And you, devastated one, why dress up in scarlet, deck yourself in gold jewelry, and color your eyes with paint? In vain you get all decked out; your lovers have rejected you and now seek your life.

Futile search for a good person

Search every street in Jerusalem, comb the squares, look far and wide for one person, even one who acts justly and seeks truth that I may pardon her!

The shepherd kings have lost their senses and don’t seek answers from the Lord. That is why they have failed and their flock is scattered.

This is what the Lord says concerning the men from Anathoth who seek your life and say, “Don’t prophesy in the Lord’s name or else you will die at our hands.”

I will foil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place and will have them fall in battle before their enemies, before those who seek their lives. I will give their corpses as food to the birds and the wild animals.

And when their enemies lay siege to the city, seeking their lives, they will resort in desperation to eating the flesh of their sons and daughters, and to devouring the flesh of their neighbors.

Afterward, declares the Lord, I will deliver Judah’s King Zedekiah, his servants, and those in this city who have survived plague, war, and famine to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and to their enemies who seek to do them harm. He will put them to the sword without pity, mercy, or compassion.

I would hand you over to those who seek to kill you, those you dread, even Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and his army.

I will hand over to their enemies who seek to kill them. And their corpses will become food for birds and wild animals.

I will hand over Judah’s King Zedekiah and his officials to their enemies who seek to kill them: namely, the army of Babylon’s king, which has just withdrawn from you.

The Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims: Tell the king of Judah who sent his emissaries to seek advice from me: “Pharaoh’s army that came to assist you is heading back to Egypt.

Then the officials said to the king: “This man must be put to death! By saying such things, he is discouraging the few remaining troops left in the city, as well as all the people. This man doesn’t seek their welfare but their ruin!”

So King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah behind closed doors, “As the Lord lives, who has given us this life, I won’t put you to death and I won’t hand you over to those who seek to kill you.”

The Lord proclaims: I will hand Pharaoh Hophra, Egypt’s king, over to his enemies who seek to kill him, just as I delivered Judah’s King Zedekiah over to his enemy King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who sought to kill him.

You seek great things for yourself, but don’t bother. I’m bringing disaster on all humanity, declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.”

Go up to Gilead and seek balm, virgin Daughter Egypt. You search out remedies in vain, for your disease is incurable.

I will hand them over to those who seek to kill them, namely Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and his servants. But afterward Egypt will dwell like it did a long time ago, declares the Lord.

In Heshbon tired refugees seek shelter. But fire is raging in Heshbon, flames from the house of Sihon. It has burned up part of Moab, including the leader of this rebellious nation.

I will terrify Elam before their enemies, before those who seek to kill them. I will bring disaster upon them, my fierce anger, declares the Lord. I will send the sword to attack them until I have destroyed them all.

In those days and at that time, declares the Lord, the people of Israel and Judah will come out of Babylon together; with weeping they will leave as they seek the Lord their God.

In those days and at that time, declares the Lord, if one searches for the sin of Israel, they will find nothing; if one seeks out the wrongdoing of Judah, they will look in vain. I will forgive those I have spared.