“Do not get married and do not have children here in this land.

<p class="poetry">What good will it do you<n id="1" /> then<n id="2" /> to go down to Egyptp> <p class="poetry">to seek help from the Egyptians?<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">What good will it do you<n id="4" /> to go over to Assyriap> <p class="poetry">to seek help from the Assyrians?<n id="5" />p>

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> cried out,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Who in the world<n id="2" /> will have pity on you, Jerusalem?p> <p class="poetry">Who will grieve over you?p> <p class="poetry">Who will stop long enough<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">to inquire about how you are doing?<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Yes,<n id="1" /> I will restore you to health.p> <p class="poetry">I will heal your wounds.p> <p class="poetry">I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For you have been called an outcast,p> <p class="poetry">Zion, whom no one cares for.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">I will say,<n id="1" /> &#8216;My dear children of Israel,<n id="2" /> keep in mindp> <p class="poetry">the road you took when you were carried off.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Mark off in your minds the landmarks.p> <p class="poetry">Make a mental note of telltale signs marking the way back.p> <p class="poetry">Return, my dear children of Israel.p> <p class="poetry">Return to these cities of yours.p>

<p class="poetry"><sc>Lordsc>, we confess that we have been wicked.p> <p class="poetry">We confess that our ancestors have done wrong.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">We have indeed<n id="2" /> sinned against you.p>

<p class="poetry">There is no one to plead your cause.p> <p class="poetry">There are no remedies for your wounds.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">There is no healing for you.p>

They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="poetry">You have brought all this on yourself, Israel,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">by deserting the <sc>Lordsc> your God when he was leading you along the right path.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">That is why the rains have been withheld,p> <p class="poetry">and the spring rains have not come.p> <p class="poetry">Yet in spite of this you are obstinate as a prostitute.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You refuse to be ashamed of what you have done.p>

<p class="poetry">Come back to me, you wayward people.p> <p class="poetry">I want to cure your waywardness.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Say,<n id="2" /> &#8216;Here we are. We come to youp> <p class="poetry">because you are the <sc>Lordsc> our God.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then I said,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Look up, Jerusalem,<n id="2" /> and seep> <p class="poetry">the enemy<n id="3" /> that is coming from the north.p> <p class="poetry">Where now is the flock of people that were entrusted to your care?<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Where now are the &#8216;sheep&#8217; that you take such pride in?<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">You may feel as secure as a birdp> <p class="poetry">nesting in the cedars of Lebanon.p> <p class="poetry">But oh how you<n id="1" /> will groan<n id="2" /> when the pains of judgment come on you.p> <p class="poetry">They will be like those of a woman giving birth to a baby.<n id="3" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> told me,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Make a yoke<n id="2" /> out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and put it on your neck.

&#8216;Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious<n id="1" /> things which you still do not know about.&#8217;

<p class="poetry">Moab, you are doomed!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You people who worship Chemosh will be destroyed.p> <p class="poetry">Your sons will be taken away captive.p> <p class="poetry">Your daughters will be carried away into exile.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">If grape pickers came to pick your grapes,p> <p class="poetry">would they not leave a few grapes behind?<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">If robbers came at night,p> <p class="poetry">would they not pillage only what they needed?<n id="2" />p>

&#8216;Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you soon. He will say to you, &#8220;Buy my field at Anathoth because you are entitled<n id="1" /> as my closest relative to buy it.&#8221;&#8217;<n id="2" />

You will die a peaceful death. They will burn incense at your burial just as they did at the burial of your ancestors, the former kings who preceded you.<n id="1" /> They will mourn for you, saying, &#8220;Poor, poor master!&#8221;<n id="2" /> Indeed, you have my own word on this.<n id="3" /> I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!&#8217;&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for such things. For I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm<n id="1" /> that I am about to bring disaster on all humanity.<n id="2" /> But I will allow you to escape with your life<n id="3" /> wherever you go.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;p>