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.”

Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Bad things will happen to anyone who does not obey this agreement.

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.

Warnings to Judah

“Jeremiah, say to the people of Judah: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ They will laugh and say to you, ‘Of course, we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine.’

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.

This is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters who are born in the land of Judah and about their mothers and fathers:

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.

This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel says: I will soon stop the sounds of people having fun. I will stop the happy sounds of people enjoying a wedding party. This will happen during your lifetime. I will do these things very soon.

“People make promises and say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives—the Lord who brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt ….’ But the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when people will not say that.

Trusting in People and Trusting in God

This is what the Lord says: “Bad things will happen to those who put their trust in people. Bad things will happen to those who depend on human strength. That is because they have stopped trusting the Lord.

“But those who trust in the Lord will be blessed. They know that the Lord will do what he says.

This is what the Lord says: ‘Be careful that you don’t carry a load on the Sabbath day. And don’t bring a load through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

But you must be careful to obey me, says the Lord. You must not bring a load through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath. You must make the Sabbath day a holy day. You will do this by not doing any work on that day.

“So, Jeremiah, say to the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am the potter preparing troubles for you and making plans against you. So stop doing the evil things you are doing. Each person must change and start doing good.’

Listen to what the Lord says: “Ask the other nations this question: ‘Have you ever heard of anything so bad?’ Israel, who is as dear to me as a young daughter, has done this terrible thing!

Say to those who are with you, ‘King of Judah and people of Jerusalem, listen to this message from the Lord! This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the people of Israel, says: I will soon make a terrible thing happen to this place! Everyone who hears about it will be amazed and full of fear.

Then say this: ‘The Lord All-Powerful says, I will break the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem, just as someone breaks a clay jar! And like a broken jar, the nation of Judah cannot be put together again. It will be the same for the nation of Judah. The dead people will be buried here in Topheth until there is no more room.