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Contemporary English Version

Jeremiah 25:34

The Lord 's people are his flock, and you leaders were the shepherds. But now it's your turn to be butchered like sheep. You'll shatter like fine pottery dropped on the floor. So roll on the ground, crying and mourning.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Sin;   Thompson Chain Reference - Nebuchadnezzar;   The Topic Concordance - Controversy;   Day of the Lord;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Babylon;   Egypt;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Flock;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Shepherd;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jeremiah;   Prophet;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Jeremiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Dispersion;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Jeremi'ah, Book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Flock;   Wallow;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Wail, you shepherds, and cry out.Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.Because the days of your slaughter have come,you will fall and become shattered like a precious vase.
Hebrew Names Version
Wail, you shepherds, and cry; and wallow [in ashes], you principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are fully come, and you shall fall like a goodly vessel.
King James Version
Howl, 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.
English Standard Version
"Wail, you shepherds, and cry out, and roll in ashes, you lords of the flock, for the days of your slaughter and dispersion have come, and you shall fall like a choice vessel.
New American Standard Bible
"Wail, you shepherds, and cry out; Wallow in the dust, you masters of the flock; For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions have come, And you will fall like a precious vessel.
New Century Version
Cry, you leaders! Cry out loud! Roll around in the dust, leaders of the people! It is now time for you to be killed. You will fall and be scattered, like pieces of a broken jar.
Amplified Bible
"Wail, you shepherds, and cry; And roll in ashes, you masters of the flock. For the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions have come in full, And you will fall and be broken into pieces like a choice vessel.
World English Bible
Wail, you shepherds, and cry; and wallow [in ashes], you principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are fully come, and you shall fall like a goodly vessel.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Howle, ye shepherdes, and crie, and wallowe your selues in the ashes, ye principall of the flocke: for your dayes of slaughter are accomplished, and of your dispersion, and ye shall fall like precious vessels.
Legacy Standard Bible
Wail, you shepherds, and cry out;And roll yourselves in ashes, you masters of the flock;For the days of your slaughter and your scatterings are being fulfilled,And you will fall like a desirable vessel.
Berean Standard Bible
Wail, you shepherds, and cry out; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For the days of your slaughter have come; you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Wail, shepherds! Cry! Wallow in the dust, you lords of the flock! For the days for your slaughter have come. I will break you in pieces, and like a prized vase you will fall."
Darby Translation
Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves [in the dust], noble ones of the flock: for the days of your slaughter are accomplished, and I will disperse you; and ye shall fall like a precious vessel.
Easy-to-Read Version
Shepherds, you should be leading the sheep. Start crying, you great leaders! Roll around on the ground in pain, you leaders of the sheep. It is now time for your slaughter. You will be scattered everywhere, like pieces flying from a broken jar.
George Lamsa Translation
Howl, you shepherds, and cry; wallow in the ashes, you who have great flocks; for the days of your slaughter are at hand, anal you shall be broken, and fall like choice vessels.
Good News Translation
Cry, you leaders, you shepherds of my people, cry out loud! Mourn and roll in the dust. The time has come for you to be slaughtered, and you will be butchered like rams.
Lexham English Bible
Wail, you shepherds, and cry out. And roll about in mourning in the dust, O leaders of the flock. For your days of slaughter and your dispersions have arrived, and you will fall like a vessel of desire.
Literal Translation
Howl, O shepherds, and cry, and roll in ashes , O leaders of the flock! For the days of your slaughter and of your scatterings are fulfilled, and you shall fall like a desirable vessel.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Mourne (o ye shepherdes) & crie: sprinckle youre selues with a?shes, o ye rammes of the flocke: for the tyme of youre slaughter is fulfilled, and ye shal fall like vessels connyngly made for pleasure.
American Standard Version
Wail, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow in ashes, ye principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are fully come, and ye shall fall like a goodly vessel.
Bible in Basic English
Give cries of grief, you keepers of sheep; give cries for help, rolling yourselves in the dust, you chiefs of the flock: for the days of your destruction have fully come, and I will send you in all directions, and your fall will be like that of the males of the flock.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Wail, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the dust, ye leaders of the flock; for the days of your slaughter are fully come, and I will break you in pieces, and ye shall fall like a precious vessel.
King James Version (1611)
Howle yee shepheards and cry, and wallow your selues in the ashes ye principall of the flocke: for the dayes of your slaughter, and of your dispersions are accomplished, and yee shall fall like a pleasant vessell.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Mourne O ye sheepheardes, and crye, sprinckle your selues with asshes O ye rammes of the flocke: for the tyme of your slaughter and breache is fulfylled, and ye shall fall lyke vessels that were much set by.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
THE PROPHECIES OF JEREMIAS AGAINST THE NATIONS OF ÆLAM.
English Revised Version
Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter are fully come, and I will break you in pieces, and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Yelle, ye scheepherdis, and crye, and, ye princypals of the floc, bispreynge you with aische; for youre daies ben fillid, that ye be slayn, and youre scateryngis ben fillid, and ye schulen falle as precious vessels.
Update Bible Version
Wail, you shepherds, and cry; and wallow [in ashes], you principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions have fully come, and you shall fall like a goodly vessel.
Webster's Bible Translation
Howl, 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.
New English Translation
Wail and cry out in anguish, you rulers! Roll in the dust, you who shepherd flocks of people! The time for you to be slaughtered has come. You will lie scattered and fallen like broken pieces of fine pottery.
New King James Version
"Wail, shepherds, and cry! Roll about in the ashes, You leaders of the flock! For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are fulfilled; You shall fall like a precious vessel.
New Living Translation
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.
New Life Bible
Cry in a loud voice, you shepherds. And roll in ashes, you leaders of the flock. For the days for you to be killed and sent everywhere have come, and you will fall and be broken like a fine pot.
New Revised Standard
Wail, you shepherds, and cry out; roll in ashes, you lords of the flock, for the days of your slaughter have come—and your dispersions, and you shall fall like a choice vessel.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Howl ye shepherds and make outcry, And roll in the dust ye illustrious of the flock, Because your days for being slaughtered, are fulfilled, - Therefore will I break you in pieces, and ye shall fall like a precious vessel!
Douay-Rheims Bible
Howl, ye shepherds, and cry: and sprinkle yourselves with ashes, ye leaders of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and your dispersion are accomplished, and you shall fall like precious vessels.
Revised Standard Version
"Wail, you shepherds, and cry, and roll in ashes, you lords of the flock, for the days of your slaughter and dispersion have come, and you shall fall like choice rams.
Young's Literal Translation
Howl, ye shepherds, and cry, And roll yourselves, ye honourable of the flock, For full have been your days, For slaughtering, and [for] your scatterings, And ye have fallen as a desirable vessel.
THE MESSAGE
Wail, shepherds! Cry out for help! Grovel in the dirt, you masters of flocks! Time's up—you're slated for the slaughterhouse, like a choice ram with its throat cut. There's no way out for the rulers, no escape for those shepherds. Hear that? Rulers crying for help, shepherds of the flock wailing! God is about to ravage their fine pastures. The peaceful sheepfolds will be silent with death, silenced by God 's deadly anger. God will come out into the open like a lion leaping from its cover, And the country will be torn to pieces, ripped and ravaged by his anger.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Wail, you shepherds, and cry; And wallow in ashes, you masters of the flock; For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions have come, And you will fall like a choice vessel.

