But they made fun of God’s prophets and hated God’s messages. They refused to listen to the prophets until, finally, the Lord became so angry with his people that he could not be stopped.
“Jeremiah, speak this message to the people of Judah: ‘Let my eyes be filled with tears night and day, without stopping. My people have received a terrible blow; they have been hurt badly.
Lord, have you completely rejected the nation of Judah? Do you hate Jerusalem? Why have you hurt us so badly that we cannot be made well again? We hoped for peace, but nothing good has come. We looked for a time of healing, but only terror came.
I don’t understand why my pain has no end. I don’t understand why my injury is not cured or healed. Will you be like a brook that goes dry? Will you be like a spring that stops flowing?
Why are you crying out about your injury? There is no cure for your pain. I did these things to you because of your great guilt, because of your many sins.
Jerusalem pours out her evil as a well pours out its water. The sounds of violence and destruction are heard within her. I can see the sickness and hurts of Jerusalem.
What can I say about you, Jerusalem? What can I compare you to? What can I say you are like? How can I comfort you, Jerusalem? Your ruin is as deep as the sea. No one can heal you.
Then he said to me, “Human, these bones are like all the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has gone. We are destroyed.’
“When Israel saw its illness and Judah saw its wounds, Israel went to Assyria for help and sent to the great king of Assyria. But he cannot heal you or cure your wounds.