Jeremiah 13:15-21

15‘Listen carefully to me. Do not be too proud to listen! The Lord has spoken to you.

16Give honour to the Lord your God, before it is too late. Do it before he makes everywhere become dark. Then you will fall down, like someone who walks on the mountains at night. You may hope for light to come, but God will make it completely dark.

17If you refuse to listen to God's message, I will hide myself and I will weep. Because you are so proud, tears will pour from my eyes. I will cry because the Lord has sent his own people away as prisoners to a foreign land.

18Tell the king and his mother, “Come down from your thrones. Your beautiful crowns will soon fall from your heads.”

19The cities in the south of Judah will keep their gates shut. Nobody will go in or out of the cities. Enemies will take the people of Judah away as prisoners. They will take them all into exile.

20Leaders of Jerusalem, look up! See the enemy that is coming from the north. What has happened to your people? You were proud of them and you should have taken care of them. You are like shepherds who have lost their sheep.

21The Lord will choose other people to rule over you. They are people that you wanted to be your friends, but now they will have power over you. So what will you say about that? You will be afraid and in much pain, like a woman who is giving birth to a baby.