'Nations' in the Bible

For it shall be like this in the midst of the earth, among the nations, like [the] beating of an olive tree, like gleanings when a grape harvest is at an end.

Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; a city of ruthless nations, they will fear you.

And on this mountain he will {destroy} the face of the shroud, the shroud over all peoples, and the woven covering over all nations.

And the multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, all those who fight [against] her and her stronghold, and those who inflict her shall be like dream, a vision of [the] night.

And it shall be as when the hungry person dreams--look, [he is] eating! And he wakes up and his inner self [is] empty. Or as when the thirsty person dreams--look, [he is] drinking! And he wakes up and look, [he is] faint, and his inner self [is] longing for water. So shall be the multitude of all the nations who fight against Mount Zion.

And his breath [is] like an overflowing river; it reaches up to [the] neck to shake [the] nations with [the] sieve of worthlessness; and a bridle that leads astray [is] on [the] jawbones of [the] peoples.

At [the] sound of tumult, peoples fled; because of your exaltation, nations scattered.

Come near, nations, to hear; and peoples, listen attentively! Let the earth hear, and that which fills it; [the] world and all its offspring.

For [the] anger of Yahweh [is] against all the nations, and [his] wrath [is] against all their armies; he has put them under a ban, he has given them up for slaughter.

lest Hezekiah mislead you, saying, 'Yahweh will save us!' Did the gods of the nations each save his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

Did the gods of the nations that my {predecessors} destroyed deliver them--Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who [were] in Telassar?

Look! [The] nations [are] like a drop from a bucket, and they are counted like dust of [the] balances! Look! He weighs [the] islands like a thin covering.

All the nations [are] like nothing before him; they are counted by him as nothing and emptiness.

Listen to me in silence, coastlands, and let nations renew [their] strength. Let them approach, then let them speak; let us draw near together for judgment.

Who has roused salvation from the east, summoned him to his foot, gives nations {in his presence}, and subjugates kings? He makes [them] like the dust [with] his sword, like scattered stubble [with] his bow.

Look! [here is] my servant; I hold him, my chosen one, [in whom] my soul delights. I have {put} my spirit on him; he will bring justice forth to the nations.

"I [am] Yahweh; I have called you in righteousness, and I have grasped your hand and watched over you; and I have given you as a covenant of [the] people, as a light of [the] nations,

Because you are precious in my eyes, you are honored, and I myself love you, and I give people in place of you, and nations in place of your life.

Let all the nations gather together, and let [the] peoples assemble. Who among them has declared this, and {declared} [the] former things to us? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be in the right, and let them hear and say, "[It is] true!"

Thus says Yahweh to his anointed one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subjugate nations before him, and I uncover [the] loins of kings to open doors before him, and [the] gates shall not be shut:

Assemble and come; draw near together, survivors of the nations! They do not know, those who carry {their wooden idols} and pray to a god who cannot save.

And he says, "It is trivial {for you to be} a servant for me, to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will give you as a light [to the] nations, to be my salvation to the end of the earth."

Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I will lift my hand up to [the] nations, and I will raise my signal to [the] peoples, and they shall bring your sons in [their] bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on [their] shoulders.

Yahweh has bared {his holy arm} to the eyes of all the nations, and all [the] ends of [the] earth shall see the salvation of our God.

so he shall sprinkle many nations; because of him, kings shall shut their mouths. For they shall see what has not been told them, and they shall consider with full attention what they have not heard.

for you will spread out [to the] right and [to the] left. And your descendants will be heir [to the] nations, and they will inhabit desolate towns.

And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the bright light of your sunrise.

Then you shall see and you shall be radiant; and your heart shall tremble and open itself wide, because [the] abundance of [the] sea shall fall upon you; [the] wealth of [the] nations shall come to you.

And your gates shall continually be open, day and night they shall not be shut, to bring you [the] wealth of nations, and their kings shall be led.

For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve you shall perish, and the nations shall be utterly devastated.

And you shall suck [the] milk of nations, and suck [the] breast of kings, and you shall know that I [am] Yahweh your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Strong One of Jacob.

But you shall be called the priests of Yahweh, {you will be called} servers of our God. You shall eat [the] wealth of [the] nations, and you shall boast in their riches.

And their descendants will be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples. All those who see them shall recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] Yahweh has blessed.

For as the earth {produces} its sprout, and as a garden makes its plants sprout, so the Lord Yahweh will make righteousness sprout, and praise before all the nations.

And [the] nations shall see your righteousness, and all [the] kings your glory, and {you will be called} a new name that the mouth of Yahweh will designate.

as fire kindles brushwood, [the] fire causes water to boil, to make your name known to your adversaries, [that the] nations might tremble from your {presence}.

