Study Desk

The soldiers carry bows and spears. They are cruel; they have no mercy. They are so powerful. They sound like the roaring ocean as they ride their horses. That army is coming, ready for battle. It is coming to attack you, Jerusalem."

If you commit these sins, do you think that you can stand before me in this house that is called by my name? Do you think you can stand before me and say, "We are safe," just so you can do all these terrible things?

So I will destroy the house called by my name in Jerusalem. I will destroy that Temple as I destroyed Shiloh. And that house in Jerusalem that is called by my name is the Temple you trust in. I gave that place to you and to your ancestors.

So this is what the Lord God says: "I will show my anger against this place. I will punish people and animals. I will punish the trees in the field and the crops that grow in the ground. My anger will be like a hot fire—no one will be able to stop it."

So you must tell them these things: ‘This is the nation that did not obey the Lord its God. These people did not listen to God's teachings. They don't know the true teachings.'

So I warn you. The days are coming," says the Lord , "when people will not call this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom anymore. No, they will call it the Valley of Slaughter. They will give it this name because they will bury the dead people in Topheth until there is no more room to bury anyone else.

They will spread the bones on the ground under the sun, the moon, and the stars. The people of Jerusalem love to worship the sun, the moon, and the stars. No one will gather the bones and bury them again. So the bones of those people will be like dung thrown on the ground.

"‘You keep saying, "We have the Lord 's teachings. So we are wise!" But this is not true, because the scribes have lied with their pens.

These "wise people" refused to listen to the Lord 's teachings. So they are not really wise at all. These "wise people" were trapped. They became shocked and ashamed.

So I will give their wives to other men. I will give their fields to new owners. All the people of Israel want more and more money. All of them, from the least important to the most important, are like that. Even the prophets and priests tell lies.

They should be ashamed of the evil things they do, but they are not ashamed at all. They don't know enough to be embarrassed by their sins. So they will be punished with everyone else. They will be thrown to the ground when I punish the people.'" This is what the Lord said.

"‘I will take away their fruit and crops so that there will be no harvest, says the Lord . There will be no grapes on the vine and no figs on the fig tree. Even the leaves will become dry and die. I will take away the things I gave them.'"

"They will say, ‘Why are we just sitting here? Come, let's run to the strong cities. If the Lord our God is going to make us die, then let's die there. We have sinned against the Lord , so he has given us poisoned water to drink.

My people are hurt, so I am hurt. I am too sad to speak.

Surely there is some medicine in Gilead. Surely there is a doctor in Gilead. So why are the wounds of my people not healed?

If only I had a place in the desert— a house where travelers spend the night— so I could leave my people. I could go away from them, because they are all unfaithful to God. They have all turned against him.

So the Lord All-Powerful says, "A worker heats metal in a fire to test it and see if it is pure. I will test the people of Judah like that. I have no other choice. My people have sinned.

The Lord says, "I will make the city of Jerusalem a pile of garbage. It will be a home for jackals. I will destroy the cities in the land of Judah, so no one will live there."

So the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says, "I will soon make the people of Judah eat bitter food and drink poisoned water.

"The sound of loud crying is heard from Zion: ‘We are really ruined! We are so ashamed! We must leave our land, because our houses have been destroyed. Now our houses are only piles of rock.'"