6. You have abandoned meand turned your back on me,”says the lord.“Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you.I am tired of always giving you another chance.
7. I will winnow you like grain at the gates of your citiesand take away the children you hold dear.I will destroy my own people,because they refuse to change their evil ways.
8. There will be more widowsthan the grains of sand on the seashore.At noontime I will bring a destroyeragainst the mothers of young men.I will cause anguish and terrorto come upon them suddenly.
9. The mother of seven grows faint and gasps for breath;her sun has gone down while it is still day.She sits childless now,disgraced and humiliated.And I will hand over those who are leftto be killed by the enemy.I, the lord, have spoken!”
10. Then I said,“What sorrow is mine, my mother.Oh, that I had died at birth!I am hated everywhere I go.I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclosenor a borrower who refuses to pay—yet they all curse me.”
11. The lord replied,“I will take care of you, Jeremiah.Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalfin times of trouble and distress.
12. Can a man break a bar of iron from the north,or a bar of bronze?
13. At no cost to them,I will hand over your wealth and treasuresas plunder to your enemies,for sin runs rampant in your land.
14. I will tell your enemies to take youas captives to a foreign land.For my anger blazes like a firethat will burn forever.”
15. Then I said,“lord, you know what’s happening to me.Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors!Please give me time; don’t let me die young.It’s for your sake that I am suffering.
16. When I discovered your words, I devoured them.They are my joy and my heart’s delight,for I bear your name,O lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
17. I never joined the people in their merry feasts.I sat alone because your hand was on me.I was filled with indignation at their sins.
18. Why then does my suffering continue?Why is my wound so incurable?Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook,like a spring that has gone dry.”
19. This is how the lord responds:“If you return to me, I will restore youso you can continue to serve me.If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,you will be my spokesman.You must influence them;do not let them influence you!