Jeremiah 6:1-8

1“Run for safety, you children of Benjamin, Out of the midst of Jerusalem! And blow a trumpet in Tekoa [in Judah] And raise a signal-fire in Beth-haccherem [near Jerusalem]; For evil is looking down [with eager anticipation] from the north, And great destruction.

2I will destroy the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem), the lovely and delicate one [so like a luxurious pasture].

3Shepherds with their flocks will come against her; They will pitch their tents all around her; They will pasture, each one in his place [eating up all her rich grasses].

4[They shout], ‘Prepare for war against her; Arise, let us [take her by surprise and] attack her at noon. But alas, the daylight pales, The evening shadows grow long.

5Arise, let us [awaken to] attack her at night And destroy her [fortified] palaces!’ ”

6For the Lord of hosts has said, “Cut down her trees And build a siege [mound] against Jerusalem. This is the city which must be punished; There is nothing but oppression inside her [walls].

7As a fountain springs up and pours out its fresh waters, So she [continually] pours out her fresh wickedness. Violence and destruction are heard inside her [walls]; Sickness and wounds are always before Me.

8Be wise and be warned, O Jerusalem, Or I will be alienated from you, And make you a desolation, An uninhabited land.”