1 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, which is the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; 2 this spoke Jeremiah the prophet unto all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 3 From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, which are twenty-three years, the word of the LORD has come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and giving notice; but ye have not hearkened. 4 And the LORD has sent unto you all his slaves the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear, 5 when 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 has given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever: 6 and do not go 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. 7 Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD, that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.
8 Therefore thus saith the LORD of the hosts: Because ye have not heard my words, 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north wind, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my slave, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about and will utterly destroy them and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 And I will cause them to lose 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 lamp. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment; and these Gentiles shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 And it shall come to pass when seventy years are accomplished, that I will visit upon the king of Babylon and upon that people their own evil, said the LORD and upon the land of the Chaldeans and will make it perpetual desolations. 13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have spoken against it, with all that is written in this book, prophesied by Jeremiah against all the Gentiles. 14 For many Gentiles and great kings shall serve themselves of them also; and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.
15 For thus hath the LORD God of Israel said unto me: Take the wine cup of this fury from my hand and cause all the Gentiles, to whom I send thee, to drink of it. 16 And they shall drink and be moved and become mad, before the sword that I will send among them.
17 Then took I the cup from the LORD’s hand and made all the Gentiles to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me, 18 unto Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah and to its kings and to its princes, that I might place them into desolation, into astonishment, and into hissing, and into a curse, as this day, 19 unto Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his slaves and to his princes and to all his people, 20 and to all the mingled people and to all the kings of the land of Uz and to all the kings of the land of the Philistines and to Ashkelon and to Gaza and to Ekron and to the remnant of Ashdod, 21 to Edom and to Moab and to the sons of Ammon, 22 and to all the kings of Tyre and to all the kings of Zidon and to all the kings of the isles which are of that side of the sea, 23 and to Dedan, and to Tema and to Buz and to all that are in the utmost corners, 24 and to all the kings of Arabia and to all the kings of the mingled peoples, the Arabia that dwells in the desert, 25 and to all the kings of Zimri and to all the kings of Elam and to all the kings of the Medes, 26 and to all the kings of the north wind, those of far and those of near, one with another and to all the kingdoms of the earth, which are upon the face of the earth and the king of Sheshach {Babylon} shall drink after them.
27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus hath the LORD of the hosts, the God of Israel said; Drink and be drunken, and vomit and fall, and ye shall not rise in the presence of the sword which I send among you.
28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from thine hand to drink, then thou shalt say unto them, Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said: Ye must certainly drink. 29 For, Behold, I begin to bring evil upon the city which is called by my name, and should ye only be absolved? Ye shall not be absolved, for I bring the sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, said the LORD of the hosts.
30 Therefore, thou shalt prophesy against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high and from the habitation of his holiness he shall utter his voice; in fury he shall roar upon his habitation; he shall sing the song of those that tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 The noise came even to the ends of the earth; for it is judgment of the LORD with the Gentiles; he is the Judge of all flesh; he will give those that are wicked to the sword, said the LORD.
32 Thus saith the LORD of the hosts, Behold, the evil goes forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
33 And the slain of the LORD shall be in that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be as dung upon the ground.
34 Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the dust, ye principals of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like an enticing vessel. 35 And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor for the principals of the flock to escape. 36 The voice of the cry of the shepherds and a howling of the principals of the flock shall be heard! For the LORD has spoiled their pasture. 37 And the quiet pastures shall be cut off by the fierce anger of the LORD. 38 He has forsaken his habitation, as the young lion; for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor and because of his fierce anger.