<p class="poetry">&#8220;I will lead them off to be slaughteredp> <p class="poetry">like lambs, rams, and male goats.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

&#8220;Go down at once<n id="1" /> to the potter&#8217;s house. I will speak to you further there.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<p class="poetry">I said, &#8220;Indeed,<n id="1" /> let them come quickly and sing a song of mourning for us.p> <p class="poetry">Let them wail loudly until tears stream from our own eyesp> <p class="poetry">and our eyelids overflow with water.p>

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> told me,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Tell the king and the queen mother,p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Surrender your thrones,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">for your glorious crownsp> <p class="poetry">will be removed<n id="3" /> from your heads.<n id="4" />p>

So I went down to the potter&#8217;s house and found him working<n id="1" /> at his wheel.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> told me,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Go down<n id="2" /> to the palace of the king of Judah. Give him a message from me there.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">Kill all her soldiers!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Let them be slaughtered!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">They are doomed,<n id="3" /> for their day of reckoning<n id="4" /> has come,p> <p class="poetry">the time for them to be punished.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">But if you will not pay attention to this warning,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I will weep alone because of your arrogant pride.p> <p class="poetry">I will weep bitterly and my eyes will overflow with tears<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">because you, the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s flock,<n id="3" /> will be carried<n id="4" /> into exile.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Moab will be destroyed. Its towns will be invaded.p> <p class="poetry">Its finest young men will be slaughtered.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I, the King, the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all,<n id="2" /> affirm it!<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Come down from your place of honor;p> <p class="poetry">sit on the dry ground,<n id="1" /> you who live in Dibon.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For the one who will destroy Moab will attack you;p> <p class="poetry">he will destroy your fortifications.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;Tell these people this, Jeremiah:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;My eyes overflow with tearsp> <p class="poetry">day and night without ceasing.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For my people, my dear children,<n id="3" /> have suffered a crushing blow.p> <p class="poetry">They have suffered a serious wound.<n id="4" />p>

He went down to the chamber of the royal secretary in the king&#8217;s palace and found all the court officials in session there. Elishama<n id="1" /> the royal secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor,<n id="2" /> Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials were seated there.

<p class="poetry">The terror you inspire in others<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and the arrogance of your heart have deceived you.p> <p class="poetry">You may make your home in the clefts of the rocks;p> <p class="poetry">you may occupy the highest places in the hills.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">But even if you made your home where the eagles nest,p> <p class="poetry">I would bring you down from there,&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>