So the country is like someone crying for the dead, and all of its people are weak. Even the animals of the field, the birds of the sky, and the fish in the sea are dying.
The land is sick and dying. Lebanon is dying and Sharon Valley is dry and empty. Bashan and Carmel once grew beautiful plants—but now those plants have stopped growing.
There will be crying and sadness in the meeting places by the city gates. Jerusalem will sit there empty, like a woman who has lost everything to thieves and robbers and now just sits on the ground and cries.
How much longer will the land be dry? How long will the grass be dry and dead? The birds and the animals of this land have all died, and it is the fault of the wicked. But they are saying, “Jeremiah will not live long enough to see what happens to us.”
So the people in the land will cry for the dead. The sky will grow dark. I have spoken and will not change. I have made a decision, and I will not change my mind.”
We are all dirty with sin. Even our good works are not pure. They are like bloodstained rags. We are all like dead leaves. Our sins have carried us away like wind.
Look at Samaria! The drunks of Ephraim are proud of that city. It sits on a hill with a rich valley around it. The Samarians think their city is a beautiful crown of flowers. But they are drunk with wine, and this “beautiful crown” is just a dying plant.
The roads to Zion are very sad, because no one comes to Zion for the festivals anymore. All of Zion’s gates have been destroyed; all her priests groan in sorrow. Zion’s young women have been taken away, and all this made Zion sad.