Seventy Years of Exile
1-2 In the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, which was the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylonia, the Lord told me to speak to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. So I told them:
3 For 23 years now, ever since the thirteenth year that Josiah was king, I have been telling you what the Lord has told me. But you have not listened.
4 The Lord has sent prophets to you time after time, but you refused to listen. 5 They told you that the Lord had said:
Change your ways! If you stop doing evil, I will let you stay forever in this land that I gave your ancestors. 6 I don't want to harm you. So don't make me angry by worshiping idols and other gods.
7 But you refused to listen to my prophets. So I, the Lord, say that you have made me angry by worshiping idols, and you are the ones who were hurt by what you did. 8 You refused to listen to me, 9 and now I will let you be attacked by nations from the north, and especially by my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. You and other nearby nations will be destroyed and left in ruins forever. Everyone who sees what has happened will be shocked, but they will still make fun of you. 10 I will put an end to your parties and wedding celebrations; no one will grind grain or be here to light the lamps at night. 11 This country will be as empty as a desert, because I will make all of you the slaves of the king of Babylonia for 70 years.
12 When that time is up, I will punish the king of Babylonia and his people for everything they have done wrong, and I will turn that country into a wasteland forever. 13 My servant Jeremiah has told you what I said I will do to Babylonia and to the other nations, and he wrote it all down in this book. I will do everything I threatened. 14 I will pay back the Babylonians for every wrong they have done. Great kings from many other nations will conquer the Babylonians and force them to be slaves.
The Cup Full of God's Anger
15 The Lord God of Israel showed me a vision in which he said, “Jeremiah, here is a cup filled with the wine of my anger. Take it and make every nation drink some. 16 They will vomit and act crazy, because of the war this cup of anger will bring to them.”
17 I took the cup from the Lord's hand, and I went to the kings of the nations and made each of them drink some. 18 I started with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, and the king and his officials were removed from power in disgrace. Everyone still makes insulting jokes about them and uses their names as curse words. 19 The second place I went was Egypt, where everyone had to drink from the cup, including the king and his officials, the other government workers, the rest of the Egyptians, 20 and all the foreigners who lived in the country.
Next I went to the king of Uz, and then to the four kings of Philistia, who ruled from Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and what was left of Ashdod. 21 Then I went to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, 22 and to the kings of Tyre, Sidon, and their colonies across the sea. 23-24 After this, I went to the kings of Dedan, Tema, Buz, the tribes of the Arabian Desert, 25 Zimri, Elam, Media, 26 and the countries in the north, both near and far.
I went to all the countries on earth, one after another, and finally to Babylonia.
27 The Lord had said to tell each king, “The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, commands you to drink from this cup that is full of the wine of his anger. It will make you so drunk that you will vomit. And when the Lord sends war against the nations, you will be completely defeated.”
28 The Lord told me that if any of them refused to drink from the cup, I must tell them that he had said, “I, the Lord All-Powerful, command you to drink. 29 Starting with my own city of Jerusalem, everyone on earth will suffer from war. So there is no way I will let you escape unharmed.”
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.
Disaster Is Coming
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.
The Leaders of Judah Will Be Punished
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.
* 36-37 Listen to the cries
of the shepherds,
as the Lord's burning anger
turns peaceful meadows
into barren deserts.
38 Like a lion leaving its den,
the Lord has abandoned
his people
to the destruction of war.
Vēstījums par Bābeles trimdu
1 Vārdi, kas Jeremijam bija par visu Jūdas tautu Jehojākīma, Jošijāhu dēla, ceturtajā gadā – tas bija pirmais Bābeles ķēniņa Nebūkadnecara gads. 2 Tā runāja pravietis Jeremija uz visu Jūdas tautu un uz visiem Jeruzālemes iedzīvotājiem: 3 “No Jūdas ķēniņa Jošijāhu, Amona dēla, trīspadsmitā gada līdz šai dienai, divdesmit trīs gadus Kunga vārds ir bijis uz mani, un es tiku runājis, bez mitas es runāju, bet jūs neklausījāties! 4 Kungs sūtīja pie jums savus kalpus praviešus – bez mitas sūtīja, bet jūs neklausījāties, pat ausi nepastiepāt, lai klausītos! 5 Pravieši sacīja: atgriezieties no sava ļaunā ceļa un saviem ļaunajiem darbiem un dzīvojiet zemē, ko Kungs ir devis jums un jūsu tēviem no mūžiem uz mūžiem. 6 Nesekojiet citiem dieviem, lai tiem kalpotu un zemotos, nekaitiniet mani ar saviem roku darbiem sev pašiem par ļaunu! 7 Bet jūs mani neklausījāt, saka Kungs, kaitinādami mani ar saviem darbiem sev pašiem par ļaunu!
