Jeremiah 25:15-38
The Lord is the God of Israel. He said to me,“ Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my great anger. Make all the nations to which I send you drink it.When they drink it, they will not even be able to walk straight. It will drive them out of their minds. I am going to send war against them.”So I took the cup from the Lord’ s hand. I made all the nations to which he sent me drink from it.He sent me to Judah’s kings and officials. He told me to go to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. He wanted me to tell them they would be destroyed. Then people would be shocked because of them. They would make fun of them. They would use their name in a curse. And that’s how things still are today.Here is a list of the other kings and nations he sent me to. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt his attendants, his officials, all his peopleall the people from other lands who lived there all the kings of Uz the Philistine kings of Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron the Philistines still living in AshdodEdom, Moab, Ammonall the kings of Tyre and Sidon the kings of the islands and other lands along the Mediterranean SeaDedan, Teman, Buz all the other places far away in the eastall the kings of Arabia all the other kings of people who live in the desertall the kings of Zimri, Elam and Mediaall the kings in the north, near and far So he sent me to all the kingdoms on the face of the earth, one after the other. They will all drink from the cup of the Lord’ s anger. After they drink, the king of Babylon will drink from it too.The Lord says,“ Tell them,‘ The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,“ Drink from this cup. Get drunk and throw up. Fall down and do not get up again. I am going to send war against you.” ’But they might refuse to take the cup from your hand. They might not want to drink from it. Then tell them,‘ The Lord who rules over all says,“ You must drink from it!I am beginning to bring trouble on the city where I have put my Name. You might think you will not be punished. But you will certainly be punished. I am sending war against everyone who lives on earth,” announces the Lord who rules over all.’“ Jeremiah, prophesy against them. Tell them,“‘ The Lord will roar from heaven like a lion. His voice will sound like thunder from his holy temple there. He will roar loudly against his land. He will shout like those who stomp on grapes in winepresses. He will shout against everyone who lives on earth.The noise of battle will be heard from one end of the earth to the other. That’s because the Lord will bring charges against the nations. He will judge every human being. He will kill sinful people with his sword,’ ” announces the Lord.The Lord who rules over all says,“ Look! Horrible trouble is spreading from one nation to another. A mighty storm is rising. It is coming from a place that is very far away.”At that time those the Lord kills will be lying around everywhere. They will be found from one end of the earth to the other. No one will mourn for them. Their dead bodies will not be gathered up or buried. Instead, they will be like human waste lying there on the ground.Weep and cry, you shepherds. Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. Your time to be killed has come. You will fall like the best of the rams.The shepherds won’t have any place to run to. The leaders of the flock won’t be able to escape.Listen to the cries of the shepherds. Hear the weeping of the leaders of the flock. The Lord is destroying their grasslands.Their peaceful meadows will be completely destroyed because of the Lord’ s great anger.Like a lion he will leave his den. The land of those leaders will become a desert. That’s because the sword of the Lord brings great harm. His anger will burn against them.
