I have send unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return you now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, go not after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but you have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me (Jeremiah 35:15).

Have I not warned you of the other gods which the heathen serve? Yet you say, Where have I warned you? I have spoken to you about our jealous God, who have freed us from bondage and shew us great mercy. All our needs God provided for us. Yet our hearts were ungrateful. We run after the things of this world, and seek not what we need but what we want. We desire the vain things of the world, and the evil things we delight to cleave to them. We delight in them and forsake the goodness of God. All our days have become like sorrows. And the joys of the LORD cannot be found. When he takes away his goodness and mercy, then shall we cry out to God for favour. All our days we lament; for our evil ways have corrupted our souls. We profane our God and despise his riches. Then we say, We are poor. And we say, Where is the hope of the LORD? Where is the hope of righteousness who shineth his light before us and shew us the way? Where is our God who killed that we might live? The hope of the land is like the dust of the desert. Darkness dawn on this land, and sorrow awaits her. Sin has magnified itself and man see not what befalls them. Hopelessness is everywhere, and follow after evil. Where there is no light there shall be no hope. Who can have hope without the LORD? Who can see without the light of the world? The glory of God is magnified in the land of the righteous. But in the evil days they trample on it.

Return unto the LORD, O Israel, to whom he considered once children of righteousness, then shall your hope return unto thee. When you honour God and take away his jealousy, then shall he enlarge the room beneath your feet. When you turn from other gods and from wickedness, then shall the glory of God be magnified in this land. This land is corrupt, a land of desolation, awaiting destruction. All the hope has gone with the wind. And vanity has taken the place of hope. You say, where is righteousness, but all we find is unrighteousness. Profanity is prevalent in the land. And yet they look for joy. And they say, Sorrow shall not come. But this land shall be rewarded greatly. I shall remember their ways, how they have turned away from my words. My tears have fallen unto the ground. Upon this land, the rivers shall go dry. The dust of the land shall be plentiful. Famine shall ravish this land and many shall mourn. For the word of the LORD shall not go vain. They shall cry out to me but I shall not hear them, lest they shall turn from their evil and follow my ways. I am the LORD, the Mighty One, the LORD of hosts is my name. Surely the day will come when the hearts of men shall grow cold, forsaking one another, and turning to other gods who shall not save them. But I will look after them that are mine and fatten the hearts of those who rejoice in my name. They shall have hope and the joys of the LORD shall beseech them. I shall be their God, even in the evil days.