So I went and buried them at Perath<n id="1" /> as the <sc>Lordsc> had ordered me to do.

<p class="poetry">They do one act of violence after another,p> <p class="poetry">and one deceitful thing after another.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They refuse to pay attention to me,&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="poetry">This is your fate,p> <p class="poetry">the destiny to which I have appointed you,p> <p class="poetry">because you have forgotten mep> <p class="poetry">and have trusted in false gods.p>

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> answered,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;This will happen<n id="2" /> because my people are foolish.p> <p class="poetry">They do not know me.p> <p class="poetry">They are like children who have no sense.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They have no understanding.p> <p class="poetry">They are skilled at doing evil.p> <p class="poetry">They do not know how to do good.&#8221;p>

Do not pay allegiance to<n id="1" /> other gods and worship and serve them. Do not make me angry by the things that you do.<n id="2" /> Then I will not cause you any harm.&#8217;

I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows respect for me. They will want to do that for<n id="1" /> their own good and the good of the children who descend from them.

Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, &#8220;What crime have I committed against you, or the officials who serve you, or the people of Judah? What have I done to make you people throw me into prison?<n id="1" />

&#8220;So then, Jeremiah,<n id="1" /> when your people<n id="2" /> ask, &#8216;Why has the <sc>Lordsc> our God done all this to us?&#8217; tell them, &#8216;It is because you rejected me and served foreign gods in your own land. So<n id="3" /> you must serve foreigners<n id="4" /> in a land that does not belong to you.&#8217;p>

<p class="poetry">If people want to boast, they should boast about this:p> <p class="poetry">They should boast that they understand and know me.p> <p class="poetry">They should boast that they know and understandp> <p class="poetry">that I, the <sc>Lordsc>, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earthp> <p class="poetry">and that I desire people to do these things,&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="bodytext">says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

Then tell them that the <sc>Lordsc> says,<n id="1" /> &#8216;It is because your ancestors<n id="2" /> rejected me and paid allegiance to<n id="3" /> other gods. They have served them and worshiped them. But they have rejected me and not obeyed my law.<n id="4" />

<p class="poetry">But the <sc>Lordsc> is with me to help me like an awe-inspiring warrior.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Therefore those who persecute me will fail and will not prevail over me.p> <p class="poetry">They will be thoroughly disgraced because they did not succeed.p> <p class="poetry">Their disgrace will never be forgotten.p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me.<n id="1" /> For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,&#8221;<n id="2" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>. &#8220;For<n id="3" /> I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.&#8221;p>