Jeremiah 6:22The MessageAnd listen to this verdict from God: “Look out! An invasion from the north, a mighty power on the move from a faraway place: Armed to the teeth, vicious and pitiless, Booming like sea storm and thunder—tramp, tramp, tramp— riding hard on war horses, In battle formation against you, dear Daughter Zion!” See the chapter |
18 Cross References
Look, look, Jerusalem! Look at the enemies coming out of the north! What will become of your flocks of people, the beautiful flocks in your care? How are you going to feel when the people you’ve played up to, looked up to all these years Now look down on you? You didn’t expect this? Surprise! The pain of a woman having a baby! Do I hear you saying, “What’s going on here? Why me?” The answer’s simple: You’re guilty, hugely guilty. Your guilt has your life endangered, your guilt has you writhing in pain.
“God’s Message: “‘Cries of panic are being heard. The peace has been shattered. Ask around! Look around! Can men bear babies? So why do I see all these he-men holding their bellies like women in labor, Faces contorted, pale as death? The blackest of days, no day like it ever! A time of deep trouble for Jacob— but he’ll come out of it alive.
“Attention! I’m bringing a far-off nation against you, O house of Israel.” God’s Decree. “A solid nation, an ancient nation, A nation that speaks another language. You won’t understand a word they say. When they aim their arrows, you’re as good as dead. They’re a nation of real fighters! They’ll clean you out of house and home, rob you of crops and children alike. They’ll feast on your sheep and cattle, strip your vines and fig trees. And the fortresses that made you feel so safe— leveled with a stroke of the sword!
“Run for your lives, children of Benjamin! Get out of Jerusalem, and now! Give a blast on the ram’s horn in Blastville. Send up smoke signals from Smoketown. Doom pours out of the north— massive terror! I have likened my dear daughter Zion to a lovely meadow. Well, now ‘shepherds’ from the north have discovered her and brought in their flocks of soldiers. They’ve pitched camp all around her, and plan where they’ll ‘graze.’ And then, ‘Prepare to attack! The fight is on! To arms! We’ll strike at noon! Oh, it’s too late? Day is dying? Evening shadows are upon us? Well, up anyway! We’ll attack by night and tear apart her defenses stone by stone.’”
“‘Therefore, Oholibah, this is the Message from God, the Master: I will incite your old lovers against you, lovers you got tired of and left in disgust. I’ll bring them against you from every direction, Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all Assyrians—good-looking young men, ambassadors and governors, elite officers and celebrities—all of them mounted on fine, spirited horses. They’ll come down on you out of the north, armed to the teeth, bringing chariots and troops from all sides. I’ll turn over the task of judgment to them. They’ll punish you according to their rules. I’ll stand totally and relentlessly against you as they rip into you furiously. They’ll mutilate you, cutting off your ears and nose, killing at random. They’ll enslave your children—and anybody left over will be burned. They’ll rip off your clothes and steal your jewelry. I’ll put a stop to your sluttish sex, the whoring life you began in Egypt. You won’t look on whoring with fondness anymore. You won’t think back on Egypt with stars in your eyes.
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