Jeremiah

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;

1This is the message that came to Jeremiah about all the people of Judah. It came in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah. That was the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.

2The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

2Jeremiah the prophet spoke this message to all the people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem. He said:

3From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.

3"For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until today, the LORD's word has come to me. I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

4And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.

4The LORD has also sent you all his servants the prophets, again and again. But you have not listened. You have not even turned your ear to hear.

5They 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 unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:

5They told you, 'Each one of you, turn back now from your evil way and your evil deeds. Then you can keep living in the land the LORD gave to you and your ancestors forever.

6And 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.

6Do not follow other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. Do not make me angry with the idols your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.'

7Yet 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.

7"But you have not listened to me, says the LORD. You made me angry with the idols your hands made, and it has hurt only you.

8Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,

8So this is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: Because you have not listened to my words,

9Behold, 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 the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.

9I am going to send for all the peoples of the north, says the LORD, and for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I will bring them against this land, against the people who live here, and against all the nations around you. I will destroy them completely. I will leave them a ruin that people stare at and mock, wrecked forever.

Note"An astonishment and an hissing" means a wreck so bad that people who pass by stop and stare, then hiss and jeer at it.

10Moreover 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.

10I will take away from them the sound of joy and laughing, the voices of the bride and the groom. I will take away the sound of grinding grain and the light of the lamp.

11And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

11This whole land will become an empty ruin. These nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

12And 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.

12But when the seventy years are finished, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation for their sin, says the LORD. I will make the land of the Chaldeans an empty ruin forever.

13And 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.

13I will bring on that land everything I have said against it. That means everything written in this book, which Jeremiah spoke against all the nations.

14For many nations 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.

14For many nations and great kings will make slaves of them too. I will pay them back for what they did and for the work of their own hands."

15For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.

15This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my anger. Make all the nations I send you to drink from it.

16And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

16They will drink, and stagger, and lose their minds, because of the war I am sending among them."

17Then took I the cup at the LORD’s hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:

17So I took the cup from the LORD's hand. I made all the nations drink from it, every one the LORD sent me to.

18To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;

18I gave it to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, to its kings and its leaders. This made them a ruin that people stare at and mock and curse, which is what they are today.

19Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;

19I gave it to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to his officials, his leaders, and all his people;

20And 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,

20to all the mixed groups of foreigners; to all the kings of the land of Uz; to all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what was left of Ashdod;

21Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,

21to Edom, Moab, and the people of Ammon;

22And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,

22to all the kings of Tyre and all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastlands across the sea;

23Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,

23to Dedan, Tema, and Buz, and to all who cut the hair at the sides of their heads;

Note"All that are in the utmost corners" describes people known for a haircut where the hair at the sides of the head was trimmed off.

24And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,

24to all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed groups who live in the desert;

25And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,

25to all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media;

26And 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.

26to all the kings of the north, near and far, one after another. I gave it to every kingdom on the face of the earth. And last of all, the king of Sheshach will drink it too.

NoteSheshach is a coded way of writing Babylon, made by swapping letters of the alphabet.

27Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.

27"Then tell them, 'This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk, and throw up. Fall down and never get up again, because of the war I am sending among you.'

28And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.

28If they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink it, tell them, 'This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: You are certainly going to drink it!

29For, 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.

29Look, I am starting to bring disaster on the city that carries my own name. So how could you go free? You will not go free. I am calling for war against everyone who lives on the earth, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies.'

30Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto 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.

30"So speak all these words against them. Tell them, 'The LORD will roar from on high. He will raise his voice from his holy home. He will roar loudly over the land that is his own. He will shout like people stomping grapes, against everyone who lives on the earth.

31A 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.

31The noise will reach the far ends of the earth. The LORD has a case against the nations. He is bringing every person to judgment, and he will hand the wicked over to the sword, says the LORD.'"

32Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

32This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: "Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation. A huge storm is rising from the far ends of the earth."

33And the slain of the LORD shall be at 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 dung upon the ground.

33On that day, those the LORD kills will lie from one end of the earth to the other. No one will cry for them, gather them, or bury them. They will lie on the ground like waste.

34Howl, 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.

34Wail, you shepherds, and cry out. Roll in the ashes, you leaders of the flock. The days for your slaughter have come. You will fall and smash like a fine clay jar.

NoteA "pleasant vessel" is a fine clay pot or jar, the kind that shatters and cannot be put back together.

35And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.

35The shepherds will have nowhere to run. The leaders of the flock will find no way to escape.

36A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture.

36Listen to the shepherds crying out and the leaders of the flock wailing, because the LORD is ruining the field where they fed their sheep.

37And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD.

37The quiet, peaceful meadows are silent now, because of the LORD's burning anger.

38He 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.

38He has left his den like a lion. Their land is now empty because of the cruel attacker's sword, and because of the LORD's burning anger.