17. The enemy has surrounded Jerusalem like men guarding a field. Judah, you turned against me, so the enemy is coming against you.” This message is from the Lord.
18. “The way you lived and the things you did brought this trouble to you. It is your evil that made your life so hard. Your evil life brought the pain that hurts deep in your heart.”
19. My sadness and worry is making my stomach hurt. I am bent over in pain. I am so afraid. My heart is pounding inside me. I cannot keep quiet, because I have heard the trumpet blow. The trumpet is calling the army to war.
20. Disaster follows disaster. The whole country is destroyed. Suddenly my tents are destroyed. My curtains are torn down!
21. How long must I see the war flags? How long must I hear the war trumpets?
22. The Lord said, “My people are foolish. They don’t know me. They are stupid children. They don’t understand. They are skillful at doing evil, but they don’t know how to do good.”
23. I looked at the earth. It was empty; there was nothing on it. I looked at the sky, and its light was gone.
24. I looked at the mountains, and they were shaking. All the hills were trembling.
25. I looked, but there were no people. All the birds of the sky had flown away.