“Jeremiah, go and speak to the people of Jerusalem. Tell them that this is what the Lord says: “‘At the time you were a young nation, you were faithful to me. You followed me like a young bride. You followed me through the desert, through a land that had never been used for farmland.

This is what the Lord says: “Do you think that I was not fair to your ancestors? Is that why they turned away from me? Your ancestors worshiped worthless idols, and they became worthless themselves.

The Lord says, “So now I will accuse you again, and I will also accuse your grandchildren.

Jeremiah, look toward the north and speak this message: “‘Come back, you faithless people of Israel.’ This message is from the Lord. ‘I will stop frowning at you. I am full of mercy.’ The Lord says, ‘I will not be angry with you forever.

The Lord says, “You people are unfaithful, but come back to me because I am your master. I will take one person from every city and two people from every family and bring you to Zion.

This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Your fields have not been plowed. Plow those fields! Don’t plant seeds among the thorns.

The Lord says, “When this happens, the king and his officers will lose their courage. The priests will be filled with fear, and the prophets will be shocked.”

This is what the Lord says: “The whole country will be ruined, but I will not completely destroy the land.

The Evil of the People of Judah

The Lord says, “Walk the streets of Jerusalem. Look around and think about these things. Search the public squares of the city. See if you can find one good person, one who does honest things and who searches for the truth. If you find one good person, I will forgive Jerusalem.

This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask where the old road is. Ask where the good road is, and walk on that road. If you do, you will find rest for yourselves. But you people have said, ‘We will not walk on the good road.’

So this is what the Lord says: “I will give the people of Judah problems. They will be like stones that make people fall. Fathers and sons will stumble over them. Friends and neighbors will die.”

This is what the Lord says: “An army is coming from the north. A great nation is coming from faraway places on earth.

Sin and Punishment

“Jeremiah, say this to the people of Judah: ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘You know if a man falls down, he gets up again. And if a man goes the wrong way, he turns around and comes back.

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.”

This is what you should say: “The Lord says, ‘Dead bodies will lie in the fields like dung. Their bodies will lie on the ground like grain a farmer has cut. But there will be no one to gather them.’”

This is what the Lord says: “The wise must not brag about their wisdom. The strong men must not brag about their strength. The rich must not brag about their money.

This is what the Lord says: “The time is coming when I will punish all those who are circumcised only in the body.

This is what the Lord says: “Don’t live like people from other nations. Don’t be afraid of special signs in the sky. The other nations are afraid of what they see in the sky. But you must not be afraid of them.

The Lord says, “Tell them this message: ‘These false gods did not make heaven and earth. They will be destroyed and disappear from heaven and earth.’”

This is what the Lord says: “This time, I will throw the people of Judah out of this country. I will bring pain and trouble to them. I will do this so that they will learn their lesson.”

So this is what the Lord says: “I will soon make something terrible happen to the people of Judah. They will not be able to escape. They will be sorry and cry to me for help, but I will not listen to them.

The Lord’s Promise to Israel’s Neighbors

This is what the Lord says: “I will tell you what I will do for all those who live around the land of Israel. They are very wicked. They have destroyed the land I gave to the people of Israel. I will pull the evil people up and throw them out of their land, and I will pull the people of Judah up with them.

Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will make everyone who lives in this land helpless, like a drunken man. I am talking about the kings who sit on David’s throne. I am also talking about the priests, the prophets, and all the people who live in Jerusalem.

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.”

They might ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ Tell them this is what the Lord says: “‘I have chosen some people to die. They will die. I have chosen some to be killed with swords. They will be killed with swords. I have chosen some to die from hunger. They will die from hunger. I have chosen some to be taken away to a foreign country. They will be prisoners there.