Seventy Years of Captivity

1The word which was to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year to Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, this the first year to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel. 2Which Jeremiah the prophet spake to all the people of Judah, all dwelling in Jerusalem, saying, 3From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, and even to this day, this the three and twentieth year, the word of Jehovah was to me, and I will speak to you, rising early and speaking, and ye heard not. 4And Jehovah sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending; and ye heard not, and ye inclined not your ear to hear. 5Saying, Turn back now each from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell upon the land which Jehovah gave to you and to your fathers to from forever and even to forever. 6And ye shall not go after other gods to serve them and to worship to them, and ye shall not irritate me in the work of your hands; and I will not do evil to you. 7And ye heard not to me, says Jehovah; so as to irritate me in the works of your hands for evil to you.

8For this, thus said Jehovah of armies: Because ye heard not my word, 9Behold me sending, and I took all the families of the north, says Jehovah, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel, my servant, and I brought them against this land and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations round about, and I devoted them to destruction, and I set them for a desolation and for a hissing, and for perpetual wastes. 10And I destroyed from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the two millstones and the light of the lamp. 11All this land was for a waste, for a desolation, and these nations served the king of Babel seventy years.

12And it was when seventy years were filled up, I will review over the king of Babel and upon this nation, says Jehovah, their iniquity, and upon the land of the Chaldeans, and I set it for eternal desolations. 13And I brought upon this land all the words I spake against it, all being in this book which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14For many nations they also served upon them, and great kings: and I requited to them according to their work and according to the doings of their hands.

The Cup of God’s Wrath

15For thus said Jehovah God of Israel to me: Take the cup of wine of this wrath from my hand, and cause all the nations which I sent thee to them to drink it. 16And they drank and they staggered, and they were mad from the face of the sword which I sent in the midst of them.

17And I shall take the cup from the hand of Jehovah, and I shall cause all the nations which Jehovah sent me to them to drink. 18Jerusalem and the cities of Judah and her kings, her chiefs, to give them for a waste and for a desolation, and for a hissing and for a cursing; as this day. 19Pharaoh king of Egypt and his servants, and his chiefs, and all his people. 20And all the intermingled, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the rovers, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, 21Edom and Moab and the sons of Ammon, 22And all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the island which is beyond the sea, 23Dedan and Tema, and Buz, and all the cutting off the extremity, 24And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the intermingled dwelling in the desert, 25And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes. 26And all the kings of the North, being near and being far off, a man to his brother, and all the kingdoms of the land which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

27And say to them, thus said Jehovah of armies, God of Israel, Drink ye and be drunken, and vomit and fall, and ye shall not rise from the face of the sword which I sent in the midst of you. 28And it was if they shall refuse to take the cup from my hand to drink, and say to them, Thus said Jehovah of armies: Drink ye; ye shall drink. 29For behold me beginning to do evil upon the city which my name was called upon it; and shall ye being acquitted be unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished, for I call a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, says Jehovah of armies.

30And thou shalt prophesy to them all these words, and say to them; Jehovah shall roar from on high, and he will give his voice from his holy habitation; roaring, he will roar from his seat; he shall cry aloud as they treading, to all the inhabitants of the earth.

31A noise came even to the extremity of the earth; for a strife to Jehovah with the nations; he judged for all flesh; he gave them being evil, to the sword, says Jehovah.

32Thus said Jehovah of armies, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great storm shall be raised up from the thighs of the earth.

33And the wounded of Jehovah were in that day from the extremity of the earth and even to the extremity of the earth: they shall not be lamented, and they shall not be gathered, and they shall not be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.

The Cry of the Shepherds

34Wail, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves, ye chiefs of the flocks; for your days for slaughter and your dispersions were filled up, and ye fell as a vessel of desire.

35And flight perished from the shepherds, and escaping from the chiefs of the flock.

36A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and wailing of the chiefs of the flock, for Jehovah laid waste their pasture.

37And the dwellings of peace were destroyed from the face of the burning of the anger of Jehovah.

38He forsook his booth as the young lion: for their land was for a desolation from the face of the burning of him oppressing, and from the face of the burning of his anger.