1. Then the Lord spoke his word to me:
2. “You must not get married. You must not have sons or daughters in this place.”
3. The Lord says this about the sons and daughters born in this land. And he says this about the mothers and fathers of those children:
4. “They will die of terrible diseases. No one will cry for them. No one will bury them. Their bodies will lie on the ground like dung. They will die in war, or they will starve to death. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky. And they will be food for the wild animals.”
5. So this is what the Lord says: “Jeremiah, do not go into a house where there is a funeral meal. Do not go there to cry for the dead or to show your sorrow. Do not do this because I have taken back my blessing, my love and my pity from these people,” says the Lord.
6. “Important people and common people will die in the land of Judah. No one will bury them or cry for them. No one will cut himself for them. And no one will shave his head to show sorrow for them.
7. No one will bring food to the people who are crying for the dead. No one will comfort one whose mother or father has died. No one will offer a drink to comfort them.
8. “Do not go into a house where the people are having a feast. Do not go there and sit down to eat and drink.