The Scriptures (ISR 1998) 1The word that came to Yirmeyahu concerning all the people of Yehuḏah, in the fourth year of Yehoyaqim son of Yoshiyahu, the sovereign of Yehuḏah, which was the first year of Neḇuḵaḏretstsar sovereign of Baḇel, 2which Yirmeyahu the prophet spoke to all the people of Yehuḏah and to all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, saying, 3“From the thirteenth year of Yoshiyahu son of Amon, sovereign of Yehuḏah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of יהוה has come to me. And I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened. 4“Moreover, יהוה has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear, 5saying, ‘Turn back now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the soil which יהוה has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 6‘And do not go after other mighty ones to serve them and to bow down to them. And do not provoke Me with the works of your hands, so that I do you no evil.’ 7“But you did not listen to Me,” declares יהוה, “so as to provoke Me with the works of your hands, for your own evil. 8“Therefore thus said יהוה of hosts, ‘Because you did not obey My words, 9see, I am sending and taking all the tribes of the north,’ declares יהוה, ‘and Neḇuḵaḏretstsar the sovereign of Baḇel, My servant, and shall bring them against this land and against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and shall put them under the ban, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and everlasting ruins. 10‘And I shall banish from them the voice of rejoicing 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 all this land shall be a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the sovereign of Baḇel seventy years. 12‘And it shall be, when seventy years are completed, that I shall punish the sovereign of Baḇel and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their crookedness,’ declares יהוה, ‘and shall make it everlasting ruins. 13‘And I shall bring on that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Yirmeyahu has prophesied concerning all the nations. 14‘For they too shall be enslaved by many nations and great sovereigns. And I shall repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their hands.’ ” 15For thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl to me, “Take this wine cup of wrath from My hand, and make all the nations, to whom I send you, drink it. 16“And they shall drink, and shake, and go mad because of the sword that I am sending among them.” 17I then took the cup from the hand of יהוה, and made all the nations drink, to whom יהוה had sent me, 18namely Yerushalayim and the cities of Yehuḏah, and its sovereigns, its heads, to make them a ruin, an object of astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; 19Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, and his servants, and his heads, and all his people; 20and all the mixed multitude, and all the sovereigns of the land of Uts, and all the sovereigns of the land of the Philistines – even Ashqelon, and Azzah, and Eqron, and the remnant of Ashdoḏ; 21Eḏom, and Mo’aḇ, and the children of Ammon; 22and all the sovereigns of Tsor, and all the sovereigns of Tsiḏon, and the sovereigns of the coastlands which are beyond the sea; 23Deḏan, and Tĕma, and Buz, and all who are in the farthest corners; 24and all the sovereigns of Araḇia and all the sovereigns of the mixed multitude who dwell in the wilderness; 25and all the sovereigns of Zimri, and all the sovereigns of Ěylam, and all the sovereigns of the Medes; 26and all the sovereigns of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the reigns of the earth which are on the face of the ground. Also the sovereign of Shĕshaḵ shall drink after them. 27“And you shall say to them, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, “Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I am sending among you.” ’ 28“And it shall be, when they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus said יהוה of hosts, “You shall drink! 29“For look, I am beginning to bring evil upon the city which is called by My Name, and should you be entirely unpunished? You are not going unpunished, for I am calling for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,” declares יהוה of hosts.’ 30“And you shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them, ‘יהוה roars from on high, and utters His voice from His set-apart dwelling place. He roars mightily over His fold, a shout as those who tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31“Tumult shall come to the ends of the earth, for יהוה has a controversy with the nations. He shall enter into judgment with all flesh. The wrong He shall give to the sword,’ declares יהוה.” 32Thus said יהוה of hosts, “See, evil is going forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind is raised up from the farthest parts of the earth. 33“And in that day the slain of יהוה shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the eartha. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried, for they are dung on the face of the ground. 34“Howl, you shepherds, and cry! And roll yourselves in the ashes, you leaders of the flock! For the days of your slaughter and your scatterings are completed, and you shall fall like a choice vessel. 35“And a place of refuge shall perish from the shepherds, and escape from the leaders of the flock. 36“Hear the cry of the shepherds, and a wailing of the leaders of the flock, for יהוה is ravaging their pasture! 37“And the pastures of peace shall be cut down because of the burning displeasure of יהוה. 38“Like a lion He shall leave His hiding place, for their land shall become a waste because of the sword of oppressors, and because of His burning displeasure.” |