Jeremiah 25

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

NoteThe KJV spells this king's name "Nebuchadrezzar." It is the same king usually called Nebuchadnezzar.

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

2Jeremiah was a prophet, someone who tells people what God says. He spoke to all the people of Judah. He also spoke to 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"Josiah, the son of Amon, was king of Judah. From his thirteenth year until today, the LORD has spoken to me. That is twenty-three years. I told you his words 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 also sent you all his servants the prophets, again and again. But you did not listen. You would not even turn 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 said, 'Each of you, turn away from your evil ways. Stop the bad things you are doing. Then you can keep living in the land. The LORD gave this land to you and to your fathers 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. Do not serve them or bow down to them. Do not make me angry with the things 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 did not listen to me," says the LORD. "You made me angry with the things your hands made. You only brought harm on yourselves."

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

8So the LORD of Heaven's Armies says this. He is the God who leads great armies. "You have not obeyed 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.

9So I will call for all the families from the north, says the LORD. I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and the people who live here. I will bring them against all the nations around here too. I will destroy them completely. People will stare in shock and whisper about them. The land will lie empty forever.

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 every happy sound among them. No more laughing. No more glad voices. No more voices of a bride and groom at a wedding. No more sound of grinding grain. No more light from a lamp.

NoteA millstone was a big heavy stone used to grind grain into flour. The sound of grinding and the light of a small oil lamp meant a house where people were living and working.

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 empty and ruined. People will stare at it in shock. 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 over, I will punish the king of Babylon. I will punish his nation too, the land of the Chaldeans, for the wrong they did, says the LORD. I will leave their land empty 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 said against it. That means everything written in this book. These are the words 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.

14Many nations and great kings will make the people of Babylon their slaves. I will pay them back for what they did. I will pay them back 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.

15The LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take this cup from my hand. It is full of the wine of my anger. I am sending you to many nations. Make them all 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 it. They will stumble around like people who are drunk. They will lose their minds. This is because of the sword I will send 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. These were the nations 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;

18First Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, with their kings and their leaders. They would be left in ruins. People would stare in shock and whisper about them. Their name would be used as a curse. That is how things are today.

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

19Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh is what Egypt called its king. His helpers, his leaders, and all his people drank too.

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,

20So did all the mixed groups of people who lived there. So did all the kings of the land of Uz. So did all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Azzah (also called Gaza), Ekron, and the people left in Ashdod.

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

21So did 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,

22So did all the kings of Tyre and all the kings of Sidon. So did the kings of the lands across the sea.

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

23So did Dedan, Tema, and Buz. So did all the people who cut the hair at the sides of their heads.

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

24So did all the kings of Arabia. So did 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,

25So did all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and 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.

26So did all the kings of the north, near and far, one after another. In fact, all the kingdoms on the whole earth drank. And last of all, the king of Sheshach will drink it too.

NoteSheshach is another name for Babylon.

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 say this to them. The LORD of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'Drink. Get drunk. Throw up. Fall down and do not get up again. This is because of the sword I will send 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.

28They may refuse to take the cup from your hand. Then say this to them. The LORD of Heaven's Armies says: 'You will certainly 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 trouble on the city that carries my name. So should you go free with no punishment at all? No, you will be punished. I am calling for a sword against everyone on 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. Say to them: 'The LORD will roar from high above. He will call out from his holy home. He will roar loudly over the land that is his. He will shout like people stomping grapes to make wine. He will shout against everyone on 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 will judge every person. 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.

32The LORD of Heaven's Armies says this: "Look! Trouble is spreading from one nation to the next. A great 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, the people the LORD has killed will lie everywhere. They will lie from one end of the earth to the other. No one will cry for them. No one will pick them up 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.

34Cry out loud, you shepherds. Roll in the ashes, you leaders of the flock. The days for you to be killed have come. You will be scattered. You will fall and break like a fine clay pot.

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

35The shepherds will find no place to run. The leaders of the flock will not get away.

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. Listen to the leaders of the flock wailing. The LORD is ruining the fields where they fed their sheep.

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

37The quiet, peaceful fields have been torn down. This happened 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 and ruined. This came from the terrible sword of the enemy. It came from the LORD's burning anger too.