That is why the Lord says: “Look, I am planning trouble against such people, and you won’t be able to save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, because it will be a terrible time.
The Lord says, “The women of Jerusalem are proud. They walk around with their heads held high, and they flirt with their eyes. They take quick, short steps, making noise with their ankle bracelets.”
They say, “Let God hurry; let him do his work soon so we may see it. Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen soon so that we will know what it is.”
“So, say this to the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am preparing disaster for you and making plans against you. So stop doing evil. Change your ways and do what is right.’
“So this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me. You have not given freedom to your fellow Hebrews, neither relatives nor friends. But now I will give freedom, says the Lord, to war, to terrible diseases, and to hunger. I will make you hated by all the kingdoms of the earth.
After Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut those columns off of the scroll with a penknife and threw them into the firepot. Finally, the whole scroll was burned in the fire.
Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and some other men were too proud. They said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to live there.’
I will force the people of Judah to leave their homes and their land. Those of this evil family who are not dead will wish they were, says the Lord All-Powerful.’
“He has noticed my sins; they are tied together by his hands; they hang around my neck. He has turned my strength into weakness. The Lord has handed me over to those who are stronger than I.
The Lord has done what he planned; he has kept his word that he commanded long ago. He has destroyed without mercy, and he has let your enemies laugh at you. He has strengthened your enemies.
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give praise and honor and glory to the King of heaven. Everything he does is right and fair, and he is able to make proud people humble.
How terrible it will be for people who plan wickedness, who lie on their beds and make evil plans. When the morning light comes, they do what they planned, because they have the power to do so.
so you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. You will be hungry, thirsty, naked, and poor, and the Lord will put a load on you until he has destroyed you.
So you must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you. But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment.