9
Shouldn't I punish the people for doing this?" says the Lord. "Shouldn't I give a nation like this the punishment it deserves?"
10
I, Jeremiah, will cry loudly for the mountains and sing a funeral song for the empty fields. They are empty, and no one passes through. The mooing of cattle cannot be heard. The birds have flown away, and the animals are gone.
11
"I, the Lord, will make the city of Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a home for wild dogs. so no one can live there."
12
What person is wise enough to understand these things? Is there someone who has been taught by the Lord who can explain them? Why was the land ruined? Why has it been made like an empty desert where no one goes?
13
The Lord answered, "It is because Judah quit following my teachings that I gave them. They have not obeyed me or done what I told them to do.