Jeremiah 9:12-16

Why is the land burned and destroyed, left like an uninhabited wilderness? Who is wise enough to understand this? Who is the prophet with a word from YAHWEH to explain it? YAHWEH himself supplies the answer: “Because they have rejected my laws, which I gave them, they refused to live as I told them, and they have not listened to my voice. Instead, they stubbornly followed their hearts’ desires and chased after the Baals, just like their ancestors taught them. Therefore I, YAHWEH, the God of Israel and Commander of Angel Armies, say to you: “Look! I will feed them bitter wormwood, and give them poisonous water to drink. I will also scatter them among the nations. They will live as exiles among people they and their fathers have never known. I will send the sword after them until I have made an end of them.”