Jeremiah 15:1–9

Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses^x and Samuel^y were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.^z Send them away from my presence!^a Let them go! ²And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“ ‘Those destined for death, to death;

those for the sword, to the sword;^b

those for starvation, to starvation;^c

those for captivity, to captivity.’^d

³“I will send four kinds of destroyers^e against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword^f to kill and the dogs^g to drag away and the birds^h and the wild animals to devour and destroy.^{i 4}I will make them abhorrent^j to all the kingdoms of the earth^k because of what Manasseh^l son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.

⁵“Who will have pity^m on you, Jerusalem?

Who will mourn for you?

Who will stop to ask how you are?

⁶You have rejectedⁿ me,” declares the Lord.

“You keep on backsliding.

So I will reach out^o and destroy you;

I am tired of holding back.^p

⁷I will winnow^q them with a winnowing fork

at the city gates of the land.

I will bring bereavement^r and destruction on my people,^s

for they have not changed their ways.^t

⁸I will make their widows^u more numerous

than the sand of the sea.

At midday I will bring a destroyer^v

against the mothers of their young men;

suddenly I will bring down on them

anguish and terror.^w

⁹The mother of seven will grow faint^x

and breathe her last.^y

Her sun will set while it is still day;

she will be disgraced^z and humiliated.

I will put the survivors to the sword^a

before their enemies,”^b

declares the Lord.