23. But when they came into this land and took possession of it, they did not obey your commands or live according to your teaching; they did nothing that you had ordered them to do. And so you brought all this destruction on them.
24. “The Babylonians have built siege mounds round the city to capture it, and they are attacking. War, starvation, and disease will make the city fall into their hands. You can see that all you have said has come true.
25. Yet, Sovereign Lord, you are the one who ordered me to buy the field in the presence of witnesses, even though the city is about to be captured by the Babylonians.”
26. Then the Lord said to me,
27. “I am the Lord, the God of the whole human race. Nothing is too difficult for me.
28. I am going to give this city over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army; they will capture it
29. and set it on fire. They will burn it down, together with the houses where people have made me angry by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out wine offerings to other gods.
30. From the very beginning of their history the people of Israel and the people of Judah have displeased me and made me angry by what they have done.
31. The people of this city have made me angry and furious from the day it was built. I have decided to destroy it
32. because of all the evil that has been done by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, together with their kings and leaders, their priests and prophets.
33. They turned their backs on me; and though I kept on teaching them, they would not listen and learn.
34. They even placed their disgusting idols in the Temple built for my worship, and they have defiled it.
35. They have built altars to Baal in the Valley of Hinnom, to sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. I did not command them to do this, and it did not even enter my mind that they would do such a thing and make the people of Judah sin.”
36. The Lord, the God of Israel, said to me, “Jeremiah, the people are saying that war, starvation, and disease will make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylonia. Now listen to what else I have to say.