9
Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord; and shall I not bring retribution on a nation such as this?
10
Take up weeping and wailing for the mountains, and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness, because they are laid waste so that no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard; both the birds of the air and the animals have fled and are gone.
11
I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a lair of jackals; and I will make the towns of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.
12
Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, so that they may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through?
13
And the Lord says: Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, or walked in accordance with it,