Jeremiah 5:10-18

10The Lord says this to Judah's enemies: ‘March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah, and destroy the vines. But do not destroy them completely. Pull the branches from the trees. Do this, because these people do not belong to the Lord.

11The people of Israel and Judah have turned against me.

12They have told lies about the Lord. They have said, “He will not punish us! No trouble will come to us. There will be no war. There will be no famine.

13The prophets speak empty words. They do not speak the Lord's messages. The troubles that they talk about should happen to them, not us!” ’

14Because of that, the Lord God Almighty said to me, ‘That is what the people are saying. So I will give you a strong message to speak to them. It will be like fire that comes out of your mouth. And the people will burn like wood in that fire.’

15The Lord says this: ‘Listen to me, you people of Israel. I will bring an army to attack you. They will come from a nation that is far away. It is a strong nation that started long ago. You do not know their language. You cannot understand what they say.

16They are all brave soldiers. They shoot arrows that will kill you.

17They will eat all the crops in your fields and the food that you have stored. They will take your sons and your daughters for themselves. They will kill your sheep and your cows for food. They will eat all your grapes and your figs. They will attack your strong cities where you thought you would be safe. Their soldiers will knock down the walls.’

18But the Lord says this: ‘Even at that time, I will not destroy you completely.