7. Our terrible sins may demandthat we be punished.But if you rescue us, Lord,everyone will seehow great you are.
8. You're our only hope;you alone can save us now.You help us one day,but you're gone the next.
9. Did this disastertake you by surprise?Are you a warriorwith your hands tied?You have chosen us,and your temple is here.Don't abandon us!
10. My people,you love to wander away;you don't even tryto stay close to me.So now I will reject youand punish you for your sins.I, the Lord, have spoken.
11. The Lord said, “Jeremiah, don't ask me to help these people.
12. They may even go without eating and offer sacrifices to please me and to give thanks. But when they cry out for my help, I won't listen, and I won't accept their sacrifices. Instead, I'll send war, starvation, and disease to wipe them out.”
13. I replied, “The other prophets keep telling everyone that you won't send starvation or war, and that you're going to give us peace.”
14. The Lord answered:They claim to speak for me, but they're lying! I didn't even speak to them, much less choose them to be my prophets. Their messages come from worthless dreams, useless fortune-telling, and their own imaginations.
15. Those lying prophets say there will be peace and plenty of food. But I say that those same prophets will die from war and hunger.