Jeremiah 11:14-20

“As for you, Jeremiah, don’t pray for these people or cry out for them or ask anything for them. I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble. “What is my beloved Judah doing in my Temple when she makes many evil plans? Do you think animal sacrifices will stop your punishment? When you do your evil, then you are happy.” The LORD called you “a leafy olive tree, with beautiful fruit and shape.” But with the roar of a strong storm he will set that tree on fire, and its branches will be burned up. The LORD All-Powerful, who planted you, has announced that disaster will come to you. This is because the families of Israel and Judah have done evil and have made him angry by burning incense to Baal. The LORD showed me that people were making plans against me. Because he showed me what they were doing, I knew they were against me. Before this, I was like a gentle lamb waiting to be butchered. I did not know they had made plans against me, saying: “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit. Let’s kill him so people will forget him.” But, LORD All-Powerful, you are a fair judge. You know how to test peoples’ hearts and minds. I have told you what I have against them. So let me see you give them the punishment they deserve.