16. The God of Jacob is not like them;he is the one who made everything,and he has chosen Israel to be his very own people.The Lord Almighty is his name.
17. People of Jerusalem, you are under siege! Gather up your belongings.
18. The Lord is going to throw you out of this land; he is going to crush you until not one of you is left. The Lord has spoken.
19. The people of Jerusalem cried out,“How badly we are hurt!Our wounds will not heal.And we thought this was something we could endure!
20. Our tents are ruined;the ropes that held them have broken.Our children have all gone away;there is no one left to put up our tents again;there is no one to hang their curtains.”
21. I answered, “Our leaders are stupid;they do not ask the Lord for guidance.This is why they have failed,and our people have been scattered.
22. Listen! News has come!There is a great commotion in a nation to the north;its army will turn the cities of Judah into a desert,a place where jackals live.”
23. Lord, I know that no one is the master of his own destiny;no person has control over his own life.