19. But they are not only insulting me; they are also insulting themselves by doing these shameful things.
20. And now, I, the Lord All-Powerful, will flood Judah with my fiery anger until nothing is left—no people or animals, no trees or crops.
21. The Lord told me to say to the people of Judah:I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, but I won't accept sacrifices from you. So don't even bother bringing them to me. You might as well just cook the meat for yourselves.
22. At the time I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, I didn't command them to offer sacrifices to me.
23. Instead, I told them, “If you listen to me and do what I tell you, I will be your God, you will be my people, and all will go well for you.”
24. But your ancestors refused to listen. They were stubborn, and whenever I wanted them to go one-way, they always went the other.
25. Ever since your ancestors left Egypt, I have been sending my servants the prophets to speak for me.
26. But you have ignored me and become even more stubborn and sinful than your ancestors ever were!
27. Jeremiah, no matter what you do, the people won't listen.
28. So you must say to them:People of Judah, I am the Lord your God, but you have refused to obey me, and you didn't change when I punished you. And now, you no longer even pretend to be faithful to me.
29. Shave your head baldand throw away the hair.Sing a funeral songon top of a barren hill.You people have made me angry,and I have abandoned you.
30. You have disobeyed me by putting your disgusting idols in my temple, and now the temple itself is disgusting to me.
31. At Topheth in Hinnom Valley you have built altars where you kill your children and burn them as sacrifices to other gods. I would never think of telling you to do this.
32. So watch out! Some day that place will no longer be called Topheth or Hinnom Valley. It will be called Slaughter Valley, because you will bury your dead there until you run out of room,
33. and then bodies will lie scattered on the ground. Birds and wild animals will come and eat, and no one will be around to scare them off.
34. When I have finished with your land, there will be deathly silence in the empty ruins of Jerusalem and the towns of Judah—no happy voices, no sounds of parties or wedding celebrations.