¶ The word¹ of the LORD came also unto me, saying,

²Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.

For thus saith³ the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;

They shall die⁴ of grievous deaths; they shall not⁵ be lamented; neither⁶ shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung⁷ upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed⁸ by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat⁹ for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

For thus saith the LORD, Enter¹⁰ not into the house of mourning¹¹, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.

Both the great¹² and the small shall die in this land: they¹³ shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut¹⁴ themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:

Neither shall men tear themselves¹⁵ for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup¹⁶ of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.

¹⁷Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.

For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will¹⁸ cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.

¶ And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore¹⁹ hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?

Then shalt thou say unto them, Because²⁰ your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked²¹ after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;

And ye have done worse²² than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination²³ of his evil²⁴ heart, that they may not hearken unto me:

Therefore will I²⁵ cast you out of this land into a²⁶ land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and²⁷ there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.

¶ Therefore, behold,²⁸ the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought²⁹ up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

But, The LORD liveth, that brought³⁰ up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

Behold, I will send³¹ for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters³², and they shall hunt them from every mountain³³, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

³⁴For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.

And first³⁵ I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled³⁶ my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases³⁷ of their detestable and abominable things.

O LORD, my strength³⁸, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles³⁹ shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely⁴⁰ our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein⁴¹ there is no profit.

¶⁴²Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?

Therefore, behold, I will this⁴³ once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they⁴⁴ shall know that my name is The LORD⁴⁵.