Daily Bread

The Cup of God’s Wrath

¹⁵ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup^(A) filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send^(B) you drink it. ¹⁶ When they drink^(C) it, they will stagger^(D) and go mad^(E) because of the sword^(F) I will send among them.”

¹⁷ So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent^(G) me drink it: ¹⁸ Jerusalem^(H) and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin^(I) and an object of horror and scorn,^(J) a curse^[a](K)—as they are today;^{(L) 19} Pharaoh king^(M) of Egypt,^(N) his attendants, his officials and all his people, ²⁰ and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz;^(O) all the kings of the Philistines^(P) (those of Ashkelon,^(Q) Gaza,^(R) Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); ²¹ Edom,^(S) Moab^(T) and Ammon;^{(U) 22} all the kings of Tyre^(V) and Sidon;^(W) the kings of the coastlands^(X) across the sea; ²³ Dedan,^(Y) Tema,^(Z) Buz^(AA) and all who are in distant places^[b];^{(AB) 24} all the kings of Arabia^(AC) and all the kings of the foreign people^(AD) who live in the wilderness; ²⁵ all the kings of Zimri,^(AE) Elam^(AF) and Media;^{(AG) 26} and all the kings of the north,^(AH) near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms^(AI) on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak^[c](AJ) will drink it too.

²⁷ “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk^(AK) and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword^(AL) I will send among you.’ ²⁸ But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink^(AM), tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! ²⁹ See, I am beginning to bring disaster^(AN) on the city that bears my Name,^(AO) and will you indeed go unpunished?^(AP) You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword^(AQ) on all^(AR) who live on the earth,^(AS) declares the Lord Almighty.’

³⁰ “Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:

³² This is what the Lord Almighty says:

³³ At that time those slain^(BG) by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered^(BH) up or buried,^(BI) but will be like dung lying on the ground.