Study Desk

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the ^(a)fourth year of ^(b)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the ^(c)first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon),

which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the ^(d)people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,

"From the ^(e)thirteenth year of ^(f)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, ^[a]these ^(g)twenty-three years the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you ^[b](h)again and again, but you have not listened.

And the Lord has sent to you all His ⁽ⁱ⁾servants the prophets ^[c]again and again, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear,

saying, ‘^(j)Turn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the land which the Lord has given to you and your forefathers ^(k)forever and ever;

and ^(l)do not go after other gods to ^[d]serve them and to ^[e]worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.'

Yet you have not listened to Me," declares the Lord , "in order that you might ^(m)provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

"Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Because you have not obeyed My words,

behold, I will ⁽ⁿ⁾send and take all the families of the north,' declares the Lord , ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, ^(o)My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will ^[f]utterly destroy them and ^(p)make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation.

Moreover, I will ^[g](q)take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the ^(r)sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.

^(s)This whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon ^(t)seventy years.

‘Then it will be ^(u)when seventy years are completed I will ^(v)punish the king of Babylon and that nation,' declares the Lord , ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and ^(w)I will make it an everlasting desolation.

I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in ^(x)this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against ^(y)all the nations.

(^[h]For ^(z)many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, even them; and I will ^(aa)recompense them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.)'"

For thus the Lord , the God of Israel, says to me, "Take this ^(ab)cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it.

They will ^(ac)drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them."

Then I took the cup from the Lord's hand and ^(ad)made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it:

^(ae)Jerusalem and the cities of Judah and its kings and its princes, to make them a ruin, a horror, a hissing and a curse, as it is this day;

^(af)Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes and all his people;

and all the ^[i](ag)foreign people, all the kings of the ^(ah)land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the ^(ai)Philistines (even Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and the remnant of ^(aj)Ashdod);

^(ak)Edom, ^(al)Moab and the sons of ^(am)Ammon;

and all the kings of ^(an)Tyre, all the kings of Sidon and the kings of ^(ao)the coastlands which are beyond the sea;

and ^(ap)Dedan, Tema, ^(aq)Buz and all who ^(ar)cut the corners of their hair;

and all the kings of ^(as)Arabia and all the kings of the ^[j](at)foreign people who dwell in the desert;

and all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of ^(au)Elam and all the kings of ^(av)Media;

and all the kings of the north, near and far, one with another; and ^(aw)all the kingdoms of the earth which are upon the face of the ground, and the king of ^[k](ax)Sheshach shall drink after them.

"You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "^(ay)Drink, be drunk, vomit, fall and rise no more because of the ^(az)sword which I will send among you."'

And it will be, if they ^(ba)refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: "^(bb)You shall surely drink!

For behold, I am ^(bc)beginning to work calamity in this city which is ^(bd)called by My name, and shall you be completely free from punishment? You will not be free from punishment; for ^(be)I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth," declares the Lord of hosts.'

"Therefore you shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them, ‘The ^(bf) Lord will ^(bg)roar from on high And utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His ^[l]fold. He will shout like those who tread the grapes, Against all the inhabitants of the earth.

‘A clamor has come to the end of the earth, Because the Lord has ^(bh)a controversy with the nations. He is entering into ^(bi)judgment with all flesh; As for the wicked, He has given them to the sword,' declares the Lord ."

Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Behold, evil is going forth From ^(bj)nation to nation, And a great ^(bk)storm is being stirred up From the remotest parts of the earth.

"Those ^(bl)slain by the Lord on that day will be from one end of the earth to the ^[m]other. They will ^(bm)not be lamented, gathered or buried; they will be like ^(bn)dung on the face of the ground.

"Wail, you shepherds, and cry; And ^(bo)wallow in ashes, you masters of the flock; For the days of your ^(bp)slaughter and your dispersions ^[n]have come, And you will fall like a choice vessel.

"^(bq)Flight will perish from the shepherds, And escape from the masters of the flock.

"Hear the sound of the cry of the shepherds, And the wailing of the masters of the flock! For the Lord is destroying their pasture,

"And the peaceful ^[o](br)folds are made silent Because of the ^(bs)fierce anger of the Lord .

"He has left His hiding place ^(bt)like the lion; For their land has become a horror Because of the fierceness of the ^[p]oppressing sword And because of His fierce anger."

This is the message which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to ^(a)Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had ^(b)written down these words in a book ^[a]at Jeremiah's dictation, in the ^(c)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying:

"Thus says the Lord the God of Israel to you, O Baruch:

‘You said, "Ah, woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am ^(d)weary with my groaning and have found no rest."'

Thus you are to say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord , "Behold, ^(e)what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to uproot, that is, the whole land."

