14. Then I will smash them like jars against one another, old and young alike. No pity, compassion, or mercy will stop me from killing them.”
15. People of Israel, the Lord has spoken!Be humble and listen to him.
16. Honour the Lord, your God,before he brings darkness,and you stumble on the mountains;before he turns into deep darknessthe light you hoped for.
17. If you will not listen,I will cry in secret because of your pride;I will cry bitterly, and my tears will flowbecause the Lord's people have been taken away as captives.
18. The Lord said to me, “Tell the king and his mother to come down from their thrones, because their beautiful crowns have fallen from their heads.
19. The towns of southern Judah are under siege; no one can get through to them. All the people of Judah have been taken away into exile.”
20. Jerusalem, look! Your enemies are coming down from the north! Where are the people entrusted to your care, your people you were so proud of?
21. What will you say when people you thought were your friends conquer you and rule over you? You will be in pain like a woman giving birth.
22. If you ask why all this has happened to you — why your clothes have been torn off and you have been raped — it is because your sin is so terrible.
23. Can a Nubian change the colour of his skin, or a leopard remove its spots? If they could, then you that do nothing but evil could learn to do what is right.
24. The Lord will scatter you like straw that is blown away by the desert wind.
25. He has said that this will be your fate. This is what he has decided to do with you, because you have forgotten him and have trusted in false gods.