oppressor, and because of the wrath of his indignation.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 25:1 That is, in the third year accomplished and in the beginning of the fourth: for though Nebuchadnezzar began to reign in the end of the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign, yet that year is not here counted, because it was almost expired, Dan. 1:1.
  2. Jeremiah 25:3 Which was the fifth year and the ninth month of Jehoiakim’s reign.
  3. Jeremiah 25:3 That is, I have spared no diligence or labor, Jer. 7:13.
  4. Jeremiah 25:5 He showeth that the Prophets, wholly with one consent did labor to pull the people from those vices, which then reigned, to wit, from idolatry, and the vain confidence of men: for under these two all others were contained, 2 Kings 17:13; Jer. 18:11 and 35:15; Jonah 3:8.
  5. Jeremiah 25:9 The Chaldeans and all their power.
  6. Jeremiah 25:9 So the wicked and Satan himself are God’s servants, because he maketh them to serve him by constraint, and turneth that which they do of malice, to his honor and glory.
  7. Jeremiah 25:9 As the Philistines, Ammonites, Egyptians and others.
  8. Jeremiah 25:10 Or, destroy.
  9. Jeremiah 25:10 Meaning, that bread and all things that should serve unto their feasts, should be taken away.
  10. Jeremiah 25:12 This revelation was for the confirmation of his prophecy, because he told them of the time that they should enter and remain in captivity, 2 Chron. 36:22; Ezra 1:1; Jer. 29:10; Dan. 9:2.
  11. Jeremiah 25:12 For seeing the judgment began at his own house, the enemies must needs be punished most grievously, Ezek. 9:6, 1 Pet. 4:17.
  12. Jeremiah 25:14 That is, of the Babylonians, as Jer. 27:7.
  13. Jeremiah 25:15 Signifying, the extreme affliction, that God had appointed for everyone, as Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, and this cup, which the wicked drink, is more bitter than that which he giveth to his children, for he measureth the one by mercy, and the other by justice.
  14. Jeremiah 25:18 For now it beginneth and shall so continue till it be accomplished.
  15. Jeremiah 25:20 Read Job 1:1.
  16. Jeremiah 25:20 Which were cities of the Philistines.
  17. Jeremiah 25:21 Edom is here taken for the whole country, and Uz for a part thereof.
  18. Jeremiah 25:22 As Greece, Italy and the rest of those countries.
  19. Jeremiah 25:23 These were people of Arabia which came of Dedan the son of Abraham and Keturah.
  20. Jeremiah 25:24 For there were two countries so named, the one called plentiful, and the other barren, or desert.
  21. Jeremiah 25:25 Or, Persia.
  22. Jeremiah 25:26 That is, of Babylon, as Jer. 51:41.
  23. Jeremiah 25:29 That is, Jerusalem, read verse 12.
  24. Jeremiah 25:33 They which are slain at the Lord’s appointment.
  25. Jeremiah 25:34 Ye that are chief rulers, and governors.
  26. Jeremiah 25:34 Which are most easily broken.
  27. Jeremiah 25:35 It shall not help them to seek to flee.
  28. Jeremiah 25:37 Hebrew, peaceable.

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