Contextual Overview

30 The Lord told me to say: From my sacred temple I will roar like thunder, while I trample my people and everyone else as though they were grapes. 31 My voice will be heard everywhere on earth, accusing nations of their crimes and sentencing the guilty to death. 32 The Lord All-Powerful says: You can see disaster spreading from far across the earth, from nation to nation like a horrible storm. 33 When it strikes, I will kill so many people that their bodies will cover the ground like manure. No one will be left to bury them or to mourn. 34 The Lord 's people are his flock, and you leaders were the shepherds. But now it's your turn to be butchered like sheep. You'll shatter like fine pottery dropped on the floor. So roll on the ground, crying and mourning. 35 You have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. 36 Listen to the cries of the shepherds, 37 as the Lord 's burning anger turns peaceful meadows into barren deserts. 38 The Lord has abandoned his people like a lion leaving its den.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Howl: Jeremiah 25:23, Jeremiah 25:36, Jeremiah 4:8, Jeremiah 4:9, Ezekiel 34:16, James 5:1, James 5:2

ye shepherds: Ye kings and chiefs of the people

wallow: Jeremiah 6:26, Jeremiah 48:26, Ezekiel 27:30, Ezekiel 27:31

ye principal: Ezekiel 34:17, Ezekiel 34:20

the days of your: Heb. your days for, Jeremiah 25:12, Jeremiah 27:7, Jeremiah 51:20-26, Isaiah 10:12, Isaiah 33:1, Lamentations 4:21

ye shall: Jeremiah 19:10-12, Jeremiah 22:28, Psalms 2:9, Isaiah 30:14

pleasant vessel: Heb. vessel of desire, Jeremiah 3:19, 2 Chronicles 36:10, Isaiah 2:16, Daniel 11:8, Amos 5:11, *marg.