8 Tādēļ tā saka Pulku Kungs: tādēļ ka jūs neklausījāties manos vārdos, 9 redzi, es ņemšu un uzsūtīšu jums visas ziemeļu ciltis, saka Kungs, un manu kalpu Bābeles ķēniņu Nebūkadnecaru! Es vedīšu viņus pret šo zemi un tās iemītniekiem, un pret visām tautām, kas ir visapkārt, es tos svētīšu ar nīcību, par šaušalām padarīšu, par izsmieklu un par mūžīgām drupām! 10 Es izdeldēšu no viņiem gan līksmi, gan prieka balsi, līgavaiņa balsi un līgavas balsi, gan dzirnu dūkoņu, gan gaismekļa gaismu! 11 Šī zeme būs drupas un postaža! Šīs tautas vergos Bābeles ķēniņam septiņdesmit gadus! 12 Un, kad paies septiņdesmit gadi, es piemeklēšu Bābeles ķēniņu un šo tautu viņu grēku dēļ, saka Kungs, un arīdzan kaldiešu zemi un padarīšu to par mūžam izdeldētu! 13 Es likšu, lai nāk pār šo zemi visi tie vārdi, ko es runāju, – viss, kas šajā grāmatā rakstīts, ko Jeremija pravietoja par visām tautām. 14 Jo tie vergos daudzām tautām un lieliem ķēniņiem, un es jums atdarīšu par jūsu darbiem un jūsu roku darinājumiem!”
Dieva dusmu kauss
15 Kungs, Israēla Dievs, man teica tā: “Ņem no manas rokas šo dusmu vīna kausu un dzirdini no tā visas tautas, pie kurām es tevi sūtu. 16 Un tās dzers – grīļosies un streipuļos zobena priekšā, ko es tām sūtu.” 17 Un es paņēmu kausu no Kunga rokas un dzirdīju visas tautas, pie kurām Kungs mani sūtīja: 18 Jeruzālemi un Jūdas pilsētas, to ķēniņus un augstmaņus, – lai darītu tās par drupām, par postažu, par izsmieklu un par lāstu – kā šodien! 19 Un es dzirdīju arī Ēģiptes ķēniņu faraonu un viņa kalpus un augstmaņus, un visu viņa tautu. 20 Un visas jauktās tautas, un visus Ūczemes ķēniņus, un visus filistiešu ķēniņus, un Aškelonu, un Gazu, un Ekronu, un tos, kas vēl atlikuši Ašdodā, 21 un Edomu, un Moābu, un Amona dēlus, 22 un visus Tīras ķēniņus, un visus Sidonas ķēniņus, un visus ķēniņus, kuri mīt jūras malā un aizjūras salās, 23 un Dedānu, un Tēmu, un Būzu, un tos, kuru matiem apgriezta mala, 24 un visus Arābijas ķēniņus, un visus jaukto tautu ķēniņus, kuri tuksnesī mīt, 25 un visus Zimrī ķēniņus, un visus Ēlāma ķēniņus, un visus Mēdijas ķēniņus, 26 un visus ziemeļu ķēniņus – tuvus un tālus, un visas valstības, kas vien uz zemes virsas, – un pēc tam dzers Šēšahas ķēniņš!
27 Un tu saki viņiem: tā saka Pulku Kungs, Israēla Dievs: “Dzeriet, reibstiet, vemiet un krītiet, un jūs vairs necelsieties no zobena, ko es jums uzsūtu! 28 Un, ja viņi liegsies ņemt kausu no tavas rokas un dzert, tad tu saki viņiem: tā saka Pulku Kungs: dzeriet gan! 29 Jo, redzi, tagad es sāku darīt ļaunu pilsētai, kas ir saukta manā vārdā, un jūs, bez vainas nevainīgie, būsiet vainīgi, jo es piesaukšu zobenu pār visiem, kas mīt uz zemes, saka Pulku Kungs!
30 Un tu pravieto viņiem visus šos vārdus, saki viņiem:
Kungs no augšienes rēc,
no sava svētuma paceļ balsi,
pār savu mājokli rēktin rēc,
kā vīnspaidu mīdams
atdara visiem,
kas mīt uz zemes.
31 Dārdēs līdz zemes malām,
jo strīds Kungam pret tautām,
pret visiem viņš tiesājas,
ļaundarus viņš zobenam atdos,”
saka Kungs.
32 Tā saka Pulku Kungs:
“Redzi, no tautas uz tautu
iet ļaunums,
no zemes dzīlēm
ceļas varena vētra!”
33 Un tajā dienā Kunga nokautie klās zemi no malas līdz malai, tos nedz apraudās, nedz savāks, nedz apraks – tie būs kā mēsli uz zemes virsas!
34 Gani, kauciet un kliedziet,
vārtieties, avju sargi,
pienākusi jūsu kaušanas diena!
Jūs patrieks!
Jūs saplēsīs kā dārgu trauku!
35 Vairs nepamukt ganiem,
vairs neaizbēgt avju sargiem!
36 Kliedz gani,
un avju sargi kauc,
jo Kungs ganības posta!
37 Miera pļavas ir izdeldētas
Kunga dusmu kvēles dēļ!
38 Kā lauva viņš pameta migu,
visa zeme kļuva par postažu –
apspiedēju niknuma dēļ,
viņa dusmu kvēles dēļ!
