The wine that symbolized God’s punishment

15 Then Yahweh, the God we Israelis worship, gave me a vision. In the vision he was holding a cup of wine. He said, “Take from me this cup that is full of wine that represents punishment [MTY]. I will cause all the leaders of the nations to which I will send you to drink some of the wine in this cup. 16 When they drink the wine, they will stagger and act like crazy people, because they will realize that I will ◄massacre many of their people/cause many of their people to be killed► [MTY] with swords.”

17 So, in the vision, I took that cup full of wine from Yahweh, and I took it to all the nations to which he sent me, and caused the leaders of those nations to drink some of that wine. 18 I went to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah, and the king and the other officials drank some of the wine from that cup. And, starting from that day, they all eventually were removed from having authority, and became people whom others ◄ridiculed/acted contemptuously towards►, who were despised, and cursed. 19 In the vision I went to Egypt and gave some of the wine to the king and his officials and many of his people, 20 and to foreigners who were living there. In the vision I also went to Uz land and to Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod cities and gave some of the wine to the kings of those places. 21 Then in the vision I went to the Edom, Moab, and Ammon people-groups, 22 and to Tyre and Sidon cities and to areas across the Mediterranean Sea, and gave some of the wine to the kings of those places. 23 In the vision I then went to Dedan, Tema, and Buz cities in Arabia and to other distant places (OR, places where people cut their hair short), and gave some of the wine to leaders in those areas. 24 In the vision I also went to other places in Arabia and to the kings of tribes in the desert 25 and to the kings of the Zimri, Elam, and Media people-groups, 26 and to kings in countries to the north that are near to Israel and to countries that are far from Israel, one after the other— I went to all the kingdoms in the world [HYP]. And finally, in my vision I went to Babylon, and gave some of the wine to the king of Babylon—the wine that symbolized that Yahweh would punish the people of Babylon because he was angry with them [MTY].

27 Then in the vision Yahweh said to me, “Tell them that this is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom we Israelis worship, says: ‘Drink from this cup some of the wine that represents the punishment that I will give you. Drink a lot of it and become drunk and vomit. You will fall down and not get up again, because I will cause you to be killed in wars [MTY] that I will send to you. 28 If any of those to whom you give this wine [MTY] refuse to drink it, tell them that the Commander of the armies of angels says that they must drink it. 29 I am starting to cause the people of my own city to experience disaster. Do you think that you should not be punished [RHQ]? No, you will surely be punished [LIT] because I am causing there to be wars in all the nations on the earth. That will surely happen because I, the Commander of the armies of angels, have said it.’

30 Now tell them all those things that I have said, and also say this to them:

‘Yahweh will shout to them from his holy dwelling in heaven [MTY]

and it will sound like the roar of a lion.

He will shout like [SIM] people shout when they are treading on grapes to make juice for wine;

he will shout to everyone on the earth.

31 Even people in very remote places around the earth will hear him shouting,

because he will say why he will judge and punish all the nations.

He will cause the wicked people to be slaughtered with swords.

That will surely happen because Yahweh has said it.’

32 Then tell them that this is what the Commander of the armies of angels says:

‘Listen to this!

There will be disasters in one nation after another.

I am preparing to punish them like [MET] a great storm

that starts in the most distant places on the earth.

33 When that happens, the corpses of those whom I have caused to be slaughtered will fill the earth from the east to the west.

And no one will mourn for them, and no one will gather their corpses to bury them. They will be scattered on the ground like manure.

34 You evil leaders, weep and moan!

You who should take care of my people, fall down and roll in the dust/dirt.

It is time for you to be slaughtered;

you will fall down and be shattered like a fragile vase shatters when it falls to the ground.

35 You will not find any place to hide,

there will be no place to which you can escape.

36 People will listen to your leaders crying

when I, Yahweh, am ruining your nation.

37 Your peaceful meadows will become a wasteland/desert

because I will be extremely angry.

38 I will leave my dwelling like [SIM] a lion leaves its den to attack other animals,

and I will cause your land to become desolate

when I, because I am very angry with you, cause your enemies to slaughter you with their swords.’ ”