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 5:12 - the cry 2 Samuel 9:7 - eat bread 1 Kings 20:6 - pleasant Isaiah 13:6 - Howl ye Jeremiah 18:22 - a cry Jeremiah 23:1 - pastors Jeremiah 48:12 - empty Jeremiah 48:38 - broken Ezekiel 21:12 - howl Ezekiel 26:12 - thy pleasant houses Nahum 2:9 - pleasant furniture Zephaniah 1:11 - Howl Zechariah 11:3 - a voice

Cross-References

Genesis 25:16
Each of Ishmael's sons was a tribal chief, and a village was named after each of them.
Genesis 25:17
Ishmael had settled in the land east of his brothers, and his sons settled everywhere from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt on the way to Asshur. Ishmael was one hundred thirty-seven when he died.
Genesis 25:19
Isaac was the son of Abraham,
Genesis 25:20
and he was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel. She was also the sister of Laban, the Aramean from northern Syria. Almost twenty years later,
Psalms 106:24
They would not trust you, Lord , and they did not like the promised land.
Ecclesiastes 8:15
So I think we should get as much out of life as we possibly can. There is nothing better than to enjoy our food and drink and to have a good time. Then we can make it through this troublesome life that God has given us here on earth.
Isaiah 22:13
But instead, you celebrated by feasting on beef and lamb and by drinking wine, because you said, "Let's eat and drink! Tomorrow we may die."
Matthew 22:5
But the guests did not pay any attention. Some of them left for their farms, and some went to their places of business.
Matthew 26:15
and asked, "How much will you give me if I help you arrest Jesus?" They paid Judas thirty silver coins,
Acts 13:41
"Look, you people who make fun of God! Be amazed and disappear. I will do something today that you won't believe, even if someone tells you about it!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Howl, ye shepherds, and cry,.... The Targum is,

"howl, ye kings, and cry;''

and the rulers and governors of the nations before threatened with destruction are meant; who are here called upon to lamentation and mourning for the ruin and loss of their kingdoms; though Calvin thinks that this is an apostrophe to the Jewish nation, and the rulers of it. It is no uncommon thing in Scripture to call kings and civil magistrates shepherds; see Jeremiah 23:1;

and wallow yourselves [in the ashes], ye principal of the flock; or "roll yourselves [in dust]", as a token of mourning; as being in the utmost distress, and incapable of helping themselves, and redressing the grievances of their people; and therefore lie down and tumble about as in the greatest anxiety and trouble, the Targum is,

"cover your heads with ashes, ye mighty of the people;''

meaning those who were in the highest posts of honour and profit; the chief as to authority and power, riches and wealth;

for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; the time is come when they who were the fat of the flock, and were nourished up for slaughter, should be slain. The allusion to shepherds and sheep is still kept up; and such who should escape that, should be scattered up and down the world, as a flock of sheep is by the wolf, or any other beast of prey, when some are seized and devoured, and others dispersed; and this was not the case of the Jews only, but of other nations in their turn;

and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel; a vessel of worth and value, and so desirable; as vessels of glass, of gems, or of earth, as of Venice glass, of alabaster, of China; which when they fall and are broken, become useless, and are irreparable; signifying hereby, that their desirableness and excellency would not secure them from destruction, and that their ruin would be irretrievable.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Principal of the flock - i. e., noble ones.

Wallow yourselves in the ashes - Rather, roll yourselves on the ground.

For ... - Read; “for your days for being slaughtered are accomplished, and I will scatter you” (or, (dash you in pieces).

Fall like a pleasant vessel - The comparison suggests the idea of change from a thing of value into worthless fragments.

Jeremiah 25:36

Hath spoiled - Or, spoileth.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 25:34. Howl, ye shepherds — Ye kings and chiefs of the people.

Ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. — As a fall will break and utterly ruin a precious vessel of crystal, agate, &c., so your overthrow will be to you irreparable ruin.


 
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