Jeremiah 15:1–9

¹Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were standing in front of me, I would not feel sorry for these people. Send them away from me, and let them go. ²When they ask you where they should go, say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: 

Those who are destined to die will die. 

Those who are destined to die in wars will die in wars. 

Those who are destined to die in famines will die in famines. 

Those who are destined to die in captivity will die in captivity.’ 

³“I will devise four ways to punish them,” declares the Lord. “I will send swords to kill, dogs to drag away, and birds and animals to devour and destroy. ⁴I will make these people a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms on the earth. This will happen because of what Judah’s King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, did in Jerusalem. 

⁵No one will take pity on you, Jerusalem. 

No one will mourn for you. 

No one will bother to ask how you are doing. 

⁶You have left me,” declares the Lord. 

“You have turned your back on me. 

So I will use my power against you and destroy you. 

I’m tired of showing compassion to you. 

⁷“I will separate them with a winnowing^ashovel at the city gates. 

I will make them childless. 

I will destroy my people because they will not change their ways. 

⁸Their widows will be more numerous 

than the grains of sand on the seashore. 

At noontime I will send a destroyer against the mothers of young men. 

I will suddenly bring anguish and terror to them. 

⁹A mother who gives birth to seven sons will grow faint 

and breathe her last. 

She will die, ashamed and humiliated, 

while it is still daylight. 

I will put survivors from these people to death 

in the presence of their enemies,” declares the Lord.