Jeremiah 15:5–11

⁵“Who do you think will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem?

Who do you think will waste tears on you?

Who will bother to take the time to ask,

‘So, how are things going?’

^6–9“You left me, remember?” God’s Decree.

“You turned your back and walked out.

So I will grab you and hit you hard.

I’m tired of letting you off the hook.

I threw you to the four winds

and let the winds scatter you like leaves.

I made sure you’ll lose everything,

since nothing makes you change.

I created more widows among you

than grains of sand on the ocean beaches.

At noon mothers will get the news

of their sons killed in action.

Sudden anguish for the mothers—

all those terrible deaths.

A mother of seven falls to the ground,

gasping for breath,

Robbed of her children in their prime.

Her sun sets at high noon!

Then I’ll round up any of you that are left alive

and see that you’re killed by your enemies.”

God’s Decree.

Giving Everything Away for Nothing

^10–11Unlucky mother—that you had me as a son,

given the unhappy job of indicting the whole country!

I’ve never hurt or harmed a soul,

and yet everyone is out to get me.

But, God knows, I’ve done everything I could to help them,

prayed for them and against their enemies.

I’ve always been on their side, trying to stave off disaster.

God knows how I’ve tried!