1. Jeremiah received the Lord’s word concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Judah’s King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son. This was the first year of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar.
2. The prophet Jeremiah addressed all the people of Judah and all those living in Jerusalem.
3. From the thirteenth year of Judah’s King Josiah, Amon’s son, to this very day—twenty-three years—the Lord’s word has come to me. I have delivered it to you repeatedly, although you wouldn’t listen.
4. In fact, the Lord has tirelessly sent you all his servants, the prophets, but you wouldn’t listen or pay attention.
5. They said, "Each one of you, turn from your evil ways and deeds and live in the fertile land that the Lord gave you and your ancestors for all time.
6. Don’t follow or worship other gods and don’t anger me by what you make with your hands. Then I won’t bring disaster upon you."
7. But you wouldn’t listen to me, making me angry by what you do and bringing disaster upon yourselves, declares the Lord.
8. Therefore, this is what the Lord of heavenly forces says: Because you haven’t listened to my words,
9. I am going to muster all the tribes of the north and my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, declares the Lord, and I will bring them against this country and its residents as well as against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and will make them an object of horror, shock, and ruins for all time.
10. I will silence the sounds of joy and laughter and the voices of the bride and the bridegroom. Yes, I will silence the millstones and snuff out the lamplight.
11. This whole country will be reduced to a wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
12. When the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation for their wrongdoing, declares the Lord. I will reduce the land of the Babylonians to a wasteland for all time.