Otherwise, as surely as the <sc>Lordsc>, the God of Israel, lives &#8211; he who has prevented me from harming you &#8211; if you had not come so quickly to meet me, by morning&#8217;s light not even one male belonging to Nabal would have remained alive!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Saul replied, &#8220;I have sinned. Come back, my son David. I won&#8217;t harm you, for you treated my life with value<n id="1" /> this day. I have behaved foolishly and have made a very terrible mistake!&#8221;<n id="2" />

David said to the messenger, &#8220;Tell Joab, &#8216;Don&#8217;t let this thing upset you.<n id="1" /> There is no way to anticipate whom the sword will cut down.<n id="2" /> Press the battle against the city and conquer<n id="3" /> it.&#8217; Encourage him with these words.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

When the time of mourning passed, David had her brought to his palace.<n id="1" /> She became his wife and she bore him a son. But what David had done upset the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="2" />p>

&#8220;King Manasseh of Judah has committed horrible sins.<n id="1" /> He has sinned more than the Amorites before him and has encouraged Judah to sin by worshiping his disgusting idols.<n id="2" />

<n id="1" /><p class="poetry">The sinful nation is as good as dead,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the people weighed down by evil deeds.p> <p class="poetry">They are offspring who do wrong,p> <p class="poetry">children<n id="3" /> who do wicked things.p> <p class="poetry">They have abandoned the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">and rejected the Holy One of Israel.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">They are alienated from him.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">So the sovereign master was not pleased<n id="1" /> with their young men,p> <p class="poetry">he took no pity<n id="2" /> on their orphans and widows;p> <p class="poetry">for the whole nation was godless<n id="3" /> and did wicked things,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">every mouth was speaking disgraceful words.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">Despite all this, his anger does not subside,p> <p class="poetry">and his hand is ready to strike again.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">A wolf and a lamb will graze together;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">a lion, like an ox, will eat straw,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and a snake&#8217;s food will be dirt.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They will no longer injure or destroyp> <p class="poetry">on my entire royal mountain,&#8221;<n id="4" /> 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="poetry">But I see the prophets of Jerusalem<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">doing something just as shocking.p> <p class="poetry">They are unfaithful to mep> <p class="poetry">and continually prophesy lies.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil,p> <p class="poetry">with the result that they do not stop their evildoing.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom,p> <p class="poetry">and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah.<n id="4" />p>

For take note, I am already beginning to bring disaster on the city that I call my own.<n id="1" /> So how can you possibly avoid being punished?<n id="2" /> You will not go unpunished! For I am proclaiming war against all who live on the earth. I, the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all,<n id="3" /> affirm it!&#8217;<n id="4" />p>

&#8220;Your royal Majesty, those men have been very wicked in all that they have done to the prophet Jeremiah. They have thrown him into a cistern and he is sure to die of starvation there because there is no food left in the city.<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">They will rule<n id="1" /> the land of Assyria with the sword,p> <p class="poetry">the land of Nimrod<n id="2" /> with a drawn sword.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Our king<n id="4" /> will rescue us from the Assyriansp> <p class="poetry">should they attempt to invade our landp> <p class="poetry">and try to set foot in our territory.p>

<p class="poetry">At that time I will search through Jerusalem with lamps.p> <p class="poetry">I will punish the people who are entrenched in their sin,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">those who think to themselves,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> neither rewards nor punishes.&#8217;<n id="3" />p>

But now, Jeremiah, today I will set you free<n id="1" /> from the chains on your wrists. If you would like to come to Babylon with me, come along and I will take care of you.<n id="2" /> But if you prefer not to come to Babylon with me, you are not required to do so.<n id="3" /> You are free to go anywhere in the land you want to go.<n id="4" /> Go wherever you choose.&#8221;<n id="5" />