3. For twenty-three 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 for ever in this land that I gave your ancestors.
6. I don't want to harm you. So don't make me angry by worshipping 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 worshipping 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 for ever. Everyone who sees what has happened will be shocked, but they will still make fun of you.
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 I must 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.