In spite of all this,<n id="1" /> Israel&#8217;s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,&#8221;<n id="2" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>.

<p class="poetry">That is how<n id="1" /> they have grown fat and sleek.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">There is no limit to the evil things they do.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.p> <p class="poetry">They do not defend the rights of the poor.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">Even the stork knowsp> <p class="poetry">when it is time to move on.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">The turtledove, swallow, and crane<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">recognize<n id="3" /> the normal times for their migration.p> <p class="poetry">But my people pay no attentionp> <p class="poetry">to<n id="4" /> what I, the <sc>Lordsc>, require of them.<n id="5" />p>

For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and his nation<n id="1" /> too. I will repay them for all they have done!&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">For after we turned away from you we repented.p> <p class="poetry">After we came to our senses<n id="1" /> we beat our breasts in sorrow.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">We are ashamed and humiliatedp> <p class="poetry">because of the disgraceful things we did previously.&#8217;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> affirms,<n id="1" /> &#8220;The descendants of Israel will notp> <p class="poetry">cease forever to be a nation in my sight.p> <p class="poetry">That could only happen if the fixed ordering of the heavenly lightsp> <p class="poetry">were to cease to operate before me.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

could my covenant with my servant David and my covenant with the Levites ever be broken. So David will by all means always have a descendant to occupy his throne as king and the Levites will by all means always have priests who will minister before me.<n id="1" />

The king did not even listen to Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah, who had urged him not to burn the scroll.<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">I will make many stumble.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They will fall over one another in their hurry to flee.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">They will say, &#8216;Get up!p> <p class="poetry">Let&#8217;s go back to our own people.p> <p class="poetry">Let&#8217;s go back to our homelandsp> <p class="poetry">because the enemy is coming to destroy us.&#8217;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">People will not praise Moab any more.p> <p class="poetry">The enemy will capture Heshbon<n id="1" /> and plot<n id="2" /> how to destroy Moab,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">saying, &#8216;Come, let&#8217;s put an end to that nation!&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">City of Madmen, you will also be destroyed.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">A destructive army will march against you.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Moab, you trust in the things you do and in your riches.p> <p class="poetry">So you too will be conquered.p> <p class="poetry">Your god Chemosh<n id="1" /> will go into exile<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">along with his priests and his officials.p>

<p class="poetry">I will punish the god Bel in Babylon.p> <p class="poetry">I will make him spit out what he has swallowed.p> <p class="poetry">The nations will not come streaming to him any longer.p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, the walls of Babylon will fall.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

The king of Babylon had Zedekiah&#8217;s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. He also had all the nobles of Judah put to death there at Riblah.

She also saw<n id="1" /> that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods.<n id="2" /> Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this,<n id="3" /> she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods.<n id="4" />

<p class="poetry">I am as full of anger as you are, <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I am tired of trying to hold it in.&#8221;p> <p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> answered,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Vent it, then,<n id="3" /> on the children who play in the streetp> <p class="poetry">and on the young men who are gathered together.p> <p class="poetry">Husbands and wives are to be included,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">as well as the old and those who are advanced in years.p>

<p class="poetry">Are they ashamed because they have done such disgusting things?p> <p class="poetry">No, they are not at all ashamed!p> <p class="poetry">They do not even know how to blush!p> <p class="poetry">So they will die just like others have died.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="poetry">Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field.p> <p class="poetry">They cannot talk.p> <p class="poetry">They must be carriedp> <p class="poetry">because they cannot walk.p> <p class="poetry">Do not be afraid of themp> <p class="poetry">because they cannot hurt you.p> <p class="poetry">And they do not have any power to help you.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Now there was another man<n id="1" /> who prophesied as the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s representative<n id="2" /> against this city and this land just as Jeremiah did. His name was Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim.<n id="3" />

I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power<n id="1" /> of my servant,<n id="2" /> King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him.<n id="3" />