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the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me and intercede, My heart would not turn toward this people. Send them away from My presence! Let them go! 2 And if they ask you: ‘Where should we go?’ then you must tell them: ‘This is what the Lord says:
“Those destined for death, to death;
those destined for the sword, to the sword;
those destined for famine, to the famine;
those destined for captivity, to captivity” ’.
3 “I will appoint for them four forms of judgment,” declares the Lord, “the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will turn aside to ask of your welfare?
6 You have rejected Me,”
declares the Lord.
“You go ever backward,
so I will stretch out My hand against You
and destroy You;
I have grown weary of relenting.
7 I will winnow them with a winnowing fork
at the gates of the land.
I will bereave them of children;
I will destroy My people,
for they will not turn from their ways.
8 I will make their widows
more numerous than the sands of the seas;
I will bring against the mothers of young men
a destroyer at noon.
Suddenly I will bring down on her
anguish and terrors.
9 She who gave birth to seven will languish,
she will breathe her last.
Her sun will set on her while it is still day;
she will be disgraced and humiliated.
The remnant of them I will deliver over to the sword
in the presence of their enemies,”
declares the Lord.
10 Woe is me, my mother,
that you ever gave birth to me,
a man of strife and contention in all of the land!
I have neither lent nor borrowed,
yet everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said:
“Surely I will deliver you to a better fate;
surely I will intercede with your enemies on your behalf
in times of adversity and times of affliction.
12 “Can anyone smash iron—
iron from the north, or bronze?
13 Your wealth and your treasures
I will give as plunder, without cost,
because of your sins,
throughout your territories.
14 I will make you slaves to serve your enemies
in a land that you do not know,
for My anger will kindle a fire
that will burn against you.”
15 O Lord, You know;
remember me and attend to me.
Avenge me against my persecutors.
In Your forbearance do not take me away;
know that I suffer reproach on Your account.
16 Your words were found,
and I ate them,
Your words became my joy
and the delight of my heart;
for I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of Hosts.
17 I never sat in the company of revellers,
and I never revelled with them.
I sat alone because Your hand was on me,
for You had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain without end,
and my wound uncurable,
refusing to be healed?
Truly You have become to me like a deceptive brook,
like waters that fail.
19 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“If you turn back, I will restore you;
then you will stand in My presence.
If you speak words that are worthy,
rather than worthless words,
then You will be My spokesman.
Let this people return to you,
but you must not return to them.
20 Then I will make you to this people
as a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they will not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,”
declares the Lord.
21 “I will deliver you from the hands of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.