Study Desk

This is what the Lord said: "The loincloth is ruined and not good for anything. In the same way, I will ruin the proud people of Judah and Jerusalem.

I will ruin them because they refuse to listen to my messages. They are stubborn and do only what they want to do. They follow and worship other gods. They will be like this linen loincloth. They will be ruined and not good for anything.

I will make them stumble and fall against each other, even the fathers and sons.' This message is from the Lord . ‘I will not feel sorry or have pity for them. I will not allow compassion to stop me from destroying the people of Judah.'"

Honor the Lord your God. Praise him or he will bring darkness. Praise him before you fall on the dark hills. You people of Judah are hoping for light, but the Lord will turn the light into thick darkness. He will change it into the deepest gloom.

I saw the terrible things you did. I saw you laughing and having sex with your lovers. I know about your plans to be like a prostitute. I have seen you on the hills and in the fields. It will be very bad for you, Jerusalem. How long will you continue doing your dirty sins?"

"The nation of Judah cries for people who have died. The people in the cities of Judah grow weaker and weaker. They lie on the ground. People in Jerusalem, cry to God for help.

No one prepares the ground for crops. No rain falls on the land. The farmers are depressed. So they cover their heads from shame.

"We know that this is our fault. We are now suffering because of our sins. Lord , do something to help us for the good of your name. We admit that we have left you many times. We have sinned against you.

This is what the Lord says about the people of Judah: "The people of Judah really love to leave me. They don't stop themselves from leaving me. So now the Lord will not accept them. Now he will remember the evil they do. He will punish them for their sins."

Then the Lord said to me, "Jeremiah, don't pray for good things to happen to the people of Judah.

"Jeremiah, speak this message to the people of Judah: ‘My eyes fill with tears night and day without stopping. I cry for my virgin daughter, and for my dear people, because someone hit them and crushed them. They have been hurt very badly.

Lord, have you completely rejected the nation of Judah? Do you hate Zion? You hurt us so badly that we cannot be made well again. Why did you do that? We were hoping for peace, but nothing good has come. We were hoping for a time of healing, but only terror came.

For the good of your name, don't push us away. Don't take away the honor from your glorious throne. Remember your agreement with us and do not break it.

The Lord said to me, "Jeremiah, even if Moses and Samuel were here to pray for the people of Judah, I would not feel sorry for them. Send the people of Judah away from me! Tell them to go!

I will make the people of Judah an example of something terrible for all the people on earth. I will do this to the people of Judah because of what Manasseh did in Jerusalem. Manasseh was the son of King Hezekiah. Manasseh was a king of Judah.'

"No one will feel sorry for you, city of Jerusalem. No one will be sad and cry for you. No one will go out of their way to even ask how you are.

Lord , you understand me. Remember me and take care of me. People are hurting me. Give them the punishment they deserve. You are being patient with them. But don't destroy me while you remain patient with them. Think about me. Think about the pain I suffer for you.

Then the Lord said, "Jeremiah, if you change and come back to me, I will not punish you. If you change and come back to me, then you may serve me. If you speak important things, not worthless words, then you may speak for me. The people of Judah should change and come back to you. But don't you change and be like them.

"They will die from terrible disease. And no one will cry for them or bury them. Their bodies will lie on the ground like dung. Or they will die in war or starve to death. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth."

So the Lord says, "Jeremiah, don't go into a house where people are eating a funeral meal. Don't go there to cry for the dead or to show your sorrow. Don't do these things, because I have taken back my blessing. I will not be kind to the people of Judah. I will not feel sorry for them." This message is from the Lord .