&#8220;Go immediately<n id="1" /> to Nineveh,<n id="2" /> that<n id="3" /> large capital<n id="4" /> city,<n id="5" /> and announce judgment against<n id="6" /> its people<n id="7" /> because their wickedness<n id="8" /> has come to my attention.&#8221;<n id="9" />

<p class="poetry">Indeed, the residents of Maroth<n id="1" /> hope for something good to happen,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">though the <sc>Lordsc> has sent disaster against the city of Jerusalem.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">yet you<n id="1" /> hate what is good,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and love what is evil.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">You flay my people&#8217;s skin<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and rip the flesh from their bones.<n id="5" />p>

You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, or the poor, nor should anyone secretly plot evil against his fellow human being.&#8217;p>

I have<n id="1" /> the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, &#8216;Be careful<n id="2" /> that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.&#8217;<n id="3" />

Why<n id="1" /> should the Egyptians say,<n id="2" /> &#8216;For evil<n id="3" /> he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy<n id="4" /> them from the face of the earth&#8217;? Turn from your burning anger, and relent<n id="5" /> of this evil against your people.

He must not replace or exchange it, good for bad or bad for good, and if he does indeed exchange one animal for another animal, then both the original animal<n id="1" /> and its substitute will be holy.

At that time<n id="1" /> my anger will erupt against them<n id="2" /> and I will abandon them and hide my face from them until they are devoured. Many disasters and distresses will overcome<n id="3" /> them<n id="4" /> so that they<n id="5" /> will say at that time, &#8216;Have not these disasters<n id="6" /> overcome us<n id="7" /> because our<n id="8" /> God is not among us<n id="9" />?&#8217;

For I know that after I die you will totally<n id="1" /> corrupt yourselves and turn away from the path I have commanded you to walk. Disaster will confront you in the days to come because you will act wickedly<n id="2" /> before the <sc>Lordsc>, inciting him to anger because of your actions.&#8221;<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">The Israelites again did evil in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s sight.<n id="1" /> The <sc>Lordsc> gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel<n id="2" /> because they had done evil in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s sight.

Then the king said to Shimei, &#8220;You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David.<n id="1" /> The <sc>Lordsc> will punish you for what you did.<n id="2" />

&#8220;Have you noticed how Ahab shows remorse<n id="1" /> before me? Because he shows remorse before me, I will not bring disaster on his dynasty during his lifetime, but during the reign of his son.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">This is the unfortunate fact<n id="1" /> about everything that happens on earth:<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the same fate awaits<n id="3" /> everyone.p> <p class="poetry">In addition to this, the hearts of all people<n id="4" /> are full of evil,p> <p class="poetry">and there is folly in their hearts during their lives &#8211; then they die.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Surely, no one<n id="1" /> knows his appointed time!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Like fish that are caught in a deadly<n id="3" /> net, and like birds that are caught in a snare &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">just like them, all people<n id="4" /> are ensnared<n id="5" /> at an unfortunate<n id="6" /> time that falls upon them suddenly.p>

<p class="poetry">Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.p> <p class="poetry">Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">it was for you to reject me, the <sc>Lordsc> your God,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">to show no respect for me,&#8221;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">says the Lord <sc>Godsc> who rules over all.<n id="5" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> says,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows.p> <p class="poetry">Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">They have become powerful in the land,p> <p class="poetry">but they have not done so by honest means.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, they do one evil thing after another<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and do not pay attention to me.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">For though I, the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all,<n id="1" /> planted you in the land,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I now decree that disaster will come on you<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">because the nations of Israel and Judah have done evilp> <p class="poetry">and have made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

So now, tell the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem<n id="1" /> this: The <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;I am preparing to bring disaster on you! I am making plans to punish you.<n id="2" /> So, every one of you, stop the evil things you have been doing.<n id="3" /> Correct the way you have been living and do what is right.&#8217;<n id="4" />

The <sc>Lordsc> said to me, &#8220;What do you see, Jeremiah?&#8221; I answered, &#8220;I see figs. The good ones look very good. But the bad ones look very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">King Hezekiah and all the people of Judah did not put him to death, did they? Did not Hezekiah show reverence for the <sc>Lordsc> and seek the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s favor?<n id="1" /> Did not<n id="2" /> the <sc>Lordsc> forgo destroying them<n id="3" /> as he threatened he would? But we are on the verge of bringing great disaster on ourselves.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>