Seventy Years of Captivity

1A sermone that was geuen vnto Ieremy, vpon all the people of Iuda: In the fourth yeare of Ioachim the sonne of Iosias kinge of Iuda, that was, in the first yeare of Nabuchodonosor kinge of Babilon. 2Which sermone, Ieremy the prophet made vnto all the people of Iuda, & to all ye Inhabitours of Ierusale, on this maner: 3From the xiij yeare of Iosias the sonne of Amon kinge of Iuda, vnto this present daye, (that is euen xxiij yeare) the worde of the LORDE hath bene committed vnto me. And so I haue spoke to you, I haue rysen vp early, I haue geue you warnynge in season, but ye wolde not heare me. 4Though the LORDE hath sent his seruauntes, all the prophetes vnto you in season: Yet wolde ye not obeye, ye wolde not encline yor eares to heare. 5He sayde: turne agayne euery man from his euell waye, & from youre wicked ymaginacions, & so shal ye dwell for euer in the londe, that the LORDE promised you & youre fore fathers: 6And go not after straunge goddes, serue them not, worshipe them not, & angre me not with the workes of youre hodes: then will not I punysh you. 7Neuertheles, ye wolde not heare me (saieth the LORDE) but haue defied me with the workes of youre hodes, to youre owne greate harme.

8Wherfore, thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes: Because ye haue not herkened vnto my worde, 9lo, I will sende out, & call for all the people, yt dwell in the north (saieth the LORDE) & wil prepayre Nabuchodonosor the kinge of Babilon my seruaunt, and wil bringe them vpon this londe, and vpon all yt dwell therein, & vpon all the people that are aboute them, and will vterly rote them out. I will make of them a wildernesse, a mockage, and a continuall deserte. 10Morouer, I will take from them the voyce of gladnesse and solace, the voyce of the brydegrome & the bryde, the voyce of the anoynted, with the cresshettes: 11& this whole londe shal become a wildernes, & they shall serue the sayde people and the kinge of Babilon, thre score yeares and ten.

12When the lxx yeares are expyred, I wil viset also the wickednesse of the kinge of Babylon & his people, saieth the LORDE: yee & the londe of the Caldees, & wil make it a perpetuall wildernes, 13& wil fulfil all my wordes vpon that londe, which I haue deuysed agaynst it: yee all that is written in this boke, which Ieremy hath prophecied of all people: 14so that they also shal be subdued vnto dyuerse nacions & greate kynges, for I wil recompense them, acordinge to their dedes & workes of their owne hondes.

The Cup of God’s Wrath

15For thus hath the LORDE God of Israel spoken vnto me: Take this wyne cuppe of indignacion fro my honde, that thou mayest cause all the people (to whom I sende the) for to drinke of it: 16that when they haue dronke there of, they maye be madd, & out of their wyttes, when the swearde commeth, that I wil sende amoge them.

17Then toke I the cuppe from the LORDES honde, & made all the people drynke there of, vnto whom the LORDE had sent me. 18But first the cite of Ierusalem, & all the cities of Iuda, their kinges & prynces: to make the desolate, waist, despysed & cursed, acordinge as it is come to passe this daye. 19Yee & Pharao ye kinge of Egipte, his seruauntes, his prynces & his people altogether one wt another 20and all kinges of the londe of Hus, all kinges of the Philistynes londe, Ascalon, Gaza, Accaron & the remnaunt of Asdod, 21the Edomites, the Moabites & the Ammonites: 22all the kinges of Tirus & Sidon: the kinges of the Iles, that are beyonde the see: 23Dedan, Thema, Buz & the shauen Ismaelites: 24all the kinges of Araby, & (generally) all the kinges that dwell in the deserte: 25all the kinges of Simri, all the kinges of Elam, all ye kinges of the Meedes, 26all kinges towarde the north (whether they be farre or nye) euery one with his neghbours: Yee and all the kingdomes that are vpon the whole earth. The kinge of Sesach (sayde he) shal drinke with them also.

27And saye thou vnto them: this is the commaundement of the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel: drinke and be droncken, spewe, and fall, that ye neuer ryse: and that thorow the swearde, which I wil sende amonge you. 28But yf they will not receaue the cuppe of thy honde, and drinke it, then tell them: Thus doth the LORDE of hoostes threaten you: drynke it ye shal, and that shortly. 29For lo, I begynne to plage the cite, that my name is geuen vnto: thynke ye then, that I will leaue you vnpunyshed? Ye shall not go quyte. For why, I call for a swearde vpo all the inhabitours of the earth, saieth the LORDE of hoostes.

30Therfore tell them all these wordes, and saye vnto them: The LORDE shal crie from aboue, and let his voyce be herde from his holy habitacion. With a greate noyse shall he crie from his courte regall. He shal geue a greate voyce (like the grape gatherers) and the sounde thereof shalbe herde vnto the endes of the worlde.

31For the LORDE hath a iudgment to geue vpon all people, and will holde his courte of iustice with all flesh and punyshe the vngodly, saieth the LORDE.

32For thus sayeth ye LORDE of hoostes: Beholde, a miserable plage shall go from one people to another, and a greate stormy water shal arise from all the endes of the earth.

33And the same daye shall the LORDE himself slaye them, from one ende of the earth to another. There shall no mone be made for eny of them, none gathered vp, none buried: but shall lie as dunge vpon the grounde.

The Cry of the Shepherds

34Mourne (o ye shepherdes) & crie: sprinckle youre selues with asshes, o ye rammes of the flocke: for the tyme of youre slaughter is fulfilled, and ye shal fall like vessels connyngly made for pleasure.

35The shepherdes shall haue no waye to fle, and the rammes of the flocke shall not escape.

36Then shal the shepherdes crie horribly, and the rammes of the flocke shal mourne: for the LORDE shal consume their pasture,

37and their best feldes shal lie deed because of the horrible wrath of the LORDE.

38They shall forsake their foldes like as a lyon: For their londes shalbe waist, because of the wrath of the destroyer, and because of his fearfull indignacion.