Jeremiah asks the Lord to save his people.

19 I cannot believe that you have completely turned away from Judah.

I cannot believe that you hate Zion.

You have hurt us so much

that nobody can make us well again.

We trusted you to save us from trouble.

But you have not done anything good for us.

We trusted you to make us well.

But we are only very afraid.

20 Lord, we agree that we have done many bad things.

We remember, too, the bad things that our ancestors did.

We have not obeyed you, and we have hurt you.

21 We are bad. So people may think that you are bad because of that.

We do not want that.

We want people to give honour to you.

Remember that you promised something to us.

Please do what you promised to do.

22 Gods that men made from wood and stone belong to other countries.

They cannot bring rain.

The sky itself does not make rain.

No, you our Lord, our God,

you bring rain.

Only you can do all these things.

So we hope that you will help us.

Jeremiah 15

1 ‘Even if Moses and Samuel asked me not to punish my people, I would not listen to them,’ the Lord said to me. ‘Send my people away from me. Let them go! 2 They may ask you, “Where should we go?” Then tell them that the Lord says,

“Those who should die will die.

Other soldiers will kill those who are soldiers.

Those that should not have any food will not have any food.

Those who should be prisoners will become prisoners.” ’

3 ‘I will send 4 kinds of punishments to destroy them,’ the Lord says. ‘I will send soldiers to kill them and dogs to carry them away. And I will send birds from the air and wild animals to eat and to destroy them. 4 I will cause all the nations on the earth to hate them. I will do that because of the evil things that Manasseh, Hezekiah's son, did in Jerusalem.’

5 ‘Nobody will be sorry for you, people in Jerusalem.

Nobody will weep for you.

Nobody will stop to ask how you are.

6 You have turned away from me,’ says the Lord.

‘You are often backsliding people.

So I will attack you and I will destroy you.

I am tired of being sorry for you.

7 I will judge you at the gates of the country.

Many of you will see your sons die.

And I will kill many people

because they have not returned to me.

8 I will kill many husbands.

More men will die than you can count.

I will send an enemy at midday

against mothers and young children.

They will become afraid quickly.

9 A mother who has 7 children will fall.

And she will die.

Her life will finish before she is old.

She will be ashamed and without honour.

I will send soldiers to kill

those people who are not already dead,’

says the Lord.