Jeremiah 25:15-38
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me:“ Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it.When they drink from it, they will stagger, crazed by the warfare I will send against them.”So I took the cup of anger from the Lord and made all the nations drink from it— every nation to which the Lord sent me.I went to Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah, and their kings and officials drank from the cup. From that day until this, they have been a desolate ruin, an object of horror, contempt, and cursing.I gave the cup to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, his attendants, his officials, and all his people,along with all the foreigners living in that land. I also gave it to all the kings of the land of Uz and the kings of the Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what remains of Ashdod.Then I gave the cup to the nations of Edom, Moab, and Ammon,and the kings of Tyre and Sidon, and the kings of the regions across the sea.I gave it to Dedan, Tema, and Buz, and to the people who live in distant places.I gave it to the kings of Arabia, the kings of the nomadic tribes of the desert,and to the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media.And I gave it to the kings of the northern countries, far and near, one after the other— all the kingdoms of the world. And finally, the king of Babylon himself drank from the cup of the Lord’s anger.Then the Lord said to me,“ Now tell them,‘ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink from this cup of my anger. Get drunk and vomit; fall to rise no more, for I am sending terrible wars against you.’And if they refuse to accept the cup, tell them,‘ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: You have no choice but to drink from it.I have begun to punish Jerusalem, the city that bears my name. Now should I let you go unpunished? No, you will not escape disaster. I will call for war against all the nations of the earth. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!’“ Now prophesy all these things, and say to them,“‘ The Lord will roar against his own land from his holy dwelling in heaven. He will shout like those who tread grapes; he will shout against everyone on earth.His cry of judgment will reach the ends of the earth, for the Lord will bring his case against all the nations. He will judge all the people of the earth, slaughtering the wicked with the sword. I, the Lord, have spoken!’”This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:“ Look! Disaster will fall upon nation after nation! A great whirlwind of fury is rising from the most distant corners of the earth!”In that day those the Lord has slaughtered will fill the earth from one end to the other. No one will mourn for them or gather up their bodies to bury them. They will be scattered on the ground like manure.Weep and moan, you evil shepherds! Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock! The time of your slaughter has arrived; you will fall and shatter like a fragile vase.You will find no place to hide; there will be no way to escape.Listen to the frantic cries of the shepherds. The leaders of the flock are wailing in despair, for the Lord is ruining their pastures.Peaceful meadows will be turned into a wasteland by the Lord’s fierce anger.He has left his den like a strong lion seeking its prey, and their land will be made desolate by the sword of the enemy and the Lord’s fierce anger.
