<p class="poetry">The people of the earth will quake when they hear Babylon has been captured.p> <p class="poetry">Her cries of anguish will be heard by the other nations.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Now listen to what the Lord has to say, you descendants<n id="1" /> of Jacob,p> <p class="poetry">all you family groups from the nation<n id="2" /> of Israel.p>

<p class="poetry">The people cry out,<n id="1" /> &#8220;We have heard reports about them!p> <p class="poetry">We have become helpless with fear!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Anguish grips us,p> <p class="poetry">agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby!p>

But your ancestors<n id="1" /> did not listen to me nor pay attention to me. They became obstinate<n id="2" /> and were more wicked than even their own forefathers.&#8217;&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">You people of Israel,<n id="1" /> listen to what the <sc>Lordsc> has to say to you.p>

&#8220;Hear<n id="1" /> the terms of the covenant<n id="2" /> I made with Israel<n id="3" /> and pass them on<n id="4" /> to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem.<n id="5" />

But I will completely uproot and destroy any of those nations that will not pay heed,&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="poetry">But if they had stood in my inner circle,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">they would have proclaimed my message to my people.p> <p class="poetry">They would have caused my people to turn from their wicked waysp> <p class="poetry">and stop doing the evil things they are doing.p>

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> says,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I have heard what those prophets who are prophesying lies in my name are saying. They are saying, &#8216;I have had a dream! I have had a dream!&#8217;<n id="2" />

So, now the <sc>Lordsc> says,<n id="1" /> &#8216;You have not listened to me. But<n id="2" /> you have made me angry by the things that you have done.<n id="3" /> Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.&#8217;p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Therefore, the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;You have not listened to what I said.<n id="2" />

But listen to what I say to you and to all these people.<n id="1" />

&#8216;So pay attention to what I, the <sc>Lordsc>, have said,<n id="1" /> all you exiles whom I have sent to Babylon from Jerusalem.&#8217;p>

<p class="bodytext">Yes,<n id="1" /> here is what he says:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;You hear cries of panic and of terror;p> <p class="poetry">there is no peace in sight.<n id="2" />p>

We have lived in tents. We have obeyed our ancestor Jonadab and done exactly as he commanded us.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">Micaiah, who was the son of Gemariah and the grandson of Shaphan, heard Baruch read from the scroll everything the <sc>Lordsc> had said.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;You must not disobey the <sc>Lordsc> your God by saying, &#8216;We will not stay in this land.&#8217;

This day<n id="1" /> I have told you what he said.<n id="2" /> But you do not want to obey the <sc>Lordsc> by doing what he sent me to tell you.<n id="3" />

They went on to Egypt<n id="1" /> because they refused to obey the <sc>Lordsc>, and came to Tahpanhes.<n id="2" />p>

But the people of Jerusalem and Judah<n id="1" /> would not listen or pay any attention. They would not stop the wickedness they were doing nor quit sacrificing to other gods.<n id="2" />