Jeremiah 4:19-31

With gut-wrenching pain deep in my soul, I writhe on the ground in anguish. My heart is pounding within me. I cannot keep silent, for I hear the shofar blast. I say to my soul, I hear the cry of war! A chain of disasters, one after another. The entire land is in ruins! Suddenly, and in an instant, our tent and its curtains are destroyed. How long must I see their battle flags and hear their shofars blaring for battle? “My people are foolish because they don’t know who I really am. They are reckless, senseless children. They think they are wise, but they are cunning in sinfulness and clueless in righteousness.” I looked at the earth, and it was completely empty and formless, the heavens hid its light. I looked at the mountains and saw them trembling, and all the hills were shaking to and fro. I looked for a human, but not one was to be found. Every bird had flown away. I looked at the once fruitful land, now nothing but a desert, all its cities left in ruins before YAHWEH’s burning anger. “For I, YAHWEH, have spoken: ‘The whole land will remain desolate; however, the end of the world is not yet. This is why the earth will mourn, and the heavens will veil their light— because I have spoken. I will neither relent nor turn away from my plans.’ ” When they hear the approach of the horsemen and archers, the whole city flees in terror. Some run into the forest to hide, and others climb up into the rocks. Every city is deserted, and no one lives there anymore. And you, desolate Zion, what are you doing dressing up in scarlet, adorning yourself in ornaments of gold and putting on eye shadow? You’re making yourself beautiful for nothing. Your lovers don’t want you anymore. In fact, they seek your life! I heard a cry of a woman gasping in labor pains; I saw her writhing in distress as one giving birth to her first child. It is the daughter of Zion, gasping and stretching out her hands for help, saying: “I’m staring at death! I’m fainting before my murderers!”