But you, are you ^(f)seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I am going to ^(g)bring disaster on all flesh,' declares the Lord , ‘but I will ^(h)give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go.'"

That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet ^(a)concerning the nations.

To ^(b)Egypt, concerning the army of ^(c)Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at ^(d)Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the ^(e)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

"^(f)Line up the shield and ^[a]buckler, And draw near for the battle!

"Harness the horses, And ^[b]mount the steeds, And take your stand with helmets on! ^(g)Polish the spears, Put on the ^(h)scale-armor!

"Why have I seen it? They are terrified, They are ⁽ⁱ⁾drawing back, And their ^(j)mighty men are defeated And have taken refuge in flight, Without facing back; ^[c](k)Terror is on every side!" Declares the Lord .

Let not the ^(l)swift man flee, Nor the mighty man escape; In the north beside the river Euphrates They have ^(m)stumbled and fallen.

Who is this that ⁽ⁿ⁾rises like the Nile, Like the rivers whose waters surge about?

Egypt rises like the Nile, Even like the rivers whose waters surge about; And He has said, "I will ^(o)rise and cover that land; I will surely ^(p)destroy the city and its inhabitants."

Go up, you horses, and ^[d](q)drive madly, you chariots, That the mighty men may ^[e]march forward: Ethiopia and ^[f](r)Put, that handle the shield, And the ^[g](s)Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.

For ^(t)that day belongs to the Lord ^[h] God of hosts, A day of ^(u)vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; And the ^(v)sword will devour and be satiated And ^[i]drink its fill of their blood; For there will be a ^(w)slaughter for the Lord ^[j] God of hosts, In the land of the north by the river Euphrates.

Go ^(x)up to Gilead and obtain balm, ^(y)O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain have you multiplied ^[k]remedies; There is ^(z)no healing for you.

The nations have heard of your ^(aa)shame, And the earth is full of your ^(ab)cry of distress; For one ^(ac)warrior has stumbled over ^[l]another, And both of them have fallen down together.

This is the ^[m]message which the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the ^(ad)coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to ^(ae)smite the land of Egypt:

"Declare in Egypt and proclaim in ^(af)Migdol, Proclaim also in Memphis and ^(ag)Tahpanhes; Say, ‘Take your stand and get yourself ready, For the ^(ah)sword has devoured those around you.'

"Why have your ^(ai)mighty ones become prostrate? They do not stand because the Lord has ^(aj)thrust them down.

"They have repeatedly ^(ak)stumbled; Indeed, they have fallen one against another. Then they said, ‘Get up! And ^(al)let us go back To our own people and our native land Away from the ^[n](am)sword of the oppressor.'

"^[o]They cried there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is but ^(an)a big noise; He has let the appointed time pass by!'

"As I live," declares the ^(ao)King Whose name is the Lord of hosts, "Surely one shall come who looms up like ^(ap)Tabor among the mountains, Or like ^(aq)Carmel by the sea.

"Make your baggage ready for ^(ar)exile, O ^(as)daughter dwelling in Egypt, For ^(at)Memphis will become a desolation; It will even be burned down and ^[p]bereft of inhabitants.

"Egypt is a pretty ^(au)heifer, But a ^[q]horsefly is coming ^(av)from the north—it is coming!

"Also her ^(aw)mercenaries in her midst Are like ^[r]fattened ^(ax)calves, For even they too have turned back and have fled away together; They did not stand their ground. For the day of their calamity has come upon them, The time of their ^(ay)punishment.

"Its sound moves along like a serpent; For they move on ^[s]like an army And come to her as woodcutters with axes.

"They have cut down her ^(az)forest," declares the Lord ; "Surely it will no more be found, Even though ^[t]they are now more numerous than ^(ba)locusts And are without number.

"The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame, Given over to the ^[u]power of the ^(bb)people of the north."

The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says, "Behold, I am going to punish Amon of ^(bc)Thebes, and ^(bd)Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her ^(be)gods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who ^(bf)trust in him.

I shall give them over to the ^[v]power of those who are ^(bg)seeking their lives, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his ^[w]officers. ^(bh)Afterwards, however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old," declares the Lord .

"But as for you, O Jacob My servant, ^(bi)do not fear, Nor be dismayed, O Israel! For, see, I am going to ^(bj)save you from afar, And your descendants from the land of their captivity; And Jacob will return and be ^(bk)undisturbed And secure, with no one making him tremble.

"O Jacob My servant, do not fear," declares the Lord , "For ^(bl)I am with you. For I will make a full end of all the nations Where I have driven you, Yet I will ^(bm)not make a full end of you; But I will ^(bn)correct you properly And by no means leave you unpunished."