15 Then Yahweh told me, “Even if Mosheh (Moses)[ref] or Shmuel (Samuel)[ref] were standing in front of me, I still wouldn’t be in favour of this group of people. Send them out away from me, and let them go away. 2 If anyone comes to ask you where they should go, tell them that this is what Yahweh says:

Those who are destined for death, will die.

Those for the sword, will die in war.

Those for famine, will suffer starvation.

Those for exile, will be taken away in captivity.[ref]

3 Yahweh declares that he’ll assign them to four groups:

• 1. killed by the sword,
• 2. dragged away by wild dogs,
• 3. assigned to the birds of prey, and
• 4. assigned to be devoured and destroyed by wild animals.

4 ⇔Because of what Yehudah’s (Judah’s) King Menasheh (Manasseh) did in Yerushalem (Jerusalem),[ref] I’ll make people in all the world’s nations be horrified by them.

5 Yes, who will feel sorry for you, Yerushalem,

≈ and who will show sympathy for you?

Who will go out of their way to ask about your welfare?

6 Yahweh declares: You’ve forsaken me—

you’ve turned your back on me

so I’ve used my power against you to destroy you.

I’m tired of letting you off.

7 So I’ll winnow them with a pitchfork at the country’s gates.

I’ll make them childless, thus destroying my people

as they haven’t turned from their own ways.

8 I’ll make more widows for them than sand grains on the beach.

I’ll send a destroyer against the mothers of their young men at midday.

I’ll make shock and horror fall on them suddenly.

9 The mother who has borne seven children will waste away.

She’ll gasp—her sun will set while it is still daytime.

She’ll be ashamed and embarrassed, because I will give those who remain

to be killed by the sword in their enemies’ presence.

That is Yahweh’s declaration.