Jerusalem, you left me.” This message is from the Lord. “Again and again you left me! So I will punish and destroy you. I am tired of holding back your punishment.
“But your ancestors did not listen to me. They did not pay attention to me. They were stubborn and did what they wanted to do. They did not become good. They became even more evil—they went backward, not forward.
“I will punish Judah and the people living in Jerusalem. I will remove from this place any signs of Baal worship. No one will remember the priests who serve the idols there.
Oh, what a sinful nation! Their guilt is like a heavy weight that they must carry. They are evil, destructive children. They left the Lord and insulted the Holy One of Israel. They turned away and treated him like a stranger.
“I will save them from the grave. I will rescue them from death. Death, where are your diseases? Grave, where is your power? I am not looking for revenge.
so I will punish you. You will be like the valuable things soldiers take in war. You will lose your inheritance and die in faraway lands. I will destroy your country! Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
Hear this, people of the earth: I am going to bring disaster to the people of Judah because of all the evil they planned, and because they ignored my messages. They refused to obey my law.
But I am full of the Lord’s anger, and I am tired of holding it in! “Pour out my anger on the children playing in the streets and on the young soldiers gathered there as well. A man and his wife will both be captured as well as all the old people.
And I will announce judgment against my people, because they are evil and have turned away from me. They offered sacrifices to other gods and worshiped idols they made with their own hands.
The Lord has given many things to Israel. He is like a shepherd who takes his sheep to a large field with plenty of grass. But Israel is stubborn like a young cow that runs away again and again.
And if a prophet is foolish enough to give his own answer, I, the Lord, will show him how foolish he is! I will use my power against him. I will destroy him and remove him from among my people, Israel.
Sometimes I say to myself, “I will forget about him. I will not speak anymore in his name.” But when I say that, his message is like a fire burning inside me! It feels like it is burning deep in my bones! I get tired of trying to hold his message inside. And finally, I am not able to hold it in.
The people of Judah went the wrong way. But why do the people of Jerusalem continue going the wrong way? They believe their own lies. They refuse to turn around and come back.
You have done wrong, and that will only bring punishment to you. Trouble will come to you, and it will teach you a lesson. Think about it and understand how bad it is to turn away from the Lord your God. It is wrong not to fear and respect me.” This message is from Lord GOD All-Powerful.
“My people have done two evil things. They turned away from me, and they dug their own water cisterns. I am the source of living water; those cisterns are broken and cannot hold water.
So the Lord’s words will be senseless sounds to them: “Saw lasaw saw lasaw. Qaw laqaw qaw laqaw. Ze’er sham ze’er sham.” When the people try to walk, they will fall backwards. They will be defeated, trapped, and captured.
The Egyptians are only human, not God. The horses from Egypt are only animals, not spirit. The Lord will stretch out his arm, and the helper will be defeated. And those who wanted help will fall. They will all be destroyed together.
Their houses will be given to others. Their fields and their wives will be given to other people. I will raise my hand and punish the people of Judah.” This message is from the Lord.
“As for you, Jeremiah, don’t pray for these people of Judah. Don’t beg for them or pray for them. Don’t beg me to help them. I will not listen to your prayer for them.
These “wise people” refused to listen to the Lord’s teachings. So they are not really wise at all. These “wise people” were trapped. They became shocked and ashamed.
I will make them stumble and fall against each other, even the fathers and sons.’ This message is from the Lord. ‘I will not feel sorry or have pity for them. I will not allow compassion to stop me from destroying the people of Judah.’”
The Lord hated the terrible things you did, and he could not be patient with you any longer. So he made your country an empty desert. No one lives there now. Other people say bad things about that country.