Jeremiah 7:16-20

New International Reader's Version

¹⁶ “Jeremiah, do not pray for these people. Do not make any appeal or request for them. Do not beg me. I will not listen to you. ¹⁷ Don’t you see what they are doing? They are worshiping other gods in the towns of Judah. They are offering sacrifices to them in the streets of Jerusalem. ¹⁸ The children go out and gather wood. The fathers light the fire. The women mix the dough. They make flat cakes of bread to offer to the female god called the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods. That makes me very angry. ¹⁹ But am I the one they are hurting?” announces the Lord. “Aren’t they only harming themselves? They should be ashamed of it.”

²⁰ So the Lord and King says, “I will pour out my burning anger on this place. It will strike people and animals alike. It will destroy the trees in the fields and the crops in your land. It will burn, and no one will be able to put it out.”