<p class="poetry">The exiles from Judah will say,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> has brought about a great deliverance for us!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Come on, let&#8217;s go and proclaim in Zionp> <p class="poetry">what the <sc>Lordsc> our God has done!&#8217;p>

<p class="poetry">O land of Judah, land of Judah, land of Judah!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Listen to what the <sc>Lordsc> has to say!p>

The prophet Jeremiah said, &#8220;Amen! May the <sc>Lordsc> do all this! May the <sc>Lordsc> make your prophecy come true! May he bring back to this place from Babylon all the valuable articles taken from the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and the people who were carried into exile.

Because he has done this,&#8221;<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8220;I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his whole family. There will not be any of them left to experience the good things that I will do for my people. I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it! For he counseled rebellion against the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">I answered, &#8220;Oh, Lord <sc>Godsc>,<n id="1" /> I really<n id="2" /> do not know how to speak well enough for that,<n id="3" /> for I am too young.&#8221;<n id="4" />

Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you,<n id="1" /> for I will be with you to protect<n id="2" /> you,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>.

<p class="poetry">They will surround Jerusalem<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">like men guarding a field<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">because they have rebelled against me,&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="poetry">But they will be subject<n id="1" /> to the <sc>Lordsc> their Godp> <p class="poetry">and to the Davidic ruler whom I will raise up as king over them.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">How long will you cry out,<n id="1" /> &#8216;Oh, sword of the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">how long will it be before you stop killing?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Go back into your sheath!p> <p class="poetry">Stay there and rest!&#8217;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Listen! I am opposed to you, you proud city,&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">says the Lord <sc>Godsc> who rules over all.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Indeed,<n id="3" /> your day of reckoning<n id="4" /> has come,p> <p class="poetry">the time when I will punish you.<n id="5" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> told him, &#8220;Go and speak to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them,<n id="2" /> &#8216;I, the <sc>Lordsc>, say:<n id="3" /> &#8220;You must learn a lesson from this<n id="4" /> about obeying what I say!<n id="5" />

Perhaps then they will ask the <sc>Lordsc> for mercy and will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing.<n id="1" /> For the <sc>Lordsc> has threatened to bring great anger and wrath against these people.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

You have sacrificed to other gods! You have sinned against the <sc>Lordsc>! You have not obeyed the <sc>Lordsc>! You have not followed his laws, his statutes, and his decrees! That is why this disaster that is evident to this day has happened to you.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">But that day belongs to the Lord God who rules over all.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">It is the day when he will pay back his enemies.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">His sword will devour them until its appetite is satisfied!p> <p class="poetry">It will drink their blood until it is full!<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">For the Lord <sc>Godsc> who rules over all<n id="4" /> will offer them up as a sacrificep> <p class="poetry">in the land of the north by the Euphrates River.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;When that time comes,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;the people of Israel and Judah will return to the land together.p> <p class="poetry">They will come back with tears of repentancep> <p class="poetry">as they seek the <sc>Lordsc> their God.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.p> <p class="poetry">You can use as much soap as you want.p> <p class="poetry">But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">says the Lord <sc>Godsc>.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">In response to all this<n id="1" /> I said, &#8220;Ah, Lord <sc>Godsc>,<n id="2" /> you have surely allowed<n id="3" /> the people of Judah and Jerusalem<n id="4" /> to be deceived by those who say, &#8216;You will be safe!&#8217;<n id="5" /> But in fact a sword is already at our throats.&#8221;<n id="6" />p>

Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own<n id="1" /> is to be a hideout for robbers?<n id="2" /> You had better take note!<n id="3" /> I have seen for myself what you have done! says the <sc>Lordsc>.

<p class="poetry">I will take away their harvests,<n id="1" /> says the <sc>Lord.sc>p> <p class="poetry">There will be no grapes on their vines.p> <p class="poetry">There will be no figs on their fig trees.p> <p class="poetry">Even the leaves on their trees will wither.p> <p class="poetry">The crops that I gave them will be taken away.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> answered, &#8220;This has happened because these people have rejected my laws which I gave them. They have not obeyed me or followed those laws.<n id="1" />