New International Version

New Living Translation

Seventy Years of Captivity

The word 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.

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Seventy Years of Captivity

This message for all the people of Judah came to Jeremiah from the LORD during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah.a This was the year when King Nebuchadnezzarb of Babylon began his reign.

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So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah and to all those living in Jerusalem:

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Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people in Judah and Jerusalem,

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For twenty-three years — from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day — the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

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“For the past twenty-three years — from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon,c king of Judah, until now — the LORD has been giving me his messages. I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened.

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And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.

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“Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention.

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They said, “Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever.

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Each time the message was this: ‘Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only then will I let you live in this land that the LORD gave to you and your ancestors forever.

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Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”

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Do not provoke my anger by worshiping idols you made with your own hands. Then I will not harm you.’

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“But you did not listen to me,” declares the Lord, “and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves.”

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“But you would not listen to me,” says the LORD. “You made me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer.

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Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words,

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And now the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: Because you have not listened to me,

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I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroya them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin.

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I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy. I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. I will completely destroyd you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever.

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I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp.

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I will take away your happy singing and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard. Your millstones will fall silent, and the lights in your homes will go out.

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This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

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This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

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“But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,b for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate forever.

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“Then, after the seventy years of captivity are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his people for their sins,” says the LORD. “I will make the country of the Babylonianse a wasteland forever.

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I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations.

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I will bring upon them all the terrors I have promised in this book — all the penalties announced by Jeremiah against the nations.

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They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

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Many nations and great kings will enslave the Babylonians, just as they enslaved my people. I will punish them in proportion to the suffering they cause my people.”

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The Cup of God’s Wrath

This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

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The Cup of the LORD’s Anger

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it.

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When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.”

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When they drink from it, they will stagger, crazed by the warfare I will send against them.”

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So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it:

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So I took the cup of anger from the LORD and made all the nations drink from it — every nation to which the LORD sent me.

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Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn, a cursec — as they are today;

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I went to Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah, and their kings and officials drank from the cup. From that day until this, they have been a desolate ruin, an object of horror, contempt, and cursing.

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Pharaoh king of Egypt, his attendants, his officials and all his people,

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I gave the cup to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, his attendants, his officials, and all his people,

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and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines (those of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod);

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along with all the foreigners living in that land. I also gave it to all the kings of the land of Uz and the kings of the Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what remains of Ashdod.

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Edom, Moab and Ammon;

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Then I gave the cup to the nations of Edom, Moab, and Ammon,

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all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea;

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and the kings of Tyre and Sidon, and the kings of the regions across the sea.

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Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who are in distant placesd;

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I gave it to Dedan, Tema, and Buz, and to the people who live in distant places.f

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all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the foreign people who live in the wilderness;

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I gave it to the kings of Arabia, the kings of the nomadic tribes of the desert,

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all the kings of Zimri, Elam and Media;

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and to the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media.

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and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other — all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshake will drink it too.

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And I gave it to the kings of the northern countries, far and near, one after the other — all the kingdoms of the world. And finally, the king of Babylong himself drank from the cup of the LORD’s anger.

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“Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.’

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Then the LORD said to me, “Now tell them, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink from this cup of my anger. Get drunk and vomit; fall to rise no more, for I am sending terrible wars against you.’

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But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it!

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And if they refuse to accept the cup, tell them, ‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: You have no choice but to drink from it.

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See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.’

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I have begun to punish Jerusalem, the city that bears my name. Now should I let you go unpunished? No, you will not escape disaster. I will call for war against all the nations of the earth. I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!’

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“Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:
“ ‘The Lord will roar from on high;
he will thunder from his holy dwelling
and roar mightily against his land.
He will shout like those who tread the grapes,
shout against all who live on the earth.

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“Now prophesy all these things, and say to them,
“‘The LORD will roar against his own land
from his holy dwelling in heaven.
He will shout like those who tread grapes;
he will shout against everyone on earth.

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The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth,
for the Lord will bring charges against the nations;
he will bring judgment on all mankind
and put the wicked to the sword,’ ”
declares the Lord.

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His cry of judgment will reach the ends of the earth,
for the LORD will bring his case against all the nations.
He will judge all the people of the earth,
slaughtering the wicked with the sword.
I, the LORD, have spoken!’”

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This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Look! Disaster is spreading
from nation to nation;
a mighty storm is rising
from the ends of the earth.”

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This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Look! Disaster will fall upon nation after nation!
A great whirlwind of fury is rising
from the most distant corners of the earth!”

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

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In that day those the LORD has slaughtered will fill the earth from one end to the other. No one will mourn for them or gather up their bodies to bury them. They will be scattered on the ground like manure.

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Weep and wail, you shepherds;
roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.
For your time to be slaughtered has come;
you will fall like the best of the rams.f

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Weep and moan, you evil shepherds!
Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock!
The time of your slaughter has arrived;
you will fall and shatter like a fragile vase.

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The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,
the leaders of the flock no place to escape.

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You will find no place to hide;
there will be no way to escape.

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Hear the cry of the shepherds,
the wailing of the leaders of the flock,
for the Lord is destroying their pasture.

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Listen to the frantic cries of the shepherds.
The leaders of the flock are wailing in despair,
for the LORD is ruining their pastures.

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The peaceful meadows will be laid waste
because of the fierce anger of the Lord.

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Peaceful meadows will be turned into a wasteland
by the LORD’s fierce anger.

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Like a lion he will leave his lair,
and their land will become desolate
because of the swordg of the oppressor
and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.

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He has left his den like a strong lion seeking its prey,
and their land will be made desolate
by the swordh of the enemy
and the LORD’s fierce anger.

Parallel

New International Version

New Living Translation

Jeremiah 25

Jeremiah 25