For thus says Yahweh: "Look! I [am] about to spread prosperity out to her like a river, and [the] wealth of [the] nations like an overflowing stream, and you shall suck and be carried on the hip; and you shall you shall be played with on the knees.

"And I--their works and thoughts!--[am] about to come to gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come and see my glory.

And I will set a sign among them, and I will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw [the] bow; Tubal and Javan, the faraway coastlands that have not heard [of] my fame, and have not seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations,

and bring all your countrymen from all the nations [as] an offering to Yahweh on horses and chariots and in litters and on mules and camels, to {my holy mountain}, Jerusalem," says Yahweh, "just as the sons of Israel bring [an] offering in a clean vessel [to] the house of Yahweh.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you came out from [the] womb I consecrated you; I appointed you [as] a prophet to the nations."

See, I appoint you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, and to destroy and to tear down, to build and to plant."

At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of Yahweh,' and all the nations will be gathered to it, to the name of Yahweh, to Jerusalem, and they will no longer go after the stubbornness of their evil heart.

Then I thought, 'How I would set you among the children, and I would give you a land of desire, an inheritance of [the] glory of [the] hosts of nations.' And I thought, 'You would call me, "My father," and you would not turn back from {behind} me.'

and you swear, '{As Yahweh lives},' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations will be blessed by him, and in him they will boast."

A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out. He has gone out from his place to make your land as a horror, your cities will go to ruin {without} inhabitant.

"Report to the nations, 'Here they are!' Proclaim against Jerusalem, 'Besiegers [are] coming {from a distant land}, and they raise their voice against the cities of Judah.'

{Therefore} hear, O nations, and know, community, {what will happen to them}.

and I will scatter them among the nations that they have not known, they and their ancestors, and I will send the sword after them until I bring them to an end."

Egypt, Judah, and Edom, and the {Ammonites}, and Moab, and all those who are trimmed to [the] side, those who live in the desert, for all the nations [are] uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel [are] uncircumcised of heart."

Thus says Yahweh: "You must not learn the way of the nations, and you must not be dismayed by the signs of the heavens, for the nations are dismayed by them.

Who would not revere you, O king of the nations? For you it is fitting. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like you.

But Yahweh [is] the true God, he [is] the living God, and {an everlasting king}. Because of his wrath the earth quakes, and [the] nations cannot endure his anger.

Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you, and on [the] peoples that do not call on your name, for they have devoured Jacob, they have devoured and consumed him, and they have caused his settlement to be desolate.

Yahweh, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in [the] day of distress, to you [the] nations will come from the ends of [the] earth, and they will say, "Our ancestors have inherited only lies, vanity, and there is no profit in them.

"Therefore thus says Yahweh, 'Please ask among the nations, "Who has heard {the like of this}?" The virgin of Israel has done something very horrible.

And many nations will pass by this city and they will say each one to his neighbor, '{Why} has Yahweh done in this manner to this great city?'

look, I [am] going to send and take all [the] clans of [the] north,' {declares} Yahweh, 'and [I will send] to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations all around, and I will destroy them, and I will make them a horror, and [an object of] hissing, and {everlasting ruins}.

And all this land will become a site of ruins, a desolation, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

And I will bring upon that land all my words that I have spoken against it, everything that is written in this scroll which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations.

For many nations and great kings will let them work, even them, and I will repay them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.'"

For thus said Yahweh, the God of Israel, to me, "Take this cup of the wine [of] wrath from my hand, and you must give it [to] all the nations to whom I [am] sending you to drink.

So I took the cup from the hand of Yahweh and I gave [it] [to] all the nations to whom Yahweh sent me to drink:

[The] rage of battle will resound to the end of the earth, for [there is] a lawsuit of Yahweh against the nations. He [is] entering into judgment with all wicked flesh, he will give them to the sword,' {declares} Yahweh."

then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse for all the nations of the earth.'" '"

And all the nations will serve him, and his son, and {his grandson}, until the coming of the time of {his own} land. Then many nations and great kings will let him work.

Then Hananiah said before the eyes of all the people, {saying}, "Thus says Yahweh, 'This is how I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, {within two years}, from the neck of all the nations.'" And Jeremiah the prophet went on his way.

For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, to serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and they will serve him, and I have even given the animals of the open field to him." '"

And I will let myself be found by you,' {declares} Yahweh, 'and I will restore your fortunes, and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I have driven you,' {declares} Yahweh, 'and I will bring you back to the place from which I deported you.'

