Jeremiah 25:1-9

1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the 1fourth year of 2Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the 3first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2the word which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the 4people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 3“From the 5thirteenth year of 6Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, 7these 8twenty-three years the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you 9again and again, but you have not listened. 4And the Lord has sent to you all His 10servants the prophets again and again, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear, 5saying, ‘11Turn now, everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and live on the land which the Lord has given to you and your forefathers 12forever and ever; 6and 13do not follow other gods to 14serve them and to 15worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, then I will do you no harm.’ 7Yet you have not listened to Me,” declares the Lord, “in order to 16provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

8“Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, 9behold, I will 17send and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, 18My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these surrounding nations; and I will 19completely destroy them and 20make them an object of horror and 21hissing, and an everlasting place of ruins.