1. When there had been no rain for a long time, the Lord told me to say to the people:
2. Judah and Jerusalem weepas the land dries up.
3. Rulers send their servantsto the storage pits for water.But there's none to be found;they return in despairwith their jars still empty.
4. There has been no rain,and farmers feel sickas they watch cracks appearin the dry ground.
5. A deer gives birth in a field,then abandons her newborn fawnand leaves in search of grass.
6. Wild donkeys go blindfrom starvation.So they stand on barren hilltopsand sniff the air,hoping to smell green grass.
7. Our terrible sins may demandthat we be punished.But if you rescue us, Lord,everyone will seehow great you are.
8. You're our only hope;you alone can save us now.You help us one day,but you're gone the next.
9. Did this disastertake you by surprise?Are you a warriorwith your hands tied?You have chosen us,and your temple is here.Don't abandon us!
10. My people,you love to wander away;you don't even tryto stay close to me.So now I will reject youand punish you for your sins.I, the Lord, have spoken.
11. The Lord said, “Jeremiah, don't ask me to help these people.
12. They may even go without eating and offer sacrifices to please me and to give thanks. But when they cry out for my help, I won't listen, and I won't accept their sacrifices. Instead, I'll send war, starvation, and disease to wipe them out.”
13. I replied, “The other prophets keep telling everyone that you won't send starvation or war, and that you're going to give us peace.”
14. The Lord answered:They claim to speak for me, but they're lying! I didn't even speak to them, much less choose them to be my prophets. Their messages come from worthless dreams, useless fortune-telling, and their own imaginations.
15. Those lying prophets say there will be peace and plenty of food. But I say that those same prophets will die from war and hunger.
16. And everyone who listens to them will be killed, just as they deserve. Their dead bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, because their families will also be dead, and no one will be left to bury them.
17. Jeremiah, go and tell the people how you feel about all this.So I told them:“Tears will flood my eyesboth day and night,because my nation suffersfrom a deadly wound.
18. In the fields I see the bodiesof those killed in battle.And in the towns I see crowdsdying of hunger.But the prophets and priestsgo about their business,without understandingwhat has happened.”
19. Have you rejected Judah, Lord?Do you hate Jerusalem?Why did you strike down Judahwith a fatal wound?We had hoped for peaceand a time of healing,but all we got was terror.
20. We and our ancestors are guiltyof rebelling against you.
21. If you save us, it will showhow great you are.Don't let our enemiesdisgrace your temple,your beautiful throne.Don't forget that you promisedto rescue us.
22. Idols can't send rain,and showers don't fallby themselves.Only you control the rain,so we put our trust in you,the Lord our God.