I was like a trusting lamb taken out to be killed, and I did not know that it was against me that they were planning evil things. They were saying, "Let's chop down the tree while it is still healthy; let's kill him so that no one will remember him any more."

Then the people said, "Let's do something about Jeremiah! There will always be priests to instruct us, the wise to give us counsel, and prophets to proclaim God's message. Let's bring charges against him and stop listening to what he says."

I hear everybody whispering, "Terror is everywhere! So let's report him to the authorities!" Even my close friends wait for my downfall. "Perhaps he can be tricked," they say; "then we can catch him and get revenge."

Save me, LORD, from liars and deceivers.

With a soldier's sharp arrows, with red-hot coals!

I have lived too long with people who hate peace!

These evil people have refused to obey me. They have been as stubborn and wicked as ever, and have worshiped and served other gods. So then, they will become like these shorts that are no longer any good.

The wicked tell God to leave them alone; they don't want to know his will for their lives.

They think there is no need to serve God nor any advantage in praying to him.

I have been calling you, inviting you to come, but you would not listen. You paid no attention to me.

You have never had any use for knowledge and have always refused to obey the LORD.

My people are doomed because they do not acknowledge me. You priests have refused to acknowledge me and have rejected my teaching, and so I reject you and will not acknowledge your sons as my priests.

This is how the judgment works: the light has come into the world, but people love the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds are evil.

Those who do evil things hate the light and will not come to the light, because they do not want their evil deeds to be shown up.

Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do.

Come back to your right senses and stop your sinful ways. I declare to your shame that some of you do not know God.