Seventy Years of Captivity 1 WBS The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; BSB BSB: This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
2 WBS Which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, BSB BSB: So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as follows:
3 WBS From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even to this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come to me, and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened. BSB BSB: “From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—twenty-three years—the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.
4 WBS And the LORD hath sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them ; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. BSB BSB: And the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear.
5 WBS They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given to you and to your fathers for ever and ever: BSB BSB: The prophets told you, ‘Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and deeds, and you can dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever.
6 WBS 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 do you no hurt. BSB BSB: Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’
7 WBS Yet ye have not hearkened to me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. BSB BSB: ‘But to your own harm, you have not listened to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘so you have provoked Me to anger with the works of your hands.’
8 WBS Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, BSB BSB: Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words,
9 WBS Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations. BSB BSB: behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.
10 WBS Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. BSB BSB: Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.
11 WBS And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. BSB BSB: And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
12 WBS And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. BSB BSB: But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.
13 WBS 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 the nations. BSB BSB: I will bring upon that land all the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.
14 WBS For many nations and great kings shall reduce them to subjection also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands. BSB BSB: For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.’”
The Cup of God’s Wrath 15 WBS For thus saith the LORD God of Israel to me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it.
16 WBS And they shall drink, and be moved, and enraged, because of the sword that I will send among them. BSB BSB: And they will drink and stagger and go out of their minds, because of the sword that I will send among them.”
17 WBS Then I took the cup at the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations to drink, to whom the LORD had sent me: BSB BSB: So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand and made all the nations drink from it, each one to whom the LORD had sent me,
18 WBS To wit , Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and her kings, and her princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;BSB BSB: to make them a ruin, an object of horror and contempt and cursing, as they are to this day—Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials;
19 WBS Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; BSB BSB: Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officials, his leaders, and all his people;
20 WBS And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, BSB BSB: all the mixed tribes; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
21 WBS Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon, BSB BSB: Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;
22 WBS And all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea, BSB BSB: all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea;
23 WBS Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners, BSB BSB: Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who cut the corners of their hair;
24 WBS And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert, BSB BSB: all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert;
25 WBS And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes, BSB BSB: all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media;
26 WBS And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. BSB BSB: all the kings of the north, both near and far, one after another—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshach will drink it too.
27 WBS Therefore thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and vomit, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. BSB BSB: “Then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Drink, get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, because of the sword I will send among you.’
28 WBS And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thy hand to drink, then shalt thou say to them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink. BSB BSB: If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘You most certainly must drink it!
29 WBS For lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. BSB BSB: For behold, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears My Name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of Hosts.’
30 WBS Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say to them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes , against all the inhabitants of the earth. BSB BSB: So you are to prophesy all these words against them and say to them: ‘The LORD will roar from on high; He will raise His voice from His holy habitation. He will roar loudly over His pasture; like those who tread the grapes, He will call out with a shout against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 WBS A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. BSB BSB: The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth because the LORD brings a charge against the nations. He brings judgment on all mankind and puts the wicked to the sword,’” declares the LORD.
32 WBS Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised from the borders of the earth. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.”
33 WBS And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. BSB BSB: Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying on the ground.
The Cry of the Shepherds 34 WBS Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes , ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. BSB BSB: Wail, you shepherds, and cry out; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For the days of your slaughter have come; you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery.
35 WBS And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. BSB BSB: Flight will evade the shepherds, and escape will elude the leaders of the flock.
36 WBS A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and a howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard : for the LORD hath laid waste their pasture. BSB BSB: Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD is destroying their pasture.
37 WBS And the peaceable habitations are cut down, because of the fierce anger of the LORD. BSB BSB: The peaceful meadows have been silenced because of the LORD’s burning anger.
38 WBS He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger. BSB BSB: He has left His den like a lion, for their land has been made a desolation by the sword of the oppressor, and because of the fierce anger of the LORD.