And I will pursue them with the sword, with the famine, and with the plague, and I will make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse, and a horror, and [an object of] hissing, and a disgrace among all the nations to which I have driven them,

For I am with you,' {declares} Yahweh, 'to save you. For I will make a complete destruction of all the nations to which I scattered you, but you I will not make a complete destruction. And I will chastise you to the measure, and I will not leave you entirely unpunished.'

For thus says Yahweh, "Sing for joy for Jacob [with] gladness, and shout out for the head of the nations. Proclaim, praise, and say, 'Save, Yahweh, your people, the remnant of Israel.'

Hear the word of Yahweh, nations, and declare in the coastlands from afar, and say, "The scatterer of Israel will gather him, and he will keep him as a shepherd his flock.

And it will be to me a name of jubilation, a praise, and a glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear all the good that I [will] do [for] them, and they will fear, and they will tremble because of all the good, and because of all the prosperity that I [will] provide for it.'

"Take for yourself {a scroll} and you must write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from [the] day [that] I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, and until this day.

But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies took all the remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations [to] which they had been scattered to dwell as aliens in the land of Judah--

provoking me to anger with the works of your hands, to make smoke offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you [have] come to dwell as aliens, so as to cut off yourselves, and so that you are becoming as a curse, and as a disgrace among all the nations of the earth?

The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

[The] nations have heard your shame, and your cry of lament fills the earth. For warrior has stumbled against warrior, together they have fallen, the two of them.

You must not be afraid, my servant Jacob," {declares} Yahweh, "for I [am] with you. For I will make a complete destruction in all the nations where I scattered you, but you I will not make a complete destruction, though I will chastise you to the measure, and I will certainly not leave you unpunished."

I have heard a message from Yahweh, and a messenger has been sent among the nations. "Gather and come against her, and rise for the battle."

"For look, I will make you small among the nations, despised by the humankind.

"Declare among the nations and proclaim, and lift up a banner. Proclaim, you must not conceal [it]. Say, 'Babylon is captured, Bel is ashamed, Merodach is filled with terror, her idols are ashamed, her idols are filled with terror.

For look, I [am] going to stir up, and I [am] going to bring against Babylon a contingent of great nations from [the] land of [the] north. And they will draw up a battle formation against her, from there she will be captured. Their arrows [are] like a warrior [who has] achieved success, he does not return without success.

your mother will be very ashamed. [She who] gave birth [to] you will be humiliated. Look, [she will be the] least of [the] nations, a desert, dry land, and wilderness.

How the blacksmith's hammer of all the earth is cut down and broken! How Babylon has become as a horror among the nations!

At [the] sound, 'Babylon has been captured,' the earth will quake, and a cry for help among the nations will be heard."

Babylon [was] a cup of gold in the hand of Yahweh, making drunk all the earth. [The] nations drank of her wine. {Therefore} [the] nations acted like madmen.

[He says], "You [are] a war club for me, a weapon of battle, and I smash nations with you, and I destroy kingdoms with you.

Raise a banner in the land; blow a horn among the nations; prepare for holy war against her; summon [the] nations against her, the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; summon against her an official; bring up horses like bristling creeping locusts.

Prepare [the] nations for holy war against her, the kings of the Medes, with their governors and all their officials, and every land of their dominion.

How Sheshach is captured, and the glory of all the earth is seized! How Babylon has become as an [object of] horror among the nations!

And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will wrench out from his mouth {what he has swallowed}. And [the] nations will not stream towards him [any] longer {what's worse}, the wall of Babylon has fallen.

Thus says Yahweh of hosts: "The broad walls of Babylon will be utterly demolished, and her high gates will burn with fire, and [the] peoples will labor {for nothing}, and [the] nations {for fire}, and they will grow weary."

How desolate the city sits [that] was full of people! She has become like a widow, [once] great among the nations! Like a woman of nobility in the provinces, she has become a forced laborer.

Judah has gone into exile with misery and under hard servitude; she lives among the nations, she has not found a resting place; all her pursuers have overtaken her amidst [her] distress.

The enemy has stretched out his hand over all her treasures; for she has seen the nations, they entered her sanctuary, those whom you commanded not to enter in your assembly.

Yahweh is righteous; I have rebelled [against] {his word}. Please hear, all [the] nations, And see my pain; My young women and young men went into captivity.

Her gates have sunk into the earth; he has ruined and broken her bars, her kings and its princes [are] among the nations; there is no more law. Also, her prophets have not found a revelation from Yahweh.

You have made us scum and refuse in the midst